Film Festival Quick Pick #3: Remake (2026)
Documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee (Sherman's March, Time Indefinite), returns with his first feature film in 14 years.
Scroll down for Now Showing in Madison, March 16–23, 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.
Coincidentally, I had been thinking about Ross McElwee and his very unique, personal documentaries, even before I knew that his latest film, Remake, would be playing at the Wisconsin Film Festival. I mainly thought about the role of small, compact digital technology in recent films that document personal experiences of social and political significance (like No Other Land from last year) as well as private stories that would have been hard to document without very portable digital cameras (like Penny Lane’s Confessions of a Good Samaritan, just to name one example.).
The image that popped in my head when I thought about McElwee was not an image that appears in his film, Sherman’s March (1986), but an imagined image related to the making of the film. I thought about and imagined the 16mm camera rig that he used, and how despite the cumbersome equipment present at all times, he was able to create an environment with great intimacy as he interviewed his subjects.
Sherman’s March was not only an important documentary of the mid-1980s, it was also important for American independent film more generally. For those who are not familiar with the film, the premise is that McElwee received a grant to make a historical documentary about General William Sherman’s “March to the Sea” during the American Civil War. But instead of making that film, he ends up visiting and interviewing many of his ex-girlfriends, as well as other women he meets on his journey retracing Sherman’s route. McElwee described the results as a personal essay blending fiction and nonfiction.
If you saw Sherman’s March around the time it was released, it was a breath of fresh air that opened up new possibilities for documentary and non-fiction filmmaking. McElwee aspired to be honest and to show the less likable aspects of himself, which influenced independent filmmaking more generally in the following years.
Now, the personal essay has practically overrun documentary feature films on the film festival circuit. There are many times when watching recent films where I wonder to myself if the filmmaker inserting themselves into the story, regardless of whether the topic is personal, political, or social in nature, really adds or takes away from the final film. I also sometimes wonder if the abundance of images that are taken at almost any planned or unplanned event, via ubiquitous cel phones, are actually getting us any closer to documenting the truth.
I think what makes Sherman’s March so valuable looking back at it now is how hard McElwee had to work to get his images and how willing he was to make himself vulnerable to judgement as he attempted to examine his personal relationships.
I won’t have a chance to see his new film, Remake, until the Wisconsin Film Festival screening on Saturday, April 11, 1:15pm at the Chazen Museum of Art. (There is also a repeat screening on Monday, April 13, 12:00pm at Flix Brewhouse.) But based on the topic of Remake, an examination of his relationship with his son Adrian, who passed away at 27 in 2016, it is clear that McElwee has opened himself up to vulnerabilities about his role as a father and as a filmmaker. Image making was a part of Adrian’s upbringing and family life, and McElwee will no doubt question his own documentary practice as he examines his and Adrian’s footage from over the years.
I found a great, concise introduction to Ross McElwee and his work in a Substack post at Getting Personal with Doug Block. Block, a documentary filmmaker himself and director of the great 51 Birch Street, breaks up this brief portrait into three parts, memories of a Sherman’s March screening in 1985, an interview with McElwee from 2015, and a brief contemplation about Remake after seeing it in 2026. I’m confident that after reading Block’s insightful post, you’ll want to join me and catch one of the screenings of Remake in April.
Now Playing In Madison: March 16-23, 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.).
UW Cinematheque
THE PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND, 4070 Vilas Hall, Friday, March 20, 7 p.m.
John Ford, USA, 1936, 95 min.
DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE FOREST, 4070 Vilas Hall, Saturday, March 21, 7 p.m.
Satyajit Ray, India, 1970, 116 min.
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, Chazen Museum, Sunday, March 22, 2 p.m.
Mike Nichols, USA, 1966, 129 min.
Wisconsin Union Directorate Film
WHITE WITH FEAR (2024) [OPEN CAPTION SCREENING], Union South Marquee Theater, Thursday, 3/19, 6:30 p.m.
NO OTHER CHOICE (2025), Union South Marquee Theater, Friday, 3/20, 6 p.m.
THE ROOM (2003), Union South Marquee Theater, Friday, 3/20, 9 p.m.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (2025) [OPEN CAPTION], Union South Marquee Theater, Saturday, 3/21, 7 p.m,
Cinesthesia at Madison Public Library Central Branch
INSIDE MAN (Spike Lee, 2006), Tuesday, March 17, 6:30pm.
Commercial Theaters:
AMC Theatres
Flix Brewhouse
Marcus Theatres (Palace and Point)
AMC SCREEN UNSEEN: MARCH 16 at AMC.
AMC SCREAM UNSEEN: MARCH 23 at AMC.
AMERICAN UNDERDOG at AMC.
Re-release of 2021 sports drama with an inspirational emphasis about the career of NFL quarterback Kurt Warner.
ANACONDA at AMC, Point, Palace.
BRIDE, THE! at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
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.
CRIME 101 at AMC, Point, Flix.
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA INFINITY CASTLE at Palace.
Japanese dark fantasy action anime feature.
DEPARTED, THE at Flix.
Marty won his Oscar for this one.
DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE at AMC, Point.
Indian Hindi-language crime action drama, and a sequel to the top grossing Indian feature film of 2025. I saw the first film in January, and I liked its scope and ambition, despite occasionally wallowing in some brutal violence. Very loosely based on a crackdown against organized crime in Karachi, Pakistan.
EPIC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT at AMC, Point, Palace.
ERIN BROCKOVICH at AMC.
GOAT at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
HE CALLS ME DAUGHTER at AMC, Point, Palace.
Faith-based documentary focusing on women with absent, distant, or broken fathers.
HOPPERS at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
HUBBLE at AMC.
IMAX documentary
KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE 4K at AMC.
KING OF KINGS, THE at AMC.
Re-release of 2025 animated feature about the life of Jesus Christ, presumably in theaters for the Easter season.
MARCUS MYSTERY MOVIE at Palace.
METROPOLITAN OPERA: TRISTAN UND ISOLDE, THE at Point, Palace.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER at AMC.
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. Read Rob Thomas’s review.
POUT-POUT FISH, THE at AMC, Point, Palace.
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. Opens wide March 20.
PROJECT HAIL MARY at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
Finally, your chance to see a film very heavily promoted and advertized in the hopes of cashing in on the success of the previous Andy Weir novel adaptation, The Martian.
RAD 40TH ANNIVERSARY at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
Join me in celebrating the 40th anniversary of skipping this film in 1986.
READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
Remember the one (in 2019) about the bride who gets hunted down by her new inlaws? I guess she survived, and is up against some more distant relatives this time.
REMINDERS OF HIM at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
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 to 20 minutes more than I care to spend thinking about it. But you might like it?
REVENANT 10TH ANNIVERSARY RE-RELEASE, THE at AMC.
ROTTEN MOVIES, FRESH BEER: HOT ROD at Flix.
Interesting idea: Camp plus alcohol?
SCARED TO DEATH at AMC.
Horror film, originally on the festival circuit in 2024. Apparently a making-a-movie comedy. In the Whatever Happened To department, this features Rae Dawn Chong (Commando).
SCREAM 7 at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
If you loved 1 through 6 (or is this like the Star Trek films, only the odd numbered ones are good?).
SEND HELP at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
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. Read Rob Thomas’s review.
STEEL MAGNOLIAS at AMC.
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, Point, Palace, Flix.
TOW at AMC.
Rose Byrne, fresh off of her Oscar nomination in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, now plays a woman who lives out of her car in Seattle. The title likely refers to a plot point.
UNDERTONE at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
Another horror film, this one set around a podcast that explores the supernatural and paranormal.
UNSUNG HERO at AMC.
Faith-based drama, originally released in 2024, based on the story of Rebecca and Joel Smallbone who transformed their family into successful Christian recording artists.
URBAN COWBOY at Flix.
USTAAD BHAGAT SINGH at Point, Palace.
Indian Telugu-language action comedy starring actor and real-life elected official (Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh) Pawan Kaylan.
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.
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.