What to watch this weekend April 21, 2023: Movie awards contenders

Matthew Jacobs
·3 min read

This week’s streaming premieres bring two documentaries about cultural legends — one more complicated than the other — that bowed at Sundance and will now charm audiences at home. For something a bit more understated, there’s also a trance-inducing horror curio backed by one of the hottest indie distributors around. 

The contender to watch this week: “Little Richard: I Am Everything” 

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Little Richard has long deserved a documentary that explores his hyper-stylized rock ‘n’ roll innovations, which inspired the likes of Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, and David Bowie. Lisa Cortés (“All In: The Fight for Democracy‘) was up to the task, directing a spirited tour of the “Tutti Frutti” singer’s legacy. It’s not all glitter, though: Little Richard established popular music’s Black, queer roots, only to become a born-again Christian who denounced homosexuality. After opening this year’s Sundance Film Festival, “I Am Everything” is playing in select theaters and available to rent on VOD. 

Other contenders: 

  • “Enys Men”: Following its modest theatrical release in March, this hypnotic folk-horror oddity about a volunteer (Mary Woodvine) monitoring plant life on an uninhabited Celtic island is now on VOD. If that sounds like a dull premise, just wait until “Enys Men” morphs into a movie-length hallucination that muddles reality and fantasy. NEON, the distributor of “Parasite” and “Triangle of Sadness,” is behind this one. 

  • “Judy Blume Forever”: Before Kelly Fremon Craig’s lovely adaptation of “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” opens in theaters next week, spend some time with the author of the seminal young-adult novel on which it’s based. For many, Judy Blume was more than a writer. She was a prolific pen pal, a taboo-defying mentor, and a fierce protester of literary censorship. This charming documentary, co-directed by “Very Semi-Serious” collaborators Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, is available on Prime Video.

  • “Ghosted”: Is it an Oscar contender? No. Is it a serviceable action vehicle for Chris Evans and recent first-time nominee Ana de Armas? Sure. “Rocketman” director Dexter Fletcher shepherded the AppleTV+ exclusive about a second date that turns into an international spy mission.

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