Looking for a stirring story? Check out this week's lineup of dramas showing on the big screen in and around Denver.
Read on for the highest rated drama films to catch in theaters, based on critical scores sourced from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. (Movie descriptions courtesy The Movie Database; showtimes via Fandango.)
The Hate U Give
Raised in a poverty-stricken slum, a 16-year-old girl named Starr now attends a suburban prep school. After she witnesses a police officer shoot her unarmed best friend, she's torn between her two very different worlds as she tries to speak her truth.
With a critical approval rating of 97 percent and an audience score of 78 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "The Hate U Give" has been a must-watch since its release on Oct. 19. The site's critical consensus notes that "Led by a breakout turn from Amandla Stenberg, the hard-hitting 'The Hate U Give' emphatically proves the YA genre has room for much more than magic and romance."
It's playing at Harkins Northfield 18 (8300 E. Northfield Blvd.) through Tuesday, Dec. 18. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
It's a Wonderful Life
A holiday favorite for generations — George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business' $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.
With a 93 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, this vintage film has become a favorite. The site's critical consensus indicates that "The holiday classic to define all holiday classics, 'It's a Wonderful Life' is one of a handful of films worth an annual viewing."
Get a piece of the action at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake (4255 W. Colfax Ave.) through Friday, Dec. 14 and Harkins Northfield 18 (8300 E. Northfield Blvd.) on Saturday, Dec. 15. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Green Book
Tony Lip, a bouncer in 1962, is hired to drive pianist Don Shirley on a tour through the Deep South in the days when African Americans, forced to find alternate accommodations and services due to segregation laws below the Mason-Dixon Line, relied on a guide called "The Negro Motorist Green Book."
With a critical approval rating of 82 percent and an audience score of 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Green Book" has proven a solid option since its release on Nov. 16. Per the site's summary of critic reviews, "'Green Book' takes audiences on a surprisingly smooth ride through potentially bumpy subject matter, fueled by Peter Farrelly's deft touch and a pair of well-matched leads."
It's playing at UA Denver Pavilions Stadium 15 & RPX (500 16th St.) through Saturday, Dec. 15; Regal Continental Stadium 10 & RPX (3635 S. Monaco Parkway) through Friday, Dec. 14; and Harkins Northfield 18 (8300 E. Northfield Blvd.) through Wednesday, Dec. 19. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Vox Lux
In 1999, teenage sisters Celeste and Eleanor survive a seismic, violent tragedy. The sisters compose and perform a song about their experience, making something lovely and cathartic out of a catastrophe - while also catapulting Celeste to stardom. By 2017, Celeste is a mother to a teenage daughter of her own and is struggling to navigate a career fraught with scandals when another act of terrifying violence demands her attention.
Released on Dec. 14, "Vox Lux" already has a critical approval rating of 62 percent and an audience score of 63 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with a consensus that "'Vox Lux' probes the allures and pitfalls of modern celebrity with sharp intelligence and visual style, all held together by an assured Natalie Portman performance."
Get a piece of the action at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake (4255 W. Colfax Ave.) through Thursday, Dec. 20. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
