Film
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A new documentary details the Bad River Band’s fight for tribal sovereignty
A new documentary called “Bad River” chronicles the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s ongoing fight for sovereignty.
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Acclaimed filmmaker Ed Zwick aims for authentic in his memoir, ‘Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions’
Ed Zwick is one of the few writers, producers and directors in Hollywood to win both the Academy award and the Emmy. He’s been at the forefront of groundbreaking television series like “Thirtysomething” and “My So-Called Life” and has been behind the camera for legendary epics like, “Glory,” “Legends of the Fall,” and “The Last…
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Film critic Katharine Coldiron tells us why bad movies matter
As film critic Katharine Coldiron’ points out in a talk with WPR’s “BETA,” we can learn a lot about filmmaking by watching bad movies and noticing their flaws.
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‘Immediate Family’ documentary is like a musical ‘Band of Brothers’
Film director Denny Tedesco talks with WPR’s “BETA” about a documentary film about Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel, Waddy Wachtel and Leland Sklar, four of the hardest-working session players in the 1970s and ’80s.
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Francis Ford Coppola’s utopia that begat ‘Apocalypse Now’
Film author Sam Wasson tells WPR’s “BETA” that he believes the story of Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope, a community he built for artists to workshop their craft, is worth reading about.
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Ho-Chunk filmmakers receive tribe’s first Emmy for documenting the life of artist Truman Lowe
A new short film documenting the life of artist Truman Lowe has won a Midwest Regional Emmy Award. It’s the first time a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation has won the award. Lowe was a sculptor and woodworker and a member of the Ho-Chunk. His pieces were rooted in Native culture, showcasing the natural world…
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This historic Milwaukee movie theatre houses a 1925 Wurlitzer pipe organ
During the early part of the 20th Century, at the height of the silent movie era, the Rudolph Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company built over 2,200 pipe organs. One hundred years later, only about a dozen remain in their original, working condition worldwide. Now, one of them is at the Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee. The 1925 Wurlitzer…
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‘Airplane!’ creators say Madison is where they learned to make people laugh
Long before lines like “Don’t call me Shirley” became part of classic film culture’s lexicon, the men behind the movie “Airplane!” were busy hammering and nailing a stage together for their opening performance of Kentucky Fried Theater at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Brothers David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams were setting up a stage,…
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Many ghost hunters see their work as a ‘pioneering scientific effort,’ Wisconsin author explains
The mainstream scientific community might marginalize ghost hunting, but a Wisconsin author who studies paranormal investigators said many within the profession see their work as a “pioneering scientific effort.” Marc Eaton heads the sociology and anthropology department at Ripon College, and he wrote the book “Sensing Spirits: Paranormal Investigation and the Social Construction of Ghosts.”…
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Milwaukee Jewish and Muslim film festivals coincide with war abroad
Every fall, Milwaukee’s Muslim and Jewish communities hold film festivals showcasing movies centered on their cultures. This year, the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival and the Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival are coinciding with the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war and the strain and fear it is creating in both communities. Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival Janan Najeeb,…