Want to reflect on the humanity of it all? Check out this week's lineup of dramas showing on the big screen in and around New York City.
Read on for the best drama films to catch in theaters, 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 Godfather
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, this film is a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
Boasting a Tomatometer Score of 98 percent and an Audience Score of 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, this 1972 release boasts plenty of accolades.
The New Yorker's Pauline Kael said, "If ever there was a great example of how the best popular movies come out of a merger of commerce and art, 'The Godfather' is it," while Norm Goldstein of the Associated Press noted, "Casting in these roles has been exceptional, particularly with Al Pacino, a relative newcomer as Michael. James Caan, too, deserves special mention, tor his role as Sonny ... But the prime extra ingredient of the film is(Marlon) Brando."
It's playing at Quad Cinema (34 W. 13th St.) on Sunday, June 9. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
The Godfather, Part II
In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910 New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.
With a Tomatometer Score of 97 percent and an Audience Score of 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, this 1974 release is a critical darling.
"It goes much deeper than 'The Godfather' in analyzing the twisted mentalities of these men who pervert the capitalist system for their own gain. The film is richer in texture and gives more evidence of social awareness," according to Kathleen Carroll of the New York Daily News, while the Hollywood Reporter's John H. Dorr said, "An admirable, responsible production, less emotionally disturbing than its predecessor, but a grand historical epic studying the nature of power in the United States' heritage."
Catch it on the big screen at Quad Cinema (34 W. 13th St.) on Sunday, June 9. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Nashville
This movie tells the intersecting stories of various people connected to the music business in Nashville. Barbara Jean is the reigning queen of Nashville, but is near collapse. Linnea and Delbert Reese have a shaky marriage and two deaf children. Opal is a British journalist touring the area. These and other stories come together in a dramatic climax.
With a Tomatometer Score of 93 percent and an Audience Score of 84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, this '70s throwback has garnered plenty of praise.
The Chicago Tribune's Michael Wilmington said, "(Director Robert) Altman's great kaleidoscopic ensemble comedy-drama about a frenzied few days in country music's capital, with an unlikely, quirky, explosive crowd of musicians, hangers-on and politicos all converging on a fateful concert crossroads," while Pauline Kael of the New Yorker noted, "The funniest epic vision of America ever to reach the screen."
In the mood for popcorn? It's playing at Quad Cinema (34 W. 13th St.) on Saturday, June 8. 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.
