Film Focus for the week of Oct. 25-31, 2024
By M. Faust
OPENING THIS WEEK:
CONCLAVE (PG) Adaptation of the best-selling novel set during the Catholic Church’s secretive process to elect a new Pope. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Jacek Koman, Lucian Msamati, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini. Directed by Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Amherst, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria
LET’S START A CULT (NR) When the religious cult of which he was a member commits mass suicide without him, loser Chip (Stavros Halkias, who also wrote this comedy) decides to start one of his own. Directed by Ben Kitnick. Regal Transit
THE LINE (NR) Drama about a working class kid from Florida trying to fit in at a hard-partying college frat. Starring Alex Wolff, Bo Mitchell, Halle Bailey, John Malkovich, Cheri Oteri, Scoot McNairy and Denise Richards. Directed by Ethan Berger. Regal Elmwood
VENOM: THE LAST DANCE (PG)-13 MCU stuff. Starring Tom Hardy, Juno Temple, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Graham, Rhys Ifans and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Directed by Kelly Marcel. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Joylan, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sat only)
YOUR MONSTER (R) In this Beauty and the Beast variant, a Broadway actress is helped through a career setback by the monster that lived in her closet when she was a girl. Starring Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, and Meghann Fahy. Written and directed by Caroline Lindy. Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria
NOW PLAYING:
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. Dipson Amherst, Regal Transit
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 Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-in (Fri-Sat only). Read M. Faust’s review here.
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 Walden Galleria
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). Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sat only).
GOODRICH (R) Michael Keaton has to become Mr. Mom again and tend to the kids when their mom goes into rehab. Wow, where do they get these original ideas from? With Carmen Ejogo, Poorna Jagannathan and Mila Kunis. Directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer (Home Again). Regal Quaker, Regal Transit
HOCUS POCUS (1993, PG) Halloween reissue. With Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy. Directed by Kenny Ortega (High School Musical). Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-in (Fri-Sat only)
JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX (R) Sequel. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Steve Coogan. Directed by Todd Phillips (Starsky & Hutch). Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria
LONGLEGS (R) Nicolas Cage as a serial killer stalked by FBI agent Maika Monroe. With Blair Underwood and Alicia Witt. Directed by Oz Perkins (I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House). Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit
PIECE BY PIECE (PG) Biography of musician Pharrell Williams rendered in Lego animation. Directed by Morgan Neville (The Saint of Second Chances). Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria
SATURDAY NIGHT (R) A fictional recreation of the ninety minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Starring Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cooper Hoffman, Lamorne Morris, Willem Dafoe and J.K. Simmons. Directed by Jason Reitman (Ghostbusters: Afterlife). AMC Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit
SMILE 2 (R) Horror sequel. Starring Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, and Miles Gutierrez-Riley. Directed by Parker Finn (Smile). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-in (Fri-Sat only)
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). Regal Quaker
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). 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 Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, 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). Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, 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). Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-in (Fri-Sat only)
WE LIVE IN TIME (R) Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh star in this time shifting romance following a couple from their first meeting through one’s battles with cancer. Directed by John Crowley (Brooklyn). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Hamburg Palace, North Park, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria
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). Regal Quaker 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 Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Aurora, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-in (Fri-Sat only)
ETC.
HALLOWEEN (1978, R)—John Carpenter’s original slasher movie not only remains undiminished by the hordes of imitators it inspired, it looks like a small masterpiece of focused independent filmmaking in the wake of so many recent big studio remakes of 70s horror movies. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence and P.J. Fri-Sat 8 pm Transit Drive-in; Sat 9:30 pm, Thurs 8 pm Screening Room
HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH (1982, R)—A mad scientist plans to use specially engineered Halloween costumes to take over the children of the world. A moderately entertaining horror movie, co-written by John Carpenter and Nigel Kneale, that never got an audience because viewers hated that it was not, as the title might lead you to suspect, about the further adventures of Michael Myers. Starring Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, and Dan O’Herlihy. Fri 9:30 pm, Mon 7:30 pm. Screening Room
HEREDITARY (2018, R)— Writer-director Ari Aster’s feature debut stars Toni Collete in what may be the best performance of her career as a woman trying to help her children cope with the death of their grandmother, a woman that she hated. Most of what seems to be ambiguous and mysterious about the movie is revealed to be misdirection in a finale that is not only unpleasant (OK, it is a horror movie) but also unsatisfying and at least a bit ludicrous. With Gabriel Byrne and Alex Wolff Tues 7 pm. Regal Quaker
THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959, NR)—Eccentric millionaire Vincent Price offers five people $10,000 each if they can spend the night in his haunted mansion. With Carolyn Craig, Richard Long, Elisha Cook Jr. and Carol Ohmart. Directed by William Castle (Mr. Sardonicus). Weds 7 pm. Screening Room
MIDSOMMAR: DIRECTOR’S CUT (2019, NR)—Ari Aster’s pastoral horror movie with an additional 30 minutes of footage, bringing it to nearly 3 hours. That’s too long for any horror film not directed by Stanley Kubrick, IMHO. Starring Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor. Thurs 9:30 pm. North Park
NOSFERATU (Germany, 1922)—F. W. Murnau’s uncredited adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula is one of the great early examples of German expressionism in film, as well as being a properly creepy little tale. Max Schreck made his way into film history entirely on the basis of the title role as the misshapen bloodsucker. Weds 9pm. Screening Room
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975, R)—Because it just wouldn’t be Halloween without Dr. Frank N. Furter prancing about somewhere. Do the Time Warp again! Fri 11 pm, Sun 11 am. Spotlight Theater of Warsaw
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974, PG)—Mel Brooks’ loving parody of classic Universal monster movies is his most consistent comedy. Some of the humor is forced, but if you can’t laugh at Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder, who also wrote the screenplay) and his monster (Peter Boyle) doing a soft-shoe to “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” there’s no hope for you. With Marty Feldman, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Gene Hackman and Cloris Leachman. Fri 7 pm, Sat 1, 4, 7 pm, Tues 7:30 pm, Thurs 5 pm
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 McKinley, 3701 McKinley Parkway, Hamburg www.dipsontheatres.com
- Dunkirk Multiplex, 10520 Bennett Road, Dunkirk
- Flix, 4901 Transit Road, Depew www.dipsontheatres.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 www.fandango.com
- Regal Quaker Crossing, 3450 Amelia Drive, Orchard Park www.fandango.com
- Regal Transit, 6707 Transit Road. Williamsville www.fandango.com
- Regal Walden Galleria, Galleria Mall, Cheektowaga www.fandango.com
- The Screening Room, Boulevard Mall Amherst www.screeningroom.net
- Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, 23 S Main Street, Warsaw www.thespotlighttheaters.com/
- Transit Drive-In Theatre, 6655 S. Transit Road, Lockport https://www.transitdrivein.com