Fresh is best, especially when it comes to movies. And the best-reviewed movies in theaters now offer a delectable range of tastes, from an action thriller with jaw-dropping stunts, to an unflinching biopic about a pioneering musician, to a documentary about four iconic, award-winning British actresses.
Want to get in on the top movies screening around the country, right now? Here are the five best movies to see in theaters this fall, based on critical scores sourced from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
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5. BlacKkKlansman
Based on a true story, this dramedy from filmmaker Spike Lee tells the story of the first African-American detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Ron Stallworth (John David Washington)embarks on a dangerous and difficult mission: to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. He teams up with a white colleague (Adam Driver) to go undercover, with the goal of taking down the extremist hate group, but their plan threatens to go awry as KKK members begin to suspect their new brother is actually a brother.
The film, released on Aug. 10, currently has a 95 percent positive critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 81 percent audience score. Click here for tickets and showtimes near you.
4. Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Tom Cruise proves he’s the hardest-working actor in Hollywood, doing most of his own stunts in the latest entry into the blockbuster “Mission: Impossible” franchise. He even broke his foot while leaping from one building to another — and still kept filming! Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and team are called upon once again to stop a terrorist, and the agent never loses his cool as he speeds on motorcycles, jumps out of airplanes, and pilots helicopters to save the world.
Out in theaters since July 27, the action flick has a 97 percent positive critical score, and an 89 percent audience score. Check out tickets and showtimes near you.
3. Blaze
Acclaimed actor Ethan Hawke steps behind the camera to direct a biographical drama about Blaze Foley, an unsung country singer and songwriter from Austin who helped pioneer the Texas outlaw music scene that produced Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. Blaze defiantly and proudly makes music on his own terms, until his early, tragic death at 39. Ben Dickey’s performance has already earned glowing reviews for having the right mixture of country and soul.
In limited release since Aug. 17, "Blaze" has a strong 98 percent positive critical score, and an 82 percent audience score. Click here for tickets and showtimes near you.
2. Science Fair
And you thought high school was tough. This documentary follows nine teens from around the globe on their journey to compete at The International Science and Engineering Fair. The bright young minds set out to change the future of aeronautics, arsenic testing, vaccinations neurological research, and more — and all this while enduring the usual trials of adolescence. But only one can be named Best in Fair.
Out since Sept. 14, "Science Fair" boasts an impressive 98 percent positive critical score, as well as a 92 percent audience score. Check out tickets and showtimes near you.
1. Tea With the Dames
Four women get together for a spot of tea and some gossip — they just happen to have a score of Oscars, Tonys, Emmys, and BAFTAs between them. In this documentary, legendary actresses (and longtime friends) Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Eileen Atkins, and Dame Joan Plowright spend a weekend in the country sharing witty, insightful, and brutally honest truths about everything from acting to aging, from love to living in the spotlight.
In limited release since Sept. 21, "Tea with the Dames" is a critical darling, with a 100 percent positive critical score and 90 percent audience score. Click here for tickets and showtimes near you.
