Milwaukee Post
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/885501
By Tom Jozwik TimeOut Film Critic A picturesque Western. A big-screen blending of story and architecture. A kids' movie, regularly referencing the stars and moon. A dram- edy from India. A documen- tary considering the connec- tion between rodents and the city of Baltimore. My personal microcosm of the Sept. 28-Oct. 12 Milwaukee Film Festival's first stage constitutes a true assortment of flicks. Alphabetically ordered syn- opses follow, supplemented by information on encore screenings. ■ "The Ballad of Lefty Brown" (111 minutes). In the not-too-distant past, I suggested a resurgence of the venerable Western genre might be at hand. "The Ballad of Lefty Brown," set in 1889 Montana, makes me hope I was right. Lefty, played winningly by Bill Pullman, will be relat- able to many as a nonde- script sort who's spent his working life — contentedly enough — in the shadow of others (well, one other: gun- fighter-turned-U.S. Senator- elect Eddie Johnson, played by Peter Fonda). Suddenly Johnson is shot dead, and insignificant little Lefty, his voice and limp reminiscent of Dennis Weaver's charac- ter on "Gunsmoke," vows to avenge the killing. In the process, Lefty, and audience, discover the rationale and mastermind behind Johnson's murder. Among "The Ballad's" co- stars: Jim Caviezel, unchar- acteristically portraying a bad guy. 9 p.m. Wednesday, Avalon Theater, 2473 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee. ■ "Columbus" (104 min- utes). Columbus, Ind., a city renowned for its mid-20th century buildings, provides an appropriate locale for a story in which a famed archi- tect's son (John Cho) and an architecture enthusiast (Haley Lu Richardson), both burdened by parental prob- lems, find each other. A tale that's part architec- tural tour, "Columbus" fre- quently invokes the surname of an architect associated with Milwaukee's War Memorial building — Saarinen. 1 p.m. Sunday and 1:30 p.m. Monday, Landmark Downer Theatre, 2589 N. Downer Ave., Milwaukee. ■ "Kepler's Dream" (88 minutes). In MFF's "Rated K: For Kids" category, recommend- ed for ages 8 and up, "Kepler's Dream" is some- thing of a hearts-and-flowers film. And yet it's so much more. "Dream" is a family-friend- ly drama about growing up, learning to prioritize, dis- cerning true friendship, try- ing to survive a serious ill- ness, mellowing with age. "Dream" offers some beauti- ful cinematography, much of it showing the skies above New Mexico, plus a pretty score. There's also a space motif — planetary plantings, characters' identification with astronauts, repeated references to the astronomer of the movie's title, etc. Characters' appreciation of classic literature is a wel- come inclusion. "Dream's" heroine is Ella (Isabella Blake-Thomas), a 12-year-old sent to spend the summer in the Southwest with a crustily proper grand- mother (Holland Taylor) she's never met. (Both actresses, wildly different in age, are excellent.) Meanwhile, Ella's estranged mother and father are respectively dealing with the ravages of leukemia and a business that leaves negligi- ble time for one's only child. Even as the cameras roll, however, things are looking up. 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Avalon. ■ "Lipstick Under My Burkha" (116 minutes). In Hindi with English sub- titles, "Lipstick" easily evokes audience laughter, but it's a dramatic as well as comedic movie — there's as much seriousness as there is humor in this story of four Indian women who seek lib- eration in an uncooperative culture. The film was out- lawed in India; apparently authorities found it both rad- ical and overly sensual. 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Fox-Bay Cinema Grill, 334 E. Silver Spring Drive, Whitefish Bay. ■ "Rat Film" (82 min- utes). "There's never been a rat problem in Baltimore (this documentary's setting)," a local rat-catcher declares early on. "It's always been a people problem." That depends, I suppose, on exactly how one chooses to define "rat problem" and "people problem." Fact is, in any case, people long ago decided to legally require Baltimoreans to reside in racial segregation. Laws change with time and enlightenment, but this one eventually divided the city into neighborhoods whose citizens have a whole lot and neighborhoods whose citi- zens have a whole lot less. Guess which citizens were destined to experience the lion's share of rodent and other socioeconomic woes over time. By the way, a rat can leap as high as 32 inches — not quite enough to go from bot- tom to top of a standard size Baltimore garbage bin. 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Landmark Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave., Milwaukee. 14 • Milwaukee County Post • October 6, 2017 ENTERTAINMENT Bill Pullman plays the title character in "The Ballad of Lefty Brown." Milwaukee Film Critic offers 'personal microcosm' of Milwaukee Film Festival Picks range continents, centuries, genres Milwaukee Oktoberfest resumes for second weekend at Pere Marquette Park TimeOut Staff MILWAUKEE — Pere Marquette Park, 900 N. Plankinton Ave., continues as the Oktoberfest host site today through Sunday. In its second weekend, events include live music, a brat-eating competition and a Miss Oktoberfest con- test. Ger man-style food from the Milwaukee Brat House and a variety of Oktoberfest and other beers will be available from the vendors. This weekend's schedule: Friday 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. — Mike Schneider Band 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. — Miss Oktoberfest Contest 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. — Polka Floyd Saturday Noon to 3 p.m. — Jeff Winard Band 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. — Blaskapelle 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. — Brat Eating Contest 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. — 76 Juliet Sunday Noon to 3 p.m. — Jay Fox Band 3 p.m. — Packers vs. Cowboys on jumbo screen There is no admission fee. Milwaukee Oktoberfest benefits the Hunger Task Force. For more information and updated schedule, visit milwaukeeoktoberfest.com.