Seattle/ Arts & Culture
Published on August 08, 2018
5 can't-miss movies screening this week in SeattleImage: Eighth Grade/A24 Films

From an adrenaline-pumping action flick to a big-hearted documentary, there's an impressive lineup of top-rated summer movies showing on the big screen in Seattle.

Whether you're in the market for a painfully relatable middle school coming-of-age story or an intimate look at the life of fashion designer Alexander McQueen, here are the highest rated films to catch this week, based on critical scores sourced sourced from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. (Movie descriptions courtesy The Movie Database.)

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Leave No Trace

A father and daughter live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Oregon, rarely making contact with the world. But when a small mistake tips them off to authorities, they are sent on an increasingly erratic journey in search of a place to call their own.

Boasting a 100 percent positive critical score, the film "takes an effectively low-key approach to a potentially sensationalistic story—and further benefits from brilliant work by Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie," according to Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus. It's playing at AMC Loews Oak Tree (10006 Aurora Ave. N.) through Thursday, August 9.

McQueen

Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own world, both tortured and inspired, which celebrates a radical and mesmerizing genius of profound influence.

Also carrying a 100 percent critics score, "McQueen" has garnered plenty of praise since its limited release on July 20, with critics indicating it's "an intimate, well-sourced, and overall moving look at a young life and brilliant career that were tragically cut short." It screens at AMC Pacific Place 11 (600 Pine S.) starting Friday, August 10.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Fred Rogers used puppets and play to explore complex social issues: race, disability, equality and tragedy, helping form the American concept of childhood. He spoke directly to children and they responded enthusiastically. Yet today, his impact is unclear. Have we lived up to Fred's ideal of good neighbors?

"Won't You Be My Neighbor" boasts an outstanding 99 percent positive critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a consensus that the film "takes a fittingly patient and honest look at the life and legacy of a television pioneer whose work has enriched generations."

It's screening at Regal Meridian 16 (1501 7th Ave.) and Regal Thornton Place (316 NE Thorton Place) through Thursday, August 9, at SIFF Cinema Uptown (511 Queen Anne Ave. N.) through August 16, and starting at Majestic Bay Theatre (2044 NW Market St.) on Friday, August 10 and running through August 16.

Eighth Grade

Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school — the end of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year — before she begins high school.

This breakout project, which comes from writer-director Bo Burnham and stars Elsie Fisher, has earned a stellar 98 percent positive critical rating since its opening on Friday. This week, it's playing at Regal Meridian 16 (1501 7th Ave.), AMC Seattle 10 (4500 9th Ave. NE), Regal Thornton Place (316 NE Thorton Place), SIFF Cinema Egyptian (801 E Pine St.) and Ark Lodge Cinemas (4816 Rainier Ave. S.).

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

When an IMF mission ends badly, the world is faced with dire consequences. As Ethan Hunt takes it upon himself to fulfill his original briefing, the CIA begin to question his loyalty and his motives. The IMF team find themselves in a race against time, hunted by assassins while trying to prevent a global catastrophe.

Tom Cruise returns in another installment of the bulletproof Mission: Impossible franchise, and with a 97 percent positive rating for the new blockbuster, it seems critics are happy to see him back in action. Catch "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" this week at Regal Meridian 16 (1501 7th Ave.), AMC Pacific Place (600 Pine S.), AMC Seattle 10 (4500 9th Ave. NE), Regal Thornton Place (316 NE Thorton Place), and AMC Loews Oak Tree (10006 Aurora Ave. N.).