WisFilmFest2008

A number of Wisconsin Film Festival movies will be returning to Madison as they enter wide release or for special showings. We will be highlighting them as they return as part of WFF2008 Encores

Loose Cannons: Campus Security tells the story of a miscreant gang of student campus security officers at a local University startlingly similar to UW-Madison… Protecting and serving become a bit of a problem for them when the football team’s playbook is stolen and their beloved mascot “Muley” is murdered in suspicious correlation with the university’s impending homecoming celebration. The plot thickens; these atrocious acts have not been set in motion by the rival school, but by an embittered domestic foe. Spencer Huntly. One of the very students expelled through the valiant actions of our bubbly campus-cop crew has come back to reek vengeance and reap reward with foul play, a nearly silent sidekick played by the director, and a new gang of thugs appropriately dubbed as the “Freshman 15”. The villain’s treachery can’t be contained by typical human angst; his vile plans, while immature in nature, are obscenely sociopathic. Yet, our “loose cannons” have no fear; their bravery delivers them through even the most elaborate fights and haphazard gun battles with alarming grace.Click here to read more...

Sunday morning came early after the Nerdcore premiere the night before. Still, the Orpheum possessed one of my most anticipated films of the Wisconsin Film Festival, and neither the early start nor a hangover was going to keep me away.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss is the story of Wilson, a man that recently moved to Los Angeles to sell a screenplay. Wilson’s roommates Jacob and Min, encourage him to start dating and find someone to spend New Year’s Eve with. Wilson eventually gives in to his nagging roommates, and creates a personal ad on Craigslist.Click here to read more...

It's taken me a while to digest the nine movies I saw this weekend at the Wisconsin Film Festival (all documentaries except one). When the schedule first came out, I made ambitious plans to see five per day, fully forgetting how exhausting it can be to sit in a dark theatre for hours on end absorbing images and information. Although I enjoyed every single movie I saw, here's a rundown from least favorite to favorite film.Click here to read more...

At the 2004 Wisconsin Film Fest, I had the pleasure of watching a Danish film called Reconstruction. I was only vaguely aware of its origin and didn't think much of that at the time. I wasn't as impressed with the lineup I selected in 2005 as I had been in 2004, so when 2006 rolled around, I took a look at what I had liked before to figure out what I'd likely enjoy again. Reconstruction came to mind as a favorite, so I picked two Danish films to see that year: Kinamand and Adam's Apples.

Kinemand is the sad and slightly slow tale of a plumber who, after his wife leaves him, is befriended by the owner of the Chinese restaurant he frequents. The protagonist is a quiet, withdrawn man, but the actor portraying him communicates volumes about his feelings. After he marries the restaurateur's sister so she can become a Danish citizen, he falls in love with her anyway. Then she dies, and in the movie's most crushing scene, he doesn't bother denying to the nature of their marriage to the immigration officers who don't know she's dead.Click here to read more...