So, it’s time to start another semester, which means there’s a whole brand new shiny semester of films for y’all to watch. And man, Madison is the place to be, movie wise. New, old, Hollywood, indie—whatever your taste, there is something to enjoy.
For those of you who aren’t exactly into “paying” to see things, you’re in luck, because there are two absolutely incredible sources of free, quality films on campus.
Do you dig on Hollywood blockbusters? Are independent films, documentaries and foreign flicks more your speed? Are you for midnight screenings of cult classics? The Wisconsin Union Directorate Film Committee has you covered with nine free show times every weekend and occasional screenings during the week.
Next semester already looks like it’s going to be phenomenal. Personally I’m most excited about two of my favorite films ever of all time oh my gosh I can’t believe I get to see them in a theater—David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights,” both of which will be playing as midnights.
But the onslaught of other great films being played also includes some of this year’s finest offerings, such as the final chapter of Edgar Wright’s Three Cornettos Trilogy “The World’s End,” Woody Allen’s yearly outing “Blue Jasmine,” the criminally overlooked indie “Short Term 12” and “Before Midnight,” which is being played in sequence with its two prequels “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset.” On Valentine’s Day weekend. So uh…hey ladies.
And there are still more classics, like “Enter the Dragon” and Steve McQueen’s “Hunger,” which should tie nicely into their playing “12 Years A Slave” as part of that thing they do where THEY PLAY ALL OF THE OSCAR FILMS FOR FREE. So uh, yeah, that’s a big deal, especially if you missed “Gravity” in its original theatrical run as it’s a film that can only be watched in a theater really. To keep up with their scheduling and get the full scoop on times and all, go to wudfilm.com.
For those of you whose tastes run a bit deeper, more exotic, more whatever, Cinematheque has you covered. Among the series they’re running this semester are screenings of Kubrick’s period piece epic “Barry Lyndon” as well as a series of noirs including an old school adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” and “Try and Get Me (The Sound of Fury!).” They’re showing “Hud,” starring Paul Newman as the charming man that he is and “The Big Country” starring Gregory Peck, aka everybody’s movie dad.
They’re showing “RoboCop” and “Carrie,” presumably to remind us how incredible the originals are in the face of the remakes being pumped out. They’ve organized a 100-minute marathon of grindhouse trailers. (If you haven’t seen a trailer for a grindhouse film, they are the purest form of movie preview—they’re art.) Their Sundays at the Chazen series is a showcase of Hitchcock masterpieces. And did I mention that all of these screenings are on 35 mm film? So yeah, actual reels of “Rear Window.” It’s a big deal.
They’ve got a series on Chilean cinema. I know nothing about it, but I’m excited, because that’s what Cinematheque does—it takes everything that’s weird or forgotten or just plain brilliant and gives it to you twice a week on beautiful celluloid. Check cinema.wisc.edu for more info and be at all of their screenings.
And sure, if you really want, there are amazing new films coming too. Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is dropping in March, as is Darren Aronofsky’s “Noah.” And Lars von Trier’s “Nymphomaniac” will soon be offending in a theater near you. But there’s just so much film to love, and so much of it is happening in Madison. Just find what you love and see it. Go, now, go do it.
Want more reccomendations? Email Austin at wellens@wisc.edu.
