OPENING THIS WEEK:

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL—Adaptation of the best-selling novel about the sisters, one of whom was Henry VIII’s mistress and the other of whom married him. Starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess, Mark Rylance and Kristin Scott Thomas. Directed by Justin Chadwick (the BBC’s Bleak House.) Reviewed this issue. Amherst

PENELOPE—Fairy tale in modern dress starring Christina Ricci as an heiress born with a disfiguring curse that will be lifted only when she finds true love. Co-starring James McAvoy, Catherine O’Hara, Reese Witherspoon, Peter Dinklage and Richard E. Grant. Directed by Mark Palansky. Reviewed this issue. McKinley, Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit

SEMI-PRO—Will Ferrell does his George Bush impression in a sports-based comedy. Why, yes, that does sound familiar, now that you mention it…With Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin, Maura Tierney and Andy Richter. Directed by Kent Alterman. Reviewed this issue. Flix, McKinley, Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit Regal Hollywood

ETC:

THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (Italy, 1970)—Dario Argento’s directorial debut set the pattern for his distinctive oeuvre: an innocent man becomes involved in the hunt for a seemingly psychotic, brutal murderer, whose attacks form the set pieces around which the film is built. The music (by Ennio Morricone) and widescreen photography (by Vittorio Storaro) are both first rate. Starring Tony Musante and Suzy Kendall. Fri 9pm. The Screening Room, Northtown Plaza in Century Mall, 3131 Sheridan Drive, Amherst (837-0376)

HANGOVER SQUARE (1945)—The director (John Brahm) and star (Laird Cregar, who died shortly after filming was completed, at the age of 28) of The Lodger reunite in this noirish thriller about a high-strung composer who blacks out when he hears dissonant musical passages. The problem is, what does he do during those blackouts? Linda Darnell, George Sanders and Alan Napier. Fri 7:30pm. The Screening Room, Northtown Plaza in the Century Mall, 3131 Sheridan Drive, Amherst 837-0376

MCCABE AND MRS. MILLER (1971)—Robert Altman’s haunting, poetic anti-Western about love and the pursuit of wealth in early America, starring Warren Beatty as a businessman who opens up a saloon and a brothel in a small Northwestern town and Julie Christie as his opium-addicted partner. Vilmos Zsigmond’s faded imagery, production designer Leon Ericksen’s authentic town, and Leonard Cohen’s melancholy soundtrack bring to life a past world tainted with an underlying sadness. Presented as part of the Buffalo Film Seminar. Tue 7pm. Market Arcade Film and Arts Center, 639 Main St. (855-3022).