Want to catch some Oscar nominees before the big ceremony — or just in the mood for a fresh perspective? Don't miss this week's lineup of documentaries showing on the big screen in and around Denver.
Here are the highest rated documentary films to catch in theaters, based on critical scores sourced from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. (Movie descriptions courtesy The Movie Database; showtimes via Fandango.)
Free Solo
Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's 3,000-foot-high El Capitan wall. With no ropes or safety gear, this would arguably be the greatest feat in rock climbing history.
Boasting a 98 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Free Solo" has proven to be a critical darling since its release on September 28.
The critical consensus notes, "'Free Solo' depicts athletic feats that many viewers will find beyond reason — and grounds the attempts in passions that are all but universal." The film is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Get a piece of the action at UA Colorado Center Stadium 9 & IMAX (2000 S. Colorado Blvd.) through Thursday, Jan. 31. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Three Identical Strangers
New York, 1980: three complete strangers accidentally discover that they're identical triplets, separated at birth. The 19-year-olds' joyous reunion catapults them to international fame, but also unlocks an extraordinary and disturbing secret that goes beyond their own lives - and could transform our understanding of human nature forever.
With a critical approval rating of 96 percent and an audience score of 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Three Identical Strangers" has proven to be a critical darling since its release on June 29.
The site's critical consensus approves, "Surreal and surprising, 'Three Identical Strangers' effectively questions the nature of reality and identity."
Catch it on the big screen at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake (4255 W. Colfax Ave.) on Sunday, Jan. 27. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
RBG
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, now 84 and still inspired by the lawyers who defended free speech during the Red Scare, refuses to relinquish her passionate duty, steadily fighting for equal rights for all citizens under the law. Through intimate interviews and unprecedented access to Ginsburg’s life outside the court, RBG tells the electric story of Ginsburg’s consuming love affairs with both the Constitution and her beloved husband Marty—and of a life’s work that led her to become an icon of justice in the highest court in the land.
With a critical approval rating of 95 percent and an audience score of 78 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "RBG" has become a favorite since its release on May 25. The film is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
According to the site's critical consensus, "'RBG' might be preaching to the choir of viewers who admire Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, but it does so effectively."
It's screening at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake (4255 W. Colfax Ave.) on Saturday, Jan. 26. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
[Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions.]
