Bay Area/ San Francisco

The 4 best movies screening around Walnut Creek this week

AI Assisted Icon
Published on March 08, 2019
The 4 best movies screening around Walnut Creek this weekImage: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World/TMDb

Want to see a movie, but not sure what's worth your time (and money)? Don't miss this week's lineup of acclaimed movies showing on the big screen in and around Walnut Creek.

Read on for the highest rated films to catch, based on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer Score, which reflects the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics.

(Movie descriptions courtesy The Movie Database; showtimes via Fandango. Movie ratings and showtimes are subject to change.)

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

As Hiccup fulfills his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia, Toothless’ discovery of an untamed, elusive mate draws the Night Fury away. When danger mounts at home and Hiccup’s reign as village chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind.

With a Tomatometer Score of 92 percent and an Audience Score of 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" has become a favorite since its release on Feb. 22. The Atlantic's David Sims said, "So much of The Hidden World is stuffed with filler material. But in certain wordless moments, this grand final entry really sings," while Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post noted, "The movie could easily be called 'How To End Your Trilogy.'"

In the mood for popcorn? It's playing at Century 14 Downtown Walnut Creek and XD (1201 Locust St.) through Wednesday, March 13. Click here for showtimes and tickets.

Green Book

Tony Lip, a bouncer in 1962, is hired to drive pianist Don Shirley on a tour through the Deep South in the days when African Americans, forced to find alternate accommodations and services due to segregation laws below the Mason-Dixon Line, relied on a guide called The Negro Motorist Green Book.

With a Tomatometer Score of 79 percent and an Audience Score of 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Green Book" is well worth a watch. "First-rate execution can't solve all of a film's problems, but (Viggo) Mortensen and (Mahershala) Ali offer a reminder that it can solve an awful lot of them," according to Christopher Orr of the Atlantic, while Time Out's Joshua Rothkopf said, "Call this actors' duet sentimental and simplistic at your own peril. Green Book may well move you, possibly to tears, at the thought of real social change and kindness (at a time when we need it badly)."

It's screening at Century 14 Downtown Walnut Creek and XD (1201 Locust St.) through Wednesday, Mar. 13. Click here for showtimes and tickets.

Isn't It Romantic

For a long time, Natalie, an Australian architect living in New York City, had always believed that what she had seen in rom-coms is all fantasy. But after thwarting a mugger at a subway station only to be knocked out while fleeing, Natalie wakes up and discovers that her life has suddenly become her worst nightmare — a romantic comedy — and she is the leading lady.

With a Tomatometer Score of 68 percent and an Audience Score of 54 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Isn't It Romantic" is well worth a watch. "Unlike other movies where women bang their heads, this one's got a brain," noted Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post, while New York Magazine/Vulture's Bilge Ebiri said, "It's the 'Inception' of rom-coms. Sort of."

Catch it on the big screen at Century 14 Downtown Walnut Creek and XD (1201 Locust St.) through Wednesday, March 13. Click here for showtimes and tickets.

Happy Death Day 2U

Collegian Tree Gelbman wakes up in horror to learn that she's stuck in a parallel universe. Her boyfriend Carter is now with someone else, and her friends and fellow students seem to be completely different versions of themselves. When Tree discovers that Carter's roommate has been altering time, she finds herself once again the target of a masked killer. When the psychopath starts to go after her inner circle, Tree soon realizes that she must die over and over again to save everyone.

With a Tomatometer Score of 67 percent and an Audience Score of 67 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Happy Death Day 2U" is well worth a watch. The Atlantic's David Sims said, "Along the lines of other recent inexpensive genre efforts that behave more like franchise blockbusters by building out their lore and doubling down on their nerdiness," and Salon.com's Matthew Rozsa said, "It is instead that rarity — a sequel that is both better than the original and manages to retroactively improve that movie."

Want to see for yourself? It's playing at Century 14 Downtown Walnut Creek and XD (1201 Locust St.) through Wednesday, March 13. Click here for showtimes and tickets.


This story was created automatically using local movie data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.

Movie (and TV) magic.

It’s the golden age of entertainment, and there are more options than ever, whether you’re into prestige dramas, British cooking shows or Marvel blockbusters. Get the best of all worlds with over 500,000 movies and TV episodes available with the Amazon Fire Stick, which allows you to stream your favorite from Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, YouTube, and more.

Fire it up >>