"The Big Lebowski" this week at the Riviera Theatre

Opening:

THE ARTIST—In 1927, a silent film star resists the arrival of sound, causing his career to fade while that of a young actress he encouraged soars. Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, and James Cromwell. Directed by Michel Hazanavicius (OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies). Reviewed this issue. Eastern Hills

CARNAGE—Roman Polanski directed this adaptation of the hit play about two middle class couples whose polite veneers erode during the course of an evening. Starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and John C. Reilly. Reviewed this issue. Regal Quaker

CONTRABAND—Mark Wahlberg as a former smuggler forced back into business to pay off his brother-in-law’s debts to a gangster. Co-starring Giovanni Ribisi, Ben Foster, and Kate Beckinsale. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur (101 Reykjavík). Flix, Maple Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden

THE IRON LADY—Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher. With Jim Broadbent and Richard E. Grant. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd (Mamma Mia). Reviewed this issue. Amherst

JOYFUL NOISE—Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah as members of a small-town gospel choir preparing for a national competition. With Keke Palmer and Jeremy Jordan. Directed by Todd Graff (Bandslam). Flix, Maple Ridge, Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden

ETC:

THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998)—Jeff Bridges as the ultimate slacker in the Coen Brothers’ oddball tribute to the Philip Marlowe genre. Co-starring John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid, David Thewlis, and John Turturro. Riviera Theatre

FOUR LOVERS—French drama about two Parisian couples who decide to engage in a sexually open relationship. Starring Marina Foïs, Elodie Bouchez, Roschdy Zem, and Nicolas Duvauchelle. Directed by Antony Cordier. The Screening Room

JUST ONE STEP: THE GREAT PEACE MARCH—Documentary about the 1987 Soviet-American Peace Walk, in which participants walked 3,700 miles across America to affirm their beliefs. The Screening Room

THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE (1921)—The Swedish film that brought director Victor Sjöström to the attention of Hollywood (where his name was Anglicized to Seastrom) is a striking supernatural tale about a man condemned to spend the year after his death transporting the souls of the newly deceased. Presented as part of the Buffalo Film Seminar. Tue 7pm. Market Arcade

RATTLERS (1976)—Grindhouse classic set in the Mojave desert where snakes go on a rampage after being exposed to military chemical weapons. Starring no one you’ve ever heard of and directed by John McCauley. The Screening Room

THE RETURN OF TRAILER TRASH—Compilation of trailers from 1970s grindhouse films like Dr Black and Mr Hyde, Avenging Disco Godfather, The Corpse Grinders, Blood Freak, and more. Free and open to the public. Mon 7:30pm. Sugar City Arts Collaborative, 19 Wadsworth St.

ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS—A hit at the Buffalo International Film Festival, this French comedy is set at a chocolate factory, where a shy woman (Isabelle Carré) takes a job as a sales rep and enters an uncomfortable romance with the company’s equally bashful owner (Benoît Poelvoorde). The Screening Room, Screens

UNHEARD VOICES—Short documentary about people affected by the violence in Northern Ireland from 1970 to 2000, presented by producer Cahal McLaughlin. Hallwalls