OPENING THIS WEEK: 

FREAKY TALES (R) In the mode of Pulp Fiction, four interconnected stories set in Oakland CA in 1987. Starring Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo, and Dominique Thorne. Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson). Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria

THE FRIEND (R) After the death of her best friend, a Manhattan writer is left with an unwelcome inheritance: his Great Dane. Starring Watts, Bill Murray, Sarah Pidgeon, Carla Gugino, and Tom McCarthy Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel (Bee Season). Dipson Amherst, Dipson Capitol, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

HELL OF A SUMMER (R) Slasher movie parody. Starring Fred Hechinger, Abby Quinn, Billy Bryk, and Finn Wolfhard, who co-directed with Billy Bryk. AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA (R) Drama based on the true story of an Ohio ice cream truck driver (Paul Walter Hauser) who figured a way to beat the odds on a popular TV game show. Co-starring David Strathairn, Shamier Anderson, Walton Goggins, Maisie Williams, Haley Bennett, Brian Geraghty, and Johnny Knoxville. Directed by Samir Oliveros (Bad Lucky Goat). Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

THE MARTIAL ARTIST (NR) An MMA fighter must battle his personal demons to find success. Starring Faran Tahir, Gregory Sporleder, Liz Fenning and Shaz Khan. Directed by Shaz Khan. Regal Elmwood

A MINECRAFT MOVIE (PG) Video game adaptation. Starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Sebastian Hansen, and Jennifer Coolidge. Directed by Jared Hess (Nacho Libre). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Aurora, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Hamburg Palace, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive In

WILLIAM TELL (R) Historical epic about the character known only to most of us as the hero of a Rossini opera. (And we mostly only know that for the overture.) Starring Claes Bang, Jonathan Pryce, Ben Kingsley, Golshifteh Farahani, Rafe Spall and Emily Beecham. Directed by Nick Hamm (Driven). Regal Quaker

NOW PLAYING:

THE ALTO KNIGHTS (R) Robert De Niro in a dual performance as gangsters Frank Costello and Vito Genovese in a film that looks an awful lot like something from Martin Scorsese, though it was actually directed by Barry Levinson (The Natural, Bugsy). With Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Katherine Narducci, Michael Rispoli, Anthony J. Gallo and Wallace Langham. Regal Quaker Read M. Faust’s review here

BLACK BAG (R) Director Steven Soderbergh back with a thriller starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as married (to each other) spies whose professional and personal lives inevitably clash. Co-starring Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, and Pierce Brosnan. Regal Quaker  Read M. Faust’s review here

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD (PG-13) Captain America versus a giant, bellowing, incoherent mass of limitless anger colored red. Are we actually getting a political allegory from, of all places, Disney/Marvel? Starring Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Giancarlo Esposito and Carl Lumbly. Directed by Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria

THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE (PG) Another attempt to revive the greatest cartoon characters of all time. With the voices of Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, and Peter MacNicol. Directed by Peter Browngardt. Dipson Capitol, Regal Quaker

DEATH OF A UNICORN (R) From A24, a horror satire starring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father and daughter caught up in a pharmaceutical company’s efforts to monetize the curative qualities of the mythic horned horses. With Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, and Richard E. Grant. Directed by Alex Scharfman. AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

DOG MAN (PG) In this animated adaptation of a series of graphic novels, an injured cop and his police dog are merged by a surgeon into one body. With the voices of Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Poppy Liu, Stephen Root, and Ricky Gervais. Directed by Peter Hastings (The Country Bears). Regal Transit 

MAD SQUARE (NR) Wacky-guys-on-campus comedy. Starring Narne Nithiin, Subhalekha Sudhakar, and Muralidhar Goud. Directed by Kalyan Shankar. Regal Elmwood

THE MONKEY (R) Horror comedy adapted from a Stephen King short story. Starring Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Adam Scott, and Elijah Wood. Directed by Oz Perkins (Longlegs). Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive In

MUFASA THE LION KING (PG) Animated sequel, or prequel or whatever. With the voices of Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Tiffany Boone. Directed by Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk). Transit Drive In

PADDINGTON IN PERU (PG) The world’s politest bear and his adopted human family journey to Peru to help out his aunt. Starring Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Jessica Hynes, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, Hayley Atwell, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, and the voices of Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton. Directed by Dougal Wilson. Transit Drive In

THE PENGUIN LESSONS (PG-13) Steve Coogan as a teacher at a private boys’ school in Buenos Ares in 1976 whose waning interest in life is revitalized when he becomes the protector of an injured penguin. With Jonathan Pryce. Directed by Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty). Read M. Faust’s review here Dipson Amherst, North Park

PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997) (PG-13) 4K reissue of the Hayao Miyazaki classic. This American version features the voices of Billy Crudup, Billy Bob Thornton, Minnie Driver and Clare Danes. North Park, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

SNOW WHITE (PG) Another Disney live action remake of an animated feature. (Although in these days of CGI, “live action” doesn’t mean what it once did.) Starring Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and Andrew Burnap. Directed by Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man 2). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dunkirk Multiplex, Hamburg Palace, Joylan, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive In

THE WOMAN IN THE YARD (PG-13) In this Blumhouse horror entry, a woman (Danielle Deadwyler) living with her children in an isolated farmhouse faces a mysterious and malign presence. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Black Adam). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

A WORKING MAN (R) This year’s Jason Statham thriller. With Jason Flemyng, Merab Ninidze, Maximilian Osinski, and Michael Pena. Directed by David Ayer (The Beekeeper). AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Dipson Capitol, Dipson Flix, Dipson McKinley, Dunkirk Multiplex, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Spotlight Theater of Warsaw, Transit Drive In

ETC.

CLUE: THE MOVIE (1985)—The first film adapted from a board game was this enjoyable comedy written by John Landis. Starring Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, and, because it was the 1980s, cameos from Lee Ving and Jane Wiedlin. Directed by Jonathan Lynn (Nuns on the Run). Fri, Sat, Tues 7:30 pm, Sun 1 pm. Screening Room

TIME BANDITS (1981)—A boy joins a group of time-travelling dwarf thieves in Terry Gilliam’s most entertaining post-Monty Python film. Various historical heroes and villains are played by Sean Connery, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Ian Holm and David Warner, but the show-stealer is Ralph Richardson as a dotty deity. Look fast for a young Jim Broadbent, if you can imagine such a thing. Sat-Sun 11:30 am. North Park

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 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/
• Transit Drive-In Theatre, 6655 S. Transit Road, Lockport https://www.transitdrivein.com