Opening This Week:

17 AGAIN—Comedy about an unhappy man who gets his wish to be—well, read the title. Starring Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Matthew Perry, Michelle Trachtenberg, Melora Hardin. Directed by Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down). Flix , Maple Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal Hollywood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Sunset Drive-In, Transit Drive-In

CRANK 2: HIGH VOLTAGE—Sequel starring Jason Statham as a professional assassin with a mechanical heart who—well, it only gets more ridiculous after that. With Amy Smart, Clifton Collins Jr., Ling Bai, David Carradine, Corey Haim, and Dwight Yoakam. Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank). Flix , Maple Ridge, Market Arcade, McKinley, Regal Elmwood, Regal Hollywood, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria

STATE OF PLAY—Adaptation of a British miniseries about a team of investigative reporters studying the suspicious death of a politician’s mistress. Starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels, and Viola Davis. Directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland). Reviewed this issue. Flix, Maple Ridge, Market Arcade, McKinley, Regal Elmwood, Regal Hollywood, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria’

ETC:

ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (Spain, 1999)—Pedro Almodovar self-styled “screwball drama,” the first of his films to place his typically tempestuous divas and their madcap attitudes into a soap opera plot. Cecilia Roth stars as Manuela, a nurse grieving over the death of her teenaged son, who becomes the maternal center of a group of screwed-up women, including a pregnant nun, a transexual whore, and a lesbian actess. Presented as part of the Buffalo Film Seminar. Tues 7pm. Market Arcade Film and Arts Center, 639 Main St. (855-3022).

THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (Germany, 1919)—With its grotesque photography and distorted sets, this tale of a carnival showman who hypnotizes his servant into committing murder is considered to be the first true example of Expressionism in the movies. Ninety years later, it still packs a punch. Tues 7:30pm. Buffalo State College, Bulger Communications Center South.

FLOATING WEEDS (Japan, 1959)—Yasujiro Ozu’s lightly comic tale of a traveling theatrical troupe visiting an island where one of its members must deal with a past romantic entanglement. Introduced by Bruce Jackson and Diane Christian. Thurs Apr. 23, 7:30 pm. Albright Knox Art Gallery, 1285 Elmwood Ave. (882.8700)

FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956)—Sci-fi classic loosely adapted from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, starring Leslie Nielson, Anne Francis, Walter Pidgeon and Robbie the Robot. Fri 7pm. Buffalo Museum of Science 1020 Humboldt Parkway (896-5200)

IRON MAIDEN: FLIGHT 666—One-time digital presentation of a documentary about heavy metal veterans Iron Maiden’s 2008 world tour. Directed by Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen (Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey). Tues, 7pm McKinley Mall Cinema, 3701 McKinley Parkway. Hamburg (824-3479)

THE LAST HAPPY DAY—Filmmaker Lynne Sachs presents her newest film, a portrait of her Hungarian cousin, along with selections from the curated program For Life Against the War…Again. Thurs April 23 8pm. Hallwalls, 341 Delaware Ave. (854-1694) www.hallwalls.org

MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES (Canada, 2007)— Utterly astonishing. Toronto documentarian Jennifer Baichwal’s film placidly gazes at gargantuan industrial sites and waste dumps, mostly in Asia, so enormous that the very shape of the land is altered. A must-see for both fans of Koyaanisqatsi and An Inconvenient Truth. Fri 6 pm. Albright Knox Art Gallery, 1285 Elmwood Ave. (882-8700)

MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL—Restored version of the 1975 classic about pornographic moose dentistry. Directed by 40 specially trained Ecuadorian mountain llamas, six Venezuelan red llamas, 142 Mexican whooping llamas, 14 North Chilean guanacos (closely related to the llama), Reg Llama of Brixton, 76,000 battery llamas from “llama-fresh” farms ltd. near Paraguay, and Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones. Fri midnight. Hamburg Palace Theatre, 31 Buffalo St, Hamburg (649-2295) www.hamburgpalace.com

PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER—Adaptation of the international best seller about a 18th century Parisian orphan whose obsession with preserving scents drives him to murder. Starring Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman and Rachel Hurd-Wood. Directed by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) . Thurs 7:30pm. Buffalo State College, Bulger Communications Center South.

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951)—Raymond Chandler wrote the screenplay from Patricia Highsmith’s novel for this classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller about two men who pass a meeting on a train formulating a perfect murder plan—only one of them takes it seriously. Starring Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, and Leo G. Carroll. Sat midnight, Sun 4 pm. Hamburg Palace Theatre, 31 Buffalo St, Hamburg (649-2295) www.hamburgpalace.com

TOKYO STORY (Japan, 1953)—An aging Japanese couple leave their rural home to visit their children in the city, a trip that brings painful revelations as well as a measure of peace. Yasujiro Ozu’s deceptively simple drama is one of the most quietly beautiful films ever made. Introduced by Bruce Jackson and Diane Christian. Thurs Apr. 16, 7:30 pm. Albright Knox Art Gallery, 1285 Elmwood Ave. (882.8700)