Tuesday, February 17: Short Films for Margaret Salmon
7 p.m. @ UWM Union Theatre (FREE!)
I don’t know much of Margaret Salmon, so let me defer to the UWM Union’s description of the event here: “Adapting techniques from various cinematic movements, Salmon’s orchestrations masterfully capture both sound and image to introduce a formal lyricism into the tradition of realist film.” UWM’s ‘Experimental Tuesdays’ are always thought-provoking and worthwhile, check out Salmon’s website to see if this is something that might capture your fancy.
Wednesday, February 18: The Theory of Everything & The Hip-Hop Fellow
4:15 p.m. & 7 p.m. @ UWM Union Theatre (BOTH FREE!) (NOTE: Theory of Everything also plays Saturday, 2/21 @ 9 p.m.)
Didn’t much care for The Theory of Everything, though it has powerhouse performances, I don’t feel like they’re in the service of anything particularly worthwhile. Others have felt differently though, and maybe you can join their ranks with the two free screenings of the film this week. The Hip-Hop Fellow, meanwhile, looks fascinating to me – a portrait of Grammy award-winning producer 9th Wonder’s time spent as a professor at Harvard University teaching ‘The Standards of Hip-Hop’ course.
***CRITIC’S CHOICE***
Thursday, February 19: National Gallery
7 p.m. @ UWM Union Theatre (FREE!)
If you’ve never treated yourself to a Frederick Wiseman documentary before, you’re missing out on one of the masters of the form. His latest, an immersive three-hour look at the titular London art museum, was released to much acclaim last year and is a worthy place to start in his filmography.
Friday, February 20: Hot Tub Time Machine 2, The DUFF and McFarland, USA all open in wide release
Check local listings for showtimes/pricing
The first Hot Tub Time Machine was a surprise hit, combining the scatological riffing of the Apatow pictures with the high concept narrative of The Hangover series, so of course they’d make a sequel. Swapping out John Cusack for Adam Scott is a comedic win, so let’s cross our fingers and hope this is that rarest of rare cinematic unicorns: the comedy sequel that surpasses its original. I’ll definitively let you know with a review at the end of this week!
If that isn’t quite your tempo this weekend, you can go in for The DUFF, a movie that presupposes the gorgeous Mae Whitman (Arrested Development, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) is a hideous cave troll (DUFF stands for ‘designated ugly fat friend’) in need of a physical and social makeover. Now, I’m sure the actual story (based on a young adult novel) is more thoughtful and empowering than this simple logline, but it will have to work hard to gain my sympathy with such a toxic starting point.
And then for some feel-good, based-on-a-true-story sports movie excitement, look no further than Kevin Costner, king of the early winter release calendar. Jokes aside, his looks like a finely calibrated piece of uplift and if you’re need of such a thing (given our weather, I assume we all are) I would be deeply surprised if this doesn’t cut the mustard.
***CRITIC’S CHOICE***
Friday, February 20 through Sunday, February 22: God Help the Girl and Low Down
2/20: 7 p.m. & 9 p.m., 2/21: 5 p.m. & 7 p.m. & 2/22: 7 p.m. & 5 p.m. @ UWM Union Theatre (FREE!)
God Help the Girl made my year-end ‘Best Of’ and quite honestly should’ve placed much higher, as Stuart Murdoch’s indie pop musical combines its pathos and whimsy winningly with a fantastic performance from Emily Browning at its center. Low Down, on the other hand, has an amazing cast that on their ability alone suggests something mightily overlooked: Elle Fanning. Glenn Close, Peter Dinklage and John Hawkes? Sounds like a winner to me.
Saturday, February 21: Out Here
7 p.m. @ MIcrolights Cinema (2543 N. Bremen St.) (FREE! But Donations for filmmaker appreciated!)
A full-length documentary exploring the experiences of queer farmers all across our country and their particular experiences in the industry, a film that looks at how gender, sexuality and agriculture intersect. Filmmaker Jonah Mossberg is touring the Midwest with this documentary, and will be on hand to discuss and lead a Q&A following the screening!
