Film Festival Quick Pick #1: Sholay (1973)
First in a series of periodic Wisconsin Film Festival recommendations between now and opening night, April 9.
Scroll down for Now Showing in Madison, March 9–16, 2026
Monday posts will now feature some short notes on various cinematic topics, followed by the Now Showing in Madison guide to commercial theaters and alternative venues.
Tickets for the 2026 Wisconsin Film Festival went on sale this past weekend. How do I plan to cover this momentous event here on Moving Image Madison? My plan right now is to post occasional “Quick Picks,” films you should know about when figuring out your Festival film-going schedule between April 9 to April 16. I’ll also provide a more in depth guide to the decisions I made to navigate the Festival’s opening weekend. (Once again, I’m continuing my tradition of the Five-Film-Saturday). So stay tuned!
The first film title that jumped out at me was also the first ticket I purchased: Sholay (Ramesh Sippy | India | 1975 | 204 minutes with intermission). Regular readers here at Moving Image Madison know that I’m a fan of Bollywood films, and I try to keep you in the loop about Indian popular cinema playing in the commercial theaters in town. Well, Sholay is an essential film in the Indian popular cinema canon, and I can’t wait to see it on the big screen with a crowd. I have tickets for the Wednesday, April 15, 6:30pm screening, but there is also a workday afternoon screening on Thursday, April 16, 1:15pm.
In his Film Guide notes, Mike King describes this as “the film restoration event of the decade.” Like everything about Sholay, Mike went big with that claim, and even that doesn’t quite capture the impact that Sholay had when it was released on 1975. It has something for everyone, and it goes big with everything that appears on screen.
My first exposure to Sholay was the following clip in a world cinema history class, a music sequence set during a Holi colors festival. I knew instantly that I wanted to see the entire film, and it took quite a while after that to find access to it. If this doesn’t inspire you to buy a ticket, I don’t know what to tell you.
Anti-hero buddies Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra) are recruited by a retired police officer (who once held them in custody) to capture the notorious bandit Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan), who leads a gang that terrorizes villages (a la Seven Samurai or The Magnificent Seven). Needless to say, there is a lot of action in Sholay, and some of the violence was a bit more extreme than general audiences were used to in India in 1975. But there’s also the typical mix of tones ranging from very broad slapstick to melodramatic romance. And, of course there’s the music: six songs by R.D. Burman who was the most respected music directors in the Hindi film industry.
Amitabh Bachchan was a star at this point (nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Anand in 1971), but this film as well as others in the mid-1970s propelled him to superstardom that lasts to this day. I actually went to see him live outside of Chicago with members of family and other Bollywood stars in The Unforgettable Tour in 2008. The most recent film I’ve seen him in at AMC Fitchburg was Kalki 2892 AD, a 2024 Telugu-language science fiction film. So for those of you who are unfamiliar with his career and his screen charisma, Sholay offers an opportunity to see him for the first time in his prime.
Sholay is also famous for having one of the greatest (by which I mean most vile) screen villains in cinema history: Gabbar Singh. A Wikipedia page is dedicated to Gabbar Singh to trace his influence in Indian popular culture (and beyond). As you watch more films from Indian popular cinema made after 1975, it does not take long to see direct and indirect references to Gabbar Singh, who has held a unique place in the popular imagination.
Don’t be turned off by its 204 minute running time. That’s only 20 minutes longer than the longest Avenger film (Avengers: Endgame) and you’ll get so much more in those 204 minutes! You won’t regret the time investment, especially if you get to see it big and with an audience. Hope to see you there!
Now Playing In Madison: March 9-16, 2026
Please confirm showtimes with the venues (follow venue links where provided). The commercial theaters update their weekend listings on Wednesdays. Another Now Playing source that posts on Wednesdays is The Horizon Line Madison.
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.).
Play Circle Theater, UW Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street
ASIAN FUTURES, WITHOUT ASIANS, performative lecture by Astria Suparak with music by Tammy Lakkis. Wednesday, March 11, 5:00pm. Thursday, March 12, 7:00pm with panel discussion. See note from last Monday’s post.
Art Lofts Backspace Gallery, 111 N. Frances Street
LOOK INTO THE MIRROR YOU CANNOT SEE, MFA qualifier exhibition by Claudia Krogmeier. March 10-14. Reception March 12, 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Claudia Krogmeier is a digital media artist who uses video, performance, and extended reality to explore emotional intensity, illusions of understanding, and the subconscious mind. She is intrigued by story cycles in which logic falls away, creating new space for excitement in the bizarre, the uncanny and the intuitive. Her MFA Qualifier show “Look Into The Mirror You Cannot See” features a short film which experiments with language and symbolism to explore the destruction and resilience of our emotional lives within society today.
UW Cinematheque
The following films are scheduled to play at UW Cinematheque between Thursday, March 12, and Monday, March 16, 2026, listed in chronological order:
THE INFORMER, 4070 Vilas Hall, Friday, March 13, 7 p.m.
John Ford, USA, 1935, 91 min. Last week I failed to point out that the John Ford series is presented in conjunction with the release of a new book from Cinematheque founder Lea Jacobs, John Ford at Work: Production Histories 1927-1939 from Indiana University Press.
SUGAR CANE ALLEY, 4070 Vilas Hall, Saturday, March 14, 7 p.m.
Euzhan Palcy, Martinique, France, 1983, 103 min.
Wisconsin Union Directorate Film
WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1971) [OPEN CAPTION SCREENING], Union South Marquee Theater, Tuesday, 3/10, 6 p.m.
JUST KIDS (2025) [OPEN CAPTION SCREENING], Union South Marquee Theater, Thursday, 3/12, 6:30 p.m.
HAMNET (2025) [OPEN CAPTION SCREENING], Union South Marquee Theater, Friday, 3/13, 6 p.m.
CABARET (1972), Union South Marquee Theater, Friday, 3/13, 9 p.m.
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006) [OPEN CAPTION SCREENING], Union South Marquee Theater, Saturday, 3/14, 6:30 p.m.
SENTIMENTAL VALUE (2025) [OPEN CAPTION SCREENING], Union South Marquee Theater, Saturday, 3/14, 9 p.m.
Arts + Literature Laboratory, 111 S. Livingston Street, Suite 100
BAD RIVER, Saturday, March 14, 7:00pm. Free screening (donations welcome).
Commercial Theaters:
AMC Theatres
Flix Brewhouse
Marcus Theatres (Palace and Point)
AMC SCREEN UNSEEN: MARCH 16 at AMC.
AMC SCREEN UNSEEN: MARCH 9 at AMC.
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH at AMC.
BEST PICTURE MARATHON 2026: DAY TWO at Palace and Point.
BEST PICTURE SHOWCASE DAY TWO MARATHON at AMC.
BLUE ANGELS, THE at AMC.
IMAX 3-D documentary.
BRIDE!, THE at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
Christian Bale as Frankenstein and Jesse Buckley in a very different role than in Hamnet, as The Bride. Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Generally getting negative reviews, with some being particularly blunt.
BUGONIA at Palace and Point.
CRIME 101 at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
CRUNCHYROLL ANIME NIGHTS SNEAK PEEK at Point.
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA INFINITY CASTLE at AMC and Palace.
Japanese dark fantasy action anime feature.
DOLLY at AMC.
Horror film.
ENHYPEN [WALK THE LINE SUMMER EDITION] IN CINEMAS at Palace.
K-Pop supergroup concert film.
EPIC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
ERIN BROCKOVICH at AMC.
F1 THE MOVIE at Palace and Point.
FOR WORSE at AMC and Point.
Commerical release for popular film at last year’s Wisconsin Film Festival, directed by UW-Madison alum Amy Landecker and starring Madison East grad Bradley Whitford (The West Wing; Get Out).
FRANKENSTEIN at Palace and Point.
GOAT at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
HAMNET at AMC, Palace, and Point.
HOPPERS at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
New Pixar animated feature film. Had the top box office opening for Pixar in quite a long time.
HOW TO MAKE A KILLING at Palace.
Latest A24 release, directed by John Patton Ford (whose Emily the Criminal was reasonably good, except the ending). This black comedy starring Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley is essentially a darker reworking of Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), where a man plots to kill his relatives who are in the way of his inheritance. Getting mixed to negative reviews, including from Rob Thomas.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2 at AMC, Palace and Point.
Faith-based backstage drama about the challenges of being a pop-country superstar.
IRON LUNG at Point.
Horror feature film debut from YouTube influencer Mark Fischbach (a.k.a. “Markpiler.”) I know I talked about the correct film at least once in these listings, because its production history is so odd. Wikipedia reports that “as of February 20, 2026, Iron Lung [has] grossed $38.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $9.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $48.5 million.”
KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE 4K at AMC.
LITTLE WOMEN at AMC.
MARTY SUPREME at AMC, Palace, and Point.
MRITHYUNJAY at AMC.
Indian Telugu-language action film. Title roughly translates as “the one who conquers death.” This follows a would-be crime reporter who believes he is on the trail of an efficient killer.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER at Palace and Point.
OPTIMIST: THE BRAVEST ACT IS TRUTH, THE at Point.
Steven Lang (Avatar) stars as a Holocaust survivor who forms a friendship with a teenage girl, and breaks his silence about his experience.
OSCAR NOMINATED ANIMATED SHORTS at Palace and Point.
OSCAR NOMINATED LIVE ACTION SHORTS at Palace and Point.
PEAKY BLINDERS: THE IMMORTAL MAN at Flix.
Continuation of the British television series Peaky Blinders (2013-2022). This feature film starring Cillian Murphy and directed by Tom Harper will have a limited theatrical release, followed by a debut on Netflix on March 20.
PEGASUS 3 at AMC.
Chinese car racing comedy/drama (Pegasus was released in 2019, with Pegasus 2 following in 2024). Deadline.com ran an article with the lede: “The biggest movies at this weekend’s worldwide box office won’t be from Hollywood — sorry, Wuthering Heights — but rather China, where the Year of the Fire Horse has been in full swing since Tuesday.” This in part explains the release of Blades of the Guardians and Scare Out here two weeks ago, and Pegasus 3 last week. During the first three days of the Chinese New Year, Pegasus 3 actually led the other two at the Chinese domestic box office.
PILLION at AMC and Point.
Romantic drama with dark humor directed by Harry Lighton. Alexander Skarsgård stars as a biker who strikes up a BDSM relationship with a timid gay man, played by Harry Melling. Winner of the Best Screenplay prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
POUT-POUT FISH, THE at AMC.
I usually mark films like this as “this week’s sketchy mid-tier animated feature film for kids,” but this is based on a New York Times best-seller, and actually has a pretty interesting voice cast: Amy Sedaris, Nick Offerman, Miranda Otto. Early access screening Sunday, March 15. Opens wide March 20.
PROTECTOR at AMC.
Action drama starring Milla Jovovich as a mother who will do whatever it takes to find and release her daughter from a sex trafficking ring. That old saw.
REMINDERS OF HIM at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
Adaptation of the book by Colleen Hoover. Somehow I have managed to see this trailer several times before films, which cumulatively add up to about 15 more than I care to spend thinking about it. But you might like it?
ROAD AT NIGHT, A at Point.
A few more screenings remain at Marcus Point. Documentary by John Roach, about the tragedy that struck the family of University of Wisconsin men’s basketball assistant coach Howard Moore when a drunk driver collided with their car. See notes in a previous post.
SAMPRADAYINI SUPPINI SUDDAPOOSANI at AMC.
Indian Telugu-language comedy set in a small village where a family is dragged into a complicated situation when a police officer dies in their home.
SCARED TO DEATH at AMC.
Horror film, and apparently a making-a-movie comedy. In the Whatever Happened To department, this features Rae Dawn Chong (Commando).
SCREAM 7 at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
SECRET AGENT, THE at AMC, Palace, and Point.
SECRET FLIX at Flix.
SENTIMENTAL VALUE at Palace and Point.
SINNERS at Palace and Point.
SLANTED at AMC.
Sci-fi body-horror social satire directed by Amy Wang,about a Chinese-American teenage who feels insecure about her race. Of the self-aware horror films that are opening this week, this one at least has an intriguing and promising premise beyond shocks and gore.
STORM RIDER: LEGEND OF HAMMERHEAD at AMC.
Sci-fi adventure film set in a post-apocalyptic future three centuries after the “Great Flood.” Shot in Croatia.
TMNT II: THE SECRET OF THE OOZE 35TH ANNIVERSARY at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
TRAIN DREAMS at Palace and Point.
Winner of Best Feature, Best Director (Clint Bentley) Best Lead Performance (Joel Edgerton) and Best Cinematography at the 2026 Independent Spirit Awards. Only a few isolated afternoon screenings on March 6, 10, and 13. But this has been streaming on Netflix since November, so whaddyagonnado?
UNDERTONE at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
Another horror film, this one set around a podcast that explores the supernatural and paranormal.
WOLF OF WALL STREET, THE at Flix.
WUTHERING HEIGHTS at AMC, Palace, and Point.
Or, “Wuthering Heights,” as it is stylized on the posters. A loose adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel, starring Margot Robbie (also a producer of the film) and Jacob Elordi (who shows his range by following up playing the monster in Frankenstein to playing Heathcliff here). This appears to be a love it/hate it thing, based on my quick scrolling on FilmStack (film newsletters on Substack).
ZOOTOPIA 2 at AMC.
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.
Side Room Cinematheque
Consult Instagram @sideroomcinematic for screening details, second Thursday of the month, and last Monday of the month.
Cinesthesia at Madison Public Library Central Branch
INSIDE MAN (Spike Lee, 2006), Tuesday, March 17, 6:30pm.
Mills Folly Microcinema, Arts + Literature Laboratory
CARRIAGE TRADE, Wednesday, March 25, 7:00pm. Free admission, $5 donation encouraged. Warren Sonbert (1947–1995) was an experimental filmmaker whose work of nearly three decades began in New York in the mid-1960s, and continued in San Francisco throughout the second half of his life. Sonbert considered Carriage Trade (1973) his “magnum opus.” In this film, Sonbert interweaves footage taken from his journeys throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and the United States, together with shots he removed from the camera originals of a number of his earlier films.