‘Avengers’ assembles; other new movies, too
‘Avengers: Infinity War’
In “Avengers: Infinity War,” the demigod Thanos warns: “Destiny still arrives.”
The same can be said about the 19th movie in this incarnation of the Marvel Cinema Universe. Opening on a kajillion screens — and expected to haul in more than $200 million in its opening weekend — “Infinity War” is going to be hard to ignore.
Judging from the early reviews, you probably won’t want to ignore it.
There is too much, so we’ll sum up: Thanos, played by Josh Brolin, is out to collect all of the Infinity Stones, super-powerful gems that, combined, will give him the power to wipe out half the universe. Since a couple of the Stones he doesn’t possess are on Earth, the big purple guy brings the fight here, where just about every Marvel character — Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Kenosha’s Mark Ruffalo), the Guardians of the Galaxy, and, well, everyone — takes a stand.
The critics, so far, are standing with “Infinity War.” “It could have been an unholy mess, but with directors Anthony and Joe Russo at the helm, ‘Infinity War’ is instead a glorious, multilayered and clever comicbook adventure with loads of emotional stakes and a perfect foe for Earth’s mightiest heroes,” USA TODAY critic Brian Truitt wrote in his 31⁄2-star review.
“Avengers: Infinity War” is rated PG-13 for violence and language, including some crude references. It
runs for 150 minutes.
‘Lean on Pete’
For teenager Charley (Charlie Plummer), the horse Lean on Pete — in the movie “Lean on Pete” — is aptly named.
In the middle of some serious life drama, the teenager gets a job caring for Pete, an aging quarterhorse owned by a no-nonsense guy played by Steve Buscemi. The pair form an unlikely bond, and when Charley discovers that Pete is ticketed for the slaughterhouse, he takes the horse on the road, hopefully to a brighter destination.
Travis Fimmel plays Charley’s hardknock father, and Chloë Sevigny is Buscemi’s jockey and Charley’s confidante.
Don’t be fooled by the movie’s sepiatoned posters and horse love, Entertainment Weekly critic Leah Greenblatt wrote in her A-minus review: “The movie also becomes a meditation not just on what it is to live on the social and economic fringes in America, but how easy it is to slip through the cracks entirely. That may feel like a bait and switch to viewers who just came for some nice boy-and-his-horse uplift, but ‘Pete’ is no kind of fairy tale; instead, it’s something far sadder and better and more real.”
“Lean on Pete” is rated R for language and brief violence. It runs for 121 minutes. ‘Kings’
Whether we can all just get along is the focus of “Kings.”
In South Central Los Angeles after the Rodney King trial in 1992, Halle Berry plays a single foster mother of eight who forms an unlikely alliance with her loose-cannon neighbor, played by Daniel Craig, to protect her kids.
The movie, the English-language debut of writer-director Deniz Gamze Ergüven (”Mustang”), isn’t getting great reviews. Variety critic Peter Debruge called it an “an unmediated jumble.”
Italian Film Festival
The 2018 Italian Film Festival serves up another helping of contemporary Italian cinema, with free screenings Friday through Sunday at UWM Union Cinema, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. The eight movies showing in the traveling film fest include the U.S. premiere of “Cucinì,” a documentary reveling the food traditions of Naples, showing at 3:45 p.m. Sunday. Also showing (all in Italian with English subtitles; see
❚ Friday: 7 p.m., “The Last Prosecco,” a wine-centric thriller set in the Veneto region; 9:15 p.m., “Ears,” a comedy centered on a man whose frustrating day starts with an endless ringing in his ears.
❚ Saturday: 5 p.m., “Sea Dreaming Girls,” a documentary about a group of octogenerian women determined to take a seaside trip; 7 p.m., “Friends by Chance,” a dramedy about an unlikely friendship between an old man and the young man hired to be his walking companion; 9:15 p.m., “Easy,” in which a goalong guy drives a coffin (with body) from Italy to Ukraine.
❚ Sunday: 3:15 p.m., “Cucinì”; 5 p.m., “It’s the Law,” a comedy about a smalltown election; and 7 p.m., “The Order of Things,” a drama about an Italian immigration officer and a Somali refugee.
‘The Blood Is at the Doorstep’
The documentary “The Blood Is at the Doorstep,” exploring the story and struggle of the family of Dontre Hamilton, has had several screenings since its debut at the Milwaukee Film Festival — and usually, they fill up fast. You have another chance to catch Erik Ljung’s movie at 5 and 7 p.m. Thursday at UWM Union Cinema, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. Admission to both screenings is free.
‘24 Frames’
Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami turns 24 of his photographs into digitally animated narratives in “24 Frames,” the director’s final movie, getting its Milwaukee premiere at 7 p.m. Wednesday at UWM Union Cinema, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. Admission is $5, free for UWM students and Union Cinema members. Info: cinema.uwm.edu
Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival
The fourth annual film festival, organized by the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, continues:
❚ “These Birds Walk,” the story of a runaway in Pakistan trying to determine his place in the world, 7 p.m. Monday at UWM Union Cinema, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.
❚ “Stitching Palestine,” the stories of 12 Palestinian women, told through their embroidery, 6 p.m. Tuesday at Alverno College’s Wehr Auditorium in Christopher Hall, 4100 W. Morgan Ave.
❚ “By the Dawn’s Early Light,” a documentary focusing on former NBA star Mahmoud Abdul Rauf, 7 p.m. Thursday at Marquette University’s Weasler Auditorium, 1506 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Admission is free. Info: mmfilmfest.com
Other off-the-grid movie best bets
“The Shining”: Heeeeere’s Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 take on Stephen King’s
tale of a haunted hotel and the worst case of writer’s block ever, showing in the Almost Midnight series at the Downer Theatre, 2589 N. Downer Ave., at 11:59 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $8.50. Info: landmark theatres.com/milwaukee.
“The Horse’s Mouth”: Alec Guinness plays an eccentric artist in this 1958 comedy, showing at 7 p.m. Saturday courtesy the FOCUS Film Society at Church in the City, 2648 N. Hackett Ave. Admission is $3. Info: ficoa.biz/focus. htm.
“Ramona”: Loretta Young and Kenosha’s own Don Ameche play starcrossed lovers in this 1936 period drama, showing at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Charles Allis Art Museum, 1801 N. Prospect Ave. $7, $5 for students and seniors and free for museum members. Info: charlesallis.org.