Streaming options for Hong Kong action: The Killer, Hard Boiled, and more
Plus: Project Projection October 22 screening lineup announced.
Scroll down for Now Showing in Madison, October 6–13, 2025
Note: There’s a lot to think about and a lot to write about Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. I couldn’t finish a review last week. And I’m still working on it. And I also have more to say about film formats that I started to talk about in the last post. So this post will be short, and the OBAA material will be coming soon.
Three ways to watch 1980s/1990s Hong Kong action (two options are free)
As you probably know, physical media home video fans can’t wait for Shout! Factory to release all of their announced titles in their Hong Kong Cinema Classics line, including 4K discs of John Woo classics like The Killer (1989) and Hard Boiled (1992). You can see a complete list of the planned releases (and whether they will be blu-ray and/or 4K) at the Shout! Factory website.
Hard Boiled shipped last week, but fans of The Killer will have to wait for its shipping date next month. However, there are already three ways to see many classic titles via streaming services (and even more ways, actually, if you include purchasing titles on Fandango and other services).
First, there are two collections of Hong Kong action films debuting this month on the Criterion Channel (with John Woo films overlapping both collections):
“Hong Kong Action Classics” includes City on Fire, A Better Tomorrow (I, II, and III), Once Upon a Time in China (I, II, and III) and much more.
“Directed by John Woo” includes The Killer, Hard Boiled, and several others.
“Directed by Tsui Hark” includes Shanghai Blues, Peking Opera Blues, Swordsman, Once Upon a Time in China (I, II, III).
There are some other titles outside of these collections, most notably A Chinese Ghost Story (I, II, and III).
But some of these films are available without paying for a Criterion Collection subscription. Several are on Kanopy, which is free with a Madison Public Library card, and some are available on the Hong Kong Fight Club, a free ad-supported streaming channel available through Shout! Factory TV. Hong Kong Fight Club can also be accessed through the free TV channel options on apps like Plex. I haven’t compiled a complete list of what is available on each resource, but here are some titles:
Kanopy: City on Fire, A Better Tomorrow (I, II, and III), The Killer, Hard Boiled
Hong Kong Fight Club: The Killer, Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow (I, II, and III), Fong Sai Yuk (I and II), The Bodyguard from Beijing, and several Jackie Chan and Samo Hung films.
Note that Hong Kong Fight Club is a live streaming channel, not an on-demand service. But through the course of the day most of these titles pop up at some point. Also note that in addition to commercials there are edits and image blurring during the more violent moments in films like Hard Boiled. (Still, it’s free!) Perhaps the best way to use the Hong Kong Fight Club channel for newbies is to catch part of a film to see if you’d be interested in watching the film without cuts and commercial interruptions. But I just like having it on every once in a while (via Plex) and watching parts of the hospital scene in Hard Boiled.
Mills Folly Microcinema Project Projection local film and video lineup announced for Wednesday, October 22, 7pm
Mills Folly Microcinema presents Project Projection Spring 2025, a program of locally produced film and video, Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 7:00pm at Arts + Literature Laboratory, 111 S. Livingston Street, Suite 100.
Filmmakers to be featured include: Peter Barryman, Samuel Knopes, Claudia Krogmeier, Erica Pinigis, Gretta Wing Miller, Tim Geurkink, Al Rasho, Spenser Wise, Steve Chappell, Debra Zarne, Vivienne Timchenko, Martin Saunders, and Michael Doyle Olson.
The program is approximately 80 minutes, and will be followed by a Q&A session with the attending filmmakers.
We’re attempting to make each Project Projection screening shorter, but more frequent. So the next Project Projection screening is already scheduled for January 21, 2026! We already have a few submissions carrying over to that screening, and anyone can submit their work by using the form at the event page on the Arts + Literature Laboratory website.
Now Playing In Madison: October 6–13, 2025
Please confirm showtimes with the venues (follow venue links where provided). The commercial theaters update their weekend listings on Wednesdays.
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.
Arts + Literature Laboratory
THE 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT KICKOFF, 10/10, 5:30pm
Film Teams draw genres out of a hat and receive the required elements for the films. Doors open for the Kickoff at 5:30pm. You can find out more information about how the competition works and how to register a team at the 48 Hour Film Project website.
Wisconsin Union Directorate Film
RESERVOIR DOGS (1992) 10/10 & 10/11
HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS (2003) 10/10 & 10/11
UW-Cinematheque
STRANGER EYES 10/9
Latest feature from Singaporean director Yeo Siew Hua.
ERASERHEAD 10/10
The tributes to the late David Lynch continue.
IL FUOCO 10/11
AMC Theatres, Flix Brewhouse, Marcus Theatres
Always check the respective websites to confirm dates and showtimes. I add trailers to new films of interest that you might not know about (American indies, international features, etc.).
100 METERS at AMC, Point.
Sports anime feature. Looks like it only plays Sun Oct 10 through Tues Oct 14.
AFTERBURN at AMC.
AMC SCREEN UNSEEN: OCTOBER 13 at AMC.
AMC SCREEN UNSEEN: OCTOBER 6 at AMC.
ANEMONE at AMC, Point, Flix.
Directed by Ronan Day-Lewis, starring his father, Daniel.
ARE WE GOOD? at AMC, Point.
Documentary portrait of comedian and podcaster Marc Maron.
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER RE-RELEASE at AMC, Point.
Should I finally catch up with this? Probably not.
BATTLE ROYALE 25TH ANNIVERSARY at Point.
There are many anniversary screenings this week, with the landmark status of some being questionable. Battle Royale is an interesting choice. I’m not sure if anyone has nostalgia for it. But it would be interesting to see in a theater with people who haven’t seen it.
BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY, A at AMC.
BONE LAKE at AMC, Point.
This is marketed like a 1990s straight to video erotic thriller. It is getting decent enough reviews, but even the positive reviews use words like “trashy.”
BROKEN MARY: THE KEVIN MATTHEWS STORY at Point.
Faith-based documentary about radio personality Matthews who has a spiritual awakening.
CASPER: 30TH ANNIVERSARY at AMC, Point, Flix.
See my anniversary screening note above.
CONJURING: LAST RITES, THE at AMC, Point, Flix.
CORPSE BRIDE: 20TH ANNIVERSARY at Point.
See my anniversary screening note above.
COYOTES at AMC.
Kate Bosworth and Justin Long fight for survival, not only against an approaching wildfire, but also a pack of, you guessed it, coyotes.
DARK CRYSTAL, THE at AMC, Point.
Not marketed as an “anniversary,” but see my anniversary note above.
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA INFINITY CASTLE at AMC, Point, Flix.
DEVIL’S REJECTS 20TH ANNIVERSARY, THE at Point.
Okay now, this is going too far. Nobody cares that this is the 20th Anniversary of The Devil’s Rejects, not even the filmmakers.
DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE at AMC, Point, Flix.
FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980) at AMC.
Okay, I think I’ve made my point about the anniversary and classic screenings this week. I think someone could make a lot of money with a 1980s horror series, the kids seem to love this stuff.
FRIGHT NIGHT (1985) at Flix.
GABBY’S DOLLHOUSE: THE MOVIE at AMC, Point, Flix.
GOOD BOY at AMC, Point, Flix.
You know, this is short enough (73 minutes) that I might give it a chance.
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE at Point.
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX at Point.
HIM at AMC, Point, Flix.
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN at AMC, Point.
Adaptation of the Broadway musical, directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) and starring Diego Luna and Jennifer Lopez. Opens Thurs Oct 9.
LONG WALK, THE at AMC, Point, Flix.
LOST BOYS, THE at Flix.
MARCUS MYSTERY MOVIE (10/06) at Point.
MONSTER SQUAD, THE at Flix.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER at AMC, Point, Flix.
Still working on my review. A lot to think about. But don’t wait for my review, go see it, and see it big and loud.
PERFECT BLUE REMASTERED at AMC, Point.
ROOFMAN at AMC, Point, Flix.
Latest Tanning Chatum vehicle looks charming, but probably not much here. Opens Thur Oct 9.
SECRET FLIX at Flix.
SMASHING MACHINE, THE at AMC, Point, Flix.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is getting strong notices for his role as MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Written and directed by Bennie Safdie (without his brother, Josh).
SOUL ON FIRE at AMC, Point.
Faith-based drama about a St. Louis man who suvived fire burns covering most of his body.
STRANGERS: CHAPTER 2, THE at AMC, Point, Flix.
THEY CALL HIM OG at AMC.
Indian Telugu-language action-crime film directed by Sujeeth and starring Pawan Kalyan. This has shifted from Marcus Theatres over to AMC.
TRON: ARES at AMC, Point, Flix.
I should probably re-visit Tron: Legacy before trying the franchise again. There are many fans of Legacy, and its director Joseph Kosinski went on to direct some fantastic action sequences in Top Gun: Maverick. But Kosinski has nothing to do with this one. Director duties have been assigned to Disney journeyman Joachim Rønning. This looks cool, but so did Legacy, and that’s what worries me.
Looking Ahead:
Mills Folly Microcinema
PROJECT PROJECTION: LOCAL FILM AND VIDEO, 10/22
See overview above
GIVE IT BACK: CRIMES AGAINST REALITY, 10/29
Recent work by the Indigenous film and video collective New Red Order (Jackson Polys (Tlingit), Adam Khalil (Ojibway), and Zack Khalil (Ojibway). Plus Nosferasta: First Bite (2021) by Adam Khalil and Bayley Sweitzer.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: VIDEOS BY HUGO LJUNGBÄCK 11/19
Hugo Ljungbäck is a Swedish filmmaker, archivist, curator, and media scholar. His videos explore queer history, identity, representation, and sexuality through an autobiographical lens, emphasizing the possibilities afforded by found footage filmmaking in response to the ephemerality of queer history.
Cinesthesia, Madison Public Library Central Branch
CANDYMAN 10/15
Atwood Music Hall
SILENT FILM SERIES, Friday, October 10, 7:00pm
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) with music by DJ Slimzy
TENANT FILM SERIES, Tuesday, October 21, 7:00pm
Films and discussion, Push (2019) and Not a Penny on the Rents (1969). Presented with Madison Tenant Power.
A JOHN WATERS CHRISTMAS, Monday, December 15, 7:30pm
[Sold out]
Bartell Theatre
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, Sunday, October 12, 6:30pm
VARIANTS: THE SHORT FILMS OF JOE MEREDITH, Friday, October17, 7:30pm
Presented by Four Star Video
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, Friday, October 17, 10:00pm
AGAINST THE WIND, Saturday, October 18, 7:00pm
STRANGE JOURNEY: THE STORY OF ROCKY HORROR, Friday, October 24, 8:00pm
WISCONSIN 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT, HORROR & SCI-FI, Saturday, October 25, 1:00pm and 4:30pm.