Opening This Week:

DAYBREAKERS—Post-apocalyptic vampires battle humans for control of the planet. Starring Ethan Hawke, Sam Neil, and Willem Dafoe. Directed by Michael and Peter Spierig (Undead). Flix, Market Arcade, McKinley, Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Walden Galleria

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS — See M. Faust’s interview with Terry Gilliam in this issue. Amherst

THREE IDIOTS—Bollywood hit about three friends weathering the pressures of engineering school. Starring Aamir Khan, Boman Irani, Sharman Joshi, and Mona Singh. Directed by Rajkumar Hirani. Regal Elmwood

YOUTH IN REVOLT—R-rated comedy starring Michael Cera as a teenager trying to reinvent himself in order to win the heart of a girl he meets at a trailer park. With Portia Doubleday, Jean Smart, Steve Buscemi, Fred Willard, Ray Liotta, and Mary Kay Place. Directed by Miguel Arteta (Chuck and Buck), Reviewed this issue. Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria

ETC:

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER—Romantic comedy detailing the failure of a relationship between a guy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who believes in true love and a girl (Zooey Deschanel) who doesn’t. Directed by Marc Webb. Fri 9 pm; Tues 7:30 pm. The Screening Room, Northtown Plaza in Century Mall, 3131 Sheridan Drive, Amherst (837-0376).

THE GENERAL (1927)—Widely considered Buster Keaton’s crowning achievement, which is to say, one of the greatest comedies in cinema history. He stars as a Southern engineer of a train during the Civil War, and the stunt sequences involving the real, full-sized locomotive are still astonishing. Presented as part of the Buffalo Film Seminar. Tues 7 pm, Market Arcade Film and Arts Center, 639 Main St. (855-3022).

HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940)—If Howard Hawks’ adaptation of the newspaper comedy The Front Page isn’t the funniest movie ever made, I don’t know what is. Hawks’ stroke of genius was to rewrite the part of reporter Hildy Johnson for a woman (casting Rosalind Russell was pretty smart too), adding a layer of sexual tension to her dealings with editor Cary Grant. Despite the heavy competition, Ralph Bellamy nearly steals the show as the schlub who gets between them. Fri 7:15pm. The Screening Room, Northtown Plaza in Century Mall, 3131 Sheridan Drive, Amherst (837-0376).