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? Don't miss this week's lineup of acclaimed movies showing on the big screen in and around Irvine.
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 proven to be a critical darling since its release on June 21. The New Yorker's Anthony Lane said, "[Director 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."
Interested? It's playing at Regal Edwards Market Place (13782 Jamboree Road) through Monday, July 1 and Regal Irvine Spectrum ScreenX, IMAX, RPX & VIP (500 Spectrum Center Drive) through Wednesday, July 3. 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 for release 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 [writer-director 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 free-fall into the light."
You'll be able to catch it at Regal Edwards University Town Center (4245 Campus Drive) and Regal Irvine Spectrum ScreenX, IMAX, RPX & VIP (500 Spectrum Center Drive) starting on Wednesday, July 3. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am
This artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career. Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, history, America and the human condition.
With a Tomatometer Score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, "Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am" has garnered plenty of praise since its release on June 21.
"While the format as such doesn't allow for a critical push-and-pull, that's not a debit. This is about time well spent on a life well lived. A series of pieces adding up to much more than the whole," noted Zaki Hasan of San Francisco Chronicle, while Washington Post's Alan Zilberman said, "It doesn't matter whether you've have read all — or any — of Morrison books. Either way, you may leave the theater wanting to pick one up on the way home."
You can catch it at Regal Edwards University Town Center (4245 Campus Drive) through Wednesday, July 3. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Jimmie Fails dreams of reclaiming the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Joined on his quest by his best friend Mont, Jimmie searches for belonging in a rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind.
With a Tomatometer Score of 94% and an Audience Score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, "The Last Black Man in San Francisco" has garnered plenty of praise since its release on June 7. The Detroit News's Adam Graham said, "'The Last Black Man in San Francisco' is poignant filmmaking with an invigorating spirit," and the Seattle Times's Soren Andersen noted, "The acting by the two principals is impeccable; their portrait of male friendship is deeply felt."
Interested? It's playing at Regal Edwards University Town Center (4245 Campus Drive) through Wednesday, July 3. 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.
