The week in Madison movies includes a Ghostbusters sequel that will not, in fact, foretell the coming apocalypse
Wednesday
La Horse + The Dictator’s Guns (7:00p + 8:30p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
Cinematheque’s “French Tough Guys” program coasts by largely on the strength of its three leading men. Yes, that’s the hook, but the bulk of the series is veterans flexing their melodramatic chops in black-and-white romances and murder-mysteries. La Horse, which precedes the Lino Ventura mystery The Dictator’s Guns, bucks the trend. Now in his mid-60s, a graying Jean Gabin steels himself and his family for a showdown with the drug gang his two-bit grandkid’s messed with one too many times. At 46 years young, La Horse is technically the series’ “newest” entry, but its proto-Gran Torino setup might also make it the most appealing. (FREE admission.)
Thursday
Counter-Attack (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
A Soviet paratrooper (Paul Muni) and the young woman serving as his guide (Marguerite Chapman) are stuck underneath the rubble of a collapsed building. With no clear escape route, the Soviets take seven Nazi soldiers as prisoners in a tense and, thanks in part to John Howard Lawson’s screenwriting, occasionally overwrought standoff. Muni is especially great as the desperate, tired soldier. UW Professor emeritus David Bordwell will personally introduce this cut from Zoltan Korda as part of his Rhapsodes series. (FREE admission.)
All freakin’ weekend
Ghostbusters (Sundance, AMC Star, Marcus Point)
The run-up to Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters revision could have been a modern celebration of a beloved (if uneven) franchise. Instead, “Men’s Rights activists” and 4chan trolls have turned this into a strawman for nostalgic boycotts; case in point, it’s somehow at a 3.5 out of 10 on internet rectal thermometer iMDb. As of this writing, it’s “Certified Fresh” with critics. That’s no surprise, since setting up Kristen Wiig’s physicist to dissolve her one-time association with ghost scientist Melissa McCarthy is a recipe for success, especially when they’re back with their old Bridesmaids director. Add in SNL’s Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon and a handful of meta jabs at both the series mythology and those misogynist rubes and you’ve got more than enough cause to reassess those wholesome memories of Dan Aykroyd receiving oral sex from a ghost. (Showtimes and admission vary.)
Friday
Psycho-pass (7:00p — Hawthorne Library)
As a series, Psycho-Pass bought into the pre-cog criminal universe of Minority Report — except in Naoyoshi Shiotani, Katsuyuki Motohiro, and Gen Urobuchia’s universe, a person’s propensity for violence isn’t just anticipated; it’s assigned a probability of happening. The original anime series was filtered through the perspective of up-and-coming inspector Akane Tsunemori, whose departmental ties to the dystopian justice system allowed the show to check the values of security against the cost of freedom. The film capper to the series, which got a limited stateside release back in Mar, now finds Akane at the head of her division, obliterating the status quo with questions of surveillance warfare and terrorism. (FREE admission.)
Fireworks Wednesday (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
Asghar Farhadi’s 2006 drama, which gets its area premiere courtesy of UW Cinematheque, is “at particular international attention in the wake of the Jul 4 passing of legendary art house auteur Abbas Kiarostami.” You can read our full preview here. (FREE Admission.)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (8:30p — Breese Stevens Field)
The assault on Death Star III Starkiller Base may be old hat in Episode VII but consider all the things JJ Abrams’ franchise-resurrecting barnburner got right. It reasserted General Organa’s character as a business first-love second figurehead of the Resistance. It upped the ante by removing the most expendable, most beloved member of the old cast. It recognized the slim chance any villain could ever match Darth Vader and made its antagonist an Imperial fanboy. Oh, and then there’s everything about Rey. The Force Awakens isn’t a game-changer, but it did represent a polished and immensely pleasurable reset button, a rest button complete with stellar action sequences, a first act that will not quit, and a John Williams score that’s great without servicing fans. Now available on home video for two months, seeing it outdoors alongside “Catch and Reel’s” food options is your best chance at recapturing that summer movie magic we never got last winter. (Admission is FREE. Gates open at 7:00p.)
Tuesday
Clerks Brew ‘n View (7:30p — Majestic Theatre)
Apart from serving as a David Bowie farewell, last week’s Labyrinth Brew ‘n View wasn’t an especially inspiring choice, but it’s not as if a Kevin Smith movie is a marked improvement. Smith’s juvenile humor and a talk-first, think-second approach to story have worn out their welcome after a cavalcade of late-90s copycats, to say nothing of the director diluting his own post-Chasing Amy brand. At the same time, Clerks still might be the best the “View Askewniverse” has to offer, and what better pairing to the low-budget, blue collar breakout than a $12 bucket of tall boys? (FREE admission.)