BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Western New York has had a good share of movies and shows set and/or filmed in the region, and thanks to a substantial effort by the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission and other local film businesses to bring better filmmaking tax incentives to the area, that number has seen a notable increase in recent years. From films starring Marilyn Monroe to Burt Reynolds and from genres like horror and drama to sports and history, the greater Buffalo area has played its part in making these stories come to life on the silver screen. Here are the films and TV shows shot or set in Western New York: Films After the Sun Fell: Filmed in Lewiston, 2016 drama "After the Sun Fell" stars Danny Pudi as Adam and Neal Bledsoe as Adam's friend Brandon, as Adam helps Brandon and his family cope with the death of his brother. While the family tries to fill the metaphorical hole in their lives, they also work to patch up a literal hole in the roof of their home. The film also features North Tonawanda native Jeff Lasky. The American Side: Following a suspected suicide at Niagara Falls, a private detective learns of a plan to create one of Nikola Tesla's unrealized inventions. "The American Side" is a noir-style mystery directed by Jenna Ricke and starring Buffalo native Greg Stuhr, who co-wrote the film together. Starring alongside Stuhr are a myriad of other Western New York natives, including Tracey B. Wilson, Robert Forster, Todd Benzin and Joe Grifasi. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" star Matthew Broderick also appears in the film. Best Friends: This 1982 film stars Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn as a pair of newlywed best friends, Richard Babson and Paula McCullen, on their honeymoon. The duo, two Hollywood screenwriters, get hitched in secret and embark on their honeymoon. Their first destination? The snowy backdrop of Buffalo, where Paula's parents live. The frigid temperatures at night present a problem for Richard, who does not find comfort in the city. Bruce Almighty: Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) works as a reporter for a Buffalo television station. After being passed over for an anchor position and getting fired after an outburst, he blames God (Morgan Freeman), who gives Bruce the reigns to the Western New York area for a week. Bruce uses his newfound powers to get his job back, uncover incredible stories and help the Sabres win the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, Bruce loses his grasp on his powers and sends the city into chaos, ultimately learning the error of his ways and asking God to make things right again. Buffalo '66: What many would consider to be the defining Buffalo film, "Buffalo '66" tells the story of Billy Brown (Vincent Gallo), who is released from prison five years after the Bills lost the Super Bowl in 1991 after taking the fall for his bookie (Mickey Rourke). Upon his release, Brown is intent on murdering Scott Woods (Bob Wahl) -- the kicker who missed the field goal that would've won Buffalo the Super Bowl -- as retribution for costing the Bills the game and, in turn, causing Brown to go to prison. Before finding Woods, Brown's mission is to visit his parents, whom he never told about his prison sentence. In fact, he lied to them, telling them he had a job out of state and a wife named Wendy. When his parents want to meet Wendy, rather than coming clean, Brown instead kidnaps Layla (Christina Ricci) to pose as his fictitious wife. Buffaloed: Set in Buffalo, but filmed in Ontario, Canada, "Buffaloed" tells the story of Peg Dahl, a young woman who turns to debt collecting and hustling in an effort to make money and get our of her hometown of Buffalo. Born to a poor blue-collar family, Peg sells counterfeit Bills tickets to make some money. After her arrest, Peg works at her brother's bar until she starts working for a local debt collector, Wizz. She soon starts her own collection business, ending up in jail after an altercation with Wizz. The film stars Zoey Deutch as Peg, Judy Greer as her mother Kathy and Jai Courtney as Wizz. Cabrini: "Cabrini" is a biopic about the life of St. Francesca Cabrini (Cristiana Dell'Anna) -- also known as Mother Cabrini -- an Italian immigrant who worked to get housing and healthcare for hundreds of orphans in a crime and disease-ridden 1889 New York City, despite a language barrier. The film was shot in Buffalo, including locations such as Delaware Park, the Ellicott Square Building, and City Hall. In addition to Dell'Anna, the film stars David Morse and John Lithgow. Virginia Bocelli plays the role of Aria in the film and is featured on the soundtrack with her father, Andrea. Cristiana Dell'Anna attends the premiere of "Cabrini" at the Regal Times Square on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by CJ Rivera/Invision/AP) Canadian Bacon: A satirical comedy from Michael Moore, "Canadian Bacon" features Sherriff Bud Boomer (John Candy) of Niagara Falls, N.Y. who, after being involved in a brawl while watching a hockey game and commenting on Canadian beer, spurs National Security Advisor Stuart Smiley (Kevin Pollack) to suggest to the president (Alan Alda) that the U.S. start a cold war with Canada. Boomer buys into anti-Canada propaganda and inadvertently nearly starts another world war, with military businessman R.J. Hacker (G. D. Spradlin) leading the charge. Captain America, The First Avenger: Not a lot of time is spent in Buffalo in the first Captain America film, though Cap does "knock out" an actor dressed as Adolf Hitler during his Buffalo performance while on the USO Tour selling war bonds. The appearance in Buffalo was done as an homage to screenwriter Christopher Markus' hometown. A Christmas Princess: Filmed in East Aurora, this Christmas movie follows a struggling Brooklyn chef named Jessica, who meets a prince who is in town for a charity dinner. In need of a chef, he turns to Jessica. The film follows the pair's evolving love story. Cold Brook: Directed by and starring Cheektowaga native William Fichtner, "Cold Brook" tells the story of two friends and coworkers who work to solve a mystery surrounding a Civil War-era ghost, a Black man named Gil Le Doux (Harold Perrineau), who is in need of help to return home. In addition to starring and directing, Fichtner co-wrote the film with Cain DeVore. "Cold Brook" also features Buffalo native Charlene Amoia. Fichtner previously told WIVB that he would like to make another film in Buffalo and hire local graduates to work on the future project. Draft Day: Starring Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner and Chadwick Boseman, and directed by Ivan Reitman, "Draft Day" was initially supposed to be filmed in Buffalo and centered around the Buffalo Bills. Production incentives in Ohio at the time resulted in the studio altering the story, making the Cleveland Browns the center of focus for the film instead. The Bills and The Ralph both remain featured in the movie during a trade discussion between the Browns and fictional Bills GM Max Stone. The First Purge: Set in Staten Island, "The First Purge" was filmed in Buffalo. Unlike other installments in the franchise, the film is contained to Staten Island, where the political party New Founding Fathers of America has come to power. They deem that there are no laws for 12 hours on the island, and though no one is forced to stay home, those who do are promised $5,000, with additional compensation promised to participants. The experiment is set up to try to lower crime to below one percent for the rest of the year. The prequel ends setting up its predecessor, with the NFFA declaring the purge a success. A Man Called Otto: This Tom Hanks-led adaptation of the novel "A Man Called Ove" features a brief flashback to a trip to Niagara Falls. The film tells the tale of a widower from Pittsburgh who has been driven to cynicism by grief, attempting suicide in an effort to join his wife, Sonya (Rachel Keller). Hanks' character Otto recalls the story of a trip he and Sonya took to the Falls in their youth, in celebration of Sonya's pregnancy. The trip ended with Sonya becoming paralyzed and having a miscarriage following a bus crash. Hanks' son Truman portrays the younger version of Otto featured in the scene. Marshall: "Marshall," starring Chadwick Boseman as the titular character, is a biographical film about Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, particularly about his time as lawyer for the NAACP and the defense of Connecticut chauffer Joseph Spell (Sterling K. Brown), a Black man accused of the rape of his employer Eleanor Strubing (Kate Hudson), a wealthy white woman. When the court prohibits him from defending Spell, Marshall receives help from young lawyer Sam Friedman (Josh Gad). Several scenes were filmed in Buffalo in 2016, and the film was released the following year. Filming locations included Buffalo City Hall, Central Terminal, Daemen House, the Michael J. Dillon Memorial United States Courthouse and an Allentown home. The film also featured several actors from Western New York. The Natural: A baseball classic, "The Natural" was famously filmed at Buffalo's War Memorial Stadium, which has since been demolished and replaced with the Johnnie B. Wiley Amateur Athletic Sports Pavilion, as well as All-High Stadium and a farm in Le Roy. War Memorial Stadium served as the New York Knights' home field and All-High was a stand-in for Wrigley Field in Chicago, while the Le Roy farm was used as the Hobbs family farm. Set in the 1930s, the film follows virtually unknown middle-aged right fielder Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) as the New York Knights' newly signed rookie. Hobbs, once a prodigy from a small farm with plans to play for the Chicago Cubs, works his way from the bench to the field, culminating in an explosive at-bat while the Knights play for the pennant. Niagara: Marilyn Monroe stars in this 1953 film set on the Canadian side of the Falls, as her character, Rose Loomis, and her husband George (Joseph Cotten), vacation at a Niagara Falls motel. Meanwhile, Ray and Polly Cutler (Casey Adams and Jean Peters) are honeymooning in the same motel. As the film progresses, the Cutlers watch as the Loomises marriage falls apart, culminating in Rose cheating on George with a man named Patrick (Richard Allan) followed by an outburst from George. Rose plots George's death, with the idea that his recent outburst will make it less conspicuous. Instead, Patrick ends up dead and the troubled couple continues to look for ways to plot each other's demise. Niagara Fools: "Niagara Fools" is an animated short starring Woody Woodpecker, in which Woody attempts to go over the Falls in a barrel despite the local park ranger boasting of his perfect record of no people going over the Falls since he took over. The ensuing hijinks result in the ranger falling into the barrel and going over multiple times instead of Woody, as visitors to the Cave of the Winds celebrate seeing someone take the plunge each time. Woody finally gets to go over in a barrel, disguised as a Niagara Falls police officer, giving the ranger a ticket for taking part in the prohibited activity. Osmosis Jones: This half-animated, half-live-action film had lasting effects on Western New York as a whole, introducing the then-fictional Buffalo Wing Festival, inspiring 'Wing King' Drew Cerza and the local community to create the real-world National Buffalo Wing Festival. "Osmosis Jones" follows Frank Detorre (Bill Murray) through his unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle, as well as the effects his general unhealthiness has on his daughter. The film features white blood cell Osmosis Jones (Chris Rock) and cold pill Drix (David Hyde Pierce) working together to stop the virus known as Thrax (Laurence Fishburne) from killing Detorre. The film also spurred the spin-off show "Ozzy and Drix." Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: In the third installment of the 'Pirates' franchise, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley), Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and crew seek to rescue Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' locker. To do so, they must obtain a map and travel to World's End -- an endless waterfall that leads to the locker. The Falls are featured as the titular landmark. A Quiet Place Part II: The sequel to "A Quiet Place" famously filmed in Western New York in 2019, with director and star John Krasinski greeting fans from the area throughout the summer. The film was shot all around the area, including studio scenes done at Buffalo FilmWorks. "A Quiet Place Part II" follows the Abbott family (Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Dean Woodward) searching for civilization and hiding from the aliens nearly 500 days after the events of the 2018 film. A Royal Christmas on Ice: Also filmed in East Aurora, with Buffalo native Charlene Amoia in a supporting role, "A Royal Christmas on Ice" features Western New York landmarks such as Vidler's 5 & 10 and the Northtown Center at Amherst. The film tells the story of a prince who comes to small town America in an effort to escape his royal life, during which he falls in love with a former Olympic ice skater. Sharknado 2: The Second One: Disguised to the public as "Alligator Apocalypse," this sequel to the first "Sharknado" movie took over downtown Buffalo, which itself was disguised as New York City. Scenes were also shot at the Lockport Caves. The film features Fin Shepart (Ian Ziering) and April Wexler (Tara Reid) fighting a sharknado in New York City, terrorizing locations such as Citi Field, Times Square, the Today Show set, the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, with plenty of cameos to boot. Sharknado 4: The Fourth Awakens: The "Sharknado" franchise returned to Western New York to shoot scenes in Niagara Falls for its fourth installment, which released in 2016. The film plays around with different types of sharknadoes -- a Pacific Northwest sharknado filled with hail that becomes a "hailnado," a Yellowstone National Park sharknado that picks up lava from the caldera and becomes a "lavanado," a sharknado that hits a Texas oil rig and becomes an "oilnado," then a "firenado" ... you get the point. One tornado hits the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Ohio and becomes a "nukenado," which Elon Musk parody character Aston Reynolds decides can only be diluted by more water. That's where Niagara Falls comes in. After a complicated process only done justice by watching the film itself, Fin and company reverse the flow of the Falls to neutralize the sharknado. Superman II: While on a trip to Niagara Falls with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) is called to action when a child, unsupervised by his parents, climbs over a railing and begins showboating next to the Falls. Predictably, the boy falls and Clark has to assume his alter ego and save the boy before he plummets to his death. In addition to the Falls, "Superman II" also showcases the Maid of the Mist. The scene presents a pivotal point in the film, as Lois realizes that Superman happened to be in Niagara Falls and Clark, as usual, was nowhere to be found at the time of the hero's appearance. Tammy: Recently fired from her fast-food job and cheated on by her husband, Tammy (Melissa McCarthy) embarks on a road trip to Niagara Falls with her alcoholic grandmother (Susan Sarandon). Tammy had always dreamed of seeing the Falls, and after a series of crimes, drinking, family bonding, a slew of bad luck events and returning home, the pair finally complete the journey to Niagara Falls. Tammy is met there by Bobby (Mark Duplass), a man she met in Louisville on the initial trip, and she tells him she wants to move to Louisville. In addition to McCarthy and Sarandon, "Tammy" features a star-studded cast including Kathy Bates, Allison Janney, Dan Aykroyd, Gary Cole, Mark Duplass, Sandra Oh and Nat Faxon. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows: The Turtles return in "Out of the Shadows" after taking down Shredder (Brian Tee). The film used Route 33 for its big car chase scene, complete with staged explosions and equipment provided by a local Buffalo business. In this sequel to 2014's TMNT film, April O'Neil (Megan Fox) discovers Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) is working for Shredder and plans to break him out. The breakout forces TMNT to, as the film suggests, come out of the shadows to fight Shredder once again, in addition to his associates , Rocksteady (Stephen Farrelli) and Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams). WALL-E: Though the film is animated and the characters don't actually go to Niagara Falls, sound effects from the highly acclaimed 2008 Pixar film "WALL-E" come from the Falls at Luna Island. The film, an allegory for corporate greed and pollution, features a solitary trash-compacting robot in the 29th century, cleaning up a wasteland Earth, which was left as a garbage dump by humans, who exist on a spaceship called the Axiom. The classic Christmas movie with deep connections to Upstate New York TV Shows Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 4, episode 17 of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," titled "Cop Con," was set in Rochester, N.Y., with officers from all around New York State joining in on the fun. Naturally, members of Buffalo's police department make an appearance, though the group known as the "Buffalo Party Department" is arrested at the hotel for taking bribes. The episode takes place at the "Wilton" hotel in Rochester -- though it was actually filmed in California. Confessions of a Matchmaker: The one-season reality show was filmed in Buffalo, following matchmaker Patti Novak as she helps people look for love. The show ran on the A&E Network in 2007. General Hospital: Niagara Falls has been featured on "General Hospital" a number of times, first in 1993, episode 7,828, which saw the returns of both Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) and Laura Webber (Genie Francis) on a trip to the landmark. The episode also introduced Lucky Spencer (Jonathan Jackson). The show featured two more arcs centered around the Falls, including a trip in 2019, which culminated with episode 14,280, during which Cameron Webber (William Lipton), Joss Jacks (Eden McCoy), Trina Robinson (Sydney Mikayla) and Oscar Nero (Garren Stitt) try to complete Oscar's bucket list item of visiting. In 2022, Brando Corbin (Johnny Wactor) and Sasha Gilmore (Sofia Mattsson) head to Niagara Falls, where they end up getting married in episode 14,994. Scenes for the episodes were shot in Niagara Falls and Buffalo. Joe Pera Talks With You: It's no surprise Buffalo native Joe Pera gave a shoutout to the Nickel City in his show. Though the show is set in Marquette, MI, Pera did give Buffalo a shoutout in his Christmas special, "Joe Pera Helps You Find the Perfect Christmas Tree." The episode was filmed in 2016, prior to the filming of seasons 1-3, and was rereleased this past December. Jeff Ward as Deke Shaw (Matthias Clamer via Getty Images) Marvel's Agents of SHIELD: The SHIELD team's base of operations in seasons 5 and 7 -- The Lighthouse -- is located on the shores of Lake Ontario. Around the midpoint of season 5, episode 12, titled "The Real Deal," agent Deke Shaw picks up a payphone with the number (716) 555-0103 printed on it, giving the notion that the base is located in the Western New York area. Coordinates given for The Lighthouse in a later episode correspond with a location just outside Watertown. Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly, Ken Kreps as Minister, John Krasinski as Jim Halpert (Byron Cohen/NBCU Photo Bank) The Office: The Office's two-episode arc in season 6, titled "Niagara: Part I" and "Niagara: Part II" were partially shot in Niagara Falls, N.Y. for the wedding of Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly. Though the church scenes and interior hotel scenes were all shot in Southern California, where the rest of the series was shot, scenes of the hotel's exterior and on the Maid of the Mist took place at the Red Coach Inn and at the Falls. Prior to the wedding -- in season 5, episode 26 -- Dunder Mifflin held a company picnic with all of its branches present. During their skit at the picnic, Michael Scott and Holly Flax accidentally let slip that the Buffalo branch would be closing. Clad in orange uniforms at the picnic, the Buffalo branch protested the closure. In 2021, Andy Buckley, the actor who portrayed Dunder Mifflin CEO (and former CFO) David Wallace tweeted that due to the success of the Buffalo Bills, the branch would be reopening. Buffalo regional manager Dan Gore made several appearances between seasons 2 and 4. The T.O. Show: A look into off-the-field life for NFL superstar Terrell Owens, VH1's "The T.O. Show" followed Owens through his daily life from 2009-11. The first season features Buffalo prominently during the Hall of Fame wide receiver's time as a member of the Bills, including a presentation of the Key to the City of Buffalo by Mayor Byron Brown in the season's second episode, which Owens recently discussed with WIVB. The first episode of season two, titled "Bye Bye Buffalo," shows T.O. heading back to Los Angeles after his stint with the Bills. The Scooby Doo Show: Niagara Falls is featured in season 1, episode 7 of "The Scooby Doo Show," as Mystery Inc. investigates a sanitarium haunted by the ghost of Dr. Coffin (Frank Welker) while on vacation in the Cataract City. Following an episode full of typical Scooby Doo antics, the team nabs the suspect posing as the mad doctor, who was also running a smuggling operation from Canada to the U.S. The Simpsons: The 21st episode of season 30 of The Simpsons -- titled "D'oh Canada" -- the titular family takes a trip to Niagara Falls. On the way to the Falls, Homer Simpson sings a parody of Frank Sinatra's "Theme from New York, New York," titled, "Upstate New York," in which the Simpson family drives through Buffalo, Utica, Rochester, Niskayuna, Sleepy Hollow, and Oriskany. During the song, Homer also eats wings at Anchor Bar and attends a Buffalo Bills game with another fan. The song also features a water tower in Niskayuna, the "Welcome to Utica" sign, with the population continuing to fall, Homer's graduation from Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, the destruction of Rochester's Kodak plant with people taking selfies on their phones in front of it, and Syracuse's mascot Otto the Orange joining in a kick line with opioids, a dime, a can of borscht, a lotto ticket, and Roni, the mascot from the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. The scene depicts Homer as the mayor of Oriskany, The song ends with the family's car entering downtown Buffalo, with several feet of snow being dropped on the city. Latest Local News 1-year-old Madison loves dogs, cats and kids Lockport’s Harley Field is a labor of love, and a dream come true Plane leaving ROC makes emergency landing in Buffalo Sabres slide into ‘American Thanksgiving’ with shutout loss at home lloyd Taco Factory to open third location in Elmwood Village Adam Duke is a digital contributor who joined WIVB in 2021. See more of his work here.