University of Wisconsin-Madison

Earlier this month the University of Wisconsin-Madison hosted a free family-friendly outdoor film screening of Monsters Vs. Aliens. Called “Films in the Field”, the movie was shown on a giant inflatable screen on the West Campus Recreational Fields. It was a unique opportunity to enjoy a movie under the stars while watching the blockbuster hit about a ragtag group of hilarious and fun monsters that save the day (and the world!) from a scheming alien. To attract such a large crowd, there were also pre-show activities such as face-painting, crafts, balloon animals and more. Concessions were available for sale with hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, pizza, and popcorn. Movie-goers brought blankets and chairs in order to enjoy the movie in comfort. It was a really fun outdoor cinema event and a great chance to get out with the rest of the Madison community.

The setting — the rooftop of the Overture Center on a summer night — couldn’t be more beautiful for an outdoor film. That’s part of the allure for the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art’s Rooftop Cinema Series, which kicks off its fourth year of outdoor movies this Friday.

But these aren’t summer blockbusters, or even movies you might find at Orpheum or Sundance. Programmer Tom Yoshikami, a former programmer at the UW-Cinematheque, assembles a slate of avant-garde shorts that aim to be offbeat and stimulating but not alienating.

“I’m not trying to challenge people to the point that it’s going to turn people off,” Yoshikami said. “But I want to give the people the opportunity to see things they certainly wouldn’t see in the art theaters in Madison, and that they may not even have ever heard of.”

The outdoor cinema series runs all four nights in June, with screenings starting at about 9:30 p.m. Admission is free for museum members, $5 for the general public, and audience members are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs. Popcorn and beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are available for sale.

The movies tend to be more light-hearted and playful than what audiences traditionally think of as experimental film. For example, this year’s schedule includes an anthology of music-related films that includes shorts on Elliott Smith, R.E.M. and Devo, as well as a series of films about, of all things, frogs.

“It is very playful,” Yoshikami said. “Humor has played very well on the rooftop. And a lot of visual humor, because there is sometimes noise from State Street. I remember one time there was construction, and we had to contend with the noise of machines moving at 10 o’clock at night.”

Yoshikami also keeps each screening to under an hour, thinking that going much longer might tax an audience that’s just looking for entertainment on a warm weekend night.

“I’m not a fan of very long avant-garde screenings,” he said. “Give them a few things, some interesting things, and let them chew on those for a while. It’s really about the experience of being up on the roof and watching the movies.”

The summer Rooftop Cinema series includes:

Friday — “The Short Films of Emily Hubley” features the personal and playful short animated films of Hubley, who has worked with musicians like Yo La Tengo. Hubley is tentatively scheduled to come to Madison in September to take part in the second Tales From Planet Earth Environmental Film Festival.

June 12 — “Above and Beyond” features short films with a sky theme, appropriately enough for an open-air film series. The screening includes shorts on a lunar eclipse, workers repairing the Louisiana Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, and U.S. bombers during the Vietnam War.

June 19 — “Ribbit, Ribbit” is a series on (you guessed it) frogs and toads. The centerpiece is the cult classic “Cane Toads: An Unnatural History,” an offbeat documentary about toads infesting Australia.

June 26 — “The Sight of Music” is a series of short films about music, including “Lucky Three,” a portrait of the late Elliott Smith, and the video for R.E.M.’s “Nightswimming” by experimental filmmaker Jem Cohen.

For more information, visit mmoca.org.

Source: “Rooftop Cinema Series starts Friday” By Rob Thomas. Read full article at: http://77square.com/movies/features/story_453379.

The Madison Museum Of Contemporary Art is a fine, rarified spot for drinking and hanging when the excuse is right. And behold, MMOCA will once again be hosting its summer Rooftop Cinema series of art films and oddities on the first four Fridays in June. These can actually draw a good-sized crowd, so show up early or risk having to take a seat on the post-modern cement. As usual, the lineup is short but quite eclectic: The June 5 show celebrates the short films of animator Emily Hubley; a June 12 screening called Above And Beyond collects short films that look toward the skies and heavenly objects; June 19 features two films about frogs and toads; and June 26 explores some unlikely meetings of film and music via shorts whose soundtracks range from Stravinsky to Devo to Elliott Smith.

The Terrace’s Monday-night Lakeside Cinema series (June 8-Aug. 10) is slated to offer a more nostalgic treat this summer, featuring movies from the ’90s—starting with Edward Scissorhands and ending with The Matrix. While the patio at Mickey’s Tavern can get crowded pretty quickly, it’ll be worth cramming in there on a couple of nights during the summer: Multi-instrumental mischief-maker Biff Blumfumgagnge (of local band The Gomers) will be improvising live musical accompaniment to F.W. Murnau’s silent horror classic Nosferatu (July 11) and a to-be-determined assortment that’ll likely include some old silent cartoons (Aug. 29).

by Scott Gordon
Source: http://madison.decider.com/articles/deciders-summer-outdoor-show-guide,28085/