Screening Report 5/14/2025
Smaller venues support blockbuster releases as summer begins.
Hello, and welcome to this week’s screening report. The Bartell Theater has announced their next lineup, leading with a sold out showing of No Other Land! Per their Facebook post, they plan to screen Saving Private Ryan, Tommy Boy, and Singin’ in the Rain the week of May 25-31 as well, though those screenings are not yet dated on their site. Four Star Video Rental is also collaborating with the Bartell to screen a double feature of songwriter Matt Farley films with Farley in attendance, Local Legends and Local Legends: Bloodbath!, on June 29th.
The first of this week’s big new releases are Final Destination: Bloodlines (which is getting very positive reviews, some calling it the best in the series.) The second is Weeknd’s new thriller Hurry Up Tomorrow, a more dramatic take on the visual album concept Beyonce brought to the mainstream with Lemonade. Co-starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, the film promises some metacommentary on The Weeknd’s career as he prepares to say goodbye to the moniker. The Ruse is a horror film offering a late in life role to Veronica Cartwright (Alien, Invasion of the Body Snatchers) as the patient of a new caregiver in a remote home - the film premiered last year at the Maine International Film Festival to lukewarm reception. Things Like This is the debut film by writer/director Max Talisman, an intentionally straightforward gay rom com inspired by Talisman’s feeling that he was not seeing himself represented on screen in lead roles rather than being “the fat gay friend.” Unko Sweater: The Woolen Sweater is a Nepali film described as a “heartwarming love story,” though other than user reviews there’s currently very little information online.
On repertory screens, we have several of my favorite films screening, including Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic Blade Runner, Tony Scott’s action classic Top Gun, and George Miller’s sci-fi action classic Mad Max: Fury Road. Marcus Point has added screenings for a rerelease of S.S. Rajamouli’s (RRR, Bahubali, Eega) film Yamadonga in 4K. The film I’m most excited to revisit will be at Cinesthesia’s screening of The Tree of Life, Terence Malick’s powerful meditation on the family unit and grief. The images Malick creates in this film with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men, The Revenant, Sleepy Hollow) genuinely altered the way I see the natural world in my day-to-day life. I also have to plug a short piece I wrote about Kiki’s Delivery Service last year, as it’s this month’s entry playing in the annual Studio Ghibli fest held each year by Fathom.
Next week, we have a relatively stacked collection of new releases and almost no repertory programming outside the Bartell’s currently unscheduled dates. Mission: Impossible - The Final reckoning is intended to conclude Tom Cruise’s eight film saga, and initial social media reactions have been fairly mixed, highlighting its grand, theatrical spectacle and especially muddled and longwinded plot. The remake of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch is its primary competition, and while Lilo & Stitch is one of the best Disney animated films, I can’t pretend I’m excited to see it remade with less color. Marcus Point takes the flag for the first screenings of Tim Robinson comedy Friendship since the Wisconsin Film Festival, and fans of Robinson’s Netflix show I Think You Should Leave ought to consider Friendship a must-see film. Lastly, there’s Angel Studios film The Last Rodeo, maybe only of interest as a late-career film by Fried Green Tomatoes director Jon Avnet.
Coming up the week of 5/30, we’ll have Karate Kid: Legends, Bring Her Back, and Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, alongside the return of WUD Film’s Summer Terrace Monday screenings.
PLUG ZONE
-Rob Thomas has reviews of Steven Soderbergh’s espionage thriller Black Bag, now on Blu-Ray and Peacock, and Coens-esque debut Sew Torn.
-James Kreul both offers his personal reaction to Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” and reflects on the Bartell Theater’s independent programming, including questioning the fact that Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land is only just premiering in Madison.
-Jason Furhman took the opportunity of Crucible Theater’s May 15th Schlock and Awe live commentary screening to write up cult classic propaganda film Reefer Madness for Tone Madison.
-Zach Zahos has updated and republished his piece on Larry Gottheim’s work in preparation for the upcoming MOMA retrospective.
Want to see your film writing or short film here in The Horizon Line? Send a link to your work to horizonlinemadison@gmail.com.
THIS WEEK (5/15/25-5/21/25)
New Releases
-Final Destination: Bloodlines - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Hurry Up Tomorrow - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-The Ruse - AMC
-Things Like This - AMC, Marcus Point
-Unko Sweater: The Woolen Sweater - Marcus Point
-A Minecraft Movie - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-The Accountant 2 - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Clown in a Cornfield - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Fight or Flight - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Thunderbolts* - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Shadow Force - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Sinners - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-#Single - AMC
-Until Dawn - AMC, Marcus Palace
-Warfare - AMC
Repertory
-Reefer Madness (live commentary) - 9p 5/15 at Crucible Madison
-Blade Runner - 7p 5/17 at Flix Brewhouse
-Mad Max: Fury Road - Marcus Point, Marcus Palace
-Top Gun - 6:45p 5/20 at Flix Brewhouse
-The Tree of Life - 6p 5/21 at Madison Central Library
-Twinning: Animated Inspirations (Curated by Jamie Griffiths) - 7p 5/21 at Art Lit Lab
-Kiki’s Delivery Service - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace
-The Wiz - Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Demon Slayer: Mugen Train - Marcus Point
-Yamadonga - Marcus Point
NEXT WEEK (5/22-5/28)
New Releases
-Lilo & Stitch - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-The Last Rodeo - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace
-Friendship - Marcus Point
-No Other Land - 5p 5/25 at Bartell Theater (currently sold out)
-Final Destination: Bloodlines - AMC
Repertory
-Saving Private Ryan - 6p 5/26 at Flix Brewhouse
Follow us on Bluesky if it’ll help you keep up with us! If you wrote something you’re proud of and want me to plug it here, please shoot a link to horizonlinemadison@gmail.com.
Thanks, Alex. I love seeing you, Jim, and Rob cover all things film in Madison and beyond. Seriously, you are broadening my horizons. Thank you for all that you do!