Week of June 20-26, 2025.

By M. Faust
(Image above: Show poster for “28 Years Later” via http://www.28yearslater.movie)

OPENING THIS WEEK

28 YEARS LATER (R) Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland are both back for this sequel to 28 Days Later in which a survivor of the plague journeys from his safe island to the mainland to see what has become of humanity. Starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive In

8 VASANTHALU (NR) Telugu-language coming-of-age romantic drama. Starring Ananthika Sanilkumar, Sumant Nitturkar and Ravi Theja Duggirala. Directed by Phanindra Narsetti. Regal Elmwood

BRIDE HARD (R) Comedy combining Bridesmaids and Die Hard, though given that the director is slam-bang specialist Simon West (Con Air, The Expendables 2), it’s not hard to guess which it will veer more closely to. Starring Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Anna Chlumsky, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Stephen Dorff, Sam Huntington and Colleen Camp. Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

ELIO (PG) An imaginative kid gets to live out his dreams of space exploration in this new Pixar movie. With the voices of Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Remy Edgerly and Brad Garrett. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive In

KUBERAA (NR) Social thriller charting the rise to power of a former begger. Starring Rashmika Mandanna, Dhanush and Nagarjuna Akkineni. Directed by Sekhar Kammula. Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit

THE LIFE OF CHUCK (R) Critically acclaimed adaptation of a Steven King story looking at three periods in the life of an ordinary guy. Starring Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay, Benjamin Pajak, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Directed by Mike Flanagan (Absentia, Doctor Sleep). Dipson Amherst, North Park

SITAARE ZAMEEN PAR (NR) Hindi comedy-drama about a star basketball coach sentenced to train Neurodivergent adults after a DUI. Starring Aamir Khan, Genelia Deshmukh and Brijendra Kala. Directed by R.S. Prasanna. Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

UTSHOB (NR) A Bangladeshi businessman learns the true meaning of life in this drama–comedy loosely adapted from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Starring Zahid Hasan, Chanchal Chowdhury and Jaya Ahsan. Directed by Tanim Noor. Regal Elmwood

NOW PLAYING:

BALLERINA (R) Ana de Armas as a trainee assassin in this John Wick spin-off. With Anjelica Houston, Gabriel Byrne, Ian McShane, Norman Reedus, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Keanu Reeves. Directed by Len Wiseman. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

BRING HER BACK (R) Children battle their foster mother in a house-bound horror film. The word used most often in reviews is “extreme”: caveat emptor. Starring Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, and Sally Hawkins. Directed by Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou (Talk to Me). Regal Quaker 

FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES (R) Horror sequel. Starring Tony Todd, Brec Bassinger, and Richard Harmon. Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein. Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In

FRIENDSHIP (R) Comedy starring Tim Robinson as a suburban father whose attempts to build a friendship with his new neighbor (Paul Rudd) lead to disaster. With Kate Mara and Jack Dylan Grazer. Directed by Andrew DeYoung. Regal Transit Read M. Faust’s review here. 

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (PG) Another live action remake of an animated classic. See Lilo & Stitch for relevant snarky comment. Starring Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerald Butler and Nick Frost. Directed by Dean DeBlois, who also did the animated version. Aurora, AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Aurora, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Hamburg Palace, Joylan, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In

KARATE KID: LEGENDS (PG-13) Another go at the perennial formula, this time with both Jackie Chan (from the 2010 remake) and Ralph Macchio (from the 1984 original). With Ben Wang and Joshua Jackson. Directed by Jonathan Entwistle (The End of the F***ing World). AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In

LILO & STITCH (PG) Another live-action remake of a Disney animated. Didn’t they learn anything from Snow White? Starring Sydney Elizabeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Courtney B. Vance, and Zach Galifianakis. Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In

MATERIALISTS (R) Celine Song, director of the celebrated Past Lives, makes her English-language debut with the romcom starring Dakota Johnson as a matchmaker torn between two suitors (Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans). Co-starring Zoë Winters and Marin Ireland. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (PG-13) Sequel. Expect Tom Cruise to show off his peculiar running stance a lot. With Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales and Angela Bassett. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME (PG-13) Benicio del Toro as a repentant arms dealer trying to reconnect with his daughter, a novice nun, amid numerous other problems. The cast includes Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray—geez, this must be a Wes Anderson movie. Dipson Amherst, North Park

SINNERS (R) From director Ryan Coogler (Creed), a genre-mixing big budget movie starring Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers in the Jim Crow south who return to their Mississippi Delta hometown to open a juke joint. With Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, and Delroy Lindo. Regal Elmwood, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive In

THUNDERBOLTS (PG-13) The 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, concluding Phase 5. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, you can probably skip this. Starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour and Wyatt Russell. Directed by Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank). Regal Quaker

THE UNHOLY TRINITY (R) Western starring Pierce Brosnan and Samuel L. Jackson as opposing forces trying to dominate a Montana town. With Brandon Lesser, Tim Daly, David Arquette and Duster Dusterbeck. Directed by Richard Gray (Robert the Bruce). Regal Quaker, Regal Transit

ETC.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (R, 2005)—The much-acclaimed film by Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Wedding Party) has the quality of a mournful fable, transcending some awkward passages and didactic limitations that arise from expanding the original short story by Annie Proulx. (The screenplay is by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana.) With the most compelling use of western scenery since the salad days of John Ford, the film evokes the old mythos of the American West, ingrained in the American ideology of proud individualism as it operates its oppressive, semi-delusional effects on the movie’s two young men over the lifetime of a relationship that grows disturbing, frustrating, and, ultimately, deeply tragic. As the character most expanded from the original story, Jake Gyllenhaal makes the most of his uneven opportunities, more than many young actors could have. But Heath Ledger’s Ennis occupies the center of the movie, in a surprisingly accomplished performance: Much of the movie’s impact depends on his apparent conviction and understated interpretive skill. With Randy Quaid, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams. (George Sax) Regal Quaker, Regal Transit (Sun and Weds only), Spotlight Theater of Warsaw (Fri-Sun, Tues-Weds)

CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962)—Like Night of the Living Dead, this is a classic of low-budget regional filmmaking from an industrial filmmaker (Herk Harvey) who, unlike George Romero, never made another movie. Candace Hilligoss stars as a woman who survives a car wreck but is trapped in a small town where she is haunted by apparitions. Tues 8 pm. Screening Room

FRIDAY THE 13^th (R, 1980)—Not the original slasher movie—that would be Hallowe’en—but the one that kicked off the endless wave of 1980s imitators. Fri 7:30 pm. Screening Room

NIAGARA (1953)—Marilyn Monroe’s last film before becoming a major star in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was this not-too-suspenseful thriller in which she plays a wife scheming to murder her husband (Joseph Cotton) while vacationing just a few miles north of Buffalo. With Jean Peters and Richard Allen. Directed by Henry Hathaway. Sat 7:30 pm. Screening Room

PAVEMENTS (NR) Documentary about the indie band Pavement, combining scripted and documentary scenes with songs from its 35-year history. Sat-Sun 11:30 am. North Park 

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (R, 1987) and UNCLE BUCK (PG, 1989)—A double shot of Johns Candy and Hughes for this week’s Retro Drive-In Tuesday double feature. Tues at dusk. Transit Drive-In

THEATER LOCATIONS AND WEBSITES

AMC Maple Ridge, 4276 Maple Road, Amherst www.amctheatres.com

AMC Market Arcade, 639 Main Street, Buffalo www.amctheatres.com

Aurora Theater, 673 Main Street, East Aurora https://theauroratheatre.com/

Dipson Amherst, 3500 Main Street, Buffalo. www.dipsontheatres.com

Dipson Capitol Theater, 720 Builders Way, Niagara Falls www.dipsontheatres.com

Dipson Flix, 4901 Transit Road, Depew www.dipsontheatres.com

Dipson McKinley, 3701 McKinley Parkway, Hamburg www.dipsontheatres.com

Dunkirk Multiplex, 10520 Bennett Road, Dunkirk https://www.dunkirkmultiplex.com/

Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center Cinema, 431 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo https://www.hallwalls.org/

Hamburg Palace, 31 Buffalo Street, Hamburg www.hamburgpalace.com

Joylan, 11 W. Main Street,, Springville https://joylantheater.com/

North Park, 1428 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo https://northparktheatre.org/

Regal Elmwood, 2001 Elmwood Avenue., Buffalo https://www.fandango.com/

Regal Quaker Crossing, 3450 Amelia Drive, Orchard Park https://www.fandango.com/

Regal Transit, 6707 Transit Road. Williamsville https://www.fandango.com/

Regal Walden Galleria, Galleria Mall, Cheektowaga https://www.fandango.com/

The Screening Room, Boulevard Mall Amherst www.screeningroom.net

Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, 23 S Main Street, Warsaw www.thespotlighttheaters.com/

Squeaky Wheel, Tri-Main Center, 2495 Main Street, Suite 310, Buffalo https://squeaky.org/

 Transit Drive-In Theatre, 6655 S. Transit Road, Lockport https://www.transitdrivein.com