Buffalo Movies: “Chungking Express” re-releases in 4K, “Supergirl” and more films hit Buffalo theaters. Film Focus is your guide to movies showing this weekend

(Above: Takeshi Kaneshiro and Brigitte Lin in Chungking Express (1994). © By me. via IMDB.com).

By M. Faust

OPENING THIS WEEK:

7 DOGS (R) From Saudi Arabia, a big-budget action movie about an Interpol agent and a gangster teaming up to take down a drug cartel. Starring Ahmed Ezz, Karim Abdel Aziz, Monica Bellucci, Nasser Al Qasabi, and Giancarlo Esposito. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Regal Elmwood

BLEACH: THOUSAND-YEAR BLOOD WAR—THE CALAMITY (NR) Feature spin-off of the long running anime series. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

CHUNGKING EXPRESS (1994, PG-13) Remastered 4K re-release of Wong Kar-Wai’s diptych of urban romances involving lovesick cops. Starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung and Faye Wong. North Park

CON CITY (NR) Tamil language comedy about a family that finds itself in possession of a machine that makes money, literally. Starring Akilan, Imman Annachi, and Aruldoss. Directed by Harish Durairaj. Regal Elmwood

COUTURE (R) Angelina Jolie stars in this French drama as a filmmaker who learns she has breast cancer while shooting a documentary on Paris’ Fashion Week.. With Louis Garrel, Ella Rumpf and Garance Marillier. Directed by Alice Winocour Regal Quaker Crossing

GREGG ALLMAN: THE MUSIC OF MY SOUL (NR) Documentary about the co-founder of the Alman Brothers Band. Directed by James Keach. North Park

JACKASS: BEST AND LAST (R) Old and new footage are combined for what is reportedly the last film in this franchise. Wanna bet we’ll be seeing Jackass: The Next Generation in a few years? With Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, and the other usuals. Directed by Jeff Tremaine. AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

LUCKY STRIKE (R) Based on a true story about an American soldier trapped behind German lines during the Battle of the Bulge. Starring Scott Eastwood, Colin Hanks, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Taylor John Smith. Directed by Rod Lurie (The Senior) Dipson Capitol, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Transit

SUPERGIRL (PG-13) DC steps up to the bat now that the Marvel franchises all seem played out. Starring Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet, and Jason Momoa. Directed by Craig Gillespie (Cruella). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (NR) Second sequel to the Hindi adaptation of Tropic Thunder. Starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Raveena Tandon, and Lara Dutta. Directed by Ahmed Khan. Regal Elmwood

NOW PLAYING:

BACKROOMS (R) Horror film adapted from an internet webseries and creepypasta. (Look it up – I had to.) Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, and Mark Duplass. Directed by Kane Parsons. AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In

COCKTAIL 2 (NR) Relax, it’s not a sequel to the worst Tom Cruise movie, just a Hindi rom-com that apparently has little to do with its 2012 predecessor. Starring Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, and Rashmika Mandanna. Directed by Homi Adajania. Regal Elmwood

THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD (R) A la The Dark Knight, an aging Robin Hood (High Jackman) reflects on his violent past after he is critically injured. Co-starring Jodie Comer, Bill Skarsgård, and Noah Jupe. Directed by Michael Sarnoski (Pig). Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, North Park, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 (PG-13) Sequel. Starring Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, and Stanley Tucci. Directed by David Frankel (Marley and Me). Regal Transit

DISCLOSURE DAY (PG-13) The secret is out about alien life on Earth in this new collaboration from Steven Spielberg and writer David Koepp (War of the Worlds, Jurassic Park). Starring Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Jane Blankenship, and Colman Domingo. Read M. Faust’s review of it here. AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

GIRLS LIKE GIRLS (R) First it was a hit single for Hayley Kiyoko, then she turned it into a book, and now it’s a movie. Recycle much? Starring Maya da Costa, Myra Molloy, Levon Hawke, and Zach Braff. Regal Elmwood, Regal Walden Galleria

LEVITICUS (R) From Australia, a horror movie about gay teens tormented by a demon summoned by their homophobic community. Starring Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Jeremy Blewitt, and Mia Wasikowska. Directed by Adrian Chiarella. Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

MAA INTI BANGAARAM (The Gold of Our Home) (NR) Telugu language drama. Says the distributor: “In a traditional household, a woman with a hidden past struggles to find acceptance. When danger from her former life resurfaces, she must protect the family that doubts her without revealing the truth.” Starring Samantha, Gulshan Devaiah, and Diganth Manchale. Directed by B. V. Nandini Reddy. Regal Elmwood

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE (PG-13) New fantasy adventure based on the Mattel toy. Starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Jared Leto, Alison Brie, Kristen Wiig, and Idris Elba. Directed by Travis Knight (Bumblebee). Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In

MICHAEL (PG-13) Jermaine Jackson’s son Jaafar plays his most famous uncle in a biopic that only goes up to the late 1980s. With Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller, and Colman Domingo. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day). Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria

OBSESSION (R) In a new variant on the classic story The Monkey’s Paw, a nerd is granted his wish for his childhood crush to become madly in love with him. Starring Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, and Cooper Tomlinson. Directed by Curry Barker (Milk & Serial). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In

PRESSURE (PG-13) Brendan Fraser stars as Dwight D. Eisenhower in the days preceding the D-Day invasion, an enormously complicated and risky military operation. Co-starring Andrew Scott, Kerry Condon, Chris Messina, and Damian Lewis. Directed by Anthony Maras (Hotel Mumbai). Regal Transit

SCARY MOVIE (R) The Wayans brothers return to spoofing horror movies with this reboot retread regurg whatev. The Wayans are joined by Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Kenan Thompson, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, and Heidi Gardner. Directed by Michael Tiddes (Fifty Shades of Black). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (PG-13) Umpteenth Star Wars sequel. Starring Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Brendan Wayne, and Sigourney Weaver. Directed by Jon Favreau (Cowboys & Aliens). Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In

TOY STORY 5 (PG) Sequel. The usual ensemble of voice actors (Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, et al.) is joined by Conan O’Brien, Scarlett Spears, Greta Lee, Shelby Rabara, Mykal-Michelle Harris, and Craig Robinson. Directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo). AMC Maple Ridge, Aurora Theatre, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Hamburg Palace, Joylan Theatre, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In Theatre

ETC. 

THE BOYS IN THE BAND (1970, R) A group of gay friends interact at a birthday party in what is essentially the first Hollywood film to concentrate on gay characters. Starring Kenneth Nelson, Leonard Frey, Cliff Gorman, and Laurence Luckinbill. Directed by William Friedkin (The French Connection). Market Arcade Sat 1 pm, Mon 7 pm

BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER (2000, R) A low-budget comedy that resembles the early films of John Waters in putting its off-center point of view across quickly and effectively. Natasha Lyonne is an All-American teenager who is stunned when her loving parents (Waters’ mainstay Mink Stole and Harold and Maude’s Bud Cort) ship her off to True Directions, a cheesy camp where the headmistress (Cathy Moriarty) promises to cure teens of incipient homosexuality. Of course, like prison, the camp actually encourages the very trait it claims to eradicate. Co-starring Clea DuVall and an out-of-drag RuPaul. Sun only. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria 

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (2017, NR)— James Ivory scripted this coming-of-age story set in an Italian villa where an intellectual young man (Timothée Chalamet) experiences first love with his father’s summer intern (Armie Hammer). With Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, and Esther Garrel. Directed by Luca Guadagnino (A Bigger Splash). Sat only. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria 

GLEN OR GLENDA? (1953, NR) Edward D. Wood’s first and most personal film, an astonishing defense of transvestitism made at a time when few people even knew such a thing existed. Wood’s sincerity makes the ineptitude, which often borders on the berserk, oddly endearing: you’ll be quoting bits of Bela Lugosi’s incoherent monologue (“Pull de schtring!”) for days afterward. Fri 10 pm. Market Arcade

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (2001, R) John Cameron Mitchell’s adaptation of his self-starring New York stage show uses music, narration and drama to tell the sad but comically surreal story of Hedwig, nee Handsel, an East German-born transsexual rock composer and diva. Even as it takes sly digs at Bowie and glam rock’s glitzy pretensions, it expertly recapitulates ’70s and ’80s popular music. Mon only. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria 

WRITTEN ON THE WIND (1956, NR) Fans of Douglas Sirk, master of the glossy Hollywood melodrama, consider this drama centered on the dysfunctional heirs of an oil magnate to be his magnum opus. Starring Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack, and Dorothy Malone. Sun 12:30, Weds 7 pm. Market Arcade

______________________________________

________________

THEATER LOCATIONS AND WEBSITES

AMC Maple Ridge, 4276 Maple Road, Amherst https://www.amctheatres.com/movie-theatres/buffalo/amc-maple-ridge-8

Angola Theatre, 72 N. Main St., Angola, NY https://angolatheatre.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

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/

Market Arcade, 639 Main St., Buffalo https://www.btmcinemas.com/our-locations/g0fz6-scene-one-market-arcade-cinemas/

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

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

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

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

Riviera Theater, 67 Webster Street, North Tonawanda https://rivieratheatre.org/

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

Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, 23 S Main Street, Warsaw https://www.spotlighttheater.com/movie-theater/warsaw

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