Final week to see artist videos at Madison Public Library Central Branch
Videos by Toby Kaufmann-Buhler, Aaron Granat, Chele Isaac are on display in the 150 Years x 150 Artists exhibition at Central Library through February 28
Scroll down for Now Showing in Madison, February 23–March 2, 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.
At Tone Madison, Grant Phipps published a survey of the artist videos in the current exhibition 150 Artists x 150 Years at the Madison Public Library Central Branch. Well, if you’re like me, you haven’t had a chance to swing by to see the work. We only have a few more days to do so, with the exhibition closing this Saturday, February 28.
The larger exhibition, as the title suggests, incorporates the work of 150 artists to celebrate the Madison Public Library’s 150th year of service. The artworks are spread across seven participating Madison libraries. The three video artists discussed in Phipps’s article include Toby Kaufmann-Buhler, Aaron Granat, Chele Isaac. There work is on display at the Madison Public Library Central Branch, 201 W. Mifflin Street.
Each artist was assigned a word that had entered the dictionary between 1875 and 2025. Toby Kaufmann-Buhler was assigned the word “Hyper-thymesia,” which resulted in his video, Eye Sees Time. Aaron Granat was assigned “aphantasia,” which led to his work Aphantasia. And Chele Isaac was assigned “photosynthesis,” which inspired her video photo><synthesis.
“These three perceptive video works . . . facilitate artistic connections between memory, language, and personal and/or family history in ways that should be celebrated and meaningfully engaged with at your opportunity,” Phipps concludes in his overview, “—particularly as our reality seems to become increasingly shaped by virtual, fracturing distortions."
Substack recommendation: Penny Lane is My Real Name by filmmaker Penny Lane
Since starting this humble little hyper-local Substack newsletter, I have found myself spending more time on the Substack platform, especially since the Film & TV category has been established. I’ll have more to say about what I have found over the next weeks and months. But for now, I wanted to make a quick recommendation for Penny Lane is My Real Name from filmmaker Penny Lane.
I’m currently a free subscriber to her Substack, and I find it well worth my time not only for the posts that free subscribers have access to, but also for her Notes with interesting links to other resources.
Today (Monday, February 23), Lane has scheduled a live video chat with filmmaker Matt Wolf, director of Pee-wee as Himself, at 12:00pm. In her recent feed, you can also find an archived video chat with Marcie Hume, producer and director of Corey Feldman vs. the World. And if the world has got you down in the dumps, losing faith in humanity, Lane’s most recent post is “5 Funny Documentaries for Dark Times.”
But who is Penny Lane? I think Penny Lane is one of the most interesting documentary filmmakers working today. Her films include Nuts! (I highly recommend reading her Notes on Nuts!, essentially endnotes and citations for the film); Hail Satan! (about the origins of The Satanic Temple and the group’s grassroots political activism); Listening to Kenny G (about the smooth jazz musician, which is far more interesting than you would every think just from the title itself), and Confessions of a Good Samaritan (which documents Lane’s journey as an altruistic kidney donor). You can learn more about Lane at her website, pennylaneismyrealname.com.
If you want to re-kindle your faith in the documentary form, just read a few entries from this inspiring filmmaker.
Now Playing In Madison: February 23-March 2, 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
Multi-film days at the UW-Cinematheque this weekend, including a visit from filmmaker Owen Kline.
FIUME O MORTE!, 4070 Vilas Hall, Thursday, February 26, 7 p.m.
Igor Bezinović, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, 2025, 112 min.
OWEN KLINE’S MYSTERY REEL, 4070 Vilas Hall, Friday, February 27, 5 p.m.
A “mind-bending assortment of short films, avant-garde classics, 16mm television ads, trailers, animation, and other so-called ephemera” curated by filmmaker Owen Kline as a prelude to the Cinematheque screening of Funny Pages at 7:00pm.
FUNNY PAGES, 4070 Vilas Hall, Friday, February 27, 7 p.m.
Owen Kline, USA, 2022, 85 min.
THE FOOL KILLER, 4070 Vilas Hall, Saturday, February 28, 12 p.m.
Servando Gonzalez, USA, 1965, 100 min.
THE SEVEN LITTLE FOYS, 4070 Vilas Hall, Saturday, February 28, 2:30 p.m.
Melville Shavelson, USA, 1956, 95 min.
WHO KILLED TEDDY BEAR?, 4070 Vilas Hall, Saturday, February 28, 4:45 p.m.
Joseph Cates, USA, 1965, 95 min.
WITHNAIL & I, 4070 Vilas Hall, Saturday, February 28, 7 p.m.
Bruce Robinson, UK, 1987, 105 min.
FISTS IN THE POCKET, 4070 Vilas Hall, Sunday, March 1, 12 p.m.
Marco Bellocchio, Italy, 1965, 108 min.
LONELY ARE THE BRAVE, 4070 Vilas Hall, Sunday, March 1, 2:30 p.m.
David Miller, USA, 1962, 107 min.
LOVE AND DEATH ON LONG ISLAND, 4070 Vilas Hall, Sunday, March 1, 5 p.m.
Richard Kwietniowski, UK, Canada, 1997, 93 min.
MADAM SATAN, 4070 Vilas Hall, Sunday, March 1, 7 p.m.
Cecil B. DeMille, USA, 1930, 115 min.
Wisconsin Union Directorate Film
FARMING THE REVOLUTION (2024), Union South Marquee Theater, Thursday, 2/26, 6:30 p.m.
DESERT HEARTS (1985), Union South Marquee Theater, Friday, 2/27, 6:30 p.m.
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE (2004) [ENGLISH SUBTITLES], Union South Marquee Theater, Friday, 2/27, 9 p.m.
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE (2004) [ENGLISH DUB], Union South Marquee Theater, Saturday, 2/28, 6 p.m.
THELMA & LOUISE (1991), Union South Marquee Theater, Saturday, 2/28, 9 p.m.
Commercial Theaters:
AMC Theatres
Flix Brewhouse
Marcus Theatres (Palace and Point)
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH at AMC, Palace.
BAD GUYS 2, THE at Point, Palace.
BENDITO CORAZÓN (BLESSED HEART 2026) at Point.
Faith-based historical drama set in 18th-century Los Altos de Jalisco.
BETTER TOMORROW - HONG KONG CINEMA CLASSICS, A at AMC, Point.
I’ve been pushing these Hong Kong classics from director John Woo, perhaps too often. But this next round of screenings will take place March 1, 2, and 4.
BILLY IDOL SHOULD BE DEAD at Point.
Documentary about 70’s punk singer (Generation X), 80’s pop idol and MTV staple Billy Idol.
BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS at AMC.
While I was concerned about the limited screenings for this film last week, it has been extended into this week. I had a chance to see it, and it is a very entertaining, old-fashioned rip-roaring yarn.
BORN TO BE WILD at AMC.
IMAX 3D nature documentary
CRIME 101 at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
Action thriller starring Chris Hemsworth. Read Rob Thomas’s review.
DRACULA at AMC, Palace.
Luc Besson’s take on the old legend is generally getting negative reviews. See what Rob Thomas had to say here.
EPIC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT at AMC, Point, Palace.
Baz Luhrman hadn’t done enough to tarnish Elvis Presley’s legacy, so this time he goes into the archives and presents concert footage re-formatted for an IMAX experience.
FRUITVALE STATION at AMC.
GET ON THE BUS at AMC.
GHOST ELEPHANTS at Point.
Documentary by Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man; Cave of Forgotten Dreams) about South African naturalist Steve Boyes, who searches for an undiscovered species of African elephant in Angola. Opens February 27. Presented by National Geographic, this will also end up on Disney+ and Hulu on March 7.
GOAT at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
Big-budget splashy return of director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean films, among others) is a sci-fi satire starring Sam Rockwell. Read Rob Thomas’s review.
HAMNET at Flix.
HOMECOMING: THE TOKYO SERIES at AMC, Point, Palace.
Documentary about the 2025 series opening series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, held in Tokyo. Examines the unique place of baseball in Japanese popular culture (with several Japanese players, including the great Shohei Ohtani, playing for the Dodgers).
HOPPERS EARLY ACCESS SCREENINGS at AMC, Point, Palace.
Early access screenings to the new Pixar animated feature film on Saturday, February 28.
HOUSEMAID, THE at Point.
HOW TO MAKE A KILLING at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
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, Point, Palace, Flix.
Faith-based backstage drama about the challenges of being a pop-country superstar.
IRON LUNG at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
I have been mis-identifying this film in the listings the past few weeks. This is, of course, the 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.”
KOKUHO at AMC, Point.
Japanese historical drama which premiered at the Director’s Fortnight section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. This has become the highest-grossing domestic live-action film in Japan. A kabuki actor seeks revenge from a yakuza gang after the death of his father. Distributed in the U.S. by GKIDS, which usually distributes anime and international animiated features.
K-POPS! at AMC.
This family friendly comedy is the directorial debut of rapper Anderson .Paak. A musician (.Paak) hopes to revive his career as a K-pop star in Korea. I guess this kind of fills in for The Moment leaving theaters so soon.
MARTY SUPREME at Flix.
MIDWINTER BREAK at AMC, Point, Palace.
Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds star in this adaptation of the novel of the same title by Bernard MacLaverty. A retired couple deal with the tensions in their relationship while traveling to Amsterdam.
NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE at AMC, Point.
A theatrical engagement after the sneak peek at the UW-Cinematheque last month. I’ve only heard good things about this. Rob Thomas attended that screening, read his review.
NT LIVE: HAMLET at Point.
PEGASUS 3 at AMC.
Chinese car racing comedy/drama (Pegasus was released in 2019, with Pegasus 2 following in 2024). Last Thursday, 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 last week, and Pegasus 3 this week. During the first three days of the Chinese New Year, Pegasus 3 actually led the other two at the Chinese domestic box office.
PRIDE & PREJUDICE 20TH ANNIVERSARY RE-RELEASE at Flix.
PSYCHO KILLER at AMC, Point, Palace.
Horror film getting generally negative reviews, with Rotten Tomatoes summarizing the critics consensus as, “Qu’est-ce que c’est? Better run, run, run, run, run, run, run away.”
REDUX REDUX at AMC.
A woman travels through parallel universes, repeatedly killing her daughter’s murderer. That old saw.
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.
SCARE OUT at AMC.
Like Blades of the Guardians, this Zhang Yimou’s Scare Out had very limited screenings at first, but has been extended through Wednesday, February 25. However, in his Screening Report last Wednesday, Alex at Horizon Line wrote, “Unfortunately, I went and saw Scare Out on Tuesday and would warn folks to steer clear.” A National Security squad races to identify and capture spies who have leaked classified intelligence. If you do go, expect drones, offices in glass skyscrapers, and lots of facial recognition software.
SCREAM 7 at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
Opening night fan event screenings on Thursday, February 26, regular screenings start Friday, February 27.
SEND HELP at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
The latest thriller from Sam Raimi appears to be a variation on Swept Away (1974 and 2002), downplaying the sexual tension angle in favor of class and office politics in contemporary corporate capitalism. Raimi’s input and star Rachel McAdams might make this worth a look.
SINNERS at AMC.
THIS IS NOT A TEST at AMC.
This zombie horror film appears to be a 102-minute trigger-fest. “A suicidal and abused teen girl as she faces the mental torments of her abusive father and being abandoned by her elder sister all the while reluctantly surviving alongside five other damaged teenagers.”
TWILIGHT at Flix.
WOMAN KING, THE at AMC.
Viola Davis stars as General Nanisca, who leads an all-female regiment of warriors in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1820s.
WUTHERING HEIGHTS at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
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.