Among the many special aspects to the window between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is the strong connection to pop culture — music, TV shows and, of course, movies.
Everyone has films they turn to at this time of year, from classic layups like White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life to irreverent selections like Krampus and Scrooged (more on that last one in a moment). You’ll find all four of those movies, plus 18 more, at the Oriental Theatre between Nov. 21 and Jan. 1 as Milwaukee Film unspools its annual “Seasons Screenings” series.
The local organization has brought holiday cheer to the East Side movie palace for a few years now, and this time around they have two special events in the mix. The first is a “Northwoods Christmas” presentation of Wisconsin-made cult classic Hundreds of Beavers on Dec. 3, presented in glorious 35mm film and featuring a brand new pre-featurette.
The second is arguably more exciting and inarguably more interactive, because it marks the return of Cinebuds Live! Our podcast hosts Dori Zori and Kpolly will be right there in the theater Dec. 11 for a screening of Scrooged and to record an episode live on stage (with audience participation if you promise to behave yourselves).
This year’s Seasoning Screenings also include some non-Christmas classics like Thanksgiving traditions The Last Waltz and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, as well as New Year’s Eve rom-com hall-of-famer When Harry Met Sally. Take a look at the full lineup below, and use the links to grab your tickets in advance.
Seasons Screenings schedule
- Nov. 21-22: The Holiday
- Nov. 22-23, 29: Beethoven
- Nov. 26: The Last Waltz
- Nov. 27: Planes, Trains and Automobiles
- Nov. 28: The Godfather
- Nov. 29: The Godfather Part II
- Nov. 30: The Godfather Part III
- Dec. 3: Hundreds of Beavers (35mm Northwoods Christmas)
- Dec. 5-6: Krampus
- Dec. 11: Scrooged + Cinebuds Live
- Dec. 11-12: Bloodbeat
- Dec. 12-15: White Christmas
- Dec. 12-13: Tokyo Godfathers (subtitled)
- Dec. 14: Tokyo Godfathers (dubbed)
- Dec. 16-24: It’s a Wonderful Life
- Dec. 19-20: Christmas Evil
- Dec. 21, 27-28: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (4K restoration)
- Dec. 25-26: Fiddler on the Roof
- Dec. 27-28: Bridget Jones’ Diary
- Dec. 27-28: The Thin Man
- Dec. 31, Jan. 1: When Harry Met Sally
- Jan. 1: Phantom Thread
