Need date night ideas? Don't miss this week's lineup of acclaimed movies and Golden Globe nominees showing on the big screen in and around Visalia.
Here are 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.)
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 97 percent critical approval rating 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 indicates 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."
You can catch it at Regal Visalia Sequoia Mall 12 (3355 S. Mooney Blvd.) through Friday, Dec. 21. Click here for showtimes and tickets.Smallfoot
A bright young yeti finds something he thought didn't exist — a human. News of this “smallfoot” throws the simple yeti community into an uproar over what else might be out there in the big world beyond their snowy village.
With a critical approval rating of 76 percent and an audience score of 78 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Smallfoot" is well worth a watch. The site's critical consensus has it that "'Smallfoot' offers a colorful distraction that should keep younger viewers entertained and a story whose message might even resonate with older audiences."
It's playing at Regal Visalia Sequoia Mall 12 (3355 S. Mooney Blvd.) through Friday, Dec. 21. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Aquaman
The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime — one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be… a king.
Set to be released on Friday, Dec. 21, "Aquaman" already has a critical approval rating of 70 percent and an audience score of 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The site's critical consensus indicates that "'Aquaman' swims with its entertainingly ludicrous tide, offering up CGI superhero spectacle that delivers energetic action with an emphasis on good old-fashioned fun."
It's playing at Regal Visalia Stadium 10 (120 S. Bridge St.) through Wednesday, Dec. 26. 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.
With a critical approval rating of 62 percent and an audience score of 56 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Vox Lux" is well worth a watch, 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."
Interested? It's playing at Regal Visalia Stadium 10 (120 S. Bridge St.) through Friday, Dec. 21. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Bohemian Rhapsody
Singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass guitarist John Deacon take the music world by storm when they form the rock 'n' roll band Queen in 1970. Hit songs become instant classics. When Mercury's increasingly wild lifestyle starts to spiral out of control, Queen soon faces its greatest challenge yet — finding a way to keep the band together amid the success and excess.
With a 62 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is well worth a watch. The site's critical consensus has it that "'Bohemian Rhapsody' hits a handful of high notes, but as an in-depth look at a beloved band, it offers more of a medley than a true greatest hits collection."
You can catch it at Regal Visalia Stadium 10 (120 S. Bridge St.) through Friday, Dec. 21. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
