Faith, betrayal and keeping memories alive
‘God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness’
A fire both destroys and reignites in “God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness.”
In the movie, the third in the faith-fueled series, a fire destroys a church on a college campus. When the college tries to push the church off campus, its pastor (David A.R. White) — the man of faith who fired up the debate in the first “God’s Not Dead” movie in 2014 — turns to his estranged brother (John Corbett), a lawyer who lost his faith years ago, for help in keeping the church and rebuilding.
Their reunion underscores the questions of faith — like, where is God when bad things happen? — that tore them apart.
Ted McGinley plays the university’s president, Samantha Boscarino is a student questioning her own faith, and Shane Harper is Josh, the pastor’s protégé back in the first “God’s Not Dead” movie. “God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness” is rated PG for thematic elements, some violence and suggestive material. It runs for 106 minutes.
‘The Leisure Seeker’
John and Ella (Donald Sutherland, Helen Mirren) really aren’t crazy about their kids’ pressuring them to give in to age and accept their limitations. So, they hit the road.
“The Leisure Seeker” is the name of the movie, and of the old RV the couple pile into so Ella can take John, a retired high school English teacher who is suffering from escalating memory loss, to see Ernest Hemingway’s house in Key West, Fla. Along the way, she also tries to take him back to the person he was before his thoughts began evaporating.
Directed by Paolo Virzì, who made the acclaimed Italian films “Like Crazy” and “Human Capital” (both of which were shown at the Milwaukee Film Festival), “The Leisure Seeker” costars Janel Moloney and Christian McKay as the couple’s concerned children, and includes the final screen appearance of comedian, actor and activist Dick Gregory, who died last summer at age 84
Despite the impressive cast and pedigree, “The Leisure Seeker” is not getting great reviews, mostly because of its heavyhanded plot.
“Lesser actors would have drowned in the muck, but these two almost sell it,” Seattle Times critic Moira Macdonald wrote in her 2-star review, referring to Mirren and Sutherland. “… Both performers are treasures; both deserve, together and separately, a better showcase than this.” “The Leisure Seeker” is rated R for some sexual material. It runs for 112 minutes.
‘Tyler Perry’s Acrimony’
Taraji P. Henson’s ready to deliver more fury from another woman scorned in “Tyler Perry’s Acrimony.”
This time, she’s married to a guy (Lyriq Bent) who not only lies to and cheats on her, but is replacing her with a new model. But after years of putting up with his deceptions, she’s not going to have it. She is, however, going to bring it. But was she tricked, or was it something else?
Jazmyn Simon and Ptosha Storey co-star. Perry, per usual, wrote, co-produced and directed. “Tyler Perry’s Acrimony” is rated R for language, sexual content and some violence. It runs for 120 minutes.
Best bets off the grid
“Fanny & Alexander”: As a feature film, Ingmar Bergman’s autobiographical 1982 drama about a family in motion won four Academy Awards. Before it was in theaters, it was a miniseries on Swedish television, running a little more than five hours. That’s the version showing at 5 p.m. Friday and
Saturday at UWM Union Cinema, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd., in a rare opportunity to see it on a bigger screen. Admission is $5, free for UWM students and Union Cinema members. Info: cinema.uwm. edu.
Anime fest at the Avalon: The Avalon Theater, 2473 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., continues its anime salute with its final two selections from Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki: “Howl’s Moving Castle,” at 11 a.m. Saturday; and “The Wind Rises,” at 11 a.m. Sunday. Also joining the salute: “Cowboy Bepop: The Movie,” at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday; and “Ninja Scroll,” at 9:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $5. Info: avalon mke.com.
“UHF”: Sometimes, you just need some Weird Al in your life. The Avalon Theater, 2473 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., is here to help. “Weird Al” Yankovic’s 1989 movie, in which the accordion-wielding parody king sets out to save a wrong-end-of-the-dial TV station (back when there were TV dials) with some wacky DIY shows. It’s showing at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Admission is $5. Info: avalonmke.com.
“In the Jungle”: Experimental filmmaker Stephanie Barber, who graduated from the University of WisconsinMilwaukee film program, will be on hand to show her latest feature-length work, described as “equal parts musical, performance, and poetic lecture” with a narrator who spent more than four years deep in the jungle. It’s showing at 7 p.m. Wednesday at UWM Union Cinema, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.; admission is free. Info: cinema.uwm.edu.
“Coco”: This year’s Oscar winner for best animated feature and best original song (”Remember Me”) gets an encore showing at UWM Union Cinema, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd., at 7 p.m. Thursday. Admission is free. Info: cinema.uwm. edu.
“One in a Million”: Olympic star Sonja Henie first skated her way into moviegoers’ hearts in this 1936 musical, co-starring Adolphe Menjou and Jean Hersholt. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Charles Allis Art Museum, 1801 N. Prospect Ave.; free parking is available in a marked lot across Royale Place (see Allis for details). $7, $5 for students and seniors and free for museum members. Info: charlesallis.org.