Film Focus: Disney’s ‘Hamilton,’ another ‘The Conjuring’ among openings
Buffalo Movies: What is showing where in WNY theaters
By M. Faust
(Image above: (L-R) Chris Jackson and Lin-Manuel Miranda in ‘Hamilton,‘ Photo Credit: Lin-Manuel Miranda © 2020 Lin-Manuel Miranda and Nevis Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.)
OPENING THIS WEEK:
BAAGHI 4 (NR) Big budget Hindi language action sequel. Starring Sonam Bajwa, Tiger Shroff and Sanjay Dutt. Directed by Harsha. Regal Elmwood
THE BENGAL FILES (NR) Historical drama arguing that incidents of extreme violence in Bengal in the 1940s were actually part of a genocidal conspiracy. Starring Eklavya Sood, Anupam Kher and Mithun Chakraborty. Directed by Vivek Agnihotri. Regal Elmwood
THE CONJURING: LAST RITES (R) Sequel. Starring Vera Farmiga Patrick Wilson and Elliot Cowan. Directed by Michael Chaves (The Nun II). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Angola (closed Tues-Weds), Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sun only)
EVERYTHING TO ME (NR) Looking back on her youth in the 1990s, a woman recalls how her life was shaped by her obsession with Steve Jobs. Starring Victoria Pedretti, Judy Greer, Abigail Donaghy, and Eliza Donaghy. Directed by Kayci Lacob. Regal Quaker, Regal Transit
GHAATI (NR) A woman living in the Eastern Ghats region is forced to participate in ganja smuggling through the treacherous mountains. Starring Jagapathi Babu, Jisshu Sengupta and Anushka Shetty. Directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi. Regal Elmwood
THE GLASSWORKER (NR) Pakistan’s official submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar is a hand-drawn animation about a young craftsman who life is upset when his country goes to war. Directed by Usman Riaz. Regal Quaker, Regal Transit
HAMILTON (2020) (PG-13) Theatrical premiere of the filmed recording of the original Broadway show that was first broadcast in 2020. In other words, not a film adaptation. Starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs, Phillipa Soo, Anthony Ramos, Jasmine Cephas Jones and Okieriete Onaodowan. Directed by Thomas Kail. AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria
THE LEGEND OF HEI 2 (NR) Anime sequel. Directed by Jie Gu and Mtjj. Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria
LURKER (R) An LA loner infiltrates the life of an up-and-coming singer in this Sundance hit. Starring Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Havana Rose Liu, and Sunny Suljic. Directed by Alex Russell. Regal Quaker
MADHARASI (NR) Tamil action drama about an ordinary man who tries to stand up to illegal arms distributors. Starring Sanjay Dutt, Vidyut Jammwal and Rukmini Vasanth Directed by A.R. Murugadoss. Regal Elmwood
MEHAR (NR) Punjabi-language drama about a father seeking to reclaim his dignity after a series of setbacks. Starring Raj Kundra, Geeta Basra and Savita Bhatti. Directed by Rakesh Mehta. Regal Elmwood
SPLITSVILLE (R) Domestic comedy about the members of two broken couples seeking their futures in polyamory. Starring Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona, Kyle Marvin, Michael Angelo Covino, and Nicholas Braun. Directed by Michael Angelo Covino (The Climb). Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria
THE THREESOME (R) Yes, that is exactly what it’s about. Jonah Hauer-King, Zoey Deutch and Ruby Cruz are the twentysomethings dealing with the aftereffects of an impulsive night. Directed by Chad Hartigan (Morris From America). Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria
TWINLESS (R) Psychological drama about a young man’s struggles to adapt after his twin brother dies. Starring Dylan O’Brien, James Sweeney, Lauren Graham, and Aisling Franciosi. Directed by James Sweeney (Straight Up). Regal Quaker
UDAIPUR FILES: KANHAIYA LAL TAILOR MURDER (NR) Controversial Hindi drama based on the true story of a tailor murdered by extremists after a social media post they objected to. Starring Rajneesh Duggal, Preeti Jhangiani and Ahsan Khan. Directed by Bharat S. Shrinate and Jayant Sinha Regal Elmwood
NOW PLAYING:
THE BAD GUYS 2 (PG) Animated sequel. With the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina, Colin Jost, Natasha Lyonne, Richard Ayoade, and Alex Borstein. Directed by Pierre Perifel. AMC Market Arcade, Aurora, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sun only)
CAUGHT STEALING (R) Austin Butler as a NYC bartender who gets into trouble with competing gangsters after agreeing to watch his neighbor’s cat. Co-starring Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Bad Bunny, Griffin Dunne, and Carol Kane. Directed by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Mon only)
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS (PG-13) The beginning of Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Which either means something to you or it doesn’t. Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss‑Bachrach and Julia Garner. Directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sun only)
FREAKIER FRIDAY (PG) Sequel to the 2003 remake of the 1976 Disney comedy. Reportedly the cast all play age-appropriate roles. Starring Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chad Michael Murray, and Mark Harmon. Directed by Nisha Ganatra (Late Night). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Mon only)
HIGHEST 2 LOWEST (R) Spike Lee’s remake of the Akira Kurosawa police drama High to Low, starring Denzel Washington as a businessman facing a moral dilemma when kidnappers mistakenly take a friend’s child instead of his own. With Ilfenesh Hadera and Jeffrey Wright. Dipson Capitol
JAWS: 50TH ANNIVERSARY (PG) Advance information for this one has been pretty vague. Something about a fish, I gather. Starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw and Murray Hamilton. Directed by Stephen Spielberg (1941), AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Mon only)
JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH (PG-13) Illustrating Joe Bob Briggs’ law of sequels: When you make a sequel, it should be as much as possible the exact same movie as all the others. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, and Rupert Friend. Directed by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story). Transit Drive-In (Fri-Mon only)
LILO & STITCH (PG) Another live-action remake of a Disney animated movie. 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). Spotlight Theater of Warsaw
LOKAH – CHAPTER 1: CHANDRA (NR) A young woman becomes a superhero in this Indian fantasy adventure. Starring Tovino Thomas, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Arun Kurian. Directed by Dominic Arun. Regal Elmwood
THE NAKED GUN (PG-13) Slapstick comedy series rebooted to give 73-year-old Liam Neeson a break from having to run around in action movies. With Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser and Danny Huston. Directed by former SNL writer Akiva Schaffer. Regal Quaker, Regal Transit
NOBODY 2 (R) The return of Bob Odenkirk as an assassin turned suburban dad. Remember when they only made sequels to hit movies? With Christopher Lloyd, Connie Nielsen, Sharon Stone and RZA. Directed by Timo Tjahjanto (The Shadow Strays). Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria
PARAM SUNDARI (NR) The romance between a young couple from different regions of India sparks waves of culture clash. Starring Sidharth Malhotra, Janhvi Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor. Directed by Tushar Jalota. Regal Elmwood
THE ROSES (R) Remake of the classic 1988 divorce comedy The War of the Roses. I will try hard to keep an open mind about this, but it won’t be easy. Starring Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kate McKinnon, Andy Samberg and Allison Janney. Directed by Jay Roach (Meet the Fockers). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, North Park, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria
SUPERMAN (PG-13) Director James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) takes over the task of trying to turn the original superhero into a studio tentpole. Starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Bradley Cooper, Skyler Gisondo, and Wendell Pierce. Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In
THE TOXIC AVENGER (R) Remake of the 1984 Troma movie about a janitor turned into a superhero by toxic waste. Starring Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay and Taylour Paige. Directed by Macon Blair. Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Mon only)
WEAPONS (R) A community slowly unravels after all the local third graders except one disappear overnight. Starring Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, and Alden Ehrenreich. Directed by Zach Cregger (Barbarian). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Hamburg Palace, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive In
ETC:
CATS DON’T DANCE (1997, G)—Gene Kelly was an advisor on the dance sequences for this this clever animated comedy. The history of racial prejudice in Hollywood is the subtext of a story about talented animals who aren’t allowed to use their gifts in the movies. TCM buffs will enjoy the numerous references to classic Hollywood films. Songs by Randy Newman. Sat-Sun 11:30 am. North Park
JAWS: 50TH ANNIVERSARY 4K RESTORATION (1975, PG)—Sure, it’s playing at every other theater in town, but this is the only place you can see it introduced by filmmaker/educator Gregory Lamberson. Reservations suggested. Fri, Tues 7:30 pm. Screening Room
NOSFERATU (Germany, 1922)—F. W. Murnau’s uncredited adaptation of Dracula is one of the great early examples of German expressionism in film, as well as being a properly creepy little tale. This presentation will include a drag/burlesque performance (adults only) as part of a shadowcast with the Francis Bacon Experiment. Sat 8 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
- Angola Theatre, 72 N. Main St., Angola, NY
- 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 CLOSED
- 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
