Celebrate the season with director and co-writer Ramis’ classic ode to one of America’s strangest holidays. Murray plays a pompous Pittsburgh weatherman who discovers that he’s not only trapped in the small town of Punxsutawney, but in the same February 2, a time loop without explanation or escape. Groundhog Day deftly balances its high-concept premise with warmth and provincial charm as Murray (never better) attempts to make the most of his existential prison by breaking the law, cheating death, seducing his producer (a winning McDowell), and ultimately bettering himself and the lives of those around him. 35mm print courtesy Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research. (LSL)

One of the few remakes that equals its predecessor, this brilliantly crafted update of the 1956 sci-fi classic depicts an alien race’s covert attempt to gradually replace humans with emotionless clones. Though the time and setting have been changed to Me generation-era San Francisco, Kaufman’s film loses none of the original’s sinister atmosphere, slowly mounting suspense, or allegorical force. Lead performers Sutherland, Adams, Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, and Veronica Cartwright make for an eccentric and memorable cast of characters. A new 4K DCP will be screened!

To Kill a Tiger has been nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Documentary Feature Film. This harrowing, compelling, and compassionate documentary tells the story of Ranjit, a poor rice farmer in Jharkhand, India who struggles to find justice after his 13-year-old daughter is sexually assaulted by three men. When the police suggest that the girl wed one of the rapists to salvage the family’s dignity and uphold peace in the village, Ranjit and his fearless child refuse to accept the status quo. Working arduously with a few allies in the legal system to make sure a criminal trial takes place and facing a community that is mostly against them, Ranjit and his family cling to their love for one another and their dogged belief in the possibility of change. “A film bristling with invigorating defiance” (The New York Times). Presented with the support of UW Madison’s Center for South Asia and 4W Initiative - Women & Well-being in Wisconsin & the World

In a dystopian Los Angeles at the turn of the millennium, Lenny Nero (Fiennes, playing against type) is an ex-cop turned scuzzy black-market dealer of recordings for a device that allows a user to experience the memories, feelings, and physical sensations of other people. This noir-ish tale of voyeurism, police corruption, and virtual reality has been recognized as a prescient and shockingly hard-edged vision of civilization’s decline amidst technological advancement. A film ahead of its time, Strange Days is the lone collaboration between Oscar-winning filmmakers (and ex-spouses) Bigelow and James Cameron, who produced and co-wrote the screenplay. “Bigelow’s fin-de-millennium film straddles the divide between the 20th century, the century of cinema, and the digital future…[It] hasn’t aged a minute, sadly”(Nick Pinkerton, Rhizome.org). (LSL)

Mifune stars as Gondo, a wealthy shoe company executive who is told his son has been kidnapped. As he begins rounding up his entire fortune to pay the huge ransom, Gondo realizes the kidnapper has snatched his chauffeur’s son by mistake! This gritty, screw-tightening thriller, based on an American novel by Ed McBain, is, along with Ikiru, the best of Kurosawa’s non-period pictures. High and Low’s plot and moral dilemmas recently inspired Steven Soderbergh’s series Full Circle. Presented with the support of the Center for East Asian Studies at UW Madison.

Godard's feverish, surreal and pulpy New Wave classic follows undercover agent Lemmy Caution (American expat actor Constantine) as he attempts to resist the Orwellian regime of supercomputer Alpha 60. Shot entirely on location in Paris without the use of special effects, Godard and cinematographer Raoul Coutard use their otherworldly imaginations to create an unforgettable low-budget sci-fi noir future. Presented in a new 4K DCP restoration by Rialto Pictures, Alphaville stands as a bizarre, fantastic entry in the canon of one of cinema's greatest auteurs.

3D is used to virtuoso ends in this arthouse neo-noir (which has nothing to do with Eugene O’Neill). The film begins in 2D, as Luo searches out old flames and foes in a neon-drenched Kaili. The entire final hour of the film is a single, unbroken 3D shot that draws us deep into Lou’s dream-state. Both a dazzling technical accomplishment and time-bending narrative trick, this epic shot comprises the most ingenious use of 3D in narrative cinema since Gravity. In China, this unlikely blockbuster racked up a massive $40 million in its opening weekend (!). “Reaches a new level of cinematic intrigue as an immersive experience, unfolding within a surreal context that combines technical wizardry with high art. In this masterful directing gamble, the camera peers deep into its protagonist’s soul, and finds a whole universe lurking in its confines” (Indiewire). Presented with the support of Center for East Asian Studies at UW Madison.

In a story that mixes sword fighting, romance, and spirituality, a humble, clumsy painter becomes the protector of a female fugitive who has been targeted for execution by a corrupt palace Eunuch. The adventure takes our heroes from a small village to a stunning aerial flight in a bamboo grove, and a series of battles in forests, on mountaintops, and, finally, in a “seascape transformed into a vista of Buddhist transcendence” (David Bordwell). An epic milestone in the history of the martial arts movie, King Hu’s masterpiece set the standard for decades to come and was later an influence on countless films to come, particularly Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. 35mm print courtesy Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research.

Malick’s sophomore effort is one of the most acclaimed features of the 1970’s. Gere, Adams and Shepard play the members of a doomed love triangle on a Texas wheat farm at the turn of the century, but the real star of the show is the almost overwhelmingly beautiful cinematography by Nestor Almendros (with help from Haskell Wexler). Malick’s gentle, elliptical storytelling style is greatly aided by his poetic and haunting narration, memorably read by young actress Linda Manz, and the lovely score by Ennio Morricone.