MMoCA Rooftop Cinema series kicks off with GIRL INTERNET SHOW, Thursday, July 30
Also: Local filmmakers and artists showcased at Gibs (tonight), Project Projection (Wednesday) and Commonwealth Gallery (
Scroll down for Now Showing in Madison, July 28–August 3, 2026
Weekly posts include short notes on various cinematic topics, followed by the Now Showing in Madison guide to commercial theaters and alternative venues.
I have an extra busy week this week, with two screenings that I’m still working on preparations for: Mills Folly Microcinema’s Project Projection tomorrow night at Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7:00pm, and the first Rooftop Cinema screening of this season at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Thursday night, after the sun goes down. So this will have to be another minimalist edition of Moving Image Madison, with a barebones Now Playing listing.
One thing I do want to take a moment to acknowledge, however, is that this week is the eighth anniversary of the first Mills Folly Microcinema screening, which was also the first Project Projection screening. Eight years! Even my newer projects are getting old. I must be getting old.
In addition to the screenings I’m involved in, there are some other events by local filmmakers and artists that should be on your radar. Late this afternoon, the Cut the Deck Creative folks are screening some short docs at Gibs at 5:00pm (1380 Williamson Street). And Thursday through Saturday, Liz Sexe Dance will present an installation and performances, Through the Keyhole and the Storm, at Commonwealth Gallery (1501 Williamson Street).
Okay, back to work for me . . . I hope to see some of you this week!
Now Playing In Madison: July 28–August 3, 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.).
Our Parks on the Big Screen, Gibs, Tuesday, July 28, 5:00pm
The folks over at Cut the Deck Creative, Corey Holl and David Guenther, have been busy these days. They will present a screening of six independent short films on the them of natural beauty and parks of the midwest at Gibs (1380 Williamson Street), for the benefit of the Madison Parks Foundation and their current production, The Park People.
Mills Folly Microcinema at Arts + Literature Laboratory
PROJECT PROJECTION, local film and video showcase, Wednesday, July 29, 7:00pm. The featured filmmakers are: Jane Lowy, Steve Chappell, Gretta Wing Miller, Christopher Bennett, Fatemeh Fani, Meggen Heuss, Ezra Ewen, Keasion Griffin, Alex Jacobs, Emmy Hannibal, Heidi E. Johnson, Litza Bixler & Aaron Granat, and Emmalee Pearson. Read about all of the films, including experimental films, short docs, animation, and music videos, at the Arts + Literature Laboratory website.
MMoCA Cinema, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
GIRL INTERNET SHOW: A KATI KELLI MIXTAPE (2013-2019), Thursday, July 30. Screenings begin about 20 minutes after sunset.
Commonwealth Gallery, 1501 Williamson Street
THROUGH THE KEYHOLE AND THE STORM, July 30–August 1
“It is not often performance and film allow for such a full immersion of the audience, and it is something Liz Sexe Dance enjoys crafting and sharing with the community. Through the Keyhole and the Storm will bring together dance and film through an immersive gallery performance taking place at the Commonwealth Gallery. Each night from Thursday, July 30, through Saturday, August 1, the gallery will be open from 6:30-9:00 p.m. for people to explore the environments of a room filled with keyholes and the room of plastic. At 7:30 p.m. each night a performance will erupt with a storm.” (Description by organizers.)
Highway 18 Outdoor Theater, Jefferson, Wisconsin
WUD Film Lakeside Cinema
BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985), The Terrace @ Memorial Union, Monday, 8/3, 9:00 P.M.
Lakeside Cinema, Monday nights at the Memorial Union Terrace returns with monthly themes: “Sports” (June), “Under the Lake,” (July), “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.).
Here is the updated and corrected list of all films playing between July 28 and August 3, double-checked for missing titles and proper theater locations:
ABOVE AND BELOW at AMC.
AMC SCREAM UNSEEN: AUGUST 3 at AMC.
BACKROOMS: EVERYTHING MUST GO EDITION W/ BONUS FOOTAGE (2026) at AMC, Point.
BAD GUYS 2 (2025), THE at AMC.
CHENNAI LOVE STORY (2026) at AMC.
CURIOUS GEORGE at Palace, Point.
DISCLOSURE DAY (2026) at AMC, Palace, Point.
EVIL DEAD BURN (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
FIFTH ELEMENT (2026), THE at Flix.
HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL (2026) at AMC, Palace, Point.
HER PRIVATE HELL (2026) at AMC, Flix, Point.
I WANT YOUR SEX (2026) at AMC, Point.
INVITE (2026), THE at AMC, Flix.
JANA NAYAGAN (2026) at AMC.
JOURNEY TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC: AN IMAX 3D EXPERIENCE at AMC.
MARCUS MYSTERY MOVIE at Palace, Point.
MINIONS & MONSTERS (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
MOANA (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
MOTOR CITY (2026) at AMC, Point.
OBSESSION (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace.
ODYSSEY (2026), THE at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
PINOCCHIO UNSTRUNG (2026) at AMC, Point.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) at Flix.
READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN (2026) at AMC.
SESAME STREET PRESENTS: FOLLOW THAT BIRD at Palace, Point.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (2020) at Flix.
SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY AMAZON PRIME EARLY ACCESS SCREENINGS (2026) at AMC, Palace, Point.
SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS (2025), THE at AMC.
TOY STORY 5 (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
UECK (2026) at Palace, Point.
WHAM! 10 DAYS IN CHINA (2026) at Point.
WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY 55TH ANNIVERSARY at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
YOUNG WASHINGTON (2026) 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.
MMoCA Cinema, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
Screenings begin about 20 minutes after sunset.
AMERICA: EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER DREAMED OF (1971-1973), Thursday, August 6
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.
Works by Janicza Bravo: A Shortfilm, A Feature, and A Television Pilot, Thursday, August 13, 9:00pm
DM @sideroomcinematic (Instagram) for screening details.
Cinesthesia at Madison Public Library Central Branch
WILD AT HEART (David Lynch, 1987), Tuesday, August 19, 6:30pm
Coney Island Side Show, Weary Traveller, 1202 Williamson Street
“Patio premiere” of The Coney Island Side Show: Catfish Stephenson, which documents a performance by local musician Catfish Stephenson. Thursday, August 6 at 8:00pm. Presented by Wendy Schneider and Coney Island Studios.