In the age of streaming entertainment, it can be hard to leave the couch. But movie theaters still offer a special experience for those willing to get out of the house. Want to see what's out there? Take a look at this week's lineup of acclaimed movies showing on the big screen in and around San Antonio.
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 River and the Wall
This documentary follows five friends on an immersive adventure through the unknown wilds of the Texas borderlands as they travel 1,200 miles from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico on horses, mountain bikes and canoes. They set out to document the borderlands and explore the potential impacts of a border wall on the natural environment, but as the wilderness gives way to the more populated and heavily trafficked Lower Rio Grande Valley, they come face-to-face with the human side of the immigration debate and enter uncharted emotional waters.
Boasting a Tomatometer Score of 100 percent and an Audience Score of 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "The River and the Wall" has been a must-watch since its release on May 3. The New York Times's Jeannette Catsoulis said, "This casually relaxed documentary is both a vivid message movie and a wonder-filled paean to a singularly beautiful and biodiverse environment," while Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times noted, "Director Ben Masters' compelling, gorgeously shot, super-timely documentary 'The River and the Wall' should be required viewing of anyone charged with making a public case for or against a border wall between the United States and Mexico."
Get a piece of the action at Santikos Bijou Cinema Bistro (4522 Fredericksburg Road) through Thursday, May 30. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Booksmart
Two academic teenage superstars realize, on the eve of their high school graduation, that they should have worked less and played more. Determined to never fall short of their peers, the girls set out on a mission to cram four years of fun into one night.
Set to be released today, May 24, "Booksmart" already has a Tomatometer Score of 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
"Olivia Wilde comes out swinging with not only one of the best movies of the year, but one of the best high school movies of all time," according to Katie Walsh of Tribune News Service, while Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt said, "If the storyline doesn't so much unfold as burst out in glittery puffs – and if music cues seem to make up about 40 percent of the plot – it's still an endearing kind of chaos."
You can catch it at Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes (1255 S.W. Loop 410), Santikos Embassy 14 (13707 Embassy Row), Regal Cielo Vista & RPX (2828 Cinema Ridge) and Regal Alamo Quarry (255 E. Basse Road) through Wednesday, May 29. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Alien
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.
With a Tomatometer Score of 97 percent and an Audience Score of 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, this '70s throwback has been a favorite of critics. The New York Daily News's Ernest Leogrande said, "This is a screamingly spooky sci-fi tale with more than a few echoes of 'The Thing' but echoes which enhance rather than detract," and the Globe and Mail's Stephen Cole noted, "Seen again a quarter-century later, we marvel at how the filmmaker generates so much tension and sweat with a bare minimum of moving parts."
You can catch it at Alamo Drafthouse Park North (618 N.W. Loop 410, Suite 307) on Monday, May 27. 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 94 percent and an Audience Score of 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Avengers: Endgame" has become a favorite since its release on April 26. The Observer's Oliver Jones said, "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," while Matthew Lickona of the San Diego Reader stated, "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."
Interested? It's playing at Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes (1255 S.W. Loop 410), Santikos Embassy 14 (13707 Embassy Row), Regal Cielo Vista & RPX (2828 Cinema Ridge) and Regal Alamo Quarry (255 E. Basse Road) through Wednesday, May 29. 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.
