UPDATED 9/15/2014: Sundance has since corrected their Wednesday Nutty Professor listing. It’s the Jerry Lewis version, which means we’ve got a world that swings.
Thursday
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (6:30p — Union South Marquee)
As pointed out by Honest Trailers, perhaps YouTube’s mightiest heroes, The Winter Soldier is surprisingly better than its dull proto-Avengers predecessor as Cap takes on anxieties over government surveillance, faked assassinations, and a shaggy-haired, knife-wielding anarchist. Yep, The Dark Knight is definitely one of the better Marvel installments. FREE.
Good Will Hunting (8:00p — Majestic Theatre)
Dubbed as “A Robin Williams Tribute Screening,” Majestic’s presentation of Gus Van Sant’s endlessly watchable Southie drama will raise $5 proceeds, all of which will go directly to the Journey Mental Center on West Wash. Doors open at 7:00p. (See Majestic’s website for more details.)
Be Kind Rewind (9:30p — Union South Marquee)
After Jack Black’s junkyard worker accidentally wipes clean the videotapes in Mos Def’s store, the pair have to recreate everything they’ve undone in the hopes that store owner Danny Glover won’t find out. My only request is that they remake The Green Hornet. FREE.
All freakin’ weekend
The Trip to Italy (Sundance)
“Ever been on a fantastic vacation? Ever go back to the same spot the following summer? Not quite the same, is it?” Sundance’s Screening Room Calendar kicks off with this sequel to Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan’s road movie and according to Rob Thomas, it’s a lot like enjoying the same vacation twice. Clearly, he’s never been to the Dells before.
Power (AMC Star)
This Saturday Tollywood matinee sounds like a great idea, although you may be too busy thinking about the after-show trip to Curry in the Box to focus.
The Drop (Sundance, Eastgate)
The latest Dennis Lehane story to hit the big screen seems interesting enough — Tom Hardy’s bartender gets caught up in a cash-funneling scheme — but The Drop will probably be best remembered for having James Gandolfini’s final role. And yes, typing that still sucks.
No Good Deed (AMC Star, Point, Eastgate)
This seemingly generic home invasion thriller sounds like a waste of Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson’s talents. That is, until you find out the studio canceled every critic’s screening to preserve an insane third act twist.
Dolphin Tale 2 (AMC Star, Point, Eastgate)
After Lucy, Dolphin Tale, and now this sequel, one would think Morgan Freeman would tire of talking about dolphins. One would think.
Friday
Draft Day (6:00p — Hawthorne Branch Library)
Kevin Costner’s Cleveland Browns GM must decide if saving the NFL’s laughingstock means taking UW quarterback Bo Callahan first overall or switching things up a bit with a riskier, even more fictional pick. Are we allowed to trade Joel Stave for a fictional QB? A FREE “First Friday Feature.”
Belle (6:00p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
2 Autumns, 3 Winters (7:00p — Alicia Ashman Branch Library)
The lives of a cynical young woman, a stubborn jogger and his hospital-stricken friend intersect. Ingeniously, director Sébastien Betbeder breaks up his French-language dramedy into 40 vignettes over the course of 91 minutes. FREE.
The French Connection (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
William Friedkin may have canceled his university appearance later this year, but that’s no excuse not to enjoy his work anyway. (Madison Film Forum knows this.) Cinematheque begins its FREE semester-long journey into the cerebral with Friedkin’s 1971 hardboiled thriller. Popeye’s here!
“Wheels and Reels” presents: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (7:00p — Gunflint Trail Park, Fitchburg)
Grounds open at 7:00p. Show begins at dusk. Admission is FREE. Maybe bring a coat.
Independent Film Night (7:30p — Madison Media Institute, Building B Theater)
MMI’s student film club “The Essentials” presents this collection of six student short films in collaboration with the institute’s student council. FREE.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (8:30p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
Be Kind Rewind (11:30p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
Saturday
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2:00p — Pinney Branch Library)
FREE.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (5:30p, 11:00p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
The Captain’s Paradise + A Run For Your Money (7:00p + 8:45p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
Cinematheque’s second Alec Guinness double bill features the actor as a ferry ship captain (The Captain’s Paradise) and a humorous gardening columnist (A Run For Your Money). FREE.
Belle (8:30p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
Sunday
Suspicion (2:00p — Chazen Art Museum)
On top of featuring the only Oscar-winning performance in a Hitchcock film in Joan Fontaine, Cinematheque’s return to the Master of Suspense is also Cary Grant’s first of four collaborations with the director. FREE.
Belle (3:00p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
“Micro-Wave Cinema” presents: Black Box (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
The FREE micro-budget film series is back with Stephen Cone’s Black Box, where a grad student (Josephine Decker) finds that her stage play has some unintended effects on the cast and crew. Cone will appear in person for a live Q&A after the show.
Monday
The Wrestler (2:00p — Alicia Ashman Branch Library)
FREE.
Consider the Conversation: A Documentary on a Taboo Subject (6:15p — Goodman South Branch Library)
FREE.
Tuesday
Access to the Danger Zone (7:00p — Sundance)
This FREE documentary narrated by Daniel Day-Lewis explores the challenges behind providing aid to countries in conflict. See doctorswithoutborders.org for additional event details.
The To Do List (7:00p — Union South Marquee)
WUD Film and Sex Out Loud screen this 2013 Aubrey Plaza comedy in which her sexually inexperienced bookworm engages in some hands-on encounters. FREE.
Wednesday
The Nutty Professor (1:50p, 7:05p — Sundance)
Because if any version of this movie is a “Classic,” it’s the one without Jerry Lewis.
Constitution USA with Peter Sagal (7:00p — Union South Marquee)
The Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me! host compares/contrasts modern America with our constitutional ideals. WUD Film’s exercising their First Amendment rights, so I’m counting this episode from the miniseries. (FREE with help from UW-Madison Law School and the American Democracy Forum.)
Only Lovers Left Alive (7:00p — MMoCA Lecture Hall)
The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art’s “Spotlight Cinema” is back and bigger than ever. Literally. The expanded eight film program begins with the highlight of its loaded schedule, Jim Jarmusch’s vampire hangout movie. Featuring Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, and a truckload of condescension toward us non-blood suckers, the only 35mm presentation of Only Lovers Left Alive should be a no-brainer. Admission is $7 for the general public and FREE to MMoCA members. Doors at 6:30p.