Film Focus: ‘Truth and Treason,’ ‘Black Phone 2’ and ‘Good Fortune’ in theaters this weekend
15 mins read

Film Focus: ‘Truth and Treason,’ ‘Black Phone 2’ and ‘Good Fortune’ in theaters this weekend

Buffalo Movies: What’s showing and where in WNY

(Above: Ewan Horrocks in Truth & Treason via IMDB).

By M. Faust

OPENING THIS WEEK: 

AFTER THE HUNT (R) Julia Roberts as a college professor who worries about her own future when a colleague is accused by a student. With Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Chloë Sevigny. Directed by Luca Guadagnino (Challengers). Dipson Amherst, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria

BISON (NR) A young man fights to overcome violence plaguing his village and succeed as a professional kabaddi player. Starring Dhruv Vikram, Anupama Parameswaran and Lal. Directed by Mari Selvaraj. Regal Elmwood

BLACK PHONE 2 (R) Horror sequel. Starring Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw Demián Bichir and Ethan Hawke as The Grabber. Directed by Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw

GOOD FORTUNE (R) Comedy starring Keanu Reeves as a guardian angel who switches the lives of a struggling gig worker and a venture capitalist to teach them life lessons, but then cannot switch them back. With Seth Rogan, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Aziz Anzari, who also directed. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In, Regal Elmwood

HALLOWEEN (R, 1978)—Restored re-release of John Carpenter’s original slasher movie. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence and P.J. Soles. North Park

MITHRA MANDALI (NR) Telugu-language comedy about a young misfit who falls in love with a politician’s daughter, bringing trouble to all his friends. Starring Niharika NM, Priyadarshi Pulikonda and VTV Ganesh. Directed by Vijayender S. Regal Elmwood

PETS ON A TRAIN (PG) From France, an animated comedy about anthropomorphic animals on a runaway train. Directed by Benoît Daffis and Jean-Christian Tassy. Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit

A SAVAGE ART: THE LIFE AND CARTOONS OF PAT OLIPHANT (NR) Documentary about the long career of the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist who, at his peak, was syndicated in 500 newspapers. Directed by Bill Banowsky. North Park

TELUSU KADA (NR) Telugu-language romantic comedy. Starring Raashi Khanna, Srinidhi Shetty, and Sidhu Jonnalagadda. Directed by Neeraja Kona. Regal Elmwood

TRUTH & TREASON (PG-13) When even his church tells him that he should be loyal to a political regime he knows to be corrupt, a teenage boy is faced with the costs of speaking the truth at a time when everyone he knows lives in fear. Did I mention that it’s set in Nazi Germany? Starring Ewan Horrocks, Rupert Evans, and Ferdinand McKay. Directed by Matt Whitaker. AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

URCHIN (NR) Frank Dillane was named Best Actor at Cannes for his portrayal of an addict living on the streets of London. With Diane Axford, Angela Bain, and Harris Dickinson, who also directed. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker

NOW PLAYING: 

ANEMONE (R) Daniel Day-Lewis emerges from retirement (c’mon, we all knew it was only a matter of time) to star in this drama he wrote with his son Ronan (who directed) about a guilt-ridden man who withdrew from his family to live alone in the woods. Co-starring Sean Bean, Samantha Morton, and Samuel Bottomley. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker

BONE LAKE (R) Horror thriller that begins when two couples are forced to share a vacation rental that they both booked. Starring Maddie Hasson, Marco Pigossi, Alex Roe, and Andra Nechita. Directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan. Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

THE BRIDE (CÔ DÂU MA) (NR) A young Vietnamese woman visiting the rural home of her rich Thai boyfriend is terrorized by a ghost bride holding dark secrets about her fiancé’s family. Starring Narupornkamol Chaisang, Rima Thanh Vy and Duangjai Hiransri. Directed by Lee Thongkham. Regal Walden Galleria

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES (R) Sequel. Starring Vera Farmiga Patrick Wilson and Elliot Cowan. Directed by Michael Chaves (The Nun II). 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)

DEAD OF WINTER (R) Thriller starring Emma Thompson as a woman lost while driving in remote Minnesota who becomes involved in a kidnapping plot. With Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca and Laurel Marsden. Directed by Brian Kirk (21 Bridges). Regal Transit

DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA INFINITY CASTLE (R) Proof, if there was any doubt, that anime has gone mainstream. Directed by Haruo Sotozaki and Hikaru Kondô. Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria

DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE (PG) “Finale”? I’ll bet money that Julian Fellowes is already working on a reboot and/or a prequel series. For the time being, Paul Giamatti and Joely Richardson join the usual cast: Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Joanne Froggatt, Robert James-Collier, Dominic West, Penelope Wilton, et alia. Directed by Simon Curtis (Downton Abbey: A New Era). 

ELEANOR THE GREAT (G) Scarlett Johansson makes her directorial debut with this drama starring June Squibb as an elderly woman who resorts to lying about her past in order to make friends. With Chiwetel Ejiofor, Erin Kellyman and Jessica Hecht. Regal Transit 

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS (PG-13) The beginning of Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Which either means something to you or it doesn’t. Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss‑Bachrach and Julia Garner. Directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision). Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sat only)

GABBY’S DOLLHOUSE: THE MOVIE (G) Feature adaptation of a Netflix series that you’re unlikely ever to have heard of unless you have very young children. Starring Laila Lockhart Kraner, Carla Tassara and Kristen Wiig. Directed by Ryan Crego (Shrek Forever After). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

GOOD BOY (PG-13) A dog tries to save his owner from the ghostly forces haunting their new rural home in this SXSW hit. Starring Indy, Shane Jensen, Larry Fessenden, and Arielle Friedman. Directed by Ben Leonberg. Dipson Capitol, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

HIM (R) To the best of my knowledge, the first football horror movie, starring Tyriq Withers as an injured young player who submits to a desperate new training regimen. With Marlon Wayans, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, and Jim Jeffries. Directed by Justin Tipping. AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria

A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE (R) In what sounds like a throwback to the nuclear thrillers of the 1960s, the US government has 20 minutes to react as a missile of unknown origin heads to an American city. Starring Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Greta Lee, and Jason Clarke. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker). Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (R) First it was a novel by Manuel Puig. In 1984 it became an Oscar winning movie, and in 1993 a Tony-winning musical. Now it’s a movie again. Starring Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, and Jennifer Lopez. Directed by Bill Condon (Chicago). AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Amherst, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

THE LONG WALK (R) Adaptation of Stephen King’s first and grimmest novel, set in a dystopian future where young men chosen by lottery compete on a walk in which the last one alive wins. Starring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Charlie Plummer and Judy Geer. Directed, appropriately enough, by Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games). Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (R) Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film, loosely inspired by the Thomas Pynchon novel Vineland, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a onetime radical who tried to summon up his former fire when his daughter is kidnapped. Co-starring Sean Penn, Benecio del Toro and Regina Hall. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

PERFECT BLUE (Japan, 1997, NR) Restored version of the anime thriller about a pop singer driven to madness by a stalker. Directed by Satoshi Kon. Regal Quaker

PLAINCLOTHES (NR) In Syracuse of the mid-1990s, a young cop working as bait to entrap gay men struggles with guilt due to his own closeted sexual leanings. Starring Tom Blyth, Russell Tovey, Maria Dizzia, and John Bedford Lloyd. Directed by Carmen Emmi. Regal Quaker, Regal Transit

ROOFMAN (R) Fact-based story of a burglar (Channing Tatum) who escaped prison and hid out in a toy store for six months. Co-starring Kirsten Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple and Peter Dinklage. Directed by Derek Cianfrance (The Light Between Oceans). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sat only)

SOUL ON FIRE (PG) True story about a boy whose family and love of baseball pulled him through after he was horribly burned in an accident. Starring William H. Macy, John Corbett, Stephanie Szostak, and Joel Courtney. Directed by Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer). AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

THE SMASHING MACHINE (R) Dwayne Johnson as UFC fighter Mark Kerr. With Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, and Bas Rutten. Directed by Benny Safdie, formerly of the brother duo that made Uncut Gems. AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 2 (R) Horror sequel. With Madelaine Petsch, Gabriel Basso and Ema Horvath. Directed by Renny Harlin (The Adventures of Ford Fairlaine). AMC Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sat only)

TRON: ARES (PG-13) Sequel. Or reboot—so hard to keep these straight. Starring Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Jeff Bridges, Gillian Anderson, and Hasan Minhaj. Directed by Joachim Rønning (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Aurora, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Hamburg Palace, Joylan, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive-In (Fri-Sat only)

WALTZING WITH BRANDO (NR) Comedy based on the true story of actor Marlon Brando’s efforts to make livable an uninhabited Tahitian island he has purchased. Starring Billy Zane, Jon Heder and Camille Razat. Directed by Bill Fishman. North Park

ETC:

CAN’T LOOK AWAY: THE CASE AGAINST SOCIAL MEDIA (NR)—Documentary about a law center’s fighting for families whose children were harmed by tech companies’ algorithms and negligence. Directed by Matthew O’Neill and Perri Peltz. Sun 11:30 am. North Park

THE GOONIES (PG, 1985) and E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (PG, 1982)— Family-friendly Halloween double feature. Fri-Sat at dusk. Transit Drive-In

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (PG, 2012) and MONSTER HOUSE (PG, 2006) —Another family-friendly Halloween double feature. Fri-Sat at dusk. Transit Drive-In 

NOSFERATU (1922)— Max Schreck as the screen’s most unforgettable Dracula (though Bram Stoker’s widow had to sue the unauthorized production) in F.W. Murnau’s expressionist masterpiece, with a live score performed by The Invincible Czars. Thurs 9:15 pm. North Park

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925)—Lon Chaney in the original silent classic, with a live score performed by The Invincible Czars. Thurs 7 pm. North Park

SUSPIRIA (Italy, 1976)—If you’ve never seen a film by the Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, this is the one to start with. Jessica Harper is the new student at a ballet school in the one-time residence of an infamous witch. The plot is less interesting than Argento’s use of color and music (by the band Goblin). With Udo Kier, Alida Valli and Joan Bennett. Sat 7:30 pm. Screening Room

TRICK ‘R’ TREAT (2006, R)—Anthology of five scary stories. With Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin and Leslie Bibb. Directed by Michael Dougherty (Krampus). Fri, Sat, Tues 7:30 pm. Screening Room

UNION—Documentary following the Staten Island Amazon workers who fought the company for the right to unionize. Winner of a special jury award at the Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Stephen Maing and Brett Story. The screening is free and open to the public. Part of the Beyond Boundaries film series. Buffalo State University, Upton 230. Thurs 7 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

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/

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

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *