Week of April 25-May 2, 2025

By M. Faust
(Image above: Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal in The Accountant 2)

OPENING THIS WEEK: 

THE ACCOUNTANT 2 (R) The return of Ben Affleck as a military-trained math savant who makes a living helping criminal groups hide their money. With Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, and J.K. Simmons. Directed by Gavin O’Connor, who helmed the original. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Aurora, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive In (Fri-Sat only)

CHEECH AND CHONG’S LAST MOVIE (R) Documentary charting the history of everyone’s favorite stoners. Directed by David Bushell. Dipson Amherst, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit

JONGLI (NR) Bangladeshi action-drama about a troubled and violent young man redeemed by his friendship with a young girl. Starring Siam Ahmed, Noireeta Hasin Roudromoyee, and Shabnam Bubly. Directed by M Raahim. Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit

THE LEGEND OF OCHI (PG) Fantasy adventure about a young girl braving a Carpathian forest to return to its community a baby primate that is the spitting image of a Mogwai from Gremlins. Starring Helena Zengel, Willem Dafoe, and Emily Watson. Directed by Isaiah Saxon. AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

ON SWIFT HORSES (R) Old fashioned Hollywood romantic epics were the model for this sweeping drama centering on a woman, her husband and his brother in 1950s Las Vegas. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poulter, and Diego Calva. Directed by Daniel Minahan. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

SARANGAPANI JATHAKAM (NR) Telugu-language comedy about a car salesman who is told by an astrologer that he will commit murder. Starring Priyadarshi Pulikonda, Vennela Kishore, Srinivas Avasarala. Directed by Mohana Krishna Indraganti. Regal Elmwood, Regal Walden Galleria

STAR WARS: EPISODE III – REVENGE OF THE SITH (PG-13) 20th anniversary re-release. Wow, has it really been that long since every junior high schooler was convulsed with laughter by the obvious anagram of “Sith”? Starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson and Jimmy Smits. Directed by George Lucas. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dunkirk Multiplex, Hamburg Palace, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

THUDARUM (NR) Malayalam-language comedy-drama starring Mohanlal as a rural cab driver who is framed by local police for an honor killing. With Arjun Ashokan and Shobana. Directed by Tharun Moorthy. Regal Elmwood

UNTIL DAWN (R) The answer to the question, what if you crossed a slasher movie with Groundhog Day? (I have no idea who is asking these questions.) Starring Ella Rubin, Odessa A’zion, Michael Cimino and Peter Stormare. Directed by David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Aurora, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive In (Fri-Sat only)

NOW PLAYING:

THE AMATEUR (PG-13) Rami Malek as an introverted CIA coder who goes rogue to avenge the death of his family. Co-starring Rachel Brosnahan, Laurence Fishburne and Caitríona Balfe. Directed by James Hawes (One Life). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND (PG-13) British comedy-drama about a lottery winner living on a secluded island who contrives a reunion between the two feuding members of his favorite band. Starring Tom Basden, Tim Key, Sian Clifford and Carey Mulligan. Directed by James Griffiths. Regal Quaker Read M. Faust’s review here.

BORBAAD (NR) Bangladeshi drama about a young man’s quest for vengeance on the woman who broke his heart. Starring Shakib Khan, Jisshu Sengupta, and Idhika Paul. Directed by Mehedi Hassan Hridoy. Regal Elmwood

DROP (PG-13) In this Blumhouse production, a widow (Meghann Fahy) goes out on a date only to have the evening disturbed by threatening text messages. With Brandon Sklenar and Violett Beane. Directed by Christopher Landon (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse). AMC Maple Ridge, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In

THE FRIEND (R) After the death of her best friend, a Manhattan writer is left with an unwelcome inheritance: his Great Dane. Starring Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, Sarah Pidgeon, Carla Gugino, and Tom McCarthy. Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel (Bee Season). Dipson Amherst Read M. Faust’s review here. 

A MINECRAFT MOVIE (PG) Video game adaptation. Starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Sebastian Hansen, and Jennifer Coolidge. Directed by Jared Hess (Nacho Libre). 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 (Fri-Sat only)

PRIDE & PREJUDICE (PG) 20th anniversary re-release of the luxuriantly sensual adaptation of Jane Austen’s famous 1813 novel of manners, morals, the marriage market and social status. Starring Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Donald Sutherland, Judi Dench and Brenda Blethyn. Directed by Joe Wright (Darkest Hour). Regal Quaker, Regal Transit

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. 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 (Fri-Sat only)

SNEAKS (PG) Animated adventures of a designer sneaker lost in New York City. With the voices of Anthony Mackie, Laurence Fishburne, Keith David, Martin Lawrence, and Macy Gray. Directed by Rob Edwards and Christopher Jenkins. AMC Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood

SNOW WHITE (PG) Another Disney live action remake of an animated feature. (Although in these days of CGI, “live action” doesn’t mean what it once did.) Starring Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and Andrew Burnap. Directed by Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man 2). Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria 

WARFARE (R) Former Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza co-wrote and directed this immersive drama set in real time about a sniper unit in an Iraqi household. Starring Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis and Kit Connor. Co-directed by Alex Garland (Civil War). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

THE WOMAN IN THE YARD (PG-13) In this Blumhouse horror entry, a woman (Danielle Deadwyler) living with her children in an isolated farmhouse faces a mysterious and malign presence. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Black Adam). AMC Market Arcade, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sat only)

A WORKING MAN (R) This year’s Jason Statham thriller. With Jason Flemyng, Merab Ninidze, Maximilian Osinski, and Michael Pena. Directed by David Ayer (The Beekeeper). Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sat only)

ETC.

ARMY OF DARKNESS (1992)—Sam Raimi’s third Evil Dead movie sends Ash (Bruce Campbell) back to medieval times, where he has to use his shrinking resources to battle the same demons. Raimi designed the movie as a parody of/tribute to the campy adventure movies of the sixties, and it really looks like the kind of lousy movie you might have seen at a Saturday matinee in 1962. It’s not a bad movie, it just looks like one, a distinction that was lost on most audiences when this was first released. Fri, Tues 7:30 pm. Screening Room

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