Sponsor

Home

A still frame from the film "Resurrection" (2025) shows a corner stage area bathed in a French navy blue-grey light. The stage is littered with oversized props (some covered by white sheets) that recall the films of Georges Méliès from the late 19th and early 20th century—including a crescent moon with a face and a fireplace with a black curtain that is partly pulled back to reveal a starry and cloudy sky. A female actor wears a traditional Chinese dress and looks off to the left in the foreground.

“Resurrection” explores human perceptions through the historical labyrinth of cinema

By
●
Film
●
February 2, 2026
Bi Gan’s latest art-house epic premieres locally at UW Cinematheque on February 5.
About Tone Madison

Madison’s fiercely independent voice on culture and politics.

Our journalist-owned, reader-supported publication highlights the neglected corners of Madison’s cultural landscape, elevates vital viewpoints from the left, and pulls off ambitious reporting projects. We champion things we love, but we also ask annoying questions and throw the occasional brick.

Latest in Music
The members of Crush Scene and two-thirds of Holly And The Nice Lions all stand on a vineyard path at The Vines in Sauk City, WI. From left to right: Holly Trasti, Travis Pashek, Rachael Guertin, Janet Kolterman, Tasha Spencer, and Madalyn Rowell. Guertin and Pashek have their backs turned to the camera, admiring the sweeping view. The remaining subjects are all pointing directly at the camera and smiling.
Achieving a broader focus through music photojournalism in 2025
By
●
Microtones
●
January 30, 2026
The fourth installment of our live music photo essay series centers a more personal vantage point.
A composite banner of the cover art from each of the 20 selected releases is displayed on a pale violet background.
Tone Madison’s favorite records of 2025
By
●
Music
●
January 20, 2026
A celebration of 20 local releases that defined the year.
The Spine Stealers' Kate Ruland (left) and Emma O'Shea (right) are shown in their Madison studio, standing next to a carefully-curated postcard collection that's housed in a wood stand.
Madison’s musical odds and ends of 2025
By
●
Microtones
●
January 16, 2026
A meditation on the past year’s musical margins.
Latest in Film
A still frame from the film "Resurrection" (2025) shows a corner stage area bathed in a French navy blue-grey light. The stage is littered with oversized props (some covered by white sheets) that recall the films of Georges Méliès from the late 19th and early 20th century—including a crescent moon with a face and a fireplace with a black curtain that is partly pulled back to reveal a starry and cloudy sky. A female actor wears a traditional Chinese dress and looks off to the left in the foreground.
“Resurrection” explores human perceptions through the historical labyrinth of cinema
By
●
Film
●
February 2, 2026
Bi Gan’s latest art-house epic premieres locally at UW Cinematheque on February 5.
Simple rectangular image collage of four film stills. At the top left, teenager Willa (Chase Infiniti) practices shooting an assault rifle in an open field in "One Battle After Another." At the top right, thirtysomething parent J.B. Mooney (Josh O'Connor) scopes out the Framingham Art Museum before he plans a robbery in "The Mastermind." At the bottom left, teenager Kyle (Jackson Sluiter) skates through the suburbs of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. At the bottom right, frazzled mother Linda (Rose Byrne) stops for a moment at her motel after visiting the convenience store in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You."
One movie meditation after another: toiling through 2025
By , , , , , , , &
●
Film
●
January 21, 2026
Nine writers processed these trying times through cinema, at the theaters and at home.
A still taken from Nicholas R. Wootton's experimental short "Liking This Angle" shows a woman holding up a plaster mold of a human arm on an angled wooden structure in an art studio. A second image of water streaking down a windshield is superimposed over it.
“Liking This Angle” finds artistic inspiration in degrees of the edit
By
●
Film
●
January 19, 2026
Nicholas R. Wootton’s experimental short, featuring sculptor Christina A. West, premieres at Art Lit Lab as part of Project Projection on January 21.