This February at the UW Cinematheque, in our ongoing series of new international movies making their first local theatrical showings, we present the Madison Premiere of DEAD MAIL, written and directed by the talented duo of Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy. Evocatively set in the Midwest at the dawn of the digital age, this dark comedy and thriller is one of the most exciting American movies of the decade! DEAD MAIL begins with the story of Jasper, a diligent post-office clerk played by Tomas Boykin, who discovers a blood-stained cry for help delivered to his “dead letter” office. With assistance from Jasper’s quirky colleagues and a Scandinavian hacker, an investigation uncovers a whole new story, a psychodrama played-out between a synthesizer engineer and his possessive patron. Frequently reminiscent of movies by Alfred Hitchcock, Brian De Palma and the Coen Brothers, Dead Mail’s narrative is consistently compelling and surprising. Set in the mid 1980s, the blandly evocative period details and the numerous stylistic directorial flourishes make it clear that we are in the hands of a confident and talented pair of filmmakers. On this episode of Cinematalk, Jim Healy and Ben Reiser talk to Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy about their friendship, professional history, and the making of DEAD MAIL, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in early 2024 and went on to play a number of other major international Festivals, including Toronto and Leeds. This podcast does contain DEAD MAIL spoilers, and we recommend seeing the movie before listening.

Winner of the top prize at the 1985 Venice Film Festival, Vagabond begins with the discovery of the lifeless, frozen body of the young hitch-hiker Mona (Bonnaire). Through flashbacks recounted by individuals who crossed paths with her (portrayed predominantly by amateur actors), Varda constructs a fragmented depiction of this mysterious woman, crafting a mosaic-like portrayal that the director playfully referred to as “Rashomona.” Bonnaire’s multi-faceted turn won her several awards, including France’s Cesar, and the Los Film Critics Association prize for Best Actress. On this episode of Cinematalk, Ben Reiser sits down with Varda expert Professor Kelley Conway to discuss the making-of and legacy of Vagabond.

On a new episode of the official UW Cinematheque podcast, Director of Programming Jim Healy talks with Robert M. Rubin, author of Vanishing Point Forever, a gorgeous new volume from Film Desk Books. Rubin discusses the enduring legacy of Vanishing Point (1971), director Richard Sarafian’s existential car chase classic. Rubin also talks about the essential contributions of author Guillermo Cabrera Infante, who was credited with Vanishing Point’s screenplay using the pseudonym Guillermo Cain, and the star qualities of the Dodge Challenger R/T! Vanishing Point screens for free in a new 4K DCP on Friday, July 12 and copies of Vanishing Point Forever will be available for sale before and after the screening!

Director of programming for UW Cinematheque and Ben Reiser, programmer for Cinematheque walk through the Cinematheque's Summer 2024 calendar which kicks off on June 19th and runs through July 26th. Full details at https://cinema.wisc.edu/

On a special double feature/dual podcast episode of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s/Cinematalk commemorating the screenings of both films at UW Cinematheque, Ben Reiser and Jim Healy take a deep dive into a “Fistful of Feiffers”, discussing both LITTLE MURDERS (1971) and CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (1971). ‘71 was a big year for screenwriter/playwright/cartoonist Jules Feiffer, with Alan Arkin’s LITTLE MURDERS and Mike Nichols’ CARNAL KNOWLEDGE both hitting screens within six months of each other. Listen along as Jim and Ben try to suss out Feiffer’s inspirations, figure out what genres these films do and don’t fall into, Elliott Gould on top of the world, Candice Bergen’s best work, waiting for Godard, Gordon Willis goes wild, Nicholson as man-baby, magnificent Ann Margret, and much more, including not one, but TWO rounds of “What else was playing that week?”.

Ben Reiser talks with Nick Libbey and Zach Tomasovic, the filmmakers behind Sawyer County, 2020, which screened at the 2022 Wisconsin Film Festival. This survey of a cross-section of Sawyer County, Wisconsin residents in the immediate runup to the 2020 presidential election reveals a lot about the state of the state and the ever-increasing divide between neighbors.

On Saturday, November 13th, the Cinematheque will present a 35mm print of Sean Baker’s THE FLORIDA PROJECT. Our free screening coincides with the publication of J.J. Murphy’s revelatory new monograph on the film’s production from University of Texas press. Our guest on this episode is, J.J. Murphy, professor emeritus at here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he taught film production and studies courses for many years. His films include the avant-garde classics Print Generation and Sky Blue Water Light Sign, which have been restored by the Academy Film Archive. His previous books include Rewriting Indie Cinema: Improvisation, Psychodrama and the Screenplay, and The Black Hole of the Camera: The Films of Andy Warhol.

On October 30th 2021, UW Cinematheque presents a screening of a 4K restoration of the 1974 film THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, directed by Tobe Hooper. Five hippies on a road trip through rural Texas wind up in the clutches of a murderous, cannibalistic family in this profoundly unsettling modern horror classic. Nerve-rattling from start to finish, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre can be as hard to look away from as it is hard to look at. Pry your fingers from in front of your eyes long enough, and you will discover an exceedingly stylish, intelligently crafted creepshow that reveals the mark of true cinephiles behind the lens. Loaded with committed performances, graceful, fluid camera movement, and an immersive, hallucinatory sound design, Hooper’s directorial debut is the perfect Halloween treat especially in the 4K restoration that will be screened. On the latest episode of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s, a podcast co-hosted by UW Cinematheque's own Ben Reiser with Scott Lucas, singer-songwriter for the band Local H and serious cinephile, Scott and Ben discuss their love for the film, and try to figure out what makes it one of the scariest and most relentless horror movies ever made.

On this episode of Cinematalk, Mike King welcomes filmmaker and film teacher Brandon Colvin, whose first two features screened at UW - Madison's annual Wisconsin Film Festival. A Dim Valley is the writer/director's first foray into comedy. Mystical, sexy, and funny, this dreamlike indie casts you under its spell. Deep in the Appalachian wilderness, a pair of ecology grad students are collecting flora and fauna samples and getting high—anything to avoid spending more time in the cramped cabin with their grouchy, hard-drinking advisor. Out in the forest, they encounter a trio of nymph-like backpackers looking to “fulfill their purpose” who lure the men into a trance-like state of magical awakening and desire, with a pansexual charge between seemingly every character. The sextet’s enigmatic bond is deepened over a late night that encompasses teary tarot readings and half-assed Scrabble games. Drawing inspiration from Twin Peaks and Hayao Miyazaki, UW PhD Brandon Colvin’s third feature cultivates a surreal, sylvan atmosphere that still makes room for perfectly timed gags.

On a new episode of the Cinematheque's Cinematalk podcast, we are thrilled to welcome Oscar-nominated screenwriter and director Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler, Roman J. Israel, Esq.) to talk about his father's movie From Noon Till Three. Spoilers abound in this discussion, so you might want to see the movie first before listening.

After a 16 month pause, we are back with in-person screenings at our home venue of 4070 Vilas Hall. Things kicked off this week with a trilogy of films: MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW, TOKYO STORY, and WHERE’S POPPA, that each explore the relationships between elderly parents and their adult children. In conjunction with our screening of WHERE’S POPPA we thought we’d share an episode of a podcast hosted by Cinematheque’s Ben Reiser called 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s. This episode was originally recorded and published in July 2020, shortly after the death of Carl Reiner. The co-host for this podcast was film historian, Mike McPadden, whom you may remember from an episode of Cinematalk that he guested on with Jim Healy where they discussed Demons 2. Mike died this past December, and we are happy for the opportunity to share some more of his wit and wisdom with you now. Also on this episode is film historian, Kat Ellinger.

Ben Reiser talks to Jonny Zeller and Tim Frazier about SCARS. In a world where every lie a person tells leaves a permanent mark on their body, the new boot camp instructor without a single scar is an anomaly… until one cadet discovers a single, massive sore across his back, leaving everyone on base to wonder what terrible lie could create something so gruesome. (JF)

Ben Reiser talks to Jack Duffy and Isaac Westberg about 04 Shot with an appropriately nostalgic Hi8 Camcorder, 04 employs extreme tonal shifts to tell a story about two teens spending an afternoon making a short film. (BS)

Louis Valray was born in 1896 and died in 1972. Beyond that, little is known of the man except what we can glean from his two marvelous feature films, La belle de nuit (1934) and Escale (aka Thirteen Days of Love, 1935), works that combine the visual invention of Jean Vigo and the humanism of Marcel Pagnol. Both movies, each clocking in at a neat 84 minutes, display a confident and expressive style that seems to take particular inspiration exploring the differences between the soulful rank and file of Marseilles and their more coldly urbane Parisian counterparts. Valray was, above all, a personal filmmaker and these two features evidence an enormous compassion for women, the underprivileged, and society’s outcasts. It seems likely that Valray considered himself a real outsider too, as there was very little printed about him in France when his movies were originally released to disappointing box office returns. Thanks to the heroic film preservation efforts of Serge Bromberg and his distribution company Lobster Films, Escale and La belle de nuit have been made available for the first time in nearly 80 years. The films are also being championed by some of America’s finest film critics like Imogen Sara Smith, who writes in Film Comment that “stylistically the films are startlingly original and rather odd, blending exhilaratingly fresh location shooting, lyrical images, heavy-handed melodrama, and idiosyncratic composition and editing.” Now you can discover these Louis Valray masterpieces for yourself in this special double feature program that allows you to see both Escale and La belle de nuit for one ticket price. (JH)

Mike King talks with Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley about STRAWBERRY MANSION. t’s 2035, and the government is taxing our dreams. Dream about a buffalo last night? That’ll run you 25 cents. Plus 17 cents for the violin. And that’s on top of all the ads and product placement interrupting your REM. James Preble is a mild-mannered government lackey, assigned to audit the dreams of an eccentric artist who’s been dodging her payments. The elderly Bella welcomes James into her remote farmhouse, where he sets about combing through decades of her recorded dreams, prepared to nickel and dime her. But as he wades into her unconscious, he meets and falls for her younger self. As James pursues the young Bella through a mind-melting fantasia of dreamscapes, he uncovers some unsettling conspiracies infiltrating our subconscious. A true psychedelic charmer, Strawberry Mansion boasts a dazzling handcrafted aesthetic, conjuring its unique universe through colorful props and costumes rather than lifeless CGI. The thrift-shop look is a supreme asset, creating a cinematic experience with more visual imagination and wit per frame than any generic blockbuster. 2021 Sundance Film Festival. “Enchanting, mind-bending and heartwarming… feels like walking through another’s dream. Simply put, Strawberry Mansion is sensational, strange, and sophisticatedly sweet” (Kristy Puchko, rogerebert.com). (MK)

Ben Reiser and Brody Coning talk to Lori Felker. Spontaneous Filmmaker Lori Felker employs a mixture of cinematic tools to convey her physical and emotional turmoil in this alternately humorous and harrowing first-person recounting of the time she had a miscarriage while attending the Slamdance Film Festival. Come for the well observed personal memoir, stay for the surprising celebrity cameos. (PL) Not You Lori Felker follows-up her essayistic short Spontaneous with this wonderfully discomforting examination of life with a toddler. Starting with a chronological series of vignettes before focus- ing on an awkward encounter with a neighbor babysitter, Not You is Felker’s funniest/eeriest short since Discontinuity (WFF 2014). (BR)

Ben Reiser talks to Yael Even Or and Sam Klein about SWING COUNTRY In this endearingly homespun documentary focusing on the run-up to the 2020 National Election, filmmakers follow Wisconsinites from the Fox Valley area who work to swing Wisconsin back to blue: Lee Snodgrass, a candidate for state assembly fights for her election as well as the top of the ticket. Brandon Yellow Bird Stevens, Vice Chairman of the Oneida Nation, pushes his community to vote in record numbers to showcase the power of the Native vote. Keith McGillivray hears that the local Democratic office is short on signs and launches his own sign making operation. (BC)

Ben Reiser and Terry Kerr talk to Elijah Edwards and Ben Fritz about MAKE A WISH High-Schooler Elijah Edwards’ fresh variation on the classic “genie in a bottle” story is remarkably self-assured, filled with charming performances and pleasingly cheesy special effects. (BR)

Terry Kerr and Ben Reiser talk to Johanne Helgeland about THE CROSSING. Ten-year-old Norwegian Gerda wants to be a musketeer, much to the dismay of her older brother Otto. He really hates her apron cape and her wooden dagger. After the sudden arrest of their parents, right before Christmas of 1942, the siblings discover two Jewish children, Sarah and Daniel, hidden in their basement and realize that their parents are part of the resistance movement. With the parents imprisoned, Gerda rises to the occasion and vows to defy the Nazis and help Sarah and Daniel escape into unoccupied Sweden. Otto sympathizes with the Nazis and only reluctantly joins his sister on her quest. The group begins a dangerous and suspenseful journey across the snowy Norwegian wilderness, frantically trying to stay ahead of the Germans who seem to have supporters everywhere. Johanne Helgeland’s feature film debut is an incredible story of friendship, courage, and doing what is right. The stunning cinematography and its talented young cast, makes The Crossing a compelling film for the whole family. Norway Amanda Award for Best Children’s Film winner. Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Emerging Filmmaker Jury Prize. (KK)

Ben Reiser talks to Yael Bridge and Christie Herring about THE BIG SCARY "S" WORD. The Big Scary “S” Word, directed by Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, Yael Bridge, offers an in-depth explanation of the fundamentals of progressive politics and the current state of socialism in the United States. Yael weaves together historical lessons, verité footage, expert interviews, and lively animated sequences to tell the story of socialism. Apart from these highly entertaining and informative segments, the film also introduces us to two real life American socialists: Stephanie Price and Lee J. Carter. Price is a woman of color and single mom, who faces the harsh realities of being a public school teacher in Oklahoma. We see her participate in a teacher’s strike, go to Oklahoma City to attend a state legislative session, and eventually run for office in the hopes of becoming her local union’s vice president. The other protagonist of the film, Carter, is an ex-marine turned socialist lawmaker who ran against Virginia’s Republican house majority whip in 2017 and won a seat in the state’s House of Delegates. We get an insider’s view of his struggle against both Republicans and Democrats who find common ground by using Carter’s “socialist” label against him. The Big Scary “S” Word is refreshingly unapologetic about socialism, and when you are done watching it, you might be too. (BS)