What to watch April 12, 2024: Movie awards contenders

Matthew Jacobs
·3 min read
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This is a stacked weekend for movies that could get awards attention but probably won’t, both in theaters (“Civil War,” “Sasquatch Sunset”) and on digital platforms. First up is a lively ode to one of cinema’s musical masters. 

The contender to watch this week: “Ennio”

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Giuseppe Tornatore‘s documentary about influential composer Ennio Morricone has been a long time coming, and not only because Morricone’s career dates back to 1946. “Ennio” premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2021 and was released in Italy in 2022. But don’t take its delayed domestic debut as a bad omen: The movie is a spellbinding tribute to the two-time Oscar winner, who wrote the scores for “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” “Days of Heaven,” “The Untouchables,” “The Hateful Eight,” and Tornatore’s own “Cinema Paradiso.” The talking heads include Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Quincy Jones, and Bruce Springsteen. Following a theatrical run in February, it’s now available on VOD. 

Other contenders:

  • “Kung Fu Panda 4“: The first two “Kung Fu Panda” blockbusters earned Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature. The fourth one has a lot of competition ahead — this is the year of “If,” “Inside Out 2,” “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” and Studio Ghibli’s “The Imaginary” — but who knows what these wily bears have in store? Catch them on VOD. 

  • “One Life”: Anthony Hopkins plays British stockbroker Nicholas Winton, who rescued Jewish children in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, in this biopic directed by James Hawes (“Slow Horses,” “Black Mirror”). “One Life” is on VOD. 

  • “Drive-Away Dolls“: Critics were split on Ethan Coen‘s first fiction movie without Joel, which he co-wrote with wife Tricia Cooke. It’s probably not destined for the Coens’ canon, but it is a good time. Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan play road-tripping friends who get entangled with a trio of criminals en route to Florida. They’re fun in the movie, but the supporting cast — namely Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, and Pedro Pascal — run away with it. See for yourself on Peacock. 

  • “The Greatest Hits”: Lucy Boynton and Justin H. Min headline this time-traveling romance, newly streaming on Hulu after a limited theatrical run. 

  • “Io Capitano“: A surprise nominee for this year’s Best International Feature Film prize at the Oscars, the Italian drama follows two Senegalese cousins (first-time actors Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall) attempting to flee poverty. It turns into a ravishing fairytale that earns its glowing reviews thanks to deft direction by Matteo Garrone, best known for “Tale of Tales” and 2019’s Oscar-nominated “Pinnochio.” 

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