Monsters, inspiring women and a ‘Star’
‘A Star Is Born’
Yes, Hollywood likes to tell its stories over and over. But sometimes, it’s because, when done right, they’re worth telling.
Such is the case, it would seem, with “A Star Is Born.”
In the fourth telling of the story (fifth if you count, and you should, the underrated 1932 drama “What Price Hollywood?”), Bradley Cooper plays a rambling rock star who discovers a struggling singer-songwriter played by Lady Gaga. He nudges her into the spotlight, but, as she begins to shine, his demons take him toward a darker, darker place.
Cooper made his directorial debut with “Star Is Born,” which co-stars Sam Elliott, Dave Chappelle, Rafi Gavron and Andrew Dice Clay. And he’s also made one of the best-reviewed movies of the year.
“What Bradley Cooper’s beguiling ‘A Star Is Born’ is very, very good at is showing us how a song can transform a person, or a moment, and how that transformation just might make us fall in love with the person singing it, for a moment or for longer,” Seattle Times critic Moira Macdonald wrote in her 3-star review. “A Star Is Born” is rated R for pervasive language, some sexuality and nudity, and substance abuse. It runs for 135 minutes.
‘Venom’
Deadpool isn’t the only dark-side “hero” in the Marvel universe.
You might remember Venom from “Spider-Man 3,” in which a photographer played by Topher Grace who, after getting fired from his job taking pictures of Spidey, gets infected by a symbiote that turns him into a superpowered monster with giant, gnashy teeth.
In the new “Venom,” Tom Hardy plays a scrappy reporter who, on the trail of some sinister doings, is infected by that symbiote, which gives him some crazy-strong powers, but also gives him a really dark side — which, it turns out, comes in handy when he’s fighting for his life.
Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed co-star. “Venom” is rated PG-13 for violence and language. It runs for 112 minutes.
‘Colette’
“Colette” is about a woman finding her voice, and then fighting for the chance for that voice to be recognized as hers.
Keira Knightley plays Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, whose semi-autobiographical novel of a country girl was a sensation in early 20th-century Paris. Unfortunately, it was a sensation under the pen name of her hus- band, “Willy” (Dominic West), a successful writer who then pressured her to turn out more stories, with him getting the credit and fame for them.
Colette’s fight for her
rights — and her own identity — broke new ground.
“Knightley gives one of her best performances as a girl with spirit and talent who becomes a woman with ferocity and a voice,” critic Nell Minow wrote in her 3-star review for RogerEbert.com. “Colette” is rated R for sexuality and nudity. It runs for 111 minutes.
‘Blaze’
Texas’ outlaw music scene produced its share of big names (Willie Nelson) and influential songwriters (Townes Van Zandt). Blaze Foley’s name doesn’t always get roped in with theirs, but there are many who feel it should.
Count Ethan Hawke among them. The actor-director is getting raves for “Blaze,” a new movie inspired by Foley’s story, from obscure songwriter to gone-before-his-time death. Hawke directed and co-wrote (but just appears in, briefly, as a DJ).
The movie, starring Ben Dickey as Foley, ties together his relationship with the love of his life, played by Alia Shawkat; his last night alive; and the impact of his music.
“Blaze” is getting raves, for both Dickey’s and Hawke’s work behind the camera. Arizona Republic critic Bill Goodykoontz gave it 41⁄2 stars (out of 5), calling it “a lived-in movie that rewards your efforts.” “Blaze” is rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content and drug use. It runs for 127 minutes.
‘Tea With the Dames’
So, four dames walk into a movie set
…
There’s not a lot more to “Tea With the Dames ,” a documentary-as- di shy conversation among four legends of British stage and screen: Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins and Joan Plowright. The foursome talk about their careers, their lives and everything in between, in banter-filled chat filmed by director Roger Michell (”Notting Hill”).
From the trailer alone, you can tell they’re having a lot of fun: “The assembled dames are so smart, witty and strong-willed, it’s a wrench to have to part company from them at the end of the film,” The Hollywood Reporter’s Leslie Felperin wrote.
“Tea With the Dames” is not rated. It runs for 94 minutes.
‘Shine’
In New York’s Spanish Harlem, two brothers raised in the spirit of salsa dancing are separated by, and then reunited against, gentrification in the drama “Shine.”
Jorge Burgos, Gilbert Saldivar and Kimberli Flores star in the family-centric dance drama, getting a national release this week.
“Shine” is rated R for language. It runs for 95 minutes.
Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival
The 21st annual Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival brings another eclectic collection of stories about the Jewish experience from around the world to Marcus North Shore Cinema, 11700 N. Port Washington Road, Mequon, from Sunday through Thursday. Lineup for this year’s film festival, a program of the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, includes:
❚ Sunday: “The Samuel Project,” 7:30 p.m., about a teenager who learns about his grandfather’s flight from the Nazis when he makes his elder the subject of a school project.
❚ Monday: “Shalom Bollywood,” 1:30 p.m., a look at a 2,000-year-old Indian Jewish community that played a role in shaping the Indian film industry; 7:30 p.m., “Testament,“in which a Holocaust researcher makes some uncomfortable discoveries.
❚ Tuesday: “An Act of Defiance,” 7:30 p.m., a thriller centered on Jewish anti-apartheid fighters in 1963 South Africa.
❚ Wednesday: “Itzhak,” 5:30 p.m., a + profile of master violinist Itzhak Perlman; 7:45 p.m., “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel,” following Israel’s national baseball team in its first appearance in the World Baseball Classic.
❚ Thursday: “Shelter,” 1:30 p.m., a thriller about a Mossad agent assigned to protect an informant in Germany.
Tickets are $12, available through Micki Seinfeld at the JCC at (414) 9678235, and at a separate table at the Marcus North Shore during the festival. Info: jccmilwaukee.org/filmfestival.
The week’s best off-the-grid movie options
❚ “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains”: One of the best rock movies you’ve never seen, this 1982 drama stars Diane Lane as a teenager who forms a punk band called the Stains and, overnight, becomes a symbol of resistance (and maybe sellout) to girls across the country. 9 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday at UWM Union Cinema, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. $5, free for UWM students and Union Cinema members. Info: cinema.uwm.edu.
❚ Hong Sangsoo showcase: The Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave., is offering a trio of movies by Korean filmmaster Hong Sangsoo. They include: “The Day After,” a tale of infidelity, mistaken identity and retail, 3:15 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 6:15 p.m. Monday and 8:45 p.m. Tuesday; “Claire’s Camera,” with Isabelle Huppert as a teacher whose passion for taking photos turns her into a bit of a detective, 6:10 p.m. Friday, 6 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, 12:30 p.m. Sunday, 4 p.m. Monday and 3:15 p.m. Thursday; and “On the Beach at Night Alone,” with Korean film star Kim Minhee as an actress trying to adjust to life after an affair with a married director, 2:30 p.m. Sunday and 9:15 p.m. Thursday. $11, $9 for Milwaukee Film members, $8 for seniors 60 and older, $6 for kids 12 and younger. Info: mkefilm.org/orientaltheatre.
❚ “Bullitt”: Steve McQueen does some fancy driving, and cynical police work, in this 1968 crime drama, still the standard for city-driving chase scenes on the big screen. Bonus content is promised for this 50th anniversary screening. 7 p.m. Sunday at Marcus Theatres’ Majestic, Menomonee Falls, North Shore, Ridge and South Shore cinemas. $12.50. Info: marcustheatres.com.
❚ “Charade”: “Do you know what’s wrong with you?” “No, what?” “Nothing.” There’s not a whole lot wrong with this 1963 classic either, with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant (that’s their banter) in a cat-and-mouse flirtation mixed with murder, espionage and a terrific supporting cast including Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Kennedy and Ned Glass. 4 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m. Monday and Wednesday at Marcus Theatres’ North Shore and Ridge cinemas. $5. Info: marcustheatres.com.
❚ “A Clockwork Orange”: It doesn’t get much darker, or much more visually stunning, than Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 future-drama about a thug (Malcolm McDowell) confronted by an unnerving form of punishment. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Oriental. $11, $9 for Milwaukee Film members, $8 for seniors 60 and older, $6 for kids 12 and younger. Info: mkefilm.org/oriental-theatre.
❚ “Three Identical Strangers”: One of this summer’s biggest documentaries, the strange-but-true story of identical triplets separated at birth and the truths unearthed when they’re reunited. 7 p.m. Wednesday at UWM Union Theatre. $5, free for UWM students and Union Cinema members. Info: cinema. uwm.edu.
❚ “Nico, 1988”: If you missed it at the Oriental last month, this portrait of the legendary 1960s singer/pop-culture icon two decades after her peak stardom is back. 7 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday at UWM Union Theatre. $5, free for UWM students and Union Cinema members. Info: cinema.uwm.edu.
❚ “Orr Menirom: This Structure Exists in Real Life”: A program of short films by the experimental filmmaker, whose work explores notions of memory and reality via digital technology. 8 p.m. Friday at Microlights, 830 E. Chambers St. $5 suggested donation. Info: microlightscinema.com.