February is often regarded as the worst month for moviegoers, with some outlets going so far as to “officially” claim this. While the likes of RoboCop remakes and Vampire Academy don’t inspire enthusiasm from the masses to open their wallets, Madison’s status as a second-tier film market offers a silver lining for moviegoers in the doldrums of the winter.
There’s no use in competing with New York City’s movie market, but for Madison moviegoers looking to see prestige releases, the city ranks significantly below even Minneapolis and Milwaukee never mind the likes of Los Angeles and Chicago. Exclusives at the Cinematheque or Sundance Cinemas notwithstanding, Madison is undeniably outside of the schedule of numerous limited releases. That’s a major drawback for writers aspiring to complete their “Best of” lists in a timely fashion, but it’s also what makes spending the crummy movie months in Madison that much more worthwhile: Academy Award-nominated run-off.
The delayed releases of Best Foreign Language nominee The Great Beauty (now playing in Sundance’s Screening Room Calendar) or this year’s Oscar-nominated short films (which you’ll also find at Hilldale and Marcus Eastgate) spice up a winter release schedule overstuffed with 3D action cast-offs and soon-to-be-forgotten comedies. Last weekend also saw the WUD Film Committee host several screenings of Best Picture nominee Gravity with Before Midnight (up for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) playing the week before. Foreign Language nominee The Hunt seems to be making a stop at every theater chain in the greater Madison area these days.
There’s more on the way, too. In two weeks, Sundance Cinemas Madison adds Palestinian nominee Omar to its Screening Room Calendar, and WUD Film pens Captain Phillips and Best Documentary Feature nominee 20 Feet from Stardom onto the Union South Marquee’s schedule. The Pinney Branch Library is treating patrons to their FREE “Watch the Winners” program where next Tuesday, library patrons can see Steve McQueen’s contender 12 Years a Slave; Friday offers an early evening screening of Dallas Buyers Club. This Saturday at AMC and Marcus multiplexes, moviegoers can even catch Day 2 of the “Best Picture Festival,” a five-film marathon of this year’s remaining Best Picture nominees, Captain Phillips, Her, Nebraska, American Hustle, and Gravity (the first four were re-released last weekend).
I certainly won’t argue the Academy’s nominations are the be-all and end-all of cinema, especially when said nominations habitually ignore quality small releases like Short Term 12 or Frederick Wiseman’s At Berkeley. Then again, you can catch Wiseman’s gargantuan four-hour documentary for FREE this Saturday afternoon, too. Case in point?