Green Room R
Green Room nails the crowded-into-the-van life of a DIY punk band. The details ring true: the Fugazi bumper sticker, the $6 each member earns after driving out of the way to a failed gig, the college radio interview with the deathless question, “What is your desert island band?”
But the story grows dark and imaginative when the band finds itself booked at a roadhouse deep in the woods, a place of barking dogs, white power stickers and Nazi emblems. The skinheads in the mosh pit are only the beginning of the band’s problems. After the band witnesses a murder, problems with the bar’s heavily armed management spin out of control. They are trapped in their ratty dressing room and must run a deadly gauntlet if they will survive.
A tense psychological thriller with a good deal of bloodshed, Green Room stars Patrick Stewart in a memorable performance as the roadhouse’s owner and white supremacist leader. He speaks precisely and barely restrains his impatience at the unstable elements attracted to his movement. (David Luhrssen)
Keanu R
When the cutest kitten in Los Angeles shows up on at the doorstep of Rell’s (Jordan Peele) doorstep, his broken heart is mended and he names his kitty-savior Keanu. Then the kitten disappears and Rell persuades his cousin Clarence (Keegan-Michael Key), to help retrieve Keanu from a drug-dealing gangbanger who dresses Keanu in a fetching bandana and gang colors. To get Keanu back, the pair impersonate gangsters (badly), digging themselves a deep hole. Following the conclusion of their comedy sketch series “Key & Peele,” the comedians effortlessly adapt their goofball brand of to the big screen. (Lisa Miller)
Milwaukee Underground Film Festival
The annual Milwaukee Underground Film Festival turns 16 this year. 2016’s festivities will showcase more than 60 films across four venues on the UW-Milwaukee campus. Films featured include Holland Man, an experimental piece that utilizes a variety of projectors as well as live music, and Direct Route, the touching story of a blind woman recounting life experiences that occurred before she lost her vision. (Jake Culhane)
April 28-May 1. Admission is free. For more information and venue locations, visit film-milwaukee.org.
Mother’s Day PG-13
While Mother’s Day claims it celebrates mothers of all stripes, it’s really about pretty women dealing with classy problems, such as a wealthy ex marrying a well-known celebrity with whom he moves into an “It’s so Hollywood!” mansion. True, the charms of Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson can’t be overestimated, but their characters’ punch lines are stale compared to those of say, “Friends.” Since Aniston and Roberts were too busy to be on set at the same time, their shared scene was filmed from each point of view using stand-ins. Likewise, a poster featuring them together, had to be created using Photoshop. Clearly no obstacle can prevent director Gary Marshall from securing the big names. (L.M.)
Ratchet & Clank PG
Based on the popular video game series, this film follows Ratchet (who looks like an upright-walking, canine-feline cross) as he meets and befriends a robot named Clank. Hoping to save the Solana Galaxy from the evil Chairman Drek, the new friends join the Galactic Rangers with whom they are determined to neutralize a planet-destroying weapon. The film’s hype promises the duo will learn about heroism, friendship and the importance of discovering one’s own identity, but an incoherent story makes learning such lessons harder than it sounds. (L.M.)
