Sports documentaries are a tricky beast. They can bring out the best in people, have ready metaphors, and have clearly defined stakes. They can also be somewhat gimmicky and subsume their subject characters in artificial games with no larger relevance and artificial rivalries. That’s the challenge that KINGS OF VENICE faces. KINGS OF VENICE is […]
2026 Milwaukee Film Festival – Day Eleven – “Kings of Venice” Read More »
Last night the 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival staged a world premiere with BRIGHT BEAUTIFUL WORLD: THE INFECTIOUS JOY OF PAT MCCURDY. I don’t think it’s too say that Pat McCurdy is a regional institution. At least if you describe a region as consisting of Chicago, Wisconsin (with a concentration on Milwaukee and Chicago) and Minneapolis.
The 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival entered its second weekend with a Spotlight Presentation on a subject that Wisconsinites clearly love, cheese. Or in this case, a movie about competing in the world championship of cheesemongering, THE BIG CHEESE. If it didn’t sellout every seat at the Oriental Theatre, it came awfully close. To ensure that
2026 Milwaukee Film Festival – Day Nine – “The Big Cheese” Read More »
One week of the Milwaukee Film Festival is gone already. But, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t highlights to see. Especially since we have one of the no doubt high profile films of the festival with Focus Films and Blumhouse’s OBSESSION. With a festival rollout and viral marketing on going, a large crowd gathered. OBSESSION
2026 Milwaukee Film Festival – Day Eight – “Obsession” Read More »
I’ve been interested in zombies forever. At least since reading Monsters from the Movies in the 1970s and seeing an image from I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE. That’s extended to lots of places as popular culture shifted its portrayal over the years including George Romero’s flesh eaters. You can listen to some of my thoughts
2026 Milwaukee Film Festival – Day Seven – “Black Zombie” Read More »
Day six of the Milwaukee Film Festival was catch up day. My choice for today was the political documentary GASLIT about the liquified natural gas and petrochemical industries in Texas and Louisiana and their effects on the surrounding environment and people featuring Jane Fonda. Jane Fonda is a divisive figure as a political
2026 Milwaukee Film Festival – Day Six – “Gaslit” Read More »