What to watch this weekend Dec. 13, 2024: Movie awards contenders
This week’s mega-top pick is “Conclave,” an Academy Awards contender that’s now streaming on Peacock. The drama is projected to earn nominations for Best Picture, Best Director for Edward Berger, Best Actor for Ralph Fiennes, and Best Supporting Actress for Isabella Rossellini, among others. Perhaps most notably, Peter Straughan is currently projected to win Best Adapted Screenplay for his smart script.
The film is a “papal thriller” set in Vatican City shortly after the death of a sitting Pope. Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes) is leading the conclave to select a new Pope, which is inevitably a high-stakes political battle. But it gets even more complicated when he discovers some information about the late Pope that could tear the Church apart. Hollywood doesn’t make a lot of satisfying, well-crafted movies for grown-ups like “Conclave” anymore, so it’s worth watching just to see a good old-fashioned drama.
Here are some other movies to stream this weekend:
“Maria”: Angelina Jolie‘s awards season comeback vehicle is now streaming on Netflix. The 2000 Best Supporting Actress winner is trying to add a Best Actress statue to her collection for her performance in this biopic of troubled opera legend Maria Callas. She even does her own singing. She’s a lock for a nomination, and the film is also a contender for cinematography and costume design nominations.
“Joker: Folie à Deux”: This was supposed to be a big-time awards contender, but it didn’t work out that way. Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix’s follow-up to their Oscar-winning 2018 superhero crime drama adds Lady Gaga and a musical element and subtracts the excitement that made the first film work. Is it as bad as people say? That’s for you to decide, now that it’s on Max.
“Elton John: Never Too Late”: Sir Elton could add another Oscar to his EGOT for this documentary, which paints a portrait of the legendary piano man on his farewell tour, looking back on his storied career as he prepares to retire. It’s directed by R.J. Cutler (“Martha”) and John’s husband David Furnish. It’s on Disney+ along with “Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium,” the concert film that won him his Emmy, if you want to do an Elton John double feature.