UPDATED 4/30/2015: WUD Film’s Friday screening of Troll 2 will no longer feature live commentary.
Thursday
Starlight Cinema presents “Modernist Landscapes” (7:00p — Union South Marquee)
WUD Filmâs FREE avant-garde series wraps a shortened (but not unappreciated!) semester with films by Kurt Kren, Scott Stark, chill provocateur Stan Brakhage and former Ken Burns mentor Peter Hutton. The eveningâs worth of experimental shorts re-assess our collective understanding of modern architecture and landscapes and all on 16mm.
The Imitation Game (8:30p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
All freakin’ weekend
Misery Loves Comedy (Sundance)
Actor/master Walken impersonator Kevin Pollak directs this documentary exploring why comedians pursue comedy — and whether they have to be in shitty spirits to be any good at it. The film has been available through iTunes where it’s already drawn criticism for an overwhelming focus on âold white dudes.” Surely Rob Thomas would love to hear your thoughts on the matter at next Tuesday’s post-screening chat.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (Sundance, AMC Star, Point, Stoughton Cinema Cafe)
There was little reason to doubt Joss Whedonâs credentials, but in 2012 the âGod of the Nerdsâ pulled off the unthinkable with his watchable superhero team-up. Since then, Marvel Studios and The Avengersâ influence has been an undeniable, ubiquitous influence on the blockbuster landscape and three years later, âPhase IIâ of the MCU concludes with Earthâs Mightiest Lumps of CGI going head-to-head with Ultron (James Spader). What’s an Ultron, you ask? I have no idea, but it might have something to do with the Hulk Smash cocktails the Palace Cinema will be foisting on audiences when Eastgate’s Sun Prairie replacement officially opens on Thursday.
Friday
Mr. Turner (5:30p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
Wild (6:30p — Pinney Library)
FREE. First Friday Flicks.
The Saragossa Manuscript (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
Inarguably the trippiest entry in Martin Scorsese’s “Masterpieces of Polish Cinema” series, Wojciech Has’s frame-film has all the story-within-a-story qualities of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and a lot more horrific weirdness. Set during Napoleon’s 19th century conquests, the three hours’ worth of insanity begins with a Walloon captain stumbling across the titular text and unleashing stories of crustaceans and men at the gallows. If that sounds pretty psychedelic, it’s because it is, so much so that Jerry Garcia, who allegedly counted the film among his favorites, bought a print and gifted it to the Pacific Film Archive on the condition that he could watch it whenever he wanted. FREE.
A Most Violent Year (8:30p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
Troll 2 (11:00p — Union South Marquee)
Neither a movie about trolls nor really a movie at all, this deliciously ironic hunk of garbage has a special Friday screening in which several WUD Film members will perform a “live riff.” FREE.
Saturday
The Imitation Game (6:00p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
Penton: The John Penton Story (6:30p — Barrymore Theater)
Madison’s “Slimey Crud Run” bike racers hold their 6th annual film festival with this documentary on John Penton, an American enthusiast famous for pollinating motocross and light frame motorcycling with German engineering. Lyle Lovett narrates, for some reason. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 day of.
A Hard Day’s Night (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
Ladies and gentlemen, the Beatles (in a 4k DCP restoration of Richard Lester’s revolutionary musical comedy that continues to influence and shape filmmaking and music videos alike to this day)! FREE.
Mr. Turner (8:30p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
Troll 2 (11:30p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
Sunday
The Andromeda Strain (2:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
FREE.
The Imitation Game (3:00p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
Mr. Turner (6:30p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
Her Wilderness (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
Madison joins Houston and New York on a very exclusive list of cities screening Texas short film factory Frank Mosley’s hazy 2014Â picture. Except it’s not just a picture. A multimedia project that spills its immersion into a cross-platform internet experience, Her Wilderness follows a young girl (and three women) in the aftermath of uncertain infidelity. Please send all thank you mail care of “Micro-Wave Cinema.” Better yet, come and show some support. FREE.
Monday
Lifeforce + Death Wish 3 (7:00p + 9:00p — Union South Marquee)
Screenwriter Dan O’Bannon was responsible for a number of alien-centric motion pictures (see: Alien). True to the “rough around the edges” mission statement of the Cannon Fodder series, Tobe Hooper’s 1985 sci-fi lost to mixed reviews and under-performing ticket sales features extra-terrestrials sapping the juice from their Earth-bound victims. WUD Film and UW Cinematheque pair this with a make-up screening of last month’s Death Wish 3. FREE.
Tuesday
Web (12:00p — UW Ingraham Hall, Rm 206)
The UW Department of Latin American, Caribbean & Iberian Studies screens Michael Kleiman’s moving document of children in developing nations experiencing the internet for the first time. FREE.
Blood, Sweat, and Beer (7:00p — Union South Marquee)
FREE.
Wednesday
Big Trouble in Little China (2:10p, 7:20p — Sundance)
Dope (6:00p — Union South Marquee)
Get a FREE sneak peek of this Sundance breakout dramedy where an Inglewood high school’s geeky pariah (Shameik Moore) gets mixed up in a drug buy. Featuring supporting performances by Zoe Kravitz, A$AP Rocky, Tyga, Blake Anderson, and The Grand Budapest Hotel‘s Tony Revolori. Glad he’s still getting work.
Benvenuti al Nord (Welcome to the North) (7:00p — UW Van Hise building, Rm 375)
FREE.
Reel Paddling Film Festival (8:30p — Union South Marquee)
Essentially the Banff Mountain Film Festival with extra rigging, this traveling collection of short films kicks off UW Hoofer Sailing Club’s “Hooferpalozza” event for club members and alumni alike, which runs from May 7 through May 10. The screening itself is FREE.