Bomber
A film for anyone who has endured those eventual family road trips, “Bomber” tells the story of an unemployed artist with time to spare and the journey he takes through Europe with his parents in a battered white van. Patience will be tried on numerous occasions, but this peculiar British comedy keeps the humor fresh and is guaranteed to bring you back to the good old days of your youth.
Cooking History
We’ve all seen movies chronicling the terrors and pain of war, but what about the men and women behind the scenes who keep our soldiers going? “Cooking History” offers a behind-the-scenes look at the army cooks feeding the troops — sometimes well, sometimes not. This humorous Slovakian documentary recalls these experiences, including the story of a Jewish resistance member who served poisoned loaves to SS officers.
Down Terrace
“Down Terrace” is a paranoid tale of family members, shift friends and a hit man with his toddler in tow who shows up for tea — or maybe something stronger. A British dark comedy, this unique film begins with a former hippie and his uptight son, who are back from the courts and looking to find out who squealed on them to the cops, and ends with a deadpan deadly finale that will keeping you laughing all the way to the credits.
Duck, You Sucker
This 1971 spaghetti western from renowned director Sergio Leone has never looked better. Fully restored to contain all the pieces hacked out for the film’s original American release, “Duck, You Sucker” has all the signature widescreen shootouts, slow-motion deaths and badass rejoinders fans have come to expect from Leone. This underrated final ride is definitely one to catch, if not only to see one of the most righteous mustaches in film history.
Feat: 63 Marathons in 63 Days
63 days. 63 marathons. More than 1,650 miles. This is the feat of Tim Borland, a real-life marathon man. Borland took on this gutsy adventure to raise funds and awareness for Ataxia telangiectasia, a rare degenerative disease in children. Despite facing rain, gusting winds and the hottest Chicago marathon in history, Borland braved through it all, and he did it all with a smile on his face.
Feed the Fish
Set in Sturgeon Bay, this hometown romantic comedy follows Joe, a burned out children’s book writer, on his journey to shake himself out of a mid-life funk. He arrives to find a colorful family of locals, including an off-kilter sheriff (Green Bay native Tony Shaloub, TV’s “Monk”), a grumpy old father and a love interest who reminds Joe about the wonders of small town Wisconsin.
Ghost Player
This three-part film series covers everything from singing to marching to just playing a little ball. Part one takes a look at singers auditioning to perform the national anthem at Madison Mallards baseball games. Next comes a grueling look at the UW marching band practice field where legendary bandleader Mike Leckrone leads the drills. The series ends with an inside look at a comedic baseball show starring an eclectic mix of Iowa ballplayers.
OSS 117: Lost in Rio
Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, aka OSS 117, is what would happen if you had a shaken, not stirred cocktail mix of James Bond and Austin Powers. This sequel to “Cairo, Nest of Spies,” which opened the 2008 Wisconsin Film Festival, is a witty French comedy jam-packed with politically incorrect humor — they run the gamut from Jewish to Nazi to hippie jokes. Set in the late 1960s, “Lost in Rio” follows OSS 117 on an outrageous Brazilian chase.
Paddle to Seattle: Journey Through the Inside Passage
Imagine a waterway from Alaska to northern Washington that stretches for 1,300 miles and holds North America’s only rainforest. Now imagine traveling that waterway in homemade wooden kayaks (top speed: three miles per hour) on a 100-day journey through pristine waters, raging storms and some quaint coastal town. “Paddle to Seattle” is the documentary of J.J. and Josh doing just that.
Special When Lit
Pinball made more money than Hollywood through the 1950s and 1960s, but have video games killed the pinball star? This colorful documentary looks at the rise and fall of an American invention through the eyes of the fans, designers and champion players from across the globe. Every gamer has a favorite machine and this film takes a look at them all in an ode to the history of pinball.
A Town Called Panic
Some animated films are dedicated to meticulously recreating reality. “A Town Called Panic” is not one of them. This stop-motion flick tells the story of a Belgian town populated entirely by squeaky-voiced toys that flail about with herky-jerky movements that only enhance the film’s quirky style. The plot doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it makes up for it with more imagination than anything you’ve seen this year.
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Walt Disney Studios is the standard for all things animated, but there was a time when the picture giant was considered to be past its prime. “Waking Sleeping Beauty” takes an inside look at the men and women who brought the animation king back to the top of its throne. Although it wasn’t easy — ego battles, cost overruns and failed experiments threatened the comeback — Disney proved the critics wrong with four of the company’s greatest animated films.
