By Chip Chandler — Producer

In Amarillo theaters (including the new Cinergy) this week: A wailing Lady Gaga and a terrifying Tom Hardy, plus several special screenings.

New in theaters

A Star Is Born

HAAA AH AH AH AH, AAAH AAAH, AH AH AH AH HAAA! The newest version of the oft-told classic Hollywood tale hits theaters with Bradley Cooper (who also directed and co-wrote the script) as a hot roots singer who discovers an insanely talented new singer (Lady Gaga) in a drag bar. As they fall deeper in love, he watches as her star power transcends his. Reviews are almost uniformly raves: "A Star Is Born never shies away from big emotions or stirring romance, mixing old-Hollywood sweep with modern-day sophistication. Between Bradley Cooper (as a filmmaker) and Lady Gaga (as a big-screen lead), the title applies to both of them," writes The Wrap's Alonso Duralde. (R for language throughout, some sexuality/nudity and substance abuse; click here for showtimes at United Artists Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd.; Cinergy Amarillo, 9201 Cinergy Square; and Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive)

Shine

Puerto Rican brothers Ralphi (Jorge Burgos) and Junior (Gilbert Saldivar) are on opposite sides of an effort to gentrify their old Spanish Harlem neighborhood: Ralphi, who left the area several years before, is assigned by his corporate bosses to make it happen and Junior, who stayed behind, is a salsa dancing activist determined to stop it. "A big heart and a blunt plot run through Shine, a movie whose story is there mostly just to usher in a dance sequence or an earnest speech," writes New York Times' Ken Jaworowski in a middling review that nonetheless lauds the film's energy and dancing. (R for language; click here for showtimes at Premiere Cinemas Westgate Mall 6, 7701 W. Interstate 40)

Venom

Spider-Man's slinky, scary foe comes to life in a new film starring Tom Hardy as journalist Eddie Brock, whose life and body are taken over by a ravenous alien symbiote. Sounds like they're positioning Venom more as an anti-hero here than as a full-on villain, which is consistent with at least some interpretations of the character in the original comic books. And director Ruben Fleischer apparently brings with him the humor he showed off in Zombieland, injecting more dark comedy than body-horror scares. The result is getting decidedly mixed to negative reviews. "It's a mess, but wow, is it ever a fun, fascinating mess. Those are always so much more thrilling than any of the formulaic superhero movies that parade through multiplexes all year," writes Tribune News Service's Katie Walsh. (PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for language; click here for showtimes at Amarillo Star 14, Cinergy Amarillo and Hollywood 16)

Special engagements

Oct. 4: Conservative fantasy film The Trump Prophecy will screen at 7 p.m. Oct. 4 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.

Oct. 4: The Bloody Disgusting Presents series will feature a double feature of Amityville: The Evil Escapes (1989) and Amityville 1992: It's About Time at 7 p.m. Oct. 4 at Amarillo Star 14.

Oct. 6 and 10: The Met: Live in HD series continues with Anna Netrebko's first Met performance of Aida. It'll screen live at 11:55 a.m. Oct. 6 and 1 and encore at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at Hollywood 16.

Oct. 7 and 9: Steve McQueen's classic action film Bullitt will get 50th anniversary screenings at 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 7 and 9 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.

Oct. 11 and 16: The genre-bending anime film MFKZ — a collaboration between French comic artist Guillaume “Run” Renard and Japanese animation house Studio 4°C — will screen at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 (English-dubbed) and Oct. 16 (subtitled) at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.

Oct. 11: The Bloody Disgusting Presents series will feature a double feature of Sweet Sixteen and The Convent at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at Amarillo Star 14.

Upcoming

Oct. 11: Advance tickets are now on sale for Neil Armstrong biopic First Man at Amarillo Star 14 and Cinergy Amarillo.  Hollywood 16 may follow.

Oct. 11: Advance tickets are now on sale for thriller Bad Times at the El Royale and family comedy Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween at Amarillo Star 14, Cinergy Amarillo and Hollywood 16.

Oct. 14 and 17: The TCM Big Screen Classics series continues with a timely revival of the political classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington at 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 14 and 17 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.

Oct. 18: Stand-up comedian Michael Jr. will mix jokes and inspiration in comedy special More Than Funny, screening at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 at Amarillo Star 14.

Oct. 18: Advance tickets are on sale now for horror reboot Halloween at Amarillo Star 14. Others should follow.

Oct. 20 and 24: The Met: Live in HD series continues with Saint-Saëns’s biblical epic Samson et Dalila, starring Elina Garanca and Roberto Alagna. It'll screen live at 11:55 a.m. Oct. 20 and encore at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at Hollywood 16.

Oct. 21 and 23: A 10th anniversary screening of Twilight will be seen at 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 21 and 23 at Hollywood 16.

Oct. 22 and 29: The National Theatre production of Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller will return to theaters. The actors famously swapped roles throughout the production, and the 7 p.m. Oct. 22 screening will feature Cumberbatch as the Creature, with the 7 p.m. Oct. 29 screening featuring Miller as the Creature. Both screenings will take place at Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd.

Oct. 26: Action film Hunter Killer, drama Indivisible and action comedy Johnny English Strikes Again are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.

Oct. 27 and 31: The Met: Live in HD series continues with Puccini's Wild West drama La Fanciulla del West, starring Eva-Maria Westbroek and Jonas Kaufmann. It'll screen live at 11:55 a.m. Oct. 27 and encore at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 31 at Hollywood 16.

Oct. 28 to 30: The Studio Ghibli Fest 2018 continues with the all-time classic Spirited Away at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. An English-dubbed version will screen at 12:55 p.m. Oct. 28 and 7 p.m. Oct. 30, with a subtitled version screening at 7 p.m. Oct. 29.

Oct. 30: Christian singer Russ Taff's battle with alcoholism is charted in the documentary I Still Believe, screening at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.

Nov. 1: Advance tickets are on sale now for Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. Others may follow.

Nov. 1: Faith-based urban drama Never Heard wil screen at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.

Nov. 2: Tyler Perry comedy Nobody's Fool and family holiday adventure The Nutcracker and the Four Realms are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.

Nov. 3 and 5: A double-feature of Dragon Ball Z films — Bardock: The Father of Goku and Fusion Reborn — will screen at 12:55 p.m. Nov. 3 and 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.

Nov. 8: A performance captured live from the Festspielhaus in the Bavarian Alps, Hymn: Sarah Brightman in Concert will screen at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at Hollywood 16.

Nov. 9: Family holiday film Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, thriller The Girl in the Spider's Web and supernatural war thriller Overlord are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.

Nov. 10 and 14: The Met: Live in HD series continues with composer Nico Muhly's new opera Marnie, starring Isabel Leonard and Christopher Maltman in a reimagining of the Winston Graham novel and Alfred Hitchcock film. It'll screen live at 11:55 a.m. Nov. 10 and encore at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at Hollywood 16.

Nov. 11 and 14: The TCM Big Screen Classics series continues with a 30th anniversary screening of iconic action film Die Hard at 2 and 7 p.m. 11 and 14 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.

Nov. 12: The animated favorite Batman: Mask of the Phantasm will screen in a 25th anniversary presentation at 2 and 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.

Nov. 13: Cirque du Soleil's stage show Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities will screen at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 at Hollywood 16.

Nov. 13: Faith-based documentary Restoring Tomorrow will screen at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.

Nov. 15 and 19: A filmed-on-stage version of Broadway musical Bandstand, about a group of World War II vets who work through their post-war trauma by forming a swing band, will encore at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 and 19 at Hollywood 16.

Nov. 16: Harry Potter franchise Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, adoption comedy Instant Family and action thriller Widows are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.

Nov. 18 to 20: The Studio Ghibli Fest 2018 continues with the classic Castle in the Sky at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. An English-dubbed version will screen at 12:55 p.m. Nov. 18 and 7 p.m. Nov. 20, with a subtitled version screening at 7 p.m. Nov. 19.

Nov. 23: Sports drama sequel Creed II, period comedy/drama Green Book, animated sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet and action-adventure film Robin Hood  are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.

Nov. 24 to Dec. 1: The new Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us will screen at 12:55 p.m. Nov. 24, 7 p.m. Nov. 26 and 28, and 12:55 p.m. Dec. 1 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.

Nov. 25 and 27: A 40th anniversary screening of Superman with Christopher Reeve will play at 3 p.m. Nov. 25  at Amarillo Star 14 and 3 and 7 p.m. Nov. 25 at Hollywood 16 and 3 and 7 p.m. Nov. 27 at both.

Nov. 29 to Dec. 8: Time-traveling anime film Mirai will screen at 7 and 8 p.m. Nov. 29, 7 p.m. Dec. 5 and 12:55 p.m. Dec. 8 at Hollywood 16.

Listings at a glance

Click on theaters for showtimes. (AS-14 = Amarillo Star 14; CA = Cinergy Amarillo; H-16 = Hollywood 16, WM-6 = Westgate Mall 6)

Ant-Man and the Wasp (WM-6); A.X.L. (WM-6); Christopher Robin (AS-14, CA, H-16); The Equalizer 2 (WM-6); Hell Fest (AS-14, H-16); Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (WM-6); The House with a Clock in Its Walls (AS-14, CA, H-16); The Incredibles 2 (WM-6); Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (WM-6); Little Women (H-16); Mission: Impossible — Fallout (WM-6); Night School (AS-14, CA, H-16); The Nun (AS-14, H-16); Peppermint (AS-14, H-16); The Predator (AS-14, CA, H-16); A Simple Favor (AS-14, H-16); Smallfoot (AS-14, CA, H-16 and Tascosa Drive-In, 1999 Dumas Drive); Shine (WM-6); A Star Is Born (AS-14, CA, H-16); White Boy Rick (H-16 and Tascosa); and Venom (AS-14, CA, H-16).

Chip Chandler is a producer for Panhandle PBS and a member of GALECA. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.