Film Focus for the Week of Oct. 11-17, 2024
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Film Focus for the Week of Oct. 11-17, 2024

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By M. Faust

OPENING THIS WEEK:

THE BUFFALO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL The 17th edition has expended to a full week. Screenings will take place at the North Park, Hallwalls, Buffalo Toronto Public Media and Journey’s End Cinema, with panels, parties and other events scattered the 716. Get the full schedule here. 

THE APPRENTICE (R) Drama about the early years of Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) as he was tutored by Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), the lawyer who began his horrifying career as chief counsel to Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Directed by Ali Abbasi. AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

BLINK (PG) From National Geographic, a documentary about a family that goes on a world sight-seeing tour after learning that three of their children will soon go blind due to retinitis pigmentosa. Directed by Daniel Roher and Edmund Stenson. Regal Quaker, Regal Transit

JIGRA (NR) Hindi-language action thriller film about a woman’s attempts to break her unjustly imprisoned brother out of a foreign jail. Starring Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina. Directed by Vasan Bala. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

LOOK BACK (NR) Anime about two schoolchildren who bond over a shared love of drawing. Directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama. Regal Elmwood

MY HERO ACADEMIA: YOU’RE NEXT (PG-13) Anime sequel. Directed by Tensai Okamura. AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

NOSFERATU WITH RADIOHEAD: A SILENTS SYNCED FILM (NR) The classic 1923 German horror film paired with music from the Radiohead albums “KID A” and “Amnesiac.” Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

PIECE BY PIECE (PG) Biography of musician Pharrell Williams rendered in Lego animation. Directed by Morgan Neville (The Saint of Second Chances). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

SATURDAY NIGHT (R) The early days of Saturday Night Live, which you youngsters may be surprised to learn once did not suck. Starring Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cooper Hoffman, Lamorne Morris, Willem Dafoe and J.K. Simmons. Directed by Jason Reitman (Ghostbusters: Afterlife). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY (PG-13) Documentary about the actor who gained fame as the comic book hero until he was paralyzed in a horseriding accident. Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

TERRIFIER 3 (NR) Horror sequel. Caveat emptor: It’s two hours and five minutes long. Starring Lauren LaVera, David Howard Thornton, Jason Patric, Daniel Roebuck, and Samantha Scaffidi. Directed by Damien Leone. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade , Dipson Capitol , Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-in (Fri-Sat only)

TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993, PG) Re-issue of the two-holiday puppet animated film that, contrary to what you might expect from the title, was actually directed by Henry Selick (Coraline).  AMC Market Arcade, Dipson McKinley, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-in (Fri-Sat only)

VICKY VIDYA KA WOH WALA VIDEO (NR) Hindi-language film whose plot sounds like a ripoff of the comedy Sex Tape. Starring Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri. Directed by Raaj Shaandilyaa. Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit

NOW PLAYING: 

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (PG-13) Sequel. Starring Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, Danny DeVito and Burn Gorman. Directed by Tim Burton. 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). Read M. Faust’s review here.

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (R) The MCU answer to Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Leslie Uggams and a whole buncha superhero cameos. Directed by Shawn Levy (The Adam Project). Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX (R) Sequel. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Steve Coogan. Directed by Todd Phillips (Starsky & Hutch). Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Hamburg Palace, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-in (Fri-Sat only)

LEE (R) Kate Winslet as the American photographer and war correspondent Lee Miller, who battled personal demons as she reported on World War II. Featuring Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, Marion Cotillard, Josh O’Connor, and Andy Samberg. The feature directorial debut of cinematographer Ellen Kuras (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Spotlight Theater of Warsaw  Read the review by Sarah T. Schwab here. 

MEGALOPOLIS (R) Francis Ford Coppola put four decades and $100+ million of his own money into this futuristic epic reimaging ancient Rome as a new American utopia on the brink of ruination. The cast includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter and Dustin Hoffman. Regal Quaker Read the review by M. Faust here. 

MONSTER SUMMER (PG-13) For the Stranger Things crowd. Bad sign: no preview screenings anywhere. Starring Mason Thames, Lorraine Bracco, Mel Gibson and Kevin James. Directed by David Henrie (This Is the Year). Regal Quaker

MY OLD ASS (R) On her 18th birthday, a young woman (Maisy Stella) gets an unexpected visit from her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza). Directed by Megan Park (The Falllout). Regal Quaker, Regal Transit

SPEAK NO EVIL (R) Two couples who met on vacation have a less enjoyable time when they meet up at home in this Blumhouse adaptation of the 2022 Danish film. Starring James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, and Scoot McNairy. Directed by James Watkins (The Woman in Black). AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

THE SUBSTANCE (R) Horror film starring Demi Moore as an aging celebrity who takes a black-market cell-replicating drug to make her appear younger. Gee, do you suppose there could by any negative side effects? Co-starring Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat (Revenge). AMC Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-in (Fri-Sat only)

TRANSFORMERS ONE (PG) Animated origin story, because that’s how they keep these franchises pumping away. With the voices of Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson and Keegan-Michael Key. Directed by Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-in (Fri-Sat only)

WHITE BIRD (PG-13) In France during World War II, a Jewish girl is sheltered by the family of a polio-stricken boy who had been derided by her classmates. Starring Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Helen Mirren, Gillian Anderson, and Bryce Gheisar. Directed by Marc Foster (Monsters Ball). Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit Read M. Faust’s review here

THE WILD ROBOT (PG) Pixar animation adapted from the popular children’s books about a robot stranded on an island and the animals it befriends. Of course they are talking animals, providing voice work for Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy and Stephanie Hsu. Directed by Chris Sanders (The Croods). AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-in (Fri-Sat only)

ETC.

ALICE, SWEET ALICE (1982)—Best known as the film debut of a young Brooke Shields, this religious-themed thriller stars Paula E. Sheppard (Liquid Sky) as a girl suspected of murdering her sister and other parishioners in her New Jersey town. Shown on video in cut form as Communion and Holy Terror, this restored version is worth a look for horror buffs. Tues 7:30pm. Screening Room

IT COMES AT NIGHT (2017, R)—Not your standard issue zombie movie: in this apocalyptic near future, the dead (killed by a plague) are less a problem than the living. Joel Edgerton stars as a father who struggles to keep his wife and teenaged son safe from the mysterious disease in a secluded farmhouse. He decides to share the house with another family, but can any of them be sure that the others are disease free? It’s a handsome low-budget effort, and cinematographer Drew Daniels squeezes atmosphere from the dim interior of the lantern-lit setting. Co-starring Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo and Riley Keough. Directed by Trey Edward Shults. Regal Quaker, Tues 7:30 pm

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (PG-13, 1986)—Megabudget musical adaptation of Roger Corman’s microbudgeted 1960 comedy about a Skid Row loser (Rick Moranis) who raises a man-eating plant. With Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, Jim Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest, Bill Murray and the voice of Levi Stubbs; look fast for Michael Shannon as a TV reporter. Directed by Frank Oz, aka the voice of Miss Piggy. Sat 7;30 pm. Screening Room

PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959) and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)—Two peculiarly American film classics, linked only by their minimal budgets. Ed Wood’s Plan 9 film is hardly the “worst movie ever made,” but it is one of the most entertaining bad ones, with its risible dialogue, cardboard sets, stock footage, and overripe acting from an assortment of Hollywood wannabes. George Romero’s Dead, on the other hand, is a masterpiece of shocking no-budget verisimilitude: it’s just as effective as it was when it first leaked into drive-ins a quarter century ago, as long as you can see it with an audience not intent on making a joke of it. Thurs 7 pm. Screening Room

Roger Corman Double Feature: THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960) and A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1959)—Working fast and cheap on leftover sets, Roger Corman made these cult classic black comedies in a few days each. More money would not have made them any better than they are, lesson Hollywood will probably never learn . Fri 7:30 pm. Screening Room

THEATER LOCATIONS AND WEBSITES

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