Opening This Week

THE AMERICAN—George Clooney as a professional as a professional assassin based in Europe looking to get out of his line of work. With Violante Placido, Thekla Reuten, Paolo Bonacelli. Directed by Anton Corbijn (Control). Reviewed this issue. Amherst, Flix, McKinley, Regal Elmwood, Regal Galleria, Regal Transit, Regal Niagara Falls

CAIRO TIME—Patricia Clarkson as a woman unexpectedly drawn into an affair while waiting to meet her husband on a visit to the Egyptian city. Co-starring Alexander Siddig and Elena Anaya. Directed by Ruba Nadda. Reviewed this issue. Eastern Hills

THE EXTRA MAN—Kevin Kline stars in this comedy as a seedy professional escort who shows the Manhattan ropes to his new roommate (Paul Dano). Co-starring John C. Reilly, Katie Holmes, Cathy Moriarty, Patti D’Arbanville, Dan Hedaya, and Marian Seldes. Directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (American Splendor). Reviewed this issue. Eastern Hills

GOING THE DISTANCE—Drew Barrymore and Justin Long as a couple trying to keep love alive when their jobs land them on opposite coasts. With Christina Applegate and Charlie Day. Directed by Buffalo native Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes). Reviewed this issue. Flix, Market Arcade, McKinley, Sunset Drive-In

MACHETE—Feature version of one of the fake trailers in Grindhouse, with Danny Trejo as the former federale turned drug dealer who turns against his former boss. Check out the cast: Robert DeNiro, Jessica Alba, Jeff Fahey, Michelle Rodriguez, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Lindsay Lohan, and Steven Segal (so this is why he wasn’t in The Expendables). Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis. Flix, Market Arcade, McKinley, Regal Elmwood, Regal Galleria, Regal Transit, Regal Niagara Falls, Transit Drive-In

ETC.

BOUDU SAVED FROM DROWNING (France, 1931)—Jean Renoir’s adaptation of the stage comedy about an anarchic tramp who wreaks havoc on a bourgeois household (you may have seen the US remake, Down and Out in Beverly Hills) is a surprisingly sophisticated film, especially for audiences who think film art didn’t start to develop until Orson Welles. Michel Simon’s eye-rolling lead performance can be wearing, but Renoir’s roving camera and deep focus compositions keep this fresh decades later. Presented as part of the Buffalo Film Seminar. Tues 7pm, Market Arcade Film and Arts Center, 639 Main St. (855-3022)

LAURA (1944)—It’s not truly film noir—director Otto Preminger was never one to hew too closely to genre restrictions—but it’s still one of the oddest damn movies to come out of Hollywood. Dana Andrews is the police detective unhealthily attracted to murder victim Gene Tierney, and they’re the relatively normal characters among Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, and Judith Anderson. Fri, Sat, Tues, Thurs 8pm. The Screening Room.

MY NAME IS KHAN (2010)—Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as an autistic man and the single mother he falls in love with and has to track across America. Directed by Karan Johar. 1, 4, 7pm. HD Video Café, 5445 Transit Rd, Williamsville (688-4933 / www.hdvideocafe.com)

SUCK—Not to be confused with Vampires Suck, this low-budget Canadian comedy about a rock band that finds success when its lead singer becomes a vampire was written and directed by Toronto’s Rob Stefaniuk (Phil the Alien). It’s partially set in Buffalo, though none of it was filmed here, and locals will have a laugh at the depiction of the border crossing—not least because the border guard is played by Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson. If you’re not into gory comedies, you might appreciate a cast that includes Alice Cooper, Henry Rollins, Iggy Pop, Moby, Malcolm McDowell, Dave Foley, and Carole Pope. Thurs Sept. 2, 7pm. McKinley Mall Cinema, 3701 McKinley Parkway, Hamburg

TRASH HUMPERS—Even classier than it sounds! Actually, not really, but from a Harmony Korine film, what are you expecting? Sat 9pm Squeaky Wheel, 712 Main St (884-7172 / www.squeaky.org)