Thursday
Sister Street Fighter (6:30p — Central Library, Rm 302)
Bad Cinema presents this spin-off of Sonny Chiba martial arts pulp. Sue Shiomi stars as the the titular “sister” who goes undercover when her brother disappears. “Bad Cinema” or not, this has got to be better than Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. FREE.
Close-Up (7:00p — Chazen Art Museum)
A “docufictional” recreation of that very real time a man impersonated an Iranian director and convinced an unsuspecting family to take him in. Abbas Kiarostami’s insightful, reflexive masterwork isn’t just one of the greatest films of the last 25 years; it’s among the most important pieces of cinema ever. If you see one film at the Chazen this summer, make it Close-Up on 35mm. FREE.
“Hey, Pull Up Your Shorts” (7:30p — Stoughton Village Players Theater)
The Stoughton Village Players continue their summer film series with a presentation of comedy shorts. Selections include films from the Found Footage Fest as well as offerings from Blame Society Productions, the Wisconsin-based crew responsible for the likes of Chad Vader. Folks from Blame Society will also be on hand for a live Q&A afterward. $5 admission.
Transformers: Age of Extinction + 22 Jump Street (8:00p — Highway 18 Drive-In; 8:20p — Sky-Vu Drive-In)
(All times listed are for box office openings.)
All freakin’ weekend
The Grand Seduction (Sundance)
Taylor Kitsch’s doctor pays a visit to Brendon Gleeson and a Newfoundland town, both of which require Kitsch to stay for an elaborate scheme to secure a petroleum factory for the harbor community. Though given that this is a Canadian dramedy, I suppose it’s “harbour community.”
Velai Illa Pattathari (Eastgate)
The Purge: Anarchy (AMC Star, Point, Eastgate)
Whether you wanted one or not (and ticket sales from last year say you did), The Purge got a sequel. This time a couple’s car breaks down in the middle of the carnage.
Sex Tape (Sundance, AMC Star, Point, Eastgate)
Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel try to spice up their stale love life by making a sex tape before promptly losing it in the cloud. In other news, “sex tape” has graduated from its analogue roots to 21st century vernacular!
Planes: Fire and Rescue (AMC Star, Point, Eastgate, Stoughton Cinema Cafe)
Disney’s only animated feature this summer hasn’t been earning great marks as Dane Cook’s Dusty Cropper joins a wildfire rescue team.
Persecuted (AMC Star, Point, Eastgate)
This Christian drama finds an evangelist (James Remar) on the run after he’s accused of a crime he didn’t commit. But hey, Bruce Davison gets to play another slimy senator; here’s hoping it’s the same one from those X-Men movies.
Friday
Wheels and Reels presents: The Princess Bride (6:00p — Gunflint Trail Park in Fitchburg)
*Sigh* Despite my best efforts to steer Fitchburg’s “bike-in” series clear of Rob Reiner’s meh-sterpiece, the people have spoken. The people also apparently hate me. Refreshments (including beer) will be available for purchase. Grounds open at 6:00p. The show starts at sundown.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (6:30p — Sequoya Branch Library)
The Sequoya Branch’s “You’ve Read the Book, Now See the Movie” program is FREE.
Planes: Fire and Rescue + Maleficent (6:30p — Highway 18 Drive-In; 7:40p — Sky-Vu Drive-In)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (6:45p — Alicia Ashman Branch Library)
If not Wes Anderson’s best film, this is certainly his most personal since Bottle Rocket — and far better at that. FREE.
American Movie (7:00p — Union South Marquee)
Cinematheque’s Mike King doesn’t just call this documentary on the making of a low-budget horror movie the “Most Wisconsin Film Ever Made.” It’s “required viewing for anyone who calls our state home.” Good news for you. FREE.
Saturday
Planes: Fire and Rescue + Maleficent + 41 Twin Outdoor Theater: Starry Skies & Silver Screen Memories (6:30p — Highway 18 Drive-In)
Highway 18 Drive-In’s Saturday program features a third film: a documentary on the now-demolished 41 Twin Drive-In in Milwaukee. It really is getting dusty in here.
Planes: Fire and Rescue + Maleficent (7:40p — Sky-Vu Drive-In)
Sunday
Planes: Fire and Rescue + Maleficent (8:00p — Highway 18 Drive-In; 8:20p — Sky-Vu Drive-In)
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (10:00a — Point, Eastgate)
$2.
Despicable Me 2 (4:00p — The Duck Pond at Warner Park)
Gates open at 3:30p. FREE.
Monday
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (10:00a — Point, Eastgate)
$2.
Consider the Conversation: A Documentary on a Taboo Subject (2:00p — Alicia Ashman Branch Library)
FREE.
Planes: Fire and Rescue + Maleficent (8:00p — Highway 18 Drive-In; 8:20p — Sky-Vu Drive-In)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (9:00p — Union Terrace)
FREE.
300: Rise of an Empire (9:30p — AMC Star)
$3.
Tuesday
An Encounter with Simone Weil (6:30p — Central Library, Rm 302)
Central Cinema scores the Madison premiere of Julia Haslett’s documentary on the little-known French philosopher and outspoken World War II activist. FREE.
Planes: Fire and Rescue + Maleficent (8:00p — Highway 18 Drive-In; 8:20p — Sky-Vu Drive-In)
300: Rise of an Empire (9:30p — AMC Star)
$3.
Glenn Beck’s We Will Not Conform Live (AMC Star, Point, Eastgate)
Beck crosses his arms and raises both eyebrows at the Common Core standards of the American education system. I feel like there should be an exclamation point on the end of that title.
Wednesday
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (10:00a — Point, Eastgate)
$2.
The Breakfast Club (1:30p, 6:50p — Sundance)
The Loving Story (6:30p — Goodman South Branch Library)
Goodman South Branch continues its presentation of the Created Equal docu-series. UW-Madison’s Emily Auerbach and her former student and author Sherry Lucille present clips from this entry that focuses on the 1958 persecution of a mixed race couple in Virginia. FREE.
Planes: Fire and Rescue + Maleficent (8:00p — Highway 18 Drive-In; 8:20p — Sky-Vu Drive-In)
300: Rise of an Empire (9:30p — AMC Star)
$3.