By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Aug 01, 2017 at 10:46 AM

It's a new month, and Milwaukee Film has happily rung it in with style by announcing nine more selections that will screen as a part of next month's (WOO! It's just a month away) 2017 film festival. The selections span across all sorts of genres, styles, topics and festival categories, so if you don't see a movie listed below that you're already marking down on your to-do list, well, you only have yourself to blame (plus, seriously, who doesn't like "Aladdin"?). 

Here are the nine new selections:

"Aladdin"

The Academy Award-winning 1992 Disney animated classic returns to the big screen to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Witness the gorgeous traditional animation and the timeless story of a street urchin who meets a magical genie (voiced by the late great Robin Williams) in a lamp that grants three wishes. See it now before Disney decides to make a needless live action remake of it ... oh, it's already in the works? Sigh ...

"The Dark Crystal"

From the genius minds of Jim Henson – the puppet mastermind behind "Labyrinth," "The Muppets" and more – and Yoda himself Frank Oz comes this throwback fantastical journey from 1982, taking viewers young and old on a thrilling quest to reunite a crystal shard to a powerful gem – and reunite its alien world in the process. In a kids movie landscape of clean CG animation and sanitary stories, they truly do not make them like "The Dark Crystal" anymore: a true adventure into imagination.

"Lemon"

In this absurdist comedy, an aging failed actor (comedic actor Brett Gelman) reassesses his life of STD PSA auditions, awful Chekhov performances, a miserable relationship with his blind ex-girlfriend and a family that hates him. Other than that, things are going swell. Well, at least things for Milwaukee Film Festival audiences will, checking out this star-studded (Michael Cera, Judy Greer, Gillian Jacobs, Nia Long, Megan Mullally and more) oddball comedy from the festival's Competition category. 

"The Lost World" featuring Alloy Orchestra

The incredible Alloy Orchestra returns to Milwaukee's Oriental Theatre to provide yet another mesmerizing live score to yet another mesmerizing silent era classic, this year in the form of "The Lost World," the groundbreaking 1925 adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's adventure into a land of prehistoric monsters and cinematic magic (thanks to innovative stop-motion work for the time). Head back into both movie history and the planet's history in one swoop. 

"Lucky"

For over 60 years, Harry Dean Stanton has turned in indelible performances in iconic films, from "Cool Hand Luke" to "The Godfather Part II" to "Alien" to "Pretty in Park" and several collaborations with auteur supreme David Lynch (who actually appears in this particular pick). Now in his later years, Stanton gets a supreme starring showcase in "Lucky," a character study about a old desert small town local pondering his life and impending death. Pay tribute to an indelible screen face. 

"Manlife"

Coming out of the hometown Cream City Cinema category, the documentary "Manlife" puts the economic, spiritual and philosophical movement of Lawsonomy into the spotlight, sharing the fascinating story of its creator, Alfred Lawson (casually also a baseball player and the inventor of the airliner), as well as Merle Hayden, the last of the Lawsonomists who strived to keep the teachings alive for decades.

"Purple Rain"

Anytime you can pay tribute to Prince is a good time to pay tribute to Prince – so why not purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka and then watch the late great pop icon's sonic and cinematic masterwork "Purple Rain." The odds of viewers going crazy to "Let's Go Crazy" in the aisles? Definitely 100 percent.

"Requiem for a Running Back"

A story both intimate and alarmingly large, the documentary "Requiem for a Running Back" tells the story of former Green Bay Packers running back Lew Carpenter and his late-life battle with CTE – as told through the eyes of his daughter, director Rebecca Carpenter. She then sets out to interview players, experts and Lew's former teammates to learn more about her father and the ailment that now haunts him – and the entire game.

"Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities"

The first entry in Milwaukee Film's nationally recognized Black Lens category for 2017, "Tell Them We Are Rising" – directed by MFF alum Stanley Nelson of "Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution" – tells the story of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their crucial impact in African-American history. 

These nine selections join the previously announced centerpiece selection for the 2017 Milwaukee Film Festival, Erik Ljung's "The Blood is at the Doorstep" about the Dontre Hamilton shooting and aftermath in Milwaukee. And there are plenty more to come before the festival's opening day on Sept. 28.

Stay tuned to OnMilwaukee for more updates as they are announced – and get ready for two weeks of buttery popcorn and glorious films next month.

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.