It's Monday, and if there's any day of the week that you could use a little extra inspiration, it's freaking Monday. Luckily, that's the theme for today's three Milwaukee Film Festival picks: artists and the fellow artists that serve as inspirations. 

"Seymour: An Introduction"

After spending 12 years in front of a camera for "Boyhood," Ethan Hawke steps back behind one for "Seymour: An Introduction," a documentary about Seymour Bernstein, a concert pianist who left his successful career behind to focus on teaching others how to play. It may sound like a low-key story, but considering the strong buzz coming off of previous festival and theatrical runs, it sounds like it still hits some high notes. 

"Seymour: An Introduction" shows today at 1:30 p.m. at the Times Cinema, as well as Thursday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Fox Bay Cinema. 

"Iris"

As many may have noticed, "Iris" – a documentary portrait of fashion icon Iris Apfel – is already on Netflix Instant. So why should you make the time to see this doc? For one, the movie comes from Albert Maysles, half of the documentary-making brother tandem that revolutionized the form with films like "Grey Gardens" and "Gimme Shelter." Unfortunately, Albert died this past March, making "Iris" his last film. I can't think of a better way to pay tribute than to check out his final work on the big screen ... which takes us to reason number two why you should see "Iris" at the festival: No director has ever said, "Man, I can't wait for people to see my work on their laptop screen while lounging around their house." 

"Iris" screens today at 7 p.m. at the Fox Bay Cinema, as well as Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 3:45 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre.

"Call Me Lucky"

Bobcat Goldthwait is known for his pitch black comic ear – for instance, "World's Greatest Dad," in which Robin Williams plays a father who discovers his son's suicide and uses his letter to boost his own writing profile – but "Call Me Lucky" finds the writer-director-comedian dabbling in some borderline heart-warming territory. Make no mistake: "Call Me Lucky" is still dark – the subject Barry Crimmins has some terrible demons in his past, and his material doesn't shy away from tough topics – but there should be plenty of heart and laughs along the way as well. After all, it's a movie about a comedian by a comedian. 

"Call Me Lucky" shows today at 4:15 p.m. at the Avalon Theater, as well as on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 9:30 p.m. at the Downer Theatre and Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Times Cinema.