What’s Jeramey Watching?

Back for another year, the Milwaukee Film Festival kicks off tonight at the Oriental Theatre on N. Farwell Ave. The festival this year includes an expanded cinema slate, adding the Neighborhood Theater Group’s Times Cinema to the mix with the East Side’s Downer and Oriental theaters, and Fox Bay Cinema in Whitefish Bay.

With the festival continuing to grow year after year, I’m taking it as a personal challenge to keep that growth going. So with that in mind, I’m attempting to pack as many movies as my eyes will allow into the festival’s 15-day run (minus a brief trip out of town for a wedding).

My colleague Joey Grihalva has done an excellent job breaking down what’s coming over the next week, but what am I about to go to see? Picking the films is half-science, half-art, grab the program, circle everything you want to see, let the fiance run through it as well, realize that you still have a job and want to keep it, scale back expectations, lay out massive calendar, make a plan that pushes the limits of sleep deprivation, and go!

Will there be last minute changes? Almost certainly. It’s important to talk to fellow attendees about what they’re enjoying (and what they’re hating). Last year that led to seeing Somm (loved it) and Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (hated it).

• 1971 – September 25th – 7:00 p.m.
• Opening Night Party (not a film) – September 25th – 9:00 p.m.
• State of Cinema: Wesley Morris (not a film) – September 27th – 12:00 p.m.
• We Are The Nobles – September 27th – 4:15 p.m
• Shorts: The Best Damn F*#@ing Midnight Program Ever. Sh*t – September 27th – 10:00 p.m.
• CRU – September 28th – 4:30 p.m.
• The Overnighters – September 28th – 9:15 p.m.
• Meet the Patels – September 29th – 5:30 p.m.
• The Milwaukee Show I – September 29th – 8:00 p.m.
• Slow Food Story – September 30th – 7:00 p.m.
• Mystery Road – September 30th – 9:30 p.m.
• Young & Beautiful – October 1st – 1:30 p.m.
• Serial Daters Anonymous – October 1st – 4:00 p.m.
• A Year in Burgundy – October 2nd – 7:00 p.m.
• Life Partners – October 5th – 7:15 p.m.
• Pester – October 5th – 10:00 p.m.
• The Milwaukee Show II – October 6th – 7:00 p.m.
• Revival – October 7th – 9:45 p.m.
• Monsoon Shootout – October 8th – 2:00 p.m.
• Super Secret Members Screening – October 8th- 8:00 p.m.
• Don’t Leave Me – October 9th – 7:30 p.m.

It’s worth noting there are a number of great films that I won’t be seeing because I’ve already seen them through Milwaukee Film’s monthly member screenings (Big Men, Human Capital, Particle Fever, Paulette) or scheduling conflicts. If I could see more, I would, and I might die trying.

A number of films are already down to only rush tickets. Buy those tickets today!