Bay Area/ San Francisco

3 notable films worth checking out in Berkeley this week

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Published on June 28, 2019
3 notable films worth checking out in Berkeley this weekImage: Toy Story 4/TMDb

Want to see a movie, but not sure what's worthwhile? Check out this week's lineup of acclaimed movies showing on the big screen in and around Berkeley.

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.)

Toy Story 4

Woody has always been confident about his place in the world and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that's Andy or Bonnie. But when Bonnie adds a reluctant new toy called "Forky" to her room, a road trip adventure alongside old and new friends will show Woody how big the world can be for a toy.

Boasting a Tomatometer Score of 98% and an Audience Score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, "Toy Story 4" has been a must-watch since its release on June 21. The New Yorker's Anthony Lane said, "(Josh) Cooley's film quickens and deepens," while Matthew Rozsa of Salon noted, "The latest installment, 'Toy Story 4,' is perhaps the bleakest (and most beautiful) of them all."

You can catch it at Regal UA Berkeley (2274 Shattuck Ave.) through Thursday, July 4. Click here for showtimes and tickets.

Midsommar

A young couple travels to Sweden to visit their friend’s rural hometown and attend its mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly descends into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

Set to be released on Wednesday, July 3, "Midsommar" already has a Tomatometer Score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.

"This is, in other words, a less perfectly crafted nightmare than (Ari) Aster's last one. But there's a deranged integrity to its sprawl, and to the filmmaker's willingness to embrace the darkest, most unsparing aspects of human desire," according to A.A. Dowd of the AV Club, while Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt said, "The skin-pricking pleasures of 'Midsommar' aren't rational, they're instinctive: a thrilling, seasick freefall into the light."

Get a piece of the action at Regal UA Berkeley (2274 Shattuck Ave.) through  Thursday, July 4. Click here for showtimes and tickets.

Annabelle Comes Home

Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren bring the possessed doll to the locked artifacts room in their home, placing her “safely” behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest’s holy blessing. But an unholy night of horror awaits as Annabelle awakens the evil spirits in the room, who all set their sights on a new target—the Warrens' 10-year-old daughter, Judy, and her friends.

Released on June 26, "Annabelle Comes Home" has a Tomatometer Score of 69% and an Audience Score of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes.

"A smart, controlled film, made with considerable integrity," noted Mick LaSalle of San Francisco Chronicle, while indieWire's Eric Kohn said, "'Annabelle Comes Home' delivers on its title with the best 'Conjuring' spin-off so far, in large part because it has such modest aims."

Get a piece of the action at Regal UA Berkeley (2274 Shattuck Ave.) through Thursday, July 4. 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.