Tuesday, July 22 and Thursday, July 24: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1:30 p.m. @ The Times Cinema ($2!)
The Times ‘Summer Throwback’ series is kicking into full gear this month, and what better film to start it off with than Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece E.T.? One of the few movies that can lay claim to breaking me down to tears with every viewing no matter what, this tale of alienation and friendship is full of indelible imagery and is a career landmark for a director who pretty much only deals in them to begin with. See it on the big screen and let it work its magic on you.
Wednesday, July 23: Magnificent Obsession ‘54
7:30 p.m. @ Charles Allis Art Museum ($7/$5/free for adults/seniors and students/museum members)
Charles Allis continues its summer programs of classic Hollywood originals and remakes with the Douglas Sirk-helmed 1954 vintage of Magnificent Obsession. Bolstered by performances from Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson and a recent critical reappraisal (having been released on DVD through the Criterion Collection, no less), Sirk’s florid Technicolor melodrama has aged like a fine wine and is well-worthy of your midweek attention, a must-see for any true cinephile.
Friday, July 25: The Lego Movie as part of Port Washington’s Friday Night Flicks
Dusk @ Veteran’s Memorial Park band shell (201 N. Webster St., Port Washington)
Not to plagiarize, but Milwaukee Magazine’s Tom Fuchs said it best when The Lego Movie was screened two weeks ago in Oconomowoc: “The Lego Movie had no right to be as good as it ended up being. Based on a narrative-free toy line, the idea that it could be one of the funniest, most entertaining and simultaneously subversive movies of the year would’ve been laughable just a year ago. But such is the alchemy of co-creators Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who have proven themselves the master of making brilliance out of movies that probably never should’ve been greenlit in the first place.”
Friday, July 25: The Muppet Movie kicks off Peck Flicks at the Marcus Center
7:45 p.m./Dusk @ Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St. (FREE!)
If you’ve already taken in The LEGO Movie this year, perhaps a more classic film for children and young adults might be up your alley. Paving the way for all of the delightful sequels that followed, The Muppet Movie is a lovely romp of a road trip film following Kermit and Fozzie as they follow their dreams of stardom all the way to Hollywood. With an unforgettable Paul Williams-penned soundtrack and a small armada of celebrity cameos, The Muppet Movie is already wonderful, but to watch it for free with your young ones at the Peck Pavilion will take it to another level.
***CRITIC’S CHOICE***
Friday, July 25: Hercules, Lucy, Wish I Was Here and A Most Wanted Man all open locally
Check local listings for showtimes and pricing.
The big local releases this week aren’t exactly diametrically opposed, but they certainly are a study in contrasts – two big, bombastic summer blockbusters butting heads with two relatively more quiet works that are nonetheless crowd pleasers. Let’s work our way from silliest to smartest. Brett Ratner is the type of director who doesn’t really have a strong authorial voice or imprimatur that he places on his work, the quality of it generally depends on the strength of his performers at that given time. And in terms of both charisma and physical strength, Dwayne Johnson might have the juice that pulls Hercules over the edge into the realm of quality. Surrounded by quality actors such as Joseph Fiennes, Ian McShane and John Hurt (Hurt’s coif looks only slightly more believable as his natural mane than the fur pelt Hercules traipses around in) should only help augment a movie built around seeing “The Rock” beat the garbage out of mythical beings and flesh and blood soldiers alike.
If you want to experience oversized action this weekend but want a long-debunked scientific premise supporting your mayhem, then may I suggest Lucy? Luc Besson hasn’t made a movie this audacious in quite some time, and this story of a young woman (played by Scarlett Johansson) whose tumultuous journey as a drug mule goes awry when some of the experimental substance leaks into her bloodstream unlocking her brain capacity and allowing for her to transcend mere humanity. Beyond the simple bonkers fact that the movie suggests if we had access to every facet of our minds we could change our appearance on a molecular level and see the wavelengths on which wireless information is transmitted, it looks like it might be a return to Besson’s trashy-but-empowering series of films in which a female protagonist lays waste to the sleazy male populace that surrounds her. I absolutely can’t wait.
The advance word surrounding the second feature film from Zach Braff (who hasn’t stepped in the chair since 2004’s Garden State) hasn’t been kind. Between the crowdfunding campaign started so he could work without studio notes (despite the film looking exactly like something Fox Searchlight or Focus Features would release without batting an eye) and a sort of cultural aversion to his disaffected indie whimsy that worked so well just a decade ago, it hasn’t been the easiest road for Wish I Was Here to tow. That said, Braff is capable of crafting some genuinely lovely imagery and getting the most out of his cast, so I still have expectations that this isn’t the exercise in First World Problem solving that some critics have painted it to be.
Last but most certainly not least is the spy thriller A Most Wanted Man from director Anton Corbijn, based on a novel from John le Carre. The last le Carre novel to be adapted to the big screen was the exemplary Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and advanced word suggests this to be every bit its equal. Featuring one of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s final performances, this tale of international intrigue surrounding a half-Russian, half-Chechen immigrant who might not be what he claims has a top-notch pedigree from top to bottom.
Saturday, July 26: The Princess Bride
10:30 a.m. @ The Times Cinema ($2!)
The Times keeps its Summer Throwback series going with a movie that is definitely not just your basic fairy tale. One of the most beloved motion pictures of all-time, The Princess Bride needs little in the way of introduction from me. Based on the equally-celebrated novel from William Goldman, it enchants and delights audiences young and old, both embracing and gently teasing fairy tale traditions in its story of pirates, princesses, giants, true love and revenge. There’s never a bad time to take this movie in, so why not check it out this Saturday morning?
