Milwaukee Film’s February programming is especially mighty – a silent film with accompaniment played on a grand Wurlitzer organ, a visit from the lead member of cult-rock band Local H, a series of films of live British theater performances, an event featuring podcaster Ira Madison III’s debut book and a staff screening-turned-tribute to the late David Lynch.
That’s above and beyond Milwaukee Film’s previously announced February programs that include the Black History Month film series and the ongoing Let’s Dig In environmental screenings.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
On Feb. 3, Milwaukee Film and Boswell Book Co. are co-hosting A Special Evening with Ira Madison III. The cultural critic, TV writer and Milwaukee native, who hosts of the beloved “Keep It” podcast, will visit with his debut book, Pure Innocent Fun. Tickets for this event are $40 ($35 for Milwaukee Film members) and include admission to the event as a well as a signed copy of the book.
Milwaukee Film’s artistic director Cara Ogburn chose to screen Mulholland Drive as her staff pick well before news of the death of visionary director David Lynch, but the upcoming screening at the Oriental Theatre on Feb. 8 has taken on a new meaning, offering a space for fans of Lynch’s work to come together and watch one of his most beloved films.
“When I selected Mulholland Drive as my staff pick, I thought I’d be getting to see one of my favorite Lynch films on the big screen – a rare opportunity – and that the Club Silencio scene would be one of those quasi-spiritual moments in the Oriental Theatre where place and film are perfectly synched,” Ogburn said. “But when news broke of Lynch’s passing, I knew it became much more. All of that, of course, still but also a chance to honor and recognize Lynch’s legacy in community with other fans.”
The gathering will be “cathartic” for local Lynch fans, said Kerstin Larson, programming director at Milwaukee Film.
The debut movie from cult-rock heroes Local H, a band formed in Zion, Illinois, in 1990, will be screened at the Oriental Theatre on Feb. 12.
“The band reached out to us about wanting to show the film,” Larson explained.
Written, directed and edited by the band’s singer and guitarist Scott Lucas (and shot in real time during a blistering performance at venerable Chicago music venue Metro) – Lifers depicts a night out at a Local H concert as an energetic, funny and borderline psychedelic cinematic experience. This screening of Lifers is sponsored by WMSE 91.7FM and will feature a post-film Q&A with Lucas.
“Not quite a documentary, and not just a concert film, Lifers blends those elements with a fractured narrative to create something that’s like a cross between Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains the Same and Richard Linklater’s Slacker,” Lucas said in a statement.
The February schedule also offers another opportunity to hear Milwaukee Film’s 1925 Wurlitzer pipe organ, which was installed in late 2023. There will be a screening of another silent classic, this time 1928’s The Cameraman starring Buster Keaton, featuring live organ accompaniment courtesy of Dairyland Theatre Organ Society. This screening will take place at the Oriental Theatre on Feb. 22. Tickets for this event cost $30 ($25 for Milwaukee Film members).
Also starting in February and running through June, Milwaukee Film will bring National Theatre Live performances to the Oriental Theatre. For more than 15 years, National Theatre Live has offered films of performances from some of Great Britain’s most exciting stages to be screened in thousands of cinemas around the globe.
“We are so excited to bring the National Theatre Live series back to our cinemas for our audience,” Larsen said. “Celebrating these internationally significant performances on our screens right here in Milwaukee is such a privilege. It’s an opportunity for local audiences to see those with their very well-known actors like Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott and others.”
The full line-up of National Theatre Live films is as follows (all screenings begin at noon):
- The Importance of Being Ernest – Feb. 22 and 23
- Prima Facie – March 8 and 9
- Fleabag – March 22 and 23
- Frankenstein– April 5 and 6
- NYE – April 19 and 20
- Vanya – May 17 and 18
- Dr. Strangelove – May 31 and June 1
- Hamlet – June 14 and 15
- Present Laughter – June 28 and 29
All Tickets and showtimes can be found online at mkefilm.org/oriental-theatre/coming-soon.
