Two very different kinds of horror come to theaters this week (and I’m not talking about the Smurfs).
Here’s what’s new in Milwaukee-area theaters starting July 18, as well as some of the new movies available on streaming and on demand this week.
Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in “Eddington.”
‘Eddington’
Short version: In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) clashes with the New Mexico town’s tech-minded mayor (Pedro Pascal), and things spiral out of control. Emma Stone, Austin Butler and Luke Grimes co-star in this dark (and darkly comic) thriller, which writer-director Ari Aster (“Midsommar”) calls a modern Western.
Where you can see it: AMC Mayfair Mall; Downer Theatre; Marcus Theatres’ Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, North Shore, Ridge, South Shore cinemas.
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’
Short version: One year after agreeing to cover up their involvement in a deadly car accident, five friends discover someone else knows what they did … well, you know. But this time, when the killer strikes, they seek help from another group of friends who faced a similar situation nearly 30 years earlier. Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders and Jonah Hauer-King are the new crew; Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. return from the OG set in this slasher-horror reboot.
Where you can see it: AMC Mayfair Mall; Downer Theatre; Marcus Theatres’ Bistroplex Southridge, Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Movie Tavern Brookfield Square, North Shore, Ridge, South Shore cinemas.
‘Smurfs’
Short version: When Papa Smurf is taken by Gargamel and his crowd, Smurfette leads the little blue characters on a mission into the real world (including Paris!) to save him. Rihanna, John Goodman, Amy Sedaris, Hannah Waddingham, Octavia Spencer, Kurt Russell, Nick Kroll, James Corden, Nick Offerman, Sandra Oh and Dan Levy head the star-studded voice cast.
Where you can see it: ACX Cinema/Bayshore; AMC Mayfair Mall; Marcus Theatres’ Bistroplex Southridge, Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Movie Tavern Brookfield Square, North Shore, Ridge, South Shore cinemas.
Lexi Venter plays an 8-year-old girl caught up in the midst of change in Zimbabwe in “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight.”
‘Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight’
Short version: During the civil war in Zimbabwe, an 8-year-old white girl tries to understand her family’s connection with the land and the disconnection with the Black population there. Actor Embeth Davidtz, who grew up in South Africa, co-stars in, wrote and directed this adaptation of Alexandra Fuller’s award-winning memoir.
Where you can see it: AMC Mayfair Mall.
‘Guns & Moses’
Short version: When a desert town’s Jewish congregation is attacked by a gunman, its Hasidic rabbi investigates after he becomes convinced that the young white nationalist arrested for the crime is innocent — and that he may have to take matters into his own hands to find the truth. Neal McDonough, Dermot Mulroney, Mark Feuerstein, Craig Sheffer and Jake Busey star in this crime thriller.
Where you can see it: Marcus Theatres’ Hillside, Menomonee Falls, Ridge cinemas.
Friday Night Freak Show: ‘American Graffiti’
This month’s Friday Night Freak Show selection is “American Graffiti,” George Lucas’ first-rate (and very un-”Star Wars”-ish) coming-of-age ensemble drama set in pre-JFK-assassination southern California, starring Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Charles Martin Smith, pre-Han Solo Harrison Ford and many more. It’s showing at 7:30 p.m. July 18 at the Oriental Theatre. Tickets are $13. Info: mkefilm.org/oriental-theatre.com.
aCinema Summer Screening Series at Woodland Pattern
Woodland Pattern, the Riverwest bookstore and cultural center at 720 E. Locust St., hosts the second annual aCinema Summer Screening Series this weekend. Screenings of curated international film and video shorts will be at 7 p.m. July 18; 3, 5 and 7 p.m. July 19; and 5 and 7 p.m. July 20. Admission is give-what-you-can. Info: woodlandpattern.org.
Art House Theater Day at Oriental Theatre
As part of Art House Convergence’s Art House Theater Day July 24, the Oriental Theatre is showing the 1995 anime gem “Whisper of the Heart” at 7 p.m. Tickets are $13. Info: mkefilm.org/oriental-theatre.
‘Unstoppable: 2025 Summer Tour’
“Unstoppable: 2025 Summer Tour” is a touring program curated by the Slamdance Festival showcasing movies by filmmakers with disabilities. It comes to the Oriental Theatre this weekend with: “Loud Love,” about a gay deaf couple struggling to adopt a child, 3 p.m. July 19; “Complicated,” a documentary following families grappling with rare diseases, at 6 p.m. July 19; and a shorts program, 3 p.m. July 20. Tickets are $13. Info: mkefilm.org.
Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey won Oscars for their performances in the 1972 movie version of “Cabaret.”
Musicals at Oriental Theatre for ‘Jazz Hands July’
Milwaukee Film is programming a wide range of music-filled movies at the Oriental Theatre for “Jazz Hands July.” It concludes this week are a trio of 1970s favorites: Bob Fosse’s 1972 masterpiece “Cabaret,” 7 p.m. July 21; “The Wiz,” 7 p.m. July 22; and “Grease” at 7 p.m. July 23. Tickets are $13. Info: mkefilm.org.
What’s showing at Milky Way Drive-In
The Milky Way Drive-In — the outdoor theater in the parking lot at Franklin’s Ballpark Commons, 7035 S. Ballpark Drive — is showing: July 24, a double feature of “Clueless” and “10 Things I Hate About You” at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $35 per carload. Info: milkywaydrivein.com.
RELATED: Milky Way Drive-In in Franklin is returning for the 2025 season. Here’s what to know
Free outdoor movies in the Milwaukee area
Brown Deer: The village’s Summer Scenes: Movies in the Park program is showing “Hook” at dusk on July 18 at Village Park & Pond, 4920 W. Green Brook Drive. Info: browndeerwi.org.
Glendale/Bayshore: The Glendale retail complex at 5800 N. Bayshore Drive continues its Family Flicks series with “The Wild Robot” at 5:30 p.m. July 23 in The Yard, the center’s outdoor expanse. Info: thebayshorelife.com/events.
Milwaukee/Deer District: The plaza outside Fiserv Forum, 1111 N. Phillips Ave., joins forces with Milwaukee Film showing “Coco” in the plaza’s Beer Garden at 7:30 p.m. July 23. Info: deerdistrict.com/events.
Milwaukee/Martin Drive Neighborhood: The west side neighborhood association’s summer of screenings concludes with “Mufasa: The Lion King” at dusk on July 18 in the neighborhood’s Community Gardens, 1345 N. 46th St. Info: martin-drive.org.
Waukesha: The city’s Monday Nights at the Movies continue with “The Wild Robot” on July 21 at Cutler Park’s Les Paul Performance Center, 321 Wisconsin Ave. Pre-movie activities start at 6 p.m.; the movie starts at 7:15 p.m. Info: waukesha-wi.gov.
RELATED: Where you can find free outdoor movies in the Milwaukee area this summer
Marcus Theatres’ Kids Dream series
Marcus Theatres continues its Kids Dream summer series — $3 screenings of family-friendly movies at all eight area Marcus theaters — with “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” Info: marcustheatres.com.
New movies on demand
“Daniela Forever”: After losing his girlfriend, a man agrees take part in a new sleep therapy study that blurs dreams and memory — in a bid to reconnect with her. Henry Golding and Beatrice Grannò star in this futuristic drama. Available July 22.
“Bury Me When I’m Dead”: When a man fails to fulfill his wife’s dying wish, so many dark things happen around him that he starts to think that she’s getting her revenge in this horror thriller. Available July 18.
Sofia Black-D’Elia plays a woman caught in an abusive relationship in “I Love You Forever.”
New movies on streaming services
“I Love You Forever”: A young woman struggles with an emotionally abusive relationship in what’s described as a “subversive romantic comedy gone wrong.” On HBO Max July 18.
Recent releases newly available on streaming services: “High Rollers,” Hulu July 18; “The Assessment,” Hulu July 19.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New movies in Milwaukee: ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ and more
