July 11-17, 2025

By M. Faust

(Above: Superman (2025) via IMDB).

OPENING THIS WEEK: 

ABRAHAM’S BOYS: A DRACULA STORY (R) Psychological horror story set in the old west circa 1914, where Abraham van Helsing takes his family to get away from the traumas caused by his encounters with Dracula. Starring Titus Welliver, Brady Hepner, Judah Mackey and Jocelin Donahue. Directed by Natasha Kermani (Lucky). Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

CASINO (1995, R) Martin Scorsese’s follow-up to Goodfellas starring Robert DeNiro as a Las Vegas casino manager at the height of the mob’s influence in that city. With Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, Frank Vincent, James Woods, Alan King and Dick Smothers. North Park

THE DAY OF THE JACKAL (1973, PG) Original screen version of the Frederick Forsyth thriller starring Edward Fox as the professional hit man out to assassinate Charles de Gaulle and Michael Lonsdale as the Paris cop on his trail. Directed by Fred Zinneman (High Noon). North Park

DIABOLIK (2021, NR) The first in a trilogy of Italian films adapted from the long-running fumetti neri series about the adventures of a master thief. Starring Luca Marinelli, Miriam Leone, Valerio Mastandrea and Alessandro Roja. Directed by the Manetti Bros. North Park

MAALIK (NR) Hindi gangster drama following the rise of a petty thief in the urban underworld. Starring Rajkummar Rao, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Manushi Chhillar, Directed by Pulkit. Regal Elmwood

SKILLHOUSE (NR) Horror satire with a cast of social media influencers trapped in a house where they must publish or die—literally. Starring 50 Cent, Bryce Hall, Hannah Stocking, and Neal McDonough. Directed by Josh Stolberg (The Hungover Games). Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

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. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Angola (closed Tues-Weds), Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive In

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:

28 YEARS LATER (R) Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland are both back for this sequel to 28 Days Later in which a survivor of the plague journeys from his safe island to the mainland to see what has become of humanity. Starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

40 ACRES (R) After an apocalyptic plague kills all animal life, a black family tries to survive on an isolated farm. Starring Danielle Deadwyler, Kataem O’Connor and Michael Greyeyes. Directed by R.T. Thorne. Regal Transit

BALLERINA (R) Ana de Armas as a trainee assassin in this John Wick spin-off. With Anjelica Houston, Gabriel Byrne, Ian McShane, Norman Reedus, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Keanu Reeves. Directed by Len Wiseman. Regal Quaker, Regal Transit

ELIO (PG) An imaginative kid gets to live out his dreams of space exploration in this new Pixar movie. With the voices of Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Remy Edgerly and Brad Garrett. AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

F1 THE MOVIE (PG-13) Brad Pitt as a Formula 1 driver. With Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Javier Bardem. Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive In

FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES (R) Horror sequel. Starring Tony Todd, Brec Bassinger, and Richard Harmon. Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein. Regal Walden Galleria 

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (PG) Another live action remake of an animated classic. See Lilo & Stitch for relevant snarky comment. Starring Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerald Butler and Nick Frost. Directed by Dean DeBlois, who also did the animated version. AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In

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). Aurora, AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Hamburg Palace, Joylan, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive In

KARATE KID: LEGENDS (PG-13) Another go at the perennial formula, this time with both Jackie Chan (from the 2010 remake) and Ralph Macchio (from the 1984 original). With Ben Wang and Joshua Jackson. Directed by Jonathan Entwistle (The End of the F***ing World). Regal Quaker

THE LIFE OF CHUCK (R) Critically acclaimed adaptation of a Steven King story looking at three periods in the life of an ordinary guy. Starring Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay, Benjamin Pajak, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Directed by Mike Flanagan (Absentia, Doctor Sleep). Regal Quaker

LILO & STITCH (PG) Another live-action remake of a Disney animated. 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). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In

M3GAN 2.0 (PG-13) Sequel to the 2023 film about a robot AI that goes out of control, here resurrected to combat a military clone. Starring Allison Williams, Jemaine Clement, and Violet McGraw. Directed by Gerard Johnstone (Housebound). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive In

MATERIALISTS (R) Celine Song, director of the celebrated Past Lives, makes her English-language debut with the romcom starring Dakota Johnson as a matchmaker torn between two suitors (Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans). Co-starring Zoë Winters and Marin Ireland. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (PG-13) Sequel. Expect Tom Cruise to show off his peculiar running stance a lot. With Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales and Angela Bassett. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie. Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

SARDAAR JI 3 (NR) Punjabi horror‑comedy sequel putting ghostbuster Jaggi (Diljit Dosanjh) to work in an ancient British castle. With Neeru Bajwa and Hania Aamir. Directed by Amar Hundal. Regal Elmwood

ETC.

THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972)—The original 1970s disaster movie. In one of his more ridiculous roles, Gene Hackman hams it up as a post—“God is Dead” priest egging a band of survivors out of an overturned luxury liner. With Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowall, Stella Stevens, Shelley Winters, Pamela Sue Martin, and Leslie Nielsen. Directed by Ronald Neame. Fri 7:30 pm Screening Room

STAND BY ME (1986, R) and THE OUTSIDERS (1983, PG)—Sensitive young 80’s guys explore their feelings in this week’s drive-in retro double feature. Tues 9:15 pm. Transit-Drive-In

VERTIGO (1958)—Guilt ridden over the death of a policeman and a woman he was hired to watch, James Stewart falls madly (literally) in love with a shopgirl (Kim Novak) who resembles the dead woman. With Barbara Bel Geddes, Henry Jones and Raymond Bailey. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Sat, Tues 7:30 pm Screening Room

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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

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