Need date night ideas? Don't miss this week's lineup of acclaimed movies showing on the big screen in and around Chicago.
Read on for the highest rated films to catch, based on critical scores sourced from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. (Movie descriptions courtesy The Movie Database; showtimes via Fandango.)
Schindler's List
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
With a critical approval rating of 97 percent and an audience score of 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, this 1993 Best Picture winner is showing on the big screen for a limited time at the Showplace Icon Theatre, for its 25th anniversary.
The site's critical consensus notes that "'Schindler's List' blends the abject horror of the Holocaust with Steven Spielberg's signature tender humanism to create the director's dramatic masterpiece."
Catch it on the big screen at ShowPlace ICON at Roosevelt Collection with ICON X (1011 S. Delano Court East) on Friday, Dec. 7. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Free Solo
Follow Alex Honnold as he becomes the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's 3,000-foot-high El Capitan wall. With no ropes or safety gear, he arguably completed the greatest feat in rock climbing history.
With a 97 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Free Solo" has proven to be a critical darling since its release on September 28. Per the site's overview of critic reviews, the film "depicts athletic feats that many viewers will find beyond reason -- and grounds the attempts in passions that are all but universal."
Get a piece of the action at ArcLight Chicago (1500 N. Clybourn Ave.) through Thursday, Dec. 6. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
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 96 percent and an audience score of 78 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "The Hate U Give" has been a must-watch since its release on October 19.
According to the site's summary of critic reviews, "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 screening at AMC Galewood Crossings 14 (5530 W. Homer St.) through Sunday, Dec. 9. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
The Favourite
In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah governs the country in her stead. When a new servant Abigail arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.
With a critical approval rating of 94 percent and an audience score of 77 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "The Favourite" has garnered plenty of praise since its release on November 23.
The site's critical consensus indicates that "'The Favourite' sees Yorgos Lanthimos balancing a period setting against rich, timely subtext -- and getting roundly stellar performances from his well-chosen stars." It also just earned five Golden Globe nominations.
Get a piece of the action at AMC River East 21 (322 E. Illinois St.) through Thursday, Dec. 6. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Tokyo Godfathers
One Christmas Eve three people, a middle-aged alcoholic named Gin, a former drag queen Hana and a dependent runaway girl Miyuki, discover an abandoned newborn while looking through the garbage.
Though it has a 90 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the 2003 animated film "Tokyo Godfathers," from late director Satoshi Kon ("Paprika," "Millennium Actress") didn't reach most Americans on the big screen when it first came out. It's being shown at the ArcLight for the Christmas season.
The Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus notes, "Beautiful and substantive, 'Tokyo Godfathers' adds a moving -- and somewhat unconventional -- entry to the animated Christmas canon."
Interested? It's playing at ArcLight Chicago (1500 N. Clybourn Ave.) on Wednesday, Dec. 12. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
