What’s Playing, Madison?

sabbatical madison wisconsin lakefront cinema library

UPDATED 10/1/2014: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has been added to Wednesday’s programming.

Thursday

LakeFront Cinema presents Sabbatical (6:30p — Central Library, Rm 302)

Because the last week in November is (understandably) hectic, LakeFront Cinema will end its calendar year this Thursday; fortunately, it ends on a spectacularly high note. After debuting in “Wisconsin’s Own” at this year’s Wisconsin Film Festival — and before playing the New Orleans Film Festival in October — Brandon Colvin’s Sabbatical finds a professor’s (Robert Longstreet) return home to care for his ailing mother beset by friends and old lovers. As always, the filmmaker will join us for a Q&A after the show. FREE.

The Fault in Our Stars (6:30p — Union South Marquee)

This theatrical adaptation of John Green’s novel The Fault in Our Stars tells a romance between two cancer-stricken teens. FREE.

Dead Ringers (7:00p — Chazen Art Museum)

As their newsletter trumpeted yesterday, Cinematheque “brings you six great features over five days in all three of [their] campus venues.” The first, Dead Ringers, ushers in a trio of David Cronenberg tie-ins with the Chazen’s “The Human Condition” exhibit with Jeremy Irons starring as twin gynecologists who share everything — including their women. FREE.

Godzilla (9:30p — Union South Marquee)

FREE.

All freakin’ weekend

Pay 2 Play (Sundance)

This Kickstarter-funded documentary takes the case study in Citizen Koch and expands it to money’s corrupting influence on nationwide politics. Let’s hope Rob Thomas keeps everything above the table for his post-show chat with The Capital Times‘ John Nichols on Tuesday, Sept. 30. (Check Sundance’s website for a complete list of featured speakers.)

The Skeleton Twins (Sundance)

Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader play estranged (and clearly fraternal) twins who repair their relationship with Marley & Me and way too much Starship.

Alive Inside (Sundance)

Michael Rossato-Bennett follows social worker Dan Cohen on his quest to crucify the American health care system through the resurrecting powers of music. With a focus on Alzheimer’s patients, Cohen’s “music as medicine” approach puts health care providers on blast for privileging expensive medications over therapy and more affordable treatments.

The Boxtrolls (AMC Star, Eastgate, Point, Stoughton Cinema Cafe)

An orphan boy is raised by an underground group of smelly, disreputable creatures — I wonder if they’re the same folks who liked ParaNorman.

The Equalizer (Sundance, AMC Star, Point, Eastgate)

A man uses his expert killing skills to rescue ChloĂ« Grace-Moretz from the clutches of mobsters. At this point, isn’t Denzel Washington his own kind of superhero? His power is giving Antoine Fuqua something to direct.

Friday

Godzilla (6:00p — Union South Marquee)

FREE.

To Live and Die in L.A. (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)

“My memories of that first viewing center on my enjoyment of the prominent role the score played in the film, the unsettlingly intense vibe of many of the performances, and the sense that the narrative was careening out of control at several key points in the movie. Every time I thought I had a handle on where the story was going, the plot took a jarring and nerve-wracking turn.” Cinematheque’s Ben Reiser shares his memories of William Friedkin’s To Live and Die in L.A. (and a little Wang Chung.) FREE.

Apollo 13 (7:00p — Garner Park)

The last film in Madison Parks’ Moonlight Movie Series. FREE.

Le Havre (7:00p — Alicia Ashman Branch Library)

A shoe-shiner takes pity on a young African vagrant in this French dramedy. FREE.

Jodorowsky’s Dune (9:00p — Union South Marquee)

FREE.

El Topo (11:30p — Union South Marquee)

A veritable companion piece to Jodorowsky’s Dune, WUD Film presents a film the director actually completed — this weird and weirdly Biblical cult western. FREE.

Saturday

My Little Pony Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks (10:00a — Point, Eastgate)

Consider the Conversation: A Documentary on a Taboo Subject (1:00p — Lakeview Branch Library)

FREE.

Duck Soup Cinema presents: Hot Water (1:00p, 4:30p — Overture Center, Capitol Theater)

This Harold Lloyd comedy kicks off the Overture Center series featuring live accompaniment by organist Jelani Eddington. FREE.

Jodorowsky’s Dune (6:00p — Union South Marquee)

FREE.

The Ladykillers (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)

Alex Mackendrick’s classic caper ought to put Cinematheque’s Alec Guinness retrospective into focus — and color. FREE.

The Fault in Our Stars (8:15p — Union South Marquee)

FREE.

Godzilla (11:15p — Union South Marquee)

FREE.

Sunday

My Little Pony Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks (10:00a — Point, Eastgate)

Young and Innocent (2:00p — Chazen Art Museum)

FREE.

Gone With The Wind (2:00p — Point, Eastgate)

The Fault in Our Stars (3:00p — Union South Marquee)

FREE.

Stray Dog (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)

Winter’s Bone director Debra Granik cozies up to one of that film’s actors, Ron Hall, as he cruises around America on his Harley. Both Granik and Hall will appear in person for this one, so maybe show up early? FREE.

Monday

Ms. 45 (7:00p — Union South Marquee)

Abel Ferrara’s cult revenge thriller about a mute woman (Zoe Tamerlis) who comes to take shit from precisely nobody is WUD Film and Cinematheque’s first Marquee Monday of the semester. FREE.

Tuesday

Who Is Václav Havel… & The Mist (4:00p — Ingraham Hall, Rm 206)

The Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia and the Central Asian Studies Program presents two Czech language shorts. The first is a propagandist’s scathing and largely fabricated takedown of Havel, the first Czech president.The Mist features the popular Prague theater where Havel got his start as a playwright. FREE.

Wednesday

Gone With The Wind (1:10p, 7:45p — Sundance)

New Belgium presents “Clips: A Beer & Film Tour” (7:00p — Majestic Theatre)

Doors at 6:00p. $5 admission goes toward the Wisconsin Bike Fed. See Majestic’s website for full details.

We Are the Best! (7:00p — MMoCA Lecture Hall)

Lukas Moodysson adapts this graphic novel about a group of socially outcasted girls who start a punk band in early 80s Stockholm. The result is a rousing and affecting slice about growing up. What’s Swedish for “punk’s not dead?” General admission is $7 and FREE to museum members. Musicianship not required.

Le Grand Voyage (7:00p — Union South Marquee)

Presented as part of an eight-film “Religion on Film” series by WUD Film and the UW Lubar Institute, a father and son make a pilgrimage to Mecca by car. FREE.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (7:00p — Point, Eastgate)

My Little Pony Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks (7:00p — Point, Eastgate)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (7:00p — Point, Eastgate)

$5.