It might drizzle this weekend, which is a good excuse to retreat into a movie theater and watch one of our critics' picks. Watch one-night-only screenings presented as part of the Local Sightings Film Festival, the poorly made and beloved The Room, or a new release like Deepwater Horizon. As always, check out our complete movie times calendar for even more options.


Jump to: NEW RELEASES | LIMITED RUNS: Thursday Only - Friday Only - Starting Friday - Sunday Only - All Weekend | CONTINUING RUNS

NEW RELEASES
1. Deepwater Horizon
The players in disaster movies often seem simply like chess pieces on a board that's about to be kicked over (and then set on fire, and then thrown into a volcano), but that's not the case here. Kurt Russell and Mark Wahlberg are old pros at playing affable everymen thrust into improbably violent scenarios, and the rest of the cast feels similarly grounded. Berg knows when to sit back and let the slice-of-life stuff play out, and that makes up the first half of Deepwater Horizon. BEN COLEMAN

LIMITED RUNS

Thursday Only
2. Ghostbusters
Because I’m so enthralled by all four lead actors, and even more enthralled by watching the world of bitter, obstructionist dorks implode with rage over their casting, I was almost ecstatic to see how well the whole thing turned out. It’s not just that it works and is hilarious and has great special effects and all the candy—It's also a perfect commentary on gender inequality in movies. Leading by example. SEAN NELSON
Meridian 16

3. Jason Bourne
Director Paul Greengrass and his co-scriptwriter Christopher Rouse (also the movie’s editor, interestingly) focus on a coterie of supporting characters, including Alicia Vikander as a smooth-skinned computer surveillance whiz, Vincent Cassel as a deadly “asset” (translation: assassin), and Tommy Lee Jones as a melted jack-o’-lantern who’s also head of the CIA. They’re all tracking Bourne, who discovered his real identity in 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum and feels bad about all the people he killed, so he’s taken on the life of a wandering bare-knuckle boxer, punching large men for cash throughout Eastern Europe. NED LANNAMANN
Meridian 16

4. The Light Between Oceans
In the wake of World War I, people were defined by what they had lost. A generation of young men had been scorched from the earth, leaving a corresponding generation of young women desperate to find a match and begin the work of repopulating their communities. It’s helpful, when embarking into the sheer sadness of Derek Cianfrance’s The Light Between Oceans, to bear this pressure in mind. If women have more or less always been expected to be mothers, this job was considered all the more noble in an era when so many lives had been eradicated. Imagine the pressure on a daughter whose brothers are all dead. MARJORIE SKINNER
Meridian 16

5. My Blind Brother
The parade of projects featuring Parks and Recreation alumni continues with British filmmaker Sophie Goodhart's directorial debut, an expansion of her 2003 New York University short. Ohio-based brothers Robbie (Adam Scott with an odd little-boy haircut) and Bill (Nick Kroll, believably down-to-earth) are fully grown adults who still live at home. Bill, a pot-smoking sugar addict who manages a print shop, has been catering to the needs of his visually impaired sibling for years, and he's just about had enough. KATHY FENNESSY
Sundance Cinemas

6. Raise Me Up
Filmmakers in Portland and Seattle reveal stories of people seeking justice and bettering their lives: a survivor of violence and war from Palestine, incarcerated women who want to stay in their children's lives, black teenagers facing racial profiling, and Uber and Lyft drivers demanding fair wages. Presented as part of the Local Sightings Film Festival.
Northwest Film Forum

7. The Room
Writer/director/producer/lead actor/distributor Tommy Wiseau's PSA about sleeping with your best friend's girl—very strange, poorly made, and beloved.
Central Cinema

8. Southside With You
In service of the Obama story—and the bigger story outside all of that—Southside with You presents a presidential rom-com in the midst of one of the ugliest election seasons in recent memory. The film follows a young, chain-smoking Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers) and a deeply principled Michelle Robinson (Tika Sumpter) as they traverse Chicago's South Side on their first "date." Southside with You, while sweet and overly schmaltzy at times, powerfully reminds viewers that the story the Obamas gave us over the past eight years—an eight years that may look a paradise if Trump wins—is one worth holding onto and retelling for future generations. SYDNEY BROWNSTONE
Sundance Cinemas

9. Star Trek Beyond
Despite the 21st century having surpassed many of Roddenberry's wildest technological dreams, those of us living in 2016 find ourselves struggling with some of the same social and political issues as those who were alive in the 1960s. That can make Star Trek's interstellar utopia seem goofy and preposterous—like it's merely one more fantasy world for us to gaze into as we retreat from reality. But every once in a while, the future of Star Trek can feel like something more—like a melding of entertainment and ideology, of adventure and potential. Every once in a while, Star Trek feels like an actual glimpse into a future. A future where, if we wanted, we could scrape the blood off our faces and do better. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Meridian 16 and Pacific Place

10. Velocity Dance Films
The V2 Dance + Film Residency project presents two films reflecting the changing landscape of Capitol Hill, as part of the Local Sightings Film Festival.
Northwest Film Forum

11. War Dogs
Like black licorice or the PT Cruiser, Jonah Hill is divisive. I have friends who can’t get enough of his potty-mouthed braggadocio, and others who only watch his movies on the off chance there might be a scene where he gets punched in the face. War Dogs, his latest odyssey of swearing, sex workers, and spreadsheets, probably isn’t going to change your mind either way, but it’s a damn good time if you’re picking up what Hill’s putting down. BEN COLEMAN
Meridian 16

Friday Only
12. 3 Days
Somewhere between Memento and Groundhog Day, this film follows a young man who finds himself back on earth after being shot in the head. Moreover, he's gone back in time, forced to relive the last three days before his death. The stakes: eternity. Presented as part of the Local Sightings Film Festival.
Northwest Film Forum

13. Multiple Maniacs
John Waters’ horror movie Multiple Maniacs—about a group of kidnappers and murderers masquerading as a traveling freak show—features a rare, controversial, and oddly compelling love scene. This screening will feature a special in-person appearance by Mink Stole.
SIFF Cinema Egyptian

14. New Discoveries
Three short films tell stories of coping, moving on, and remembering. Presented as part of the Local Sightings Film Festival.
Northwest Film Forum

15. Primer
Four aspiring entrepreneurs accidentally invent (what they believe to be) a time machine.
Scarecrow Video

16. River of Grass
The classic bored-housewife/good-for-nothing-lover-on-a-crime-spree subgenre is given the Kelly Reichardt treatment, meaning that your film noir expectations will be hilariously underwhelmed. A portrait of the dreary Florida of Reichardt's childhood and, as she called it, "a road movie without the road, a love story without the love, and a crime story without the crime." Presented as part of the Local Sightings Film Festival.
Northwest Film Forum

17. Worst Laid Plans
Four pretty stupid friends turn to crime to save their tattoo parlor. It doesn't work out so well. Presented as part of the Local Sightings Film Festival.
Northwest Film Forum

Starting Friday
18. Cameraperson
Cameraperson, by documentary cinematographer Kirsten Johnson, compiles footage from decades of work—shot around the world—to comment on art and filmmaking itself.
SIFF Cinema Uptown

19. The Quiet Earth
The Quiet Earth, directed by a New Zealander who made a number of B movies in the 1980s, gets closer to the mystery of life than The Tree of Life. Indeed, the famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson calls The Quiet Earth one of the greatest science-fiction films ever made. Its beauty and its profundities are all accidental. One could never repeat an effort like The Quiet Earth; it stands alone in a universe that seems to be itself completely an original. But you could have hundreds, if not thousands, of The Tree of Life. It turns out that the weirdest flowers and shrubs grow best in the soil of B movies. This weirdness comes very close to the way we sense that life is itself very weird. If there is a god, he/she will be much closer to a B-movie director than a philosopher king. CHARLES MUDEDE
Grand Illusion

20. Singin' in the Rain
You haven't seen a movie musical until you've seen Singin' in the Rain; it's so full of huge production numbers, catchy songs, and fancy dance steps that it makes Chicago look like Lady in the Water. Ostensibly about the troubled times when Hollywood changed from silent movies to talkies, Singin' in the Rain is a chance for Gene Kelly, probably the Most Talented Human Being on Earth at the time, to show off. It's physically impossible to watch the slapstick dance number "Make 'Em Laugh" without dropping your jaw in awe. PAUL CONSTANT
Central Cinema

Sunday Only
21. Globe on Screen: Richard II
See The Globe's production of tragic history play Richard II starring Charles Edwards.
SIFF Film Center

All Weekend
22. The Beatles: Eight Days a Week—The Touring Years
The world needs a new Beatles documentary like it needs another garbage gyre in the Pacific Ocean, but The Beatles: Eight Days a Week plays it smart by selecting a single lane of the Fab Four's sprawling saga and following it from start to finish. Director Ron Howard's slick but enjoyable movie focuses on the group solely as a touring and performing entity during the Beatlemania years of the early and mid 1960s. NED LANNAMANN
SIFF Cinema Uptown and SIFF Cinema Egyptian

23. Captain Fantastic
In Captain Fantastic, this alternative family has to leave their little compound to attend a funeral, and in the outside world, we get to observe their smug disconnection from society alongside their admirably thoughtful, sustainable, and creative approach to life. Any audience would have a hard time not laughing out loud at the quick, complex jokes—but liberal Seattleites will get an extra kick when they recognize themselves in the characters. The mood shifts constantly, so that at any given moment the family’s lifestyle seems either ideal or like a mild form of child abuse. JULIA RABAN
Guild 45th

24. Don't Think Twice
The premise for Mike Birbiglia’s new film—a follow-up to his 2012 debut, Sleepwalk with Me—probably sounds insufferable. Basically, he’s gathered sketch-comedy performers from IFC, Comedy Central, and Netflix for a film about a New York improv troupe. Watch them succeed! Watch them fail! Watch them fall in and out of love! And that’s exactly what happens. If the film isn’t especially funny—the curse of most comedies about comedy—I’m not sure that was Birbiglia’s intention. Mostly, it’s like a lo-fi cover of Morrissey’s “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful.” Kind of whiny, kind of mean, and kind of true. KATHY FENNESSY
Sundance Cinemas

25. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Sure, Hunt for the Wilderpeople’s scope is small, but it gives you everything you could want from a movie: It’s smart, emotional, and even a bit action-packed once Ricky and Hec embark on an unplanned adventure in the forest. But most of all, it’s funny. So, so funny. Wilderpeople is a hugely loveable movie that’s suitable for date night or the whole family, and I know that sounds like a hacky movie poster blurb. But when a movie’s this good, it’s tough to avoid clichés, so I’ll leave you with another: Don’t miss it. NED LANNAMANN
Ark Lodge Cinema and Varsity Theatre

26. Kubo and the Two Strings
Set in ancient Japan, the fantasy film Kubo and the Two Strings (directed by Travis Knight, who was the lead animator for Coraline) doesn’t just open on a note of despair, it lingers there. The early scenes—in which Kubo, the protagonist, takes care of his injured, confused mother, feeding her and putting her to bed—don’t serve as narrative contrast; instead, the melancholy convincingly follows him throughout the movie, and death is its central theme. While the gloomy, thoughtful premise will certainly appeal to adults searching for realism, kids will also appreciate the film’s frankness and emotional honesty. Even more than that, they will be entranced with Kubo’s brand of magic. Go watch Kubo and the Two Strings now, for its expensive and gorgeous production value, and allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised by its complex emotionality. JULIA RABAN
Pacific Place

CONTINUING RUNS
27. Blair Witch
I wouldn’t wish this exhausting nightmare on my worst enemy—and at the same time, I recommend it. The copious jump scares and sound effects are impressive and relentless; the last third of the movie reduced me to a nauseous, hyperventilating blob with my fingers splayed over my face in terror…and I was far from the most frazzled person in the theater. I felt physically ill with fear, and the moment the film ended I was flooded with relief and joy. The whole endeavor made me question why I continue to watch horror movies at all. It’s not particularly intellectual or artistic or thought-provoking, but damn, does it feel good when it’s over. JULIA RABAN

28. Bridget Jones's Baby
Bridget Jones is a figurehead for the romantic comedy genre—a genre oft-reviled for letting a plot device as simple as finding love carry a film. But come on: This is something that people, both men and women, want in our lives. Bridget Jones, as both a character and romcom juggernaut, shouldn’t be faulted for celebrating this pursuit. So why should we fault the (mostly female) public who will line up for this? ELINOR JONES

29. Hell or High Water
Leave it to a Scot to deliver the next great American western. It’s possible director David Mackenzie (Starred Up) had the distance and perspective to depict Hell or High Water’s depressed West Texas towns and dust-dry plains with unvarnished truth. Maybe he recognized, from across the pond, a universal struggle in the specific plight of brothers Toby and Tanner Howard (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) as they try to hang on to their father’s ranch. Perhaps he sensed the timeliness of a story that depicts white American men running out of time, money, and land. More likely, Mackenzie had Taylor Sheridan’s (Sicario) superb script to navigate a path around the obvious men-with-guns clichés that make up Hell or High Water’s western-noir milieu. Whatever the case may be, it’s resulted in a great film. NED LANNAMANN

30. The Magnificent Seven
To its credit, this third Magnificent Seven doesn't try to ape either Akira Kurosawa or the 1960 film. This is an all-out Antoine Fuqua production, with the director doing a solid job transporting his fast-cut action to the Old West. If one thing can be said of this Seven in comparison to previous iterations, it's that this one definitely has the most explosions. It also has the best cast: If there's a way to make a movie starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Peter Sarsgaard, and Byung-hun Lee and not have it be super fun to watch, scientists have yet to discover it. ERIK HENRIKSEN

31. Sully
The story of US Airways Flight 1549—which, in 2009, pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger famously landed on the Hudson River—was going to be made into a movie whether we wanted it or not. So the news that Clint Eastwood, nowadays a dimmed, decidedly disappointing figure, was going to direct was neither surprising nor exciting. I'm a bit relieved, then, to tell you that Sully is a far more successful exercise in both dramatic storytelling and patriotism than Eastwood's 2012 dialogue with a chair. NED LANNAMANN