Need date night ideas? Check out this week's lineup of acclaimed movies showing on the big screen in and around Phoenix.
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.)
Tokyo Drifter
After yakuza boss Kurata dissolves his own criminal empire, a rival kingpin offers a position to Kurata's top operative, Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo. When the fiercely loyal Tetsu declines, Otsuka taps unstoppable Tatsuzo the "Viper," a ruthless gun-for-hire, to assassinate him. As the Viper trails his target through the countryside, the agile Phoenix Tetsu grows concerned that one of his former associates has betrayed him.
Boasting a Tomatometer Score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, this '60s-era classic has made a lasting impression. Time Out's Geoff Andrew said, "Inspired lunacy," while Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader noted, "A 1966 yakuza gangster thriller with a pop-art look by the formidable B-movie director Seijun Suzuki."
Interested? It's playing at FilmBar (815 N. Second St.) on Sunday, June 2. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Let the Right One In
Set in 1982 in the suburb of Blackeberg, Stockholm, twelve-year-old Oskar is a lonely outsider, bullied at school by his classmates; at home, Oskar dreams of revenge against a trio of bullies. He befriends his twelve-year-old next-door neighbor Eli, who only appears at night in the snow-covered playground outside their building.
Boasting a Tomatometer Score of 98% and an Audience Score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, "Let the Right One In" is a must-see.
"Sinister but gorgeous and compelling," according to Carina Chocano of the Los Angeles Times, while the New Yorker's Bruce Diones said, "A remarkably moving horror tale, about a pale, bullied twelve-year-old boy (Kåre Hedebrant) and his first love (Lina Leandersson), who happens to be a vampire."
You can catch it at FilmBar (815 N. Second St.) on Wednesday, June 5. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Hairspray
Ample teen Tracy Turnblad wants nothing more than to be on the hip local TV dance program, "The Corny Collins Show" — and when her dream comes true, her lively moves and bubbly personality meet with unexpected popularity. But after witnessing firsthand the terrible state of race relations in 1960s Baltimore, Turnblad becomes an outspoken advocate for desegregation.
Boasting a Tomatometer Score of 98% and an Audience Score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, this '80s throwback boasts plenty of accolades.
"When Divine's Edna Turnblad is on-screen in the sleeveless dresses she's partial to, the movie has something like the lunacy of a W. C. Fields in drag," noted Pauline Kael of the New Yorker, while the Chicago Reader's Jonathan Rosenbaum said, "Not only Waters's best movie, but a crossover gesture that expands his appeal without compromising his vision one iota; Ricki Lake as the hefty young heroine is especially delightful."
Catch it on the big screen at FilmBar (815 N. Second St.) on Saturday, June 1. 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.
With a Tomatometer Score of 98% and an Audience Score of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, "Booksmart" has been a must-watch since its release on May 24. Salon.com's Erin Keane said, "'Booksmart' puts a fresh spin on the coming-of-age night-of comedy because it's focused on two girls, one of whom is also queer," and the Globe and Mail's Chandler Levack noted, "'Booksmart' is a love letter for any young woman who has ever stayed home on a Friday night to watch a Ken Burns documentary."
You can catch it at Harkins MetroCenter 12 (9615-A Metro Parkway West) through Thursday, June 6 and Harkins Christown 14 (1620 W. Montebello) through Wednesday, June 5. 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%and an Audience Score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, "Avengers: Endgame" has garnered plenty of praise 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."
Catch it on the big screen at Harkins MetroCenter 12 (9615-A Metro Parkway West) and Harkins Christown 14 (1620 W. Montebello) through Wednesday, June 5. 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.
