A new look for an old scare
A new look for an old scare, and two Oscar contenders from Japan, come to Milwaukee theaters this week.
Here's what's new in Milwaukeearea theaters starting Friday, as well as some of the new movies available on streaming and on demand this week.
‘Scream’
Short version: Twenty-five years after those horror-movie-cliché inspired killings, there's a new Ghostface in Woodsboro, picking off teenagers related to the original killer. Will bringing the old band back together be enough to stop the slaughter? Original “Scream” stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette join the new kids, including Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Dylan Minnette and more in this revival of the slasher series.
Where you can see it: AMC Mayfair Mall; Avalon Theater; Marcus Theatres' Bistroplex Southridge, Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Movie Tavern Brookfield Square, North Shore, Ridge, Saukville, Showtime, Southgate, South Shore cinemas; Silverspot Cinema.
Hidetoshi Nishijima, left, and Tôko Miura in a scene from “Drive My Car.” JANUS FILMS
‘Drive My Car’
Short version: A celebrated stage actor-director, still mourning his wife's death two years before, is invited to stage a production at a theater festival in Hiroshima; while there, he's assigned a young woman driver working out some issues of her own, and he sets out to answer the questions his wife left behind. This long (three hours) Japanese drama, based on a short story by Haruki Murakami, is on the shortlist for nominations for best international feature at this year's Academy Awards, won for best screenplay at last year's Cannes Film Festival, and has taken top honors with a number of critics' groups in recent weeks.
Where you can see
Theatre.
it:
Oriental
‘Belle’
Short version: A shy high school student spends her free time in a virtual world as Belle, a beautiful, hugely popular singer. When her online avatar clashes with a monster being chased by vigilantes, the girl tries to find out who the “beast” is – and who she really is herself. Japanese anime master Mamoru Hosoda retells the “Beauty and the Beast” by way of “Ready Player One” in this animated fantasy, considered a contender to be one of this year's Oscar nominees for best animated feature (like his 2018 gem “Mirai”).
Where you can see it: In dubbed and subtitled versions at AMC Mayfair Mall; Marcus Theatres’ Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Ridge, South Shore cinemas.
‘Selma’
To help mark Martin Luther King Day weekend, Marcus Theatres’ is bringing back Ava Duvernay’s moving dramatization of the 1965 march on Selma, with a cast including David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Oprah Winfrey, Andre Holland, Colman Domingo and Stephan James. It’s showing at multiple times Jan. 14-20 at the Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Ridge and South Shore cinemas. Tickets are $5. Info:
‘Betty White: A Celebration’
The documentary by Wisconsin filmmakers Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein
about the late beloved actor — originally meant as a centennial celebration — is showing as originally scheduled on Betty White’s birthday, Jan. 17, with multiple screenings (check theater websites) at AMC Mayfair Mall and at Marcus Theatres’ Bistroplex Southridge, Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Movie Tavern Brookfield Square, North Shore, Ridge, Saukville, Showtime, Southgate and South Shore cinemas. Info: and
Kids movies at Marcus Theatres
Marcus Theatres’ first Kids Dream movie series of 2022 begins Jan. 14-17 with “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” (Other movies in the series: “Abominable,” Jan. 21-23; “Tom & Jerry,” Jan. 28-30; “Smallfoot,” Feb. 4-6; “Spirit Untamed,” Feb. 11-13; “Paw Patrol: The Movie,” Feb. 18-20; and “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” March 4-6.) They’re showing, with multiple showtimes, at Bistroplex Southridge, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, North Shore, Ridge and South Shore cinemas. Tickets are $3. Info:
New movies on demand
“Shattered”: A lonely tech millionaire gets involved with a mystery woman who turns out to have some twisted intentions in this thriller starring Cameron Monaghan, Lilly Krug, John Malkovich and Frank Grillo. Available Jan. 14.
“Stoker Hills”: Three students are kidnapped by a serial killer while making a horror movie. Available Jan. 14.
Recent releases available on demand: “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City,” starting Jan. 18.
New movies on streaming services
“Hotel Transylvania: Transformania”: In the fourth movie in the animated series — at one time aimed at theaters but sent to streaming because of the pandemic — a “monsterficiation ray” turns Drac and his monster buddies into humans, and his human son-in-law into a monster. The voice cast includes Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, Jim Gaffigan, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Space, Keegan-Michael Key and Fran Drescher (but not Adam Sandler). On Amazon Prime Jan. 14.
“Sex Appeal”: A high school senior who’s a perfectionist sets out to do the research to make sure her first time with her long-distance boyfriend makes the grade. Mika Abdalla, Jake Short and Paris Jackson star. On Hulu Jan. 14.
“The Royal Treatment”: A hairdresser hired to work at a prince’s wedding finds herself falling for the groom in this romantic comedy. On Netflix Jan. 20.
Recent releases debuting on streaming services: “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” on Apple TV+ Jan. 14; “Bergman Island,” on Hulu Jan. 14; “Georgetown,” on Hulu Jan. 17; “The Estate,” on Hulu Jan. 20.