Kings of Venice
Directors: Sveinn Ingimundarson, S.D. Saltarelli
Summary: With the rise of pickleball as the trendiest sport on the block, committed members of Venice Beach’s long-standing paddle tennis community fight to maintain their status. When the pickleballers threaten to push them off the beach, a group of ragtag characters band together to present a tournament to end all tournaments and prove that paddle tennis still holds a spot. This spirited sports doc serves an underdog story you can’t miss.
Our take: How did pickleball become a voracious empire, eating up park space and warehouses? Venice Beach’s paddle tennis community has asked itself the same question. The paddlers challenge the newcomers to a tournament to guard their courts and prove once and for all the superior sport. This documentary sounds silly but earnest, and usually that’s where heart lies. – Evan Musil, arts and culture editor
It’s always interesting to look at the stranger side of sports, and I think pickleball in Venice Beach would be no exception. I’m always a fan of an underdog, and I’m sure this film’s story will be no exception. – Wyatt Voelker, editorial intern
SATURDAY, APRIL 18 | 4:15 P.M. | DOWNER THEATRE – NORTH CINEMA
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 | 5 P.M. | ORIENTAL THEATRE – LUBAR CINEMA (WEST)
CHECK OUT THE FULL MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Hokum
Director: Damian McCarthy
Summary: When novelist Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance forces him to confront dark corners of his past. An homage to The Shining with an Irish lilt, Damien McCarthy’s follow up to Oddity cements him as a fresh new voice in the horror landscape.
Our take: My social media feeds have been haunted by incredibly creepy stills from this movie for the past week or two, and frankly the disturbing images make me both want to desperately avoid and enthusiastically attend this screening in equal measure. I think that’s the mark of good horror film marketing. The trailers have been fittingly unclear about what actually unfolds in this one, but boy oh boy does this “homage to The Shining” look unsettling. I’m fully on board. – Archer Parquette, managing editor
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 | 11 P.M. | ORIENTAL THEATRE – LUBAR CINEMA (WEST)
SATURDAY, APRIL 25 | 11:30 P.M. | ORIENTAL THEATRE – HERZFELD CINEMA (EAST)
A Useful Ghost
Director: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Summary: March is mourning his wife Nat who has recently passed away due to dust pollution. He discovers her spirit has returned by possessing a vacuum cleaner. Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes Critics’ Week, this film smartly plays with tones and social comments while revisiting classism and oppression throughout Thailand’s history. From ambitious and creative newcomer Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke comes a genre-smashing amalgamation of fantasy, horror, romance, comedy, art house and everything in between.
Our take: East and Southeast Asian cinema is a thoroughly unexplored genre, and 2019’s Korean smash hit Parasite had me digging deeper into this region’s cinema. The concept of a haunted vacuum cleaner (and a memorable shot of one of main characters caught in a compromising position in it) definitely intrigued me, but the followup of how it dives into Thailand’s history of political violence was the real hook. It’s not likely to recreate the 2019 hype, but it promises to be an interesting watch nonetheless. – Amrita Thakkar, digital editor
FRIDAY, APRIL 17 | 10:00PM ORIENTAL THEATRE – HERZFELD CINEMA (EAST)
SUNDAY, APRIL 19 | 6:30PM DOWNER THEATRE – SOUTH CINEMA
THURSDAY, APRIL 30 | 6:45PM DOWNER THEATRE – SOUTH CINEMA
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Late Fame
Director: Kent Jones
Summary: In Kent Jones’ marvelously witty second feature, a once-upon-a-time New York poet (Willem Dafoe) gets an ego boost when he is welcomed into the world of an emerging literary salon, but must reckon with the authenticity of his newfound circle of twentysomething admirers. “The classic theatricality of its characters juxtaposed with the modern world gives Late Fame the feeling of a eulogy for an artistic world that young idealists desperately want to revive.” (Jourdain Searles, RogerEbert.com)
Our take: Spotting Wisconsinite (and one-time Milwaukee stage actor) Willem Dafoe in the cast of this flick is what caught my attention, but it’s the premise that held it. A forgotten poet is rediscovered by a young cadre trying to recreate the magic of an artistic scene they never knew. As a young person who’s sometimes prone to romanticizing life before social media, I’m interested how the film might validate or discredit those fantasies. – EM
FRIDAY, APRIL 17 | 1 P.M | ORIENTAL THEATRE – HERZFELD CINEMA (EAST)
THURSDAY, APRIL 23 | 1:30 P.M. | DOWNER THEATRE – NORTH CINEMA
TUESDAY, APRIL 28 | 7 P.M. | ORIENTAL THEATRE – LUBAR CINEMA (WEST)
The Big Cheese
Director: Sara Joe Wolansky
Summary: In the high-pressure world of international cheesemongering, Adam Moskowitz aims to send the first American to claim the top prize at the Mondial du Fromage competition in France. While the European model for this “sommelier of cheese” profession eclipses its stateside counterpart in societal support, Moskowitz—and his alter-ego, Mr. Moo—believe scrappy American ingenuity can take the wheel. Sara Joe Wolansky’s supremely witty and entertaining directorial debut is an instant artisanal classic.
Our take: I’m a born-and-bred Wisconsinite – cheese is part of my DNA. So naturally, I’m drawn to this 2025 documentary about a group of American cheesemongers’ attempt to do the seemingly impossible – win the Mondial du Fromage, France’s elite Olympics of cheese. Over a single day described as “grueling,” competitors must, among other things, perform a blind taste test, cut exact portions of cheese without a scale, prepare a cheese plate with assigned varieties, and give a five-minute oval presentation. Go USA! – Ann Christenson, dining editor
FRIDAY, APRIL 24 | 7 P.M. | ORIENTAL THEATRE – ABELE CINEMA (MAIN)
SUNDAY, APRIL 26 | 10 A.M. | DOWNER THEATRE – NORTH CINEMA
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 | 3:45 P.M. | DOWNER THEATRE – NORTH CINEMA
The Last Critic
Director: Matty Wishnow
Summary: Sixty years and a million records ago, Robert Christgau invented Rock music criticism. Now in his eighties, Bob is still at it—amazingly with the same vigor, wit, and masterful craft that has defined his expansive and trailblazing career. But in a world where albums are increasingly irrelevant, print is dead, and algorithms have eclipsed critics, this playful documentary asks: What happens next—for Bob, but also for music criticism as a whole??
Our take: How predictable – the arts journalist picks a movie about an arts journalist. I’m less interested in the myth-building of famed music critic Robert Christgau – whose one-liners and unshakable takes have influenced a generation of writers – than seeing what he figures the future of arts journalism might be.
SATURDAY, APRIL 18 | 1:30PM DOWNER THEATRE – NORTH CINEMA
SUNDAY, APRIL 19 | 11:00AM ORIENTAL THEATRE – LUBAR CINEMA (WEST)
THURSDAY, APRIL 23 | 1:30PM ORIENTAL THEATRE – LUBAR CINEMA (WEST)
