Weapons: I'm going to have to start watching more horror films
A series debuts (Side Side Room Cinematheque) and a series concludes for the summer (MMoCA Rooftop Cinema)
Scroll down for Now Showing in Madison, August 25–September 1, 2025
A summer head cold knocked me off my feet last week, so you haven’t seen updated Now Showing listings from me for too long. I’m going to have to make this post relatively short for it to have any effectiveness to preview an event taking place tonight. But it is good to be back in the saddle, and I’m looking forward to some new developments in Madison’s film culture.
MMoCA Rooftop cinema concludes for the 2025 season
MMoCA Rooftop Cinema came to a pleasant conclusion with an evening of experimental films from Milwaukee filmmakers past and present. Filmmakers included Sam Drake, Mike Gibisser, Britany Gunderson, Grace Mitchell, Daniel Murphy, Isaac Sherman, Sam Taffel, Sofia Theodore-Pierce, and Max Van Loan. Britany and Max were able to attend (as was Isaac Sherman’s father), and they enjoyed the vibe of the MMoCA rooftop. I had hoped to give this screening more of a push here at Moving Image Madison, but there was a strong turnout without it. Stay tuned for more MMoCA film programming announcements!
Side Side Room Cinematheque debuts tonight at Aftershock Classic Arcade
Things are moving just a little too fast for me at the moment and it is hard to keep up. The UW-Cinematheque resumes programming this Friday and Saturday with Night of the Juggler and Lovers on the Bridge, respectively. But you probably already knew that. What you probably don’t know is that a new program makes its debut tonight, 8:00pm at Aftershock Classic Arcade (1444 East Washington Avenue).
Filmmaker and curator Andrew Mazur describes the new Side Side Room Cinematheque as “a monthly program of experimental cinema, with an emphasis on contemporary and local filmmakers. Hosted in the side room of a pinball arcade, avant-garde and underground works are screened in a non-academic setting with the aim of exposing visionary films to a new audience and Wisco visionaries to each other.”
The inaugural screening tonight will feature abstract experimental films both made by and curated by Meggen Heuss and Mazur. (Read Tone Madison’s interview with Heuss from this past April for more on her work.) A little birdie told me that there may be some classic Maya Deren films in the mix tonight, too. I look forward to seeing what Mazur and Heuss have planned in terms of the format for the evening.
Update 8/27/25: A few updates about this series. First, it has now rebranded as Side Room Cinematic, and its Instagram handle is @sideroomcinematic.
What I didn’t realize until attending on Monday was that the Monday screenings (originally called “Side Side Room Cinematheque) was an off-shoot of second Tuesdays of the month events (Side Room Cinematheque). So now under the rubric of Side Room Cinematic, we can expect events every second Thursday of the month, which will be a mix of art house, international, alternative and American independent features (with shorts mixed in), and every final Monday of the month, which will focus on local work and experimental film history.
Weapons: Well, at least there aren’t any clowns in the sewers
Weapons | Zach Cregger | USA | 2025 | 128 minutes
Viewed at Flix Brewhouse, Sunday, August 24 (Movie Church)
I liked Weapons quite a bit. I was surprised that the opening of the film more or less echoes the trailer for the film, with a child’s voice over explaining the central premise of the film. One Wednesday morning, seventeen children, who all share a common third-grade classroom at a Maybrook, Pennsylvania elementary school, got up out of their beds at 2:17am, walked out of their house, and disappeared. Upset parents, led by Archer Graff (Josh Brolin) suspect that the classroom’s teacher, Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) must have something to do with the disappearance.
The non-linear structure of the film, with sections following particular characters during different timelines in the story, hindered the storytelling instead of enhancing it. It just comes across like most of the post-Tarantino-wannabe films of the late 1990s: showy instead of inventive. When Justine and Archer discover that they can help each other, there’s not enough screen time devoted to their transition to being allies because their screen time is broken up. Two of the most interesting characters, Alex (the only child from the classroom who did not disappear, played by Cary Christopher) and his great-aunt Gladys (played with style by Amy Madigan) are not really developed until the last third of the film, making some of the suspense seem a little rushed.
That said, the last third of Weapons is a heck of a lot of fun, making it well worth seeing. The slow burn of the first two thirds pays off with some genuinely twisted and playful visuals. I admired all of the night neighborhood cinematography, which is not easy to pull off with clear intelligibility. And the climax strikes a delicious balance between suspense, horror, and humor that derives from the supernatural logic that entrapped the children in the first place. All of the performances are strong, but Madigan as Gladys stands out in particular, lending a degree of plausibility to the proceedings in her more subtle moments with Alex.
I wouldn’t necessarily lump Weapons in with the concept of “elevated horror” or “prestige horror,” despite its fancy-pants narrative structure. Instead, I’d call it a good ol’ fashioned summer scare, and that’s coming from someone who generally doesn’t like horror films.
Now Playing In Madison: August 15 to September 1, 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.
Wisconsin Union Directorate Film
PITCH PERFECT 8/25
RATATOUILLE 8/31
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 2: RODERICK RULES 9/1
UW-Cinematheque
NIGHT OF THE JUGGLER 8/29
LOVERS ON THE BRIDGE 8/30
Aftershock Arcade
SIDE SIDE ROOM CINEMATEHQUE, INAUGURAL SCREENING 8/25
Abstract short films made and curated by Madison filmmakers Meggen Heuss and Andrew Mazur. See comments above. Subsequent screenings will be the last Monday of every month, 8pm.
SCHLOCK AND AWE 8/28
Mortal Combat: Annihilation. I probably won’t highlight each Schlock and Awe series event, but be aware that it is another ongoing series at Aftershock.
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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.).
AMC SCREEN UNSEEN: SEPTEMBER 1 (2025) at AMC.
BAD GUYS 2, THE (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace.
BLIND: A PHIL ROBERTSON TRIBUTE, THE (2025) at Palace.
Documentary about the late star of the reality television program, Duck Dynasty.
CAUGHT STEALING (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
The latest from Darren Aronofsky. I have to admit, this Austin Butler guy is growing on me. I’ll give this a chance if I can get to it. Set in New York City, 1998. And we know it is a period piece because Butler walks past Kim’s Video in the trailer.
CLUE 40TH ANNIVERSARY (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace.
COOLIE (2025) at AMC.
DEEP SEA 3D (2006) at AMC.
IMAX educational film.
EDEN (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace.
F1 THE MOVIE (2025) at AMC, Flix.
FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, THE (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN: 20TH ANNIVERSARY, THE (2025) at AMC, Point.
FREAKIER FRIDAY (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (2004) at Flix.
HELL HOUSE LLC: LINEAGE (2025) at Point, Palace.
Fifth film in the found-footage supernatural horror film franchise.
HIGHEST 2 LOWEST (2025) at Point.
The latest from Spike Lee is a modern re-working of Akira Kurasawa’s High and Low (1963), which in turn is based on Evan Hunter/Ed McBain’s King’s Ransom (1959). Last Wednesday, Alex at The Horizon Line Madison how difficult this will see for working stiffs like us. Its last day at Point, Wednesday, August 27, only has one screening at 3:40pm. So take a look now at the other available options to see this before it leaves town quickly. Apple is probably banking on you watching it on Apple+ after it debuts September 5.
HONEY DON'T! (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
Wow, the Joel solo vs. Ethan solo think pieces that keep getting churned out are generally brutal about this film. Part of me wants to see it and like it just to spite these people.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2025) at AMC, Point.
IMAX PRESENTS PRINCE - SIGN O' THE TIMES (2025) at AMC.
If you are so inclined, this will probably be worth seeing (and more importantly, hearing) in a theater.
JAWS: 50TH ANNIVERSARY at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace.
It is interesting that the Jaws anniversary screening and the latest Jurassic Park/World franchise film are listed next to each other. this week. Perhaps they would make an interesting double feature to highlight differences between filmmaking eras.
MARCUS MYSTERY MOVIE (9/01) (2025) at Point, Palace.
NAKED GUN, THE (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
NE ZHA II (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
I liked this when I saw it during its original theatrical run. If I were to see it again, perhaps I would try it in IMAX. But I don’t think IMAX would be essential for a first time viewing.
NOBODY 2 (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
PONYO - STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2025 (2025) at Point, Palace.
PRIMITIVE WAR (2025) at Point, Palace.
RELAY (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace.
ROSES, THE (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace.
RUN (2025) at AMC.
It took me a few attempts to figure out which “Run” this was. (At first I thought it was the new Uwe Boll film, but no such luck). The spaceship effects look like an episode of Cleopatra 2525, making it the sus sci-fi film of the week.
SHADOW'S EDGE, THE (2025) at AMC.
A new Chinese action thriller starring Jackie Chan and Tony Leung Ka-fai. Based on the trailer, it looks like the youngsters in the cast actually do most of the leg work, but this still might be fun.
SHIN GODZILLA 4K (2025) at AMC, Point.
There’s still time to see this! It made my day last week when a reader sent me a picture in front of the Shin Godzilla poster outside the theater where they saw it, saying that they enjoyed the film.
SUPERMAN (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
TOXIC AVENGER UNRATED, THE (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace.
TRAINWRECK: 10TH ANNIVERSARY (2025) at AMC, Point.
Really? I mean I thought it was reasonably funny at the time. But an Anniversary Screening? Will anyone want a special screening of this at the 20-year mark?
TRUST (2025) at AMC, Palace.
WAR 2 (2025) at AMC.
I didn’t have time to write up a review, but here’s the upshot: fun, but not as fun as the first War. The extended flashbacks (bromance and romance, respectively) were not particularly interesting or helpful. The “Who’s really the bad guy?” trope from the first film plays flat here. But this does have some fun action set pieces. I thought I saw it on its last night in town, but it continues with some afternoon screenings through Wednesday.
WARNING LIVE FROM AUDITORIO NACIONAL, CDMX, THE at AMC.
WEAPONS (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace, Flix.
Looking Ahead:
Mills Folly Microcinema
Details forthcoming, but here are Fall dates for the experimental film series at Arts + Literature Laboratory. All screenings at 7:00pm.
TBA, Wednesday, September 24
Project Projection (Local Film and Video), Wednesday, October 22
Submit your film today, details at Project Projection event page.
TBA, Wednesday, October 29
TBA, Wednesday, November 19
TBA, Wednesday, December 17
Atwood Music Hall
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.
Bartell Theatre
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, Sunday, October 12, 6:30pm
AGAINST THE WIND, Saturday, October 18, 7:00pm
Cinesthesia, Madison Public Library Central Branch
THE CELL 9/3
Rescheduled screening from August 20. If you missed it, be sure to read the interview with programmer Jason Furhman at the Madison Public Library’s Cinesthesia page.
Thanks for the Weapons review, Jim — this one is on my watchlist. I'm happy to hear about Side Room Cinematheque. Do they have a newsletter or social media to follow for updates? I'm not sure I can make it tonight, but I will try.