Author

Ian Adcock

Ian Adcock is a writer, “musician,” and DJ living in Madison.

Ian's Latest Articles

Zed, wearing a red bandolier, stares heatedly at the camera and points a gun. Two stone-masked characters revel behind him to the right, heaving their rifles into the pale sky.

The psychedelic dystopia of “Zardoz” captures a singular, kaleidoscopic vision

By Ian Adcock ● Film ● July 3, 2023

John Boorman’s eccentric sci-fi satire from 1974 screens in a DCP restoration at UW Cinematheque on July 6 at 7 p.m.

A simple image collage of the three grindhouse films at this year's Wisconsin Film Festival. Clockwise from top left: Looking debonair, Matt Stone (William Shatner) smokes a cigarette in "Impulse." Mark (Christopher Augustine) stares intensely at the camera in "Hollywood 90028." Vincenzo Moretto (Tomas Milian), in a grey cabbie cap, points a gun off-screen in "The Tough Ones."

The 2023 Wisconsin Film Festival goes grindhouse galore

By Ian Adcock ● Film ● April 11, 2023

Grindhouse Releasing’s co-founder Bob Murawski presents three obscure, unflinching genre gems—”The Tough Ones,” “Hollywood 90028,” and “Impulse”—on April 15, 17, and 18.

A simple image collage featuring Michael Mann's "Thief" and "Heat." On top, Frank (James Caan) points a gun at plating company boss Attaglia (Tom Signorelli) in "Thief." Below that, Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), armed with assault rifles, face off against the police on the Los Angeles streets in "Heat."

Michael Mann’s gruff humanism characterizes his best heist films

By Ian Adcock ● Film ● March 28, 2023

“Thief” and “Heat” get the 35mm treatment at UW Cinematheque on April 1 and 8.

In a white room lit by fluorescent lights, Tae-Ju (Kim Ok-bin) feeds on an unsuspecting victim while her paralyzed mother-in-law (Kim Hae-sook) watches to their left.

“Thirst” blends eroticism, horror, and black comedy in a twist-filled take on the vampire genre

By Ian Adcock ● Film ● February 20, 2023

Park Chan-wook ambitiously adapts Émile Zola’s novel “Thérèse Raquin” in his 2009 film, screening at the Union South Marquee on February 24.

Eve Fallon (Joan Bennett) hands detective Danny Barr (Cary Grant) his gun back. Both coquettishly smile at one another.

“Big Brown Eyes” and “Hot Saturday” highlight the range of leading man Cary Grant’s early work

By Ian Adcock ● Film ● January 31, 2023

UW Cinematheque curates a double feature of 1930s Hollywood on February 4.

A simple image collage that depicts (at top left) a Monday night screening of "Sharknado" at Memorial Union Terrace in Madison with three other film stills. To its right, an shot of actress Katia Pascariu in "Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn;" below that, a shot of Kristen Stewart, Viggo Mortensen, and Léa Seydoux in "Crimes Of The Future;" and to its left, a still of Michelle Yeoh, a looming Jamie Lee Curtis, and reflection of Ke Huy Quan in "Everything Everywhere All At Once."

Everyone everywhere all at once: a Tone Madison year-end film thread

By Grant Phipps, Lewis Peterson, Edwanike Harbour, C Nelson-Lifson, Steven Spoerl, Alisyn Amant, Ian Adcock, Maxwell Courtright & Jason Fuhrman ● Film ● December 20, 2022

The bulk of our film team imparts their highs and lows of 2022.

Actor Jeffrey Combs is shown in a mutated, glowing-pink form in the film From Beyond.

Stuart Gordon, goblins, and moths

By Ian Adcock, Emili Earhart, Scott Gordon, Hanna Kohn, Lewis Peterson & Grant Phipps ● Music ● October 23, 2022

Plus more events we recommend checking out in Madison, October 24 through 30 edition.

Heavy Looks performing live at the closed Art In. Photo by Heidi E Johnson.

Release shows from Heavy Looks, Cribshitter, and Mr. Chair

By Ian Adcock, Jason Fuhrman, Scott Gordon, Lewis Peterson & Grant Phipps ● Music ● October 16, 2022

Plus more events we recommend checking out in Madison, October 17 through 23 edition.

A black-and-white publicity photo of the band Slow Pulp shows the band's four members standing closely together and facing the camera.

Slow Pulp returns, a Dream House appears

By Ian Adcock, Scott Gordon, Grant Phipps & Steven Spoerl ● Music ● October 9, 2022

Plus more events we recommend checking out in Madison, October 10 through 16 edition.

An image collage featuring the October series' four films. Clockwise from top left, Thomas Bardo (Stephen Rea) is covered in blood, hanging halfway through a shattered windshield in Stuck; Maria (Rona De Ricci) pleads to the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada (Lance Henriksen) in The Pit And The Pendulum; Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) is transformed into a hideous monster in From Beyond; and Uxía (Macarena Gómez), dressed in a gold ceremonial outfit in Dagon, brandishes a gold dagger shaped like a spine.

Discover Stuart Gordon’s transgressive, bloody genre films this October

By Ian Adcock ● Film ● October 4, 2022

UW Cinematheque concludes its 2022 Stuart Gordon retrospective at the Chazen with a horror-tinged Sunday matinee lineup.