Opening:

BUCKY LARSON: BORN TO BE A STAR—Nick Swardson in buckteeth and a pageboy wig as a Midwestern nerd trying to break into the porn business. Blame Adam Sandler. Co-starring Christina Ricci, Don Johnson, and Stephen Dorff Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara, Regal Transit, Regal Walden

CONTAGION—Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) directed this thriller about international efforts to battle a new virus that travels quickly and kills within days. Starring Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Reviewed this issue. Flix, Maple Ridge, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden, Sunset Drive-In, Transit Drive-In

CREATURE—Louisiana natives versus Lockjaw, a half-man half-gator swamp beast. Total budget: $3 million. Starring Mehcad Brooks, Serinda Swan, and Daniel Bernhardt. Directed by Fred Andrews. Maple Ridge, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden

WARRIOR—An ex-Marine gets involved in competitive mixed martial arts with the aid of his father, a trainer also working with his brother. Starring Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, and Joel Edgerton. Directed by Gavin O’Connor (Miracle). Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden, Regal Walden, Transit Drive-In

ETC:

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE, 1946)—The surrealist artist Jean Cocteau’s live-action adaptation of the perennial fairy tale about finding love by looking beneath the surface is, perhaps ironically, a film of endlessly lavish and surprising surfaces. But Cocteau opens the film by asking you to watch with the eyes of a child, and the result is difficult to resist. Starring Jean Marais and Josette Day. Presented as part of the Buffalo Film Seminar. Tue 7pm. Market Arcade Film and Arts Center, 639 Main St. (855-3022).

BLACK SABBATH (Italy, 1963)—Italian horror maestro Mario Bava (Black Sunday) directs a trio of atmospheric horror stories presented by Boris Karloff, who also stars in one. Fri, Sat 9:15pm. The Screening Room, Northtown Plaza in Century Mall, 3131 Sheridan Drive, Amherst (837-0376 / www.screeningroom.net).

IF A TREE FALLS—Documentary about Daniel McGowan and his history with the Earth Liberation Front, a group the FBI has called America’s “number one domestic terrorism threat.” The screening will be accompanied by Leslie James Pickering, founder and spokesperson for the North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office. Wed 7 pm. Squeaky Wheel, 712 Main St (884-7172 / www.squeaky.org).

THE DIARY OF IMMACULEE and WE LOVE YOU—Opening entry in a series of documentary screenings exploring alternative lifestyles and responses to social problems. Immaculee is the story of a woman who survived the Rwandan genocide. We Love You looks at the Rainbow Family of Living Light, an unstructured group of tens of thousands of people who met every year in an American forest to form a temporary, self-sustaining city. Thu Sep 8 7pm. Burchfield Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave. (878-6011)

A MAN WITHIN—New documentary about writer William S. Burroughs featuring never before seen footage as well as exclusive interviews with his friends and colleagues. Thu Sep 15 7pm. The Screening Room, Northtown Plaza in Century Mall, 3131 Sheridan Drive, Amherst (837-0376 / www.screeningroom.net).

PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET (1953)—Relatively tame by his usually overheated, two-fisted standards, Sam Fuller’s suspense thriller was one of his biggest hits. Richard Widmark stars as a pickpocket who unknowingly gets his hands on microfilm that had been on transit to enemy agents. With great urban locations, brash dialogue and colorful characters. Co-starring Jean Peters, and Thelma Ritter. Thu Sep 8, Fri, Sat 7:30pm. The Screening Room, Northtown Plaza in Century Mall, 3131 Sheridan Drive, Amherst (837-0376 / www.screeningroom.net).

ROAD TO NOWHERE—The first feature in 21 years from director Monte Hellman (Two Lane Blacktop), a drama about the making of a film in which reality becomes tangled up with illusion. Starring Shannyn Sossamon, Tygh Runyan, Cliff De Young, and Dominique Swain. Thu Sep 8 7pm. HD Video Café, 5445 Transit Rd, Williamsville (688-4933 / www.hdvideocafe.com).