It’s a big week for fans of ’80s movies at area theaters.

By: M. Faust

NEW THIS WEEK:

BORDERLANDS (PG-13) Apparently in the mood to go slumming after her Oscar-nominated performance in Tár, Cate Blanchett stars in this video game adaptation that sounds more than a little like Guardians of the Galaxy. Co-starring Kevin Hart, Edgar Ramírez and Jamie Lee Curtis. Directed by Eli Roth (Hostel). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol Theatre, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In.

CUCKOO (R) Horror movie that kicks off when an American teenager is shipped off to live with her father and his new family at a resort in the German Alps. Starring Hunter Schafer, Jan Bluthardt and Marton Csokas. Directed by Tilman Singer (Luz). Dipson Capitol Theatre, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria.

IT ENDS WITH US (PG-13) Romantic drama with a dark edge, based on the best selling book by Colleen Hoover. Starring Blake Lively, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj and Justin Baldoni, who also directed. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Aurora, Dipson Amherst Theatre, Dipson Capitol Theatre, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw.

THE LAST FRONT (NR) During the World War I occupation of Belgium, a Flemish farmer (Iain Glen) seeks revenge for the shooting of his children. With Sasha Luss, David Calder and Joe Anderson. Directed by Julien Hayet-Kerknawi (Stolepark). Regal Quaker, Regal Transit.

WIDOW CLICQUOT (NR) British biodrama about the 18^th century Frenchwoman (Haley Bennett) who turned her inherited vineyard into one of the world’s leading Champagne houses. Co-starring Tom Sturridge, Sam Riley, Ben Miles, Natasha O’Keeffe and Nicholas Farrell. Directed by Thomas Napper (Baptiste). Dipson Amherst Theatre.

NOW PLAYING:

CATVIDEOFEST (NR) This year’s compilation of adorable cat videos. Can you imagine having the job of whittling down hundreds of these into two hours? North Park.

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

DESPICABLE ME 4 (PG) The usual gang is joined by Gru Jr. With the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Will Ferrell, Sofía Vergara, Steve Coogan, Stephen Colbert and Laraine Newman. Directed, as usual, by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol Theatre, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In.

THE FABULOUS FOUR (R) Four middle-aged women—two of whom haven’t spoken in 40 years—are reunited at a destination wedding in the Florida Keys. Will Lou (Susan Sarandon) and Marilyn (Bette Midler) bury the hatchet before the film ends? Sheryl Lee Ralph and Megan Mullally round out the quartet of stars who deserved a better script than this formulaic comedy offers them. (SS) Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse (Muriel’s Wedding). Regal Quaker, Regal Transit. Read Sarah Schwab’s Buffalo Hive review here.

HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON (PG) In this live action/animation mix, the now adult hero (Zachary Levi) of the beloved children’s book continues to use his crayon to refashion the world around him. Co-starring Lil Rel Howery, Zooey Deschanel, Benjamin Bottani, Jemaine Clement and the voice of Alfred Molina. Directed by Carlos Saldanha (Ice Age). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol Theatre, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw.

INSIDE OUT 2 (PG) In this sequel to the 2015 Pixar hit, the now-pubescent Riley adds a whole new slew of emotions to the horde rumbling around in her head. With the voices of Kensington Tallman, Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Ayo Edebiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol Theatre, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In.

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). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In. See the official trailer above.

A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE (PG-13) Prequel. No, none of it was shot in Buffalo. Starring Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou. Directed by Michael Sarnoski (Pig). Regal Elmwood, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In.

TRAP (PG-13) Josh Hartnett takes his teenaged daughter to a concert, not realizing that the crowd contains dozens of cops hunting a serial killer. Co-starring Hayley Mills and Alison Pil. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan (Knock at the Cabin). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol Theatre, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In.

TWISTERS (PG-13) The non-stop score of country music and the glaring absence of the phrase “climate change” say everything about the intended audience for this big-budget reboot. The special effects may be better than in the original Twister, but they’re also less effective, sorely lacking the iconic images of mile-high spinning storms that the 1996 movie used so effectively. And are Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell (whose perpetual smirk is the visual equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard) really what passes for movie stars these days? (MF) Directed by Lee Isaac Chung (Minari). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol Theatre, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In.

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ETC. 

BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985, PG) Accidentally sent back in time 30 years, teen Marty McFly has to make sure his parents get together when his future mom (Lea Thompson) falls in love with him. With Christopher Lloyd and Crispin Glover. Directed by Steven Spielberg protégé Robert Zemeckis (Used Cars). North Park Theatre.

DOCTOR DETROIT (1983, R) Dan Aykroyd as a milquetoast literature professor forced to moonlight as a pimp. Co-starring Howard Hesseman, Donna Dixon, Lynn Whitfield and Fran Drescher; look for Buffalo native Oliver Clark as a drunken lawyer. Directed by Michael Pressman (The Great Texas Dynamite Chase). North Park Theatre.

THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1973, G) Stop-motion effects master Ray Harryhausen wrote the story for this fantasy adventure designed to show off his work. Starring John Phillip Law, Caroline Munro, Tom Baker and Robert Shaw. Music by Miklos Rozsa. Directed by Gordon Hessler (Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park). Sat-Sun. North Park.

MAMMA MIA (2008, PG-13) Jukebox musical built around the songs of ABBA. Starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgård, Colin Firth, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd (The Iron Lady). Fri, Sat, Tues. The Screening Room.

SIROCCO AND THE KINGDOM OF THE WINDS (2023, NR) In this French animated film, two young girls are drawn into a fantasy kingdom when they open a book written by their babysitter. Directed by Benoît Chieux. Sun-Mon North Park.

THE SMALL BACK ROOM (1949, NR) In this relatively unseen World War II drama by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (A Matter of Life and Death), David Farrar stars as a bomb disposal expert whose alcoholism threatens to get in the way of his work. With Jack Hawkins, Michael Gough, Kathleen Byron, Cyril Cusack, Sidney James and Robert Morley, North Park Theatre.

STAND BY ME (R) and THE GOONIES (PG) This week’s retro eighties drive-in double feature. Tues dusk. Transit Drive-In.

STARMAN (1984, PG) Given the rest of his oeuvre, it’s not saying much to call this sci-fi romance John Carpenter’s most emotionally fulfilling movie: it may be the only one in which you care anything about the characters. When an alien visitor is injured after a crash landing in Wisconsin, he takes the form of a woman’s recently deceased husband in order to seek her help. Fine performances by Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen and Charles Martin Smith. Mon-Thurs. North Park. See the official trailer above.

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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

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

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M. Faust is a veteran film writer and a contributor to The Buffalo Hive.