On the hunt for date-night ideas? Check out this week's lineup of acclaimed movies showing on the big screen in and around Boston.
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.)
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 98 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" has gotten stellar reviews since its release on June 29, with a consensus that "'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."
Catch it on the big screen at AMC Boston Common 19 (175 Tremont St.) tonight, Jan. 9. 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 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" has been a must-watch since its release on Dec. 14. Per the site's critical consensus, "'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."
Get a piece of the action at ShowPlace ICON at Seaport with ICON•X (60 Seaport Blvd.) through Thursday, Jan. 10; AMC South Bay Center 12 (95 Allstate Road) through Sunday, Jan. 13; Regal Fenway Stadium 13 & RPX (201 Brookline Ave.) and AMC Boston Common 19 (175 Tremont St.) through Wednesday, Jan. 16. 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 96 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Three Identical Strangers" has been a must-watch since its release on June 29. The site's critical consensus has it that "Surreal and surprising, 'Three Identical Strangers' effectively questions the nature of reality and identity."
It's playing at AMC Boston Common 19 (175 Tremont St.) on Thursday, Jan. 10. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Crime + Punishment
Over four years of unprecedented access, the story of a brave group of black and Latino whistleblower cops and one unrelenting private investigator who, amidst a landmark lawsuit, risk everything to expose illegal quota practices and their impact on young minorities.
With a 95 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Crime + Punishment" has become a favorite since its release on Jan. 19. The site's critical consensus has it that "'Crime + Punishment' shines a brilliant light on systemic corruption, building a case for change that's as upsetting as it is ultimately inspiring."
It's screening at AMC Boston Common 19 (175 Tremont St.) on Thursday, Jan. 10. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Dark Money
'Dark money' contributions, made possible by the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, flood modern American elections— but Montana is showing Washington, D.C., how to solve the problem of unlimited anonymous money in politics.
With a 95 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 69 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Dark Money" has become a favorite since its release on July 13. The site's critical consensus has it that "'Dark Money' does an impressive job of tackling a complicated subject in easily understandable — and, for many viewers, utterly enraging — terms."
Get a piece of the action at AMC Boston Common 19 (175 Tremont St.) on Thursday, Jan. 10. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
