FILM PROGRAMS The King SUN, APR 2 • 5:45 PM Orpheum Main
ORDER CODE: KINGG
Dramatic Feature, USA, 2005, color, 35mm • 104 min. DIRECTOR: James Marsh; PRODUCER: Milo Addica, James Wilson; EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: John Schmidt, Sofia Sondervan, Edward R. Pressman; WRITER: Milo Addica, James Marsh; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Eigil Bryld; EDITOR: Jinx Godfrey; MUSIC: Max Avery Lichtenstein; CAST: Gael García Bernal, William Hurt, Pell James, Paul Dano, Laura Harring; PRODUCTION CO: ContentFilm, FilmFour, Edward R. Pressman Film Corporation
Gael García Bernal plays Elvis, a troubled and troubling man who tests the faith of a God-fearing Corpus Christi family. Director James Marsh (Wisconsin Death Trip) cowrote his first narrative feature with Milo Addica (Monster’s Ball) — a controversial story of incest and devotion. William Hurt plays Pastor David Sandow, leader of a Christian center and of a family that is about to get cut apart (literally) when Elvis appears, saying he’s Sandow’s long-lost (other) son. Like a snake in the garden, Elvis seduces everyone into believing his goodness, with violent results. “The film is an accomplished piece of mischief making that directly confronts religious conviction, in this case Christian, with its worst nightmare: can you really forgive evil?” — Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter. (MEG HAMEL)
Kitchen SEE Wisconsin’s Own Shorts: Cinematheque
Labor’s Troubadour SEE Wisconsin’s Own Shorts: Monona Terrace
We too are obsessed with Laura.
Lady Vengeance gets even. Gael García Bernal is a long-lost son returning in The King.
Lady Vengeance FRI, MAR 31 • 11:15 PM Stage Door
ORDER CODE: LADYV31
SAT, APR 1 • 8:30 PM Stage Door
ORDER CODE: LADYV01
Dramatic Feature, South Korea, 2005, color, 35mm • 112 min. DIRECTOR: Park Chan-wook; PRODUCER: Lee Tae-hun, Cho Young-wuk; EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Miky Lee; WRITER: Chung Seo-kyung, Park Chan-wook; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Chung Chung-hoon; EDITOR: Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum; MUSIC: Choi Seung-hyun, Lee Ji-soo, Na Seok-joo; CAST: Lee Yeong-ae, Choi Min-sik, Oh Dal-su, Kim Si-hu, Lee Seung-Shin, Kim Bu-sun; PRODUCTION CO: Moho Films IN KOREAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Director Park Chan-wook’s third installment in his spellbinding “Vengeance Trilogy” (the second, Oldboy, was a hit at last year’s Festival) tells
the gruesome story of Lee Geum-ja, an angelic 19-year old who is sent to jail for abducting and murdering a young boy. Wasting no time in winning over her cellmates — including a prostitute incarcerated for strangling her pimp, and a North Korean spy — Geum-ja plots her vengeance on the man for whom she took the fall. When she is released from prison after 13 years, she reunites with her daughter (whom she had given up for adoption) and her machinations slowly begin to bear fruit. Park’s luminously shot and thrilling moral tale of personal justice builds to an unforgettable showdown where the line between catharsis and cruelty is
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Isthmus Movie Critic
Kent Williams Whether he’s twisting your arm or pulling your leg, his reviews are bursting with rich, buttery flavor. Free refills every week.
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WISCONSIN FILM FESTIVAL ■ MADISON ■ MARCH 30-APRIL 2, 2006 ■ WWW.WIFILMFEST.ORG ■ 877.963.FILM
anything but clear. “Hands down one of the best cinematic stories told this year.” — Harry Knowles, Ain’t it Cool News. Winner, 2005 Little Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival. (TOM YOSHIKAMI)
Laura FRI, MAR 31 • 7:30-9:30 PM Cinematheque
ORDER CODE: LAURA
Dramatic Feature, USA, 1944, B&W, 35mm • 88 min. DIRECTOR: Otto Preminger; PRODUCER: Otto Preminger; WRITER: Jay Dratier, Samuel Hoffenstein, Betty Reinhardt; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Joseph La Shelle; EDITOR: Louis Loeffler; MUSIC: David Raksin; CAST: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, Judith Anderson; PRODUCTION CO: 20th Century Fox. SERIES: Restorations and Revivals
Otto Preminger’s noir masterpiece stars Dana Andrews as Mark McPherson, a
tough-talking detective assigned to investigate the brutal murder of Laura Hunt. His investigation leads him to a host of sordid suspects that include Laura’s philandering fiancé (Vincent Price), her wealthy aunt (Judith Anderson), and celebrity columnist Waldo Lydecker (in a brilliant performance by Clifton Webb). As McPherson learns about Laura’s past and the case takes a number of twists and turns, he develops an unhealthy infatuation with the dead woman. “The sleekest of noirs, the choicest of murders, and deliciously twisted… a truly haunting study of obsession.” — James Monaco. Nominated for five Oscars, including Preminger’s first for Best Director. Named to the National Film Registry in 1999. ROGER EBERT is scheduled to introduce a restored print of the film, courtesy of 20th Century Fox. (TOM YOSHIKAMI)
FILMS CONTINUE ON PAGE 23
