Screening Report 5/21/25
The Bartell Theater stands a friend of cinema this Memorial Day weekend.
Hello, and welcome to this week’s screening report! Thanks to Andy Adams for the shout-out in the Isthmus this week - I’m proud of the burgeoning film newsletter community we have in Madison, and I can’t wait to see when new seeds bear fruit moving forward. This Friday, May 23rd, will see the announcement of the UW Cinematheque schedule - depending on my familiarity, I plan to publish a reaction piece highlighting my most anticipated screenings.
While the majority of our commercial screens will be hosting the dueling blockbusters Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, the Bartell Theater’s programming of No Other Land’s Madison premiere will surely be the biggest event for Madison’s cinephile crowd. The Israeli-Palestinian documentary focuses on two friends, a Palestinian activist and an Israeli journalist, and explores the enormous gap in their living conditions during Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. Despite winning the Best Documentary prize this year at the Oscars, the film has still not seen a distribution deal. The Bartell has added a second 7pm screening after the 5pm sold out last week, and tickets to that showing are still available!
I also want to note that Wisconsin Film Festival favorite Friendship, starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd, is opening this week at AMC and our Marcus theaters. Fans of Robinson’s Netflix show I Think You Should Leave should consider Friendship a must-see, as it takes elements of that show but eliminates the release valve the show’s sketch premise permits, building intensity and tension to huge laughs in the final moments. (Internet fan favorite Connor O’Malley also has a scene-stealing appearance in the film’s back half.)
Next week, we once again have a top-heavy slate, with Karate Kid: Legends uniting the Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan versions of the Karate Kid franchise (no sign of Jaden Smith yet, though) and horror directors Danny and Michael Phillipou (Talk To Me) releasing their occult horror film Bring Her Back. I’m a little more interested in two films with less flashy releases - Tornado, directed by John Maclean, offers a flashy blend of samurai swordplay and Scottish crime action, and Maclean’s film Slow West displayed a talent for action scenes and character development. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is Laura Piani’s Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, a light romcom about a writing residency that plays in the overlap between truth and fiction - if it’s not a film I see in theaters, it’s a film I’m pinning as a potential “watch with Mom when we can’t pick anything else” pick.
The rep lineup, as you can see, is pretty thin while blockbusters compete for commercial screens and the university is still on hiatus. Leave it to the Bartell once again to step up and program films with a range of appeals to fill the gap - between Saving Private Ryan for Memorial Day, Singin’ in the Rain, and Tommy Boy, they’ve landed on a trio that has something for everyone. WUD Film will return with their Memorial Union Terrace Lakeside Cinema screenings on Monday June 2nd with queer classic But I’m A Cheerleader, a film I have had on my to-watch list for far too long. Lastly, looking ahead to the week of June 6, we’ll see releases of Ballerina, The Phoenician Scheme, Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye, Thug Life, Dangerous Animals, and a rerelease of Kevin Smith’s Dogma.
PLUG ZONE
-James Kreul has another “iso reactions” piece on Trey Edward Schultz and The Weeknd’s film Hurry Up Tomorrow, as well as a preview of tonight’s Jamie Griffiths animation series at Mills Folly Microcinema.
-Grant Phipps, film editor for Tone Madison, has an extended piece on his appreciation for closed captioning of English language films, including the new trend of open caption screenings.
-Rob Thomas published a short piece on a favorite pastime of his - looking up spoilers for horror movies he hasn’t seen, like Final Destination: Bloodlines. (I do the same thing with new movies in the MCU!)
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 (5/22-5/28)
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 - AMC, Marcus Point, Flix Brewhouse
-No Other Land - 5p, 7p 5/25 at Bartell Theater (5p currently sold out)
-Sheetla - 5:30p 5/28 at Chazen Museum of Art
-A Minecraft Movie - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace
-The Accountant 2 - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Final Destination: Bloodlines - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Hurry Up Tomorrow - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Sinners - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Thunderbolts* - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Clown in a Cornfield - AMC
-Until Dawn - AMC
Repertory
-Saving Private Ryan - 5/26 at Bartell Theater, Flix Brewhouse
NEXT WEEK (5/29-6/4)
New Releases
-Bring Her Back - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace
-Karate Kid: Legends - AMC, Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, Flix Brewhouse
-Jane Austen Wrecked My Life - AMC
-Tornado - AMC
-Ballerina (Early Access) - 7p 6/4 at Marcus Point and Marcus Palace
-Lilo & Stitch - AMC, Flix Brewhouse
-Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning - AMC
-Wicked - 5p 6/4 at Marcus Palace
Repertory
-Tommy Boy - 8p 5/30 at Bartell Theater
-John Wick Marathon - 12p 5/31 at Marcus Palace
-Singin’ in the Rain - 6:30p 5/31 at Bartell Theater
-But I’m A Cheerleader - 9p 6/2 at Memorial Union Terrace
-Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - 6:30p 6/3 at Flix Brewhouse
-Under the Sea 3D - 10a 6/4 at AMC
-Despicable Me - 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.
Cheers, Alex—thanks for the shout! Looking forward to meeting you at some point.