Buffalo Movies: Your guide to new films and movies playing in a theater near you.

(Above: “Shaun The Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.” Image via IMDB.com).

By M. Faust

OPENING THIS WEEK:

DAAYRA (CIRCLE) (NR) Hindi language crime thriller, and that’s all I know about it. Starring Kareena Kapoor and Prithviraj Sukumaran. Directed by Meghna Gulzar. Regal Elmwood

EXHIBITION ON SCREEN: JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER (NR) Continuing the series of documentaries exploring the work of great painters. North Park

GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995, NR) For its 30^th anniversary, a new 4K restoration of the anime classic. Directed by Mamoru Oshii. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

KWAIDAN (1963, NR) Restored 183-minute version of the classic anthology of supernatural tales, widely considered one of the greatest Japanese films ever made. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi (The Human Condition), North Park

THE MUSICAL (NR) Dark comedy about a misfit teacher who uses the school musical as a vehicle to enact revenge against the principal who is now dating his ex. Starring Will Brill, Gillian Jacobs, and Rob Lowe. Directed by Giselle Bonilla. Regal Quaker, Regal Transit

RESIDENT EVIL (R) Second reboot of the perennial zombie video game. Starring Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser. Directed by Zach Cregger (Weapons). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sun only)

SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM (PG) Third theatrical feature from the “Wallace & Gromit” spin-off series. With the voices of Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, and Kate Harbour. Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker. Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sun only)

SUNNY DANCER (NR) British comedy/drama set at a summer camp for young people with cancer. Starring Bella Ramsey, Daniel Quinn-Toye, Ruby Stokes, and Neil Patrick Harris. Directed by George Jaques (Black Dog). Market Arcade

TINY FUGITIVES (R) Comedy about a group of 12-year-olds planning to run away and spend their lives at their favorite sleepaway camp. In their way: psycho counselor Johnny Knoxville. Directed by Michael Lewen (Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between). Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

VIBE (NR) Hindi action comedy about two ordinary guys enlisted in a plot to protect India from terrorists. Starring Preity Zinta, Sparsh Shrivastava, and Kunal Khemu, who also directed. Regal Elmwood

THE WEIGHT (R) Depression era drama starring Ethan Hawke as a prisoner desperate to be reunited with his daughter. With Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, and Avi Nash. Directed by Padraic McKinley. AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

WITHOUT BLOOD (NR) Angelina Jolie directed and co-wrote with Alessandro Baricco this adaptation of Baricco’s novella about a woman struggling to come to grips with a childhood experience with war. Starring Salma Hayek, Demián Bichir, and Juan Minujín. Regal Transit

NOW PLAYING:

AKIRA (1988, R) 4K re-release of the Japanese cyberpunk epic that is generally credited with introducing anime to America. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. North Park

BUDDY (R) Horror comedy in which a group of 1950s kids are trapped inside a world run by a malevolent version of their favorite TV show host. Starring Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, and the voices of Keegan-Michael Key, Patton Oswalt, and Michael Shannon. Directed by Casper Kelly. Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

BY ANY MEANS (R) Crime drama based on a true story about a Mafia hitman (Mark Wahlbeg) who teams up with an FBI agent (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) to investigate the murders of civil rights workers in 1960s Mississippi. With Nicole Beharie, Giancarlo Esposito, Josh Lucas, David Strathairn, and Ethan Embry. Directed by Elegance Bratton (The Inspection). AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Walden Galleria

COYOTE VS. ACME (PG) Rescued from the limbo of being abandoned by its studio for a tax write-off, a live action/animation combination in which Wile E. Coyote sues the company that sold him endless gadgets that did not help him catch the Road Runner. Starring Will Forte, Lana Condor, John Cena, Tone Bell, and Luis Guzmán. Directed by Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sun only)

THE END OF OAK STREET (PG-13) J.J. Abrams produced this Spielberg-ish fantasy adventure that catapults a suburban street into a land inhabited by dinosaurs. Starring Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, and P.J. Byrne. Directed by David Robert Mitchell (It Follows). Regal Quaker, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sun only)

THE FIX (R) Liam Neeson kicks butt in Tehran after the end of the war in Afghanistan. With Zachary Levi, Annet Mahendru, and Grant Harvey. Directed by Guy Moshe (LX 2048). Regal Transit

HANUMAN ANSH (FRAGMENT OF HANUMAN) (NR) First of a projected trilogy of biopics about the Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba. Starring Shobhit Srivastava and Chandan Anand. Directed by Dr. Vishal Chaturvedi. Regal Elmwood

HOPE (R) Small town police battle a giant monster in this Korean sci-fi/comedy epic. Starring Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender. Directed by Na Hong-jin (The Wailing). Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER (PG-13) Horror sequel, number six if you’re counting. Starring Amelia Eve, Brandon Perea, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, and Lin Shaye. Directed by Jacob Chase (Bad Boy). AMC Maple Ridge, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sun only)

OASIS: DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER (R) Documentary about the recent reunion tour of the notorious Britpop band. They must drop a lot of F bombs to have received an “R” rating. Directed by Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern, who have also chronicled Blur and LCD Soundsystem. Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (PG) For the kids. With the voices of Mckenna Grace, Fortune Feimster, Terry Crews, Jameela Jamil, Snoop Dogg, and Jennifer Hudson. Directed by Cal Brunker. Dipson Flix, Regal Quaker

THE ODYSSEY (R) Christopher Nolan’s epic adaptation of the Greek epic detailing the return voyage of King Odysseus after the Trojan War. Starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron. AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

PRACTICAL MAGIC 2 (PG-13) Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, and Stockard Channing return in this sequel to the 1998 film. Directed by Susanne Bier (In a Better World). AMC Maple Ridge, Aurora Theatre, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Hamburg Palace, Joylan, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sun only)

RUNNER (PG-13) Alan Ritchson as a former soldier battling a drug cartel to deliver a medical package needed to save the life of a young girl. With Owen Wilson and Leila George. Directed by Scott Waugh (Expend4bles). Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (PG-13) Tom Holland’s fourth appearance as the perennial Marvel comics superhero. With Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, and Marisa Tomei. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sun only)

TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA (R) Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow) wrote and directed this queer tribute to/update of slasher movies that opened the Cannes Film Festival. Starring Hannah Einbinder, Gillian Anderson, Jack Haven, and Patrick Fischler. Market Arcade

THE UPRISING (R) Paul Greengrass (United 93, Captain Phillips) wrote and directed this historical drama about the 1381 peasants’ tax revolt in England Starring Andrew Garfield, Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander, and Jonny Lee Miller. AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

ETC.

12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013, R) Adaptation of the memoirs of a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the 1800s. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, Alfre Woodard, and Brad Pitt. Directed by Steve McQueen (Shame). Tues only – see individual theaters for show times. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976, PG) The Oscar-winning drama about the Washington Post investigative team that picked open the Watergate scandal is a film that you should see, not so much because it shows that a president can be brought to account for his crimes, but because it demonstrates the rigor that a real newspaper brings to reporting stories of national significance. Starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Hal Holbrook, Jason Robards, Jane Alexander and Ned Beatty. Directed by Alan J. Pakula (The Parallax View). Sun 2 pm, Weds 7:30 pm. Market Arcade

BATMAN (1989, PG-13) Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Tim Burton, Prince, you know this one. Sat 7 pm. Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix

BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017, R) Given what he’s done with the Alien franchise in recent years, we can all be thankful that Ridley Scott was not the director of this long in coming sequel to the 1982 classic. Ryan Gosling stars as a replicant blade runner tasked with tying up some loose ends in the Rick Deckard case. Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) directs with a proper balance of respect for the original and a vision of his own, taking advantage of the best of modern cinema technology. With Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, and Jared Leto. Sat only – see individual theaters for show times. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT (2017) A box office failure when it was released in 1982 to an audience expecting another Star Wars, Ridley Scott’s vision of the future is now considered one of the top science-fiction films. The impressive art direction is by Buffalo native David L. Snyder. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, and Brion James. Sat only – see individual theaters for show times. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

CREED (2015, PG-13) Writer-director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) resurrects Rocky Balboa for this spin-off film focusing on the illegitimate son (Michael B. Jordan) of Apollo Creed. Sun only – see individual theaters for show times. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

CRUISING (1980, R) William Friedkin’s once notorious thriller starring Al Pacino as a cop who goes undercover in Manhattan’s gay S&M scene. With Paul Sorvino, Joe Spinell, and Karen Allen. Sat 2 pm, Mon 7:30 pm. Market Arcade

KISS KISS, BANG BANG (2005, R) The directorial debut of the once overhyped screenwriter Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight) is less a parody of the Raymond Chandler Los Angeles detective genre than a straight adaptation with a genial frosting of mockery. As a thief-turned-actor and the gay detective he’s been assigned to study, Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer have terrific chemistry, though it’s Downey’s cliché-spotting narration that is the most enjoyable part. Co-starring Michelle Monaghan, Corbin Bernsen and Larry Miller. Fri 10 pm. Market Arcade

OUT OF SIGHT (1998, R) Director Steven Soderbergh’s first foray into the mainstream was this stylish adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel starring George Clooney as a bank robber and Jennifer Lopez as the U.S. Marshal on his trail. With Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Dennis Farina, Nancy Allen, Steve Zahn, Catherine Keener, and Albert Brooks. Mon only – see individual theaters for show times. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

ROOM (2015, R) Brie Larson won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role here as a mother raising a seven-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) in the same small room where he was born, while trying to keep him unaware of the dark nature of their existence. Directed by Lenny Abrahamson (Frank). Thurs only – see individual theaters for show times. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

THE LIBRARIANS (2025, NR)– Award-winning documentary about the efforts of librarians to resist censorship attempts. Presented by the Beyond Boundaries series, the screening, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a panel discussion. Directed by Kim A. Snyder (Newtown). Thurs 6:30 pm. Burchfield Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave. 

ZODIAC (2007, R) David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club) directed this thriller about the hunt for the San Francisco area killer who taunted the police with letters to the newspapers in the late 1960s. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch and Chloë Sevigny. Fri only – see individual theaters for show times. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

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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, 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