More Oscar fare comes to the Union South Marquee, while your summer schedule officially begins with Iron Man 3. Anyone remember when the first two came out? Must have missed those.
WUD Film and the UW Cinematheque present: Welcome Home, Soldier Boys (Monday)
It’s been over a month since Marquee Mondays hit the Union South Marquee. A 7pm screening of the action exploitation rarity Welcome Home, Soldier Boys ends this year’s run of a most powerful alliance between UW-Madison’s two premier film groups. It’s like the awkward parting of ways between American and Soviet forces after World War II. Political ramifications? Which is the communist regime in this analogy? Discuss among yourselves.
Sundance Classics: The Graduate (Wednesday)
With the job market in the shape it is, I suppose there’s plenty of relevance in Mike Nichols’ existential drama on the aimlessness of one recent graduate, Benjamin Braddock. At the very least, it’s an excuse to bust out some Simon & Garfunkel, and as always, Sundance at Hilldale is giving you two chances at 1:45 and 6:55. Ever heard “The Only Living Boy in New York?” It’s not in The Graduate. It’s just a great song.
Barrymore Theater: Oconomowoc (Wednesday)
IndieWire wasn’t too hot on it, but the Capital Times’ Rob Thomas thinks the trailer for indie effort Oconomowoc, named after the Wisconsin town of course, shows some potential. Dubbed a “comedy about mishandled ideas,” Oconomowoc screens at the Barrymore at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, and the screening is followed by a Q&A session with writer-director Andy Gillies and the film’s cinematographer and composer Joe Haas. Maybe they can explain how to properly pronounce the town’s name.
WUD Film presents: Amour (Thursday, Friday)
Never a director to shy away from ruining your mood, the incomparable Michael Haneke’s Oscar-winning drama Amour plays at 6:30 at the Marquee this Thursday and Friday. In hindsight, slapping it with a “Best Foreign Language Film” Award seems like a cop-out on the part of the Academy. No, I’m not sure what I have against Argo either.
Sundance Screening Calendar: The Angels’ Share (Friday)
Opening Friday is the latest addition to Sundance’s Screening Room Calendar, Ken Loach’s melancholy comedy The Angels’ Share. A good-for-nothing father gets one last chance to right his wrongs, pledging to turn over yet another new leaf in the hopes of providing for his newborn son. There’s nothing particularly hilarious in that description, but this looks to feature a decent amount of prison humor, and even White Power Bill would agree that’s a gold mine of laughs waiting to happen.
WUD this weekend: Silver Linings Playbook (Thursday through Sunday), Birdemic: Shock and Terror (Midnight)
Who didn’t see Silver Linings Playbook? No, really, because it’s playing at the Union South Marquee not once, not twice, but five times. And if you’ve haven’t yet sat down to take in the delightfully insane chemistry of Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, think of this as a call to action. I saw Bradley Cooper once. That’ a lie. But I ran into a friend on Saturday who looks a lot like him. I need to work on my beard.
Kids these days seem really into The Room as far as cult favorites go. For my money, I’ll take Birdemic. It’s on par with Tommy Wiseau’s poorly- directed “black comedy” but it steals the show in the special effects department. You can look forward to quality set pieces like this at midnight on Friday and Saturday at the Marquee:
Cinematheque: Classe tout risques (Friday), Marriage Italian Style (Saturday), The Cat Returns (Sunday)
Last week, the Cinematheque finished the Renoir half of its “Renoir & Sautet: 2 x 2” series which can only mean one thing: This Friday in 4070 Vilas Hall at 7pm, Claude Sautet’s noir Consider All Risks features Lino Ventura co-starring alongside the dashing smile of Jean-Paul Belmondo. Saturday continues the trend of attractive European actors with Sophia Loren in Marriage Italian Style, a dark comedy that pokes fun at everybody’s favorite social institution. Same time, same location. Wrapping up weekend programming on campus is a 35mm print of The Cat Returns at the Chazen at 2pm. There’s only Howl’s Moving Castle left in the Cinemtheque’s “Studio Ghibli” series, so catch one while you can before they’re once again locked away in the Disney Vault! (source needed)
4th Annual SCMG Film Festival: The World’s Fastest Indian (Saturday)
The annual festival features The World’s Fastest Indian, starring Anthony Hopkins as Burt Munro. A cult hero in motorcycle culture, World’s Fastest Indian is the true story of a New Zealand man who turned his dinky little motorcycle into the fastest ride on the planet at Utah’s Salt Flats in 1962. The race kicks off Saturday at the Barrymore Theater at 7 pm. Tickets are $8, and in case you were wondering, “SCMG” stands for Slimey Crud Motorcycle Gang. Seriously.
Opening Wide: Iron Man 3
Surely you’ve heard word of this right? At least a promotional Iron Patriot figure in your Happy Meal? When fewer than five superhero films are slated for the summer blockbuster schedule, you know it’s a down year. This latest (and final?) installment of the Man of Iron features the addition of writer-director Shane Black on the franchise’s third go-around, so look for an appropriate amount of Stark Snark from Robert Downey, Jr. Still not sure what’s going on with Ben Kingsley’s “Mandarin,” but his slurred speech in that trailer has me hoping he’s rocking a mad buzz the entire movie. Please don’t tell me there izzno suchthinnnng
Sundance Special Screening: Forward (Sunday)
This past Sunday, the 2011 protest documentary Forward played at Sundance. If you missed it, it’s coming back with a vengeance on May 5th at Hilldale’s Sundance Cinemas. Proceeds go to the Overpass Light Brigade Battery Fund and cover film festival submission fees across the country. Man, fees are the worst.
(PICK OF THE WEEK): Amour
Hey, Tony Stark ain’t going anywhere for a good month and a half. Why not wait until next week to see yet another comic book movie? That way you can find time to check out Michael Haneke’s latest depress-fest. While you’re at it, follow the Haneke parody account on Twitter, too. There. Now you’re fully prepared for his upcoming 2015 summer extravaganza that follows Georges and four other ailing octogenarians as they learn to work as a team to stop a poorly-defined alien invasion from destroying Earth.