Bad Times at the El Royale R
When seven strangers each arrive at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale hotel, they learn that half the establishment is located in Nevada, and the other half is in California. It’s 1969, and guests are asked in which state they prefer to rent a room. Loosely based upon Lake Tahoe’s Cal Neva, the El Royale is home to secret passageways and one-way mirrors. If the hotel isn’t as it appears, neither are the guests, each of whom hides a terrible secret. Over the course of one fateful night, each will be given a shot at redemption. Whether they grab it or lose their grip puts the suspense in this moody riddler. (Lisa Miller)
Film Girl Film Festival
Formerly known as the Milwaukee Women’s Film Festival, the third-annual event includes short films, documentaries and features from a female perspective. Wisconsin filmmakers are well represented, but the lineup includes work by directors from across the U.S., Canada and elsewhere. Audience and jury prizes will be awarded. The opening night party boasts free pizza from Pizza Shuttle. For more information, visit filmgirlfilm.com. (Morton Shlabotnik)
Oct. 12-14 at Underground Collaborative, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave.
First Man PG-13
Ryan Gosling is Oscar-worthy as Neil Armstrong in First Man. From the death of the astronaut’s toddler daughter, to the near unraveling of Armstrong’s normally stoic wife, Jan (Claire Foy), these years culminate in the historic 1969 Apollo 11 mission. After beloved colleague Ed White (Jason Clarke) perishes in a pre-flight test gone wrong, Armstrong quietly clings to his dedication to see the mission through. Apollo 11’s jittery launch and creaky flight find Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll) shaken. Handheld cameras, in near constant closeups, wear us down, but depicting the moonwalk with you-are-there realism is a stunner that justifies using the IMAX format. (L.M.)
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween PG
When a group of middle school friends open the locked Haunted Halloween book of author R.L. Stine (Jack Black), they unwittingly release Halloween monsters along with flesh-eating gummy bears and fire-breathing jack-o’-lanterns. To wrangle these ghoulish creations back inside the book, the kids seek help from a local Halloween guru (Ken Jeong), as well as Stine himself. Dark yet colorful in the Goosebumps books tradition, the film’s success depends upon striking an amiable balance between laughs and scares. (L.M.)
Movie Collectable Show
Dale Kuntz has long been Milwaukee’ genial advocate of classic Hollywood. If Ted Turner had gotten wind of him, this charmingly garrulous gentleman might have been auditioned as a host on TCM, but instead, Kuntz has remained a local phenomenon, seen in recent years running the classic film series at the Charles Allis Museum. Twice a year, Kuntz hosts a Movie Collectable Show that features dealers from the Midwest peddling movie posters, press kits, stills, lobby cards, DVDs and assorted movie industry memorabilia. Admission is $3. (David Luhrssen)
10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 14, at Burnham Bowl and Banquet Hall, 6016 W. Burnham St.
