Anybody who partakes in the relatively vibrant film scene in Madison knows that last weekend was an especially rowdy and diverse few days of cinematic activity. Wes Anderson's ""Fantastic Mr. Fox,"" my personal favorite film of 2009, went over exceptionally well with audiences at Memorial Union's Play Circle, provoking laughter with its unrelentingly pithy writing and awe with the rigorousness of its compositions.
But the real gem of the weekend may have been ""Things Are Always Going Wrong,"" a program of recently restored avant-garde shorts by L.A.-based filmmakers working in the 1960s and '70s. The program was a succession of surprises, from subtle structuralist studies (like David Wilson's ""Stasis"" or Grahame Weinbren's ""Bertha's Children"") to delirious animations (Kathy Rose's ""Mirror People,"" Pat O'Neill's Rorschach kaleidoscope ""7362"") to deadpan or transgressive farces (Morgan Fisher's ""Turning Over"" exemplifies the former and Chris Langdon's ""Bondage Boy"" the latter). All were extremely interesting, though some resembled experimental cinema's canonical masterworks a bit too much to be considered indisputably singular.
The most remarkable of all the films was Gary Beydler's ""Pasadena Freeway Stills,"" a beyond-clever demonstration of how montage can transform otherwise unimpressive images into sensory spin cycles. I wouldn't be at all surprised if ""Things Are Always Going Wrong"" proves to have been one of the most interesting cinematic events in Madison this semester.
Yet, judging by the composition of the audience it attracted, not many students attended ""Things Are Always Going Wrong."" There were a bunch of grad students, a handful of professors and very few undergrads; ""Fantastic Mr. Fox"" had no such troubles drawing an audience of young folks.
The point here isn't to rub it in that ""Things Are Always Going Wrong"" was so great and chide you all for not having gone to see it. Rather than reprimanding you all for having passed up on what was probably a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic experience, it's more important to call attention to the fact that almost every weekend here features a variety of worthwhile screenings, most of which are free. Seeing ""Bondage Boy"" one night and then ""Fantastic Mr. Fox"" the next was nothing if not an exercise in contrasts, a glimpse at two diametrically opposed examples of what the medium can do. Thing is, this sort of dialectic happens almost every week in Madison.
Those of you who missed out on last weekend's screenings will get the chance to break even this weekend. WUD Film Committee will be showing the much-discussed ""Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire"" (what a mouthful) at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday nights. ""Precious"" recently notched six nominations at the upcoming Academy Awards, so it ought to be interesting to see how many of those nods were truly deserved and how many were mere attempts by the Academy to pat itself on the back (though the Academy should be commended for enabling the restoration project that yielded ""Things Are Always Going Wrong,"" as well as a few other films that comprise a semester long series at the Cinematheque).
Speaking of the Cinematheque, there'll be two screenings there this weekend: Masayuki Suo's ""I Just Did Not Do It"" (2007) at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Youssef Chahine's ""The Sparrow"" (1972) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The former is a contemporary Japanese film, and the latter is an Egyptian film that's logged some miles. ""The Sparrow"" sounds especially attractive, if only because there seem to be few American experts or even fans of Chahine, the director to whom the Cinematheque's series ""Egyptian Reverie"" is dedicated. If ""Things Are Always Going Wrong"" was such a special experience largely because of its once-in-a-lifetime aura, ""The Sparrow"" gives off a similar air of rarity.
The highlight of this weekend's batch of screenings is Charlie Chaplin's ""The Gold Rush"" (1925), which the Overture Center is showing at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday as part of its Duck Soup Cinema series. Unlike the screenings already mentioned, seeing ""The Gold Rush"" will run you $6; for the opportunity to see one of Chaplin's most beloved silent films on the big screen, $6 is a steal. Along with ""Modern Times"" and ""City Lights,"" ""The Gold Rush"" is commonly considered Chaplin's best work before he switched to talkies in the 1940s with ""The Great Dictator"" and ""Monsieur Verdoux"" (the second of this pair is arguably Chaplin's magnum opus). ""The Gold Rush"" has all the manipulated expectations and sneaky sight gags that define Chaplin's ""Tramp"" period, so it ought to be solid viewing for those who aren't familiar with the inexhaustible charm of the best silent comedies.
Another weekend, another diverse handful of films; if Madison's film scene is as formidable as I say, it's because of worthwhile opportunities such as these.
Want to go to any of these films this weekend? Let Dan know at dasullivan@wisc.edu.
