Houston/ Fun & Entertainment
Published on May 17, 2019
What movie should you go see today?Image: Wizard of Oz/TMDb

Need date night ideas? Check out this week's lineup of acclaimed movies showing on the big screen in and around Houston.

Here are 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.)

The Wizard of Oz

Young Dorothy finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man as they make their way along the yellow brick road to talk with the Wizard and ask for the things they miss most in their lives. The Wicked Witch of the West is the only thing that could stop them.

Boasting a Tomatometer Score of 98 percent and an Audience Score of 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, this classic has made a lasting impression. The New York Daily News's Kate Cameron said, "Judy Garland is perfectly cast as Dorothy. She is as clever a little actress as she is a singer and her special style of vocalizing is ideally adapted to the music of the picture," while Keith Staskiewicz of Entertainment Weekly noted, "In truth, any opportunity to see the film on the big screen is welcome."

Catch it on the big screen at Movie Tavern Willowbrook (18359 Tomball Parkway) through Wednesday, May 22. Click here for showtimes and tickets.

Avengers: Endgame

After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.

With a Tomatometer Score of 95 percent and an Audience Score of 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Avengers: Endgame" has become a favorite since its release on April 26.

"What you will be getting when you walk into an inevitably overstuffed movie theater is something singular that reflects our age in a way that none of the MCU films that preceded it have-indeed, very few Hollywood spectacles ever have," according to Oliver Jones of the Observer, while the San Diego Reader's Matthew Lickona said, "The MCU will go on and on, but this chapter — and the American pragmatism vs. American ideals bromance that drove it — have well and truly come to their 'Excelsior! Nuff said!' moment."

It's screening at AMC Houston 8 ( 510 Texas Street), AMC Studio 30 ( 2949 Dunvale) and Americas Cinemas Houston ( 535 Sharpstown Center)through Wednesday, May 22. Click here for showtimes and tickets.

Penguins

The story of Steve, an Adélie penguin, on a quest to find a life partner and start a family. When Steve meets with Wuzzo the emperor penguin they become friends. But nothing comes easy in the icy Antarctic.

With a Tomatometer Score of 91 percent and an Audience Score of 76 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Penguins" has garnered plenty of praise since its release on April 17. Rolling Stone's Peter Travers said, "It took 16 cinematographers three years to capture the stunning images in this doc about an Adelie penguin (anthropomorphically voiced by Ed Helms) coming of age during a freezing Antarctic spring. Go for the film's thrilling sense of wonder," while Brad Wheeler of the Globe and Mail stated, "A sweet, playful coming-of-age documentary."

Catch it on the big screen at Regal Houston Marq*E ScreenX, 4DX, IMAX & RPX (7620 Katy Freeway) through Wednesday, May 22. 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.