What to watch February 16, 2024: Movie awards contenders

Matthew Jacobs
·3 min read
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It’s a busy weekend for nominees and wannabes alike. A handful of Oscar darlings are newly available on streaming platforms, and a few worthwhile also-rans are out there for the taking, too. 

What to watch this week: “Oppenheimer“

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The Best Picture front-runner gets another boost thanks to its long-awaited streaming debut. Christopher Nolan recently nabbed the Directors Guild of America award, making his colossal biopic about the creation of the atomic bomb almost unbeatable. The movie first hit VOD in November, but “Oppenheimer” is now available on Peacock, which is owned by Universal, the movie’s distributor. Now it become death, destroyer of Oscar competition. 

Other contenders:

  • “The Color Purple“: The newest adaptation of Alice Walker‘s Pulitzer-winning novel didn’t fare as well with the Oscars as Warner Bros. hoped it would, but Danielle Brooks still made off with a nomination for the same role that earned one for Oprah Winfrey back in 1986. The movie is newly available on Max. 

  • “Nai Nai & Wài Pó”: Director Sean Wang was one of this year’s biggest Sundance breakouts, taking home a jury prize and an audience award for his coming-of-age charmer “Didi.” (Focus Features will release the film in June.) That same week, Wang received an Oscar nomination for this documentary short, which features his extremely lovable paternal and maternal grandmothers. It’s streaming on Disney+. 

  • “The Iron Claw“: This was one of the final awards-season movies to screen last year, and though it couldn’t crack the race, Sean Durkin‘s intense A24 drama about a storied Texas wrestling family has grossed a significant $38.5 million (and counting) worldwide. It stars all your favorite well-toned boys: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and up-and-comer Stanley Simons. Buy it on VOD for $19.99. 

  • “Strange Way of Life“: Pedro Almodóvar‘s second English-language short, following 2020’s far superior “The Human Voice,” missed out on an Oscar nomination, but it’s available to rent on VOD. Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal play gunslinging lovers who reunite after 25 years apart. 

  • “Bottoms“: This raunchy teen comedy starring Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri didn’t become the summer breakout that MGM was hoping for, but it’s destined to be a cult classic. It’s up for two Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Screenplay (for Sennott and Emma Seligman) and Best Breakthrough Performance (for Marshawn Lynch). Stream it on Prime Video. 

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