AMERICA: EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER DREAMED OF at MMoCA Rooftop Cinema, August 6, 8:30pm
Come see some short docs that only could have been made in 1970s America.
Scroll down for Now Showing in Madison, August 5–August 10, 2026
Weekly posts include short notes on various cinematic topics, followed by the Now Showing in Madison guide to commercial theaters and alternative venues.
Only time for a few notes about recent programs and what is coming up!
Tomorrow night at MMoCA’s Rooftop Cinema we will present America: Everything You’ve Ever Dreamed Of, a program of short documentaries produced for the 1970s public television by filmmakers Tony Ganz and Rhody Streeter. Everything starts when the sun goes down, about 20 minutes after sunset, so approximately 8:30pm, at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 227 State Street.
In his overview of the program in Isthmus, Grant Phipps writes, “Ganz and Streeter observe our nation’s contradictions with aplomb. . .They depict a regressive America and drive home how the country became primed for Ronald Reagan by the end of the decade. A few declarations by interviewees are as brazenly, bizarrely funny as they are troubling.” Read Grant’s full overview of the remaining Rooftop Cinema series online or in tomorrow’s print edition of Isthmus.
Other Recent Projects and Wanderings
I’ve been so busy that I failed to post a link to the July 17 episode of The Oscar Project Podcast, hosted by Jonathan Ytreberg. The premise of the podcast is to discuss all of the films nominated for an Academy Award in a given year, and Jonathan is currently working his way through 1931. So he and I discuss the documentary-ish (essentially a fictional narrative with documentary aspirations): Tabu: A Story of the South Seas co-directed by F.W. Murnau and Robert Flaherty.
The Project Projection screening at Mills Folly Microcinema last week went very well last week! Here are a few pictures from the Q & A afterwards.
And finally, I went to check out the installation and performance by Liz Sexe Dance, Through the Keyhole and the Storm last Saturday at Commonwealth Gallery. It was great. And I had a chance to document one of the small keyhole video loops on display.
Now Playing In Madison: August 5–August 10, 2026
Please confirm showtimes with the venues (follow venue links where provided). The commercial theaters update their weekend listings on Wednesdays. Another valuable source that posts on Wednesdays with now playing lists is The Horizon Line Madison. When possible, I will provide links to reviews by Rob Thomas at Not That Rob Thomas, who gets around to far more proper reviews than I do.
Comments here are not reviews of the films, they are usually a response to the trailer, a summary of the buzz I have heard, or just snark. They are not always particularly accurate, according to reader feedback. I add trailers to new films of interest that you might not know about (American indies, international features, etc.).
MMoCA Cinema, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
AMERICA: EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER DREAMED OF (1971-1973), Thursday, August 6
See notes above.
Highway 18 Outdoor Theater, Jefferson, Wisconsin
WUD Film Lakeside Cinema
THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987), The Terrace @ Memorial Union, Monday, 8/10, 9:00 P.M.
Lakeside Cinema, Monday nights at the Memorial Union Terrace returns with monthly themes: “Back to the 80’s” (August).
Commercial Theaters:
AMC Theatres
Flix Brewhouse
Marcus Theatres (Palace and Point)
Please confirm showtimes with the venues (follow venue links where provided). The commercial theaters update their weekend listings on Wednesdays. Another valuable source that posts on Wednesdays with now playing lists is The Horizon Line Madison. When possible, I will provide links to reviews by Rob Thomas at Not That Rob Thomas, who gets around to far more proper reviews than I do.
Comments here are not reviews of the films, they are usually a response to the trailer, a summary of the buzz I have heard, or just snark. They are not always particularly accurate, according to reader feedback. I add trailers to new films of interest that you might not know about (American indies, international features, etc.).
AIDA: MET SUMMER ENCORE 2026 at Point.
AMC SCREEN UNSEEN: AUGUST 10 at AMC.
ATEEZ : LIGHT THE WAY IN CINEMAS (2026) at Palace.
CATVIDEOFEST at Flix.
COOKIE QUEENS (2026) at AMC and Point.
DC (2026) at AMC.
DCI 2026: BIG, LOUD & LIVE at Palace and Point.
GRATEFUL DEAD MEET-UP AT THE MOVIES 2026 at AMC and Point.
HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL (2026) at AMC, Palace, and Point.
HER PRIVATE HELL (2026) at Flix.
I WANT YOUR SEX (2026) at AMC and Point.
ICE CREAM MAN (2026) at AMC and Point.
INVITE (2026), THE at AMC and Flix.
MINIONS & MONSTERS (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
MOANA (2026) at AMC, Palace, and Point.
MOTOR CITY (2026) at AMC and Point.
MUPPET MOVIE, THE at Palace and Point.
MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND at AMC.
NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ANIMAL HOUSE at Flix.
ODYSSEY (2026), THE at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
ONE NIGHT ONLY (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
ONLY YESTERDAY 35TH ANNIVERSARY - STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2026 at AMC, Palace, and Point.
PANDAS at AMC.
PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE - EARLY ACCESS MY FIRST MOVIE (2026) at AMC, Palace, and Point.
SCHOOL OF ROCK at Flix.
SECRET FLIX at Flix.
SESAME STREET PRESENTS: FOLLOW THAT BIRD at Palace and Point.
SHEEP IN THE BOX (2026) at AMC and Point.
SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS (2025), THE at AMC.
SUPER TROOPERS 3 (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
SUPER TROOPERS 3: SPECIAL BROKEN LIZARD FAN EVENT Q&A (2026) at Palace and Point.
TALES FROM EARTHSEA 20TH ANNIVERSARY - STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2026 at AMC, Palace, and Point.
TOY STORY 5 (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
UECK (2026) at Palace and Point.
WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY 55TH ANNIVERSARY at Flix, Palace, and Point.
Have you used the Now Showing in Madison listings at least once to find something interesting to see? Have you discovered a film that you didn’t realize was playing in town? Please consider supporting these efforts directly by clicking the “Buy Me a Popcorn” button and making a modest donation on those occasions when you find this resource valuable to your moviegoing in Madison.
Looking Ahead:
Local filmmaker Michael Doyle Olson has started what he hopes to be a comprehensive, collaborative public calendar of alternative film screenings in Madison. It is still a work in progress, but check it out at www.mdo.me/film.
MMoCA Cinema, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
Screenings begin about 20 minutes after sunset.
GANGSTERISM (2025), Thursday, August 13
KIN DZA-DZA!, Thursday, August 20
Side Room Cinematheque
Second Thursday of the month, and last Monday of the month.
DM @sideroomcinematic (Instagram) for screening details.
Cinesthesia at Madison Public Library Central Branch
WILD AT HEART (David Lynch, 1987), Tuesday, August 19, 6:30pm
Four Star Video at Lola’s Sidecar Lounge, 617 North Sherman Avenue
THE LOVED ONE (1965), Tuesday, August 19, 7:00pm
Marquee Cinema, Union South, 1308 West Dayton Street
THE UGLY LITTLE MONKEYS, Thursday, September 10, 6:00pm.
Documentary about Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson, a group of kids who grew up in the 1960s, in the working class barrios of Tucson, Arizona. Filmmakers David Valdez and Enrique Castillo will be in attendance. Free, reserve seats at Eventbrite page.