From an adrenaline-pumping action flick to an affecting foreign film, there's an impressive lineup of top-rated movies showing on the big screen in San Francisco.
Whether you're in the market for a painfully relatable middle school coming-of-age story or a sweeping 1960s classic, here are the highest rated films to catch this week, based on critical scores 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 Opera Plaza Cinema (601 Van Ness Ave.) and the 4-Star (2200 Clement St.) through Thursday, Aug. 16.
The Cakemaker
A German pastry maker travels to Jerusalem in search for the wife and son of his dead lover.
The affecting film "explores all-consuming emotion with beguiling restraint, adding up to a delicately understated character study fueled by the power of love," according to critical consensus. You can catch it screening at Opera Plaza Cinema (601 Van Ness Ave.) through Thursday, Aug. 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 AMC Van Ness (1000 Van Ness Ave.) through Tuesday, Aug. 14, AMC Kabuki (1881 Post St.) through Wednesday, Aug. 15, and Alamo Drafthouse (2550 Mission St.), Balboa Theater (3630 Balboa St.), UA Stonestown (501 Buckingham Way), Embarcadero Center Cinemas (Embarcadero Center Promenade Level) and Presidio 4 (2340 Chestnut St.) through Thursday, Aug. 16.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The story of British officer T.E. Lawrence's mission to aid the Arab tribes in their revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Lawrence becomes a flamboyant, messianic figure in the cause of Arab unity but his psychological instability threatens to undermine his achievements.
"The epic of all epics, Lawrence of Arabia cements director David Lean's status in the filmmaking pantheon with nearly four hours of grand scope, brilliant performances, and beautiful cinematography," according to Rotten Tomatoes, where the film has a 98 percent critics score. You can catch all 216 minutes of the classic film at the Castro Theatre (429 Castro St.) through Sunday, Aug. 12.
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 AMC Van Ness (1000 Van Ness Ave.), AMC Kabuki (1881 Post St.), Century San Francisco Centre (845 Market St.), the Metreon (135 4th St.), Cinéarts @ Empire (85 West Portal Ave.), Balboa Theater (3630 Balboa St.) and Presidio 4 (2340 Chestnut St.).
