Need date night ideas? Take a look at this week's lineup of acclaimed movies showing on the big screen in and around Denver.
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.)
Communion
When adults are ineffectual, children have to grow up quickly. Ola is 14 and she takes care of her dysfunctional father, autistic brother and a mother who lives separately, but most of all she tries to reunite the family. She lives in the hope of bringing her mother back home. Her 13-year-old brother Nikodem's Holy Communion is a pretext for the family to meet up. Ola is entirely responsible for preparing the perfect family celebration. "Communion" reveals the beauty of the rejected, the strength of the weak and the need for change when change seems impossible. This crash course in growing up teaches us that no failure is final, especially when love is in question.
Boasting a 100 percent critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, "Communion" has garnered plenty of accolades.
You can catch it at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake (4255 W. Colfax Ave.) on Friday, Jan. 11. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Fred Rogers used puppets and play to explore complex social issues: race, disability, equality and tragedy, helping form the American concept of childhood. He spoke directly to children and they responded enthusiastically. Yet today, his impact is unclear. Have we lived up to Fred's ideal of good neighbors?
Boasting a critical approval rating of 98 percent and an audience score of 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" has proven to be a critical darling since its release on June 29. The site's critical consensus approves, "'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' takes a fittingly patient and honest look at the life and legacy of a television pioneer whose work has enriched generations."
Bring a friend who likes you just the way you are: it's at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake (4255 W. Colfax Ave.) only on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Babe
Babe is a little pig who doesn't quite know his place in the world. With a bunch of odd friends, like Ferdinand, the duck, who thinks he is a rooster and Fly, the dog, he calls mom, Babe realizes that he has the makings to become the greatest sheep pig of all time, and Farmer Hogget knows it. With the help of the sheep dogs Babe learns that a pig can be anything that he wants to be.
With a 97 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 67 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, this '90s flick is a must-see, with a consensus that "The rare family-friendly feature with a heart as big as its special effects budget, 'Babe' offers timeless entertainment for viewers of all ages."
Bring tissues: it's screening at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake (4255 W. Colfax Ave.) at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Miles Morales is juggling his life between being a high school student and being Spider-Man. However, when Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk uses a super collider, another Spider-Man from another dimension, Peter Parker, accidentally winds up in Miles' dimension. As Peter trains Miles to become a better Spider-Man, they are soon joined by four other Spider-Men from across the "Spider-Verse". As all these clashing dimensions start to tear Brooklyn apart, Miles must help the others stop Fisk and return everyone to their own dimensions.
With a 97 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" has gotten stellar reviews since its release on Dec. 14, and now it's fresh off a win for Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes as well.
Critics near-unanimously agree: "'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' matches bold storytelling with striking animation for a purely enjoyable adventure with heart, humor and plenty of superhero action."
Catch it on the big screen at UA Denver Pavilions Stadium 15 & RPX (500 16th St.) through Thursday, Jan. 17. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
