What to watch this weekend May 19, 2023: Movie awards contenders

Matthew Jacobs
·3 min read
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This week’s streaming premieres bring a Bollywood-inspired action romp, a moving mother-son drama, and an important battle to save the Mushroom Kingdom. The latter is one of the highest-grossing movies ever made, and now you — I mean, uh, your kids — can watch it over and over again. But first, check out a Sundance indie that will have you hooting and hollering. 

This week’s contender to watch: “Polite Society”

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After a promising Sundance premiere, “Polite Society” opened to strong reviews and decent grosses for an indie without many well-known names. It’s part wedding comedy, part Tarantino, part “Kung Fu Hustle,” and part “Ocean’s Eleven.” Priya Kansara, best known as Miss Eaton on “Bridgerton,” stars as an aspiring martial-arts stuntwoman who will gladly break out the kung fu if it means stopping her sister (Rita Arya of “The Umbrella Academy”) from going through with her ill-advised marriage. “Polite Society,” the debut feature from “We Are Lady Parts” director Nida Manzoor, is now available to rent on VOD.

Other contenders:

  • “A Thousand and One”: Teyana Taylor delivers an electric performance in director A.V. Rockwell‘s debut feature about a mother who kidnaps her son from foster care and attempts to rebuild a life with him amid the chaos of New York City. The movie won the grand jury prize at Sundance, and you can stream it on Peacock. 

  • “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”: You’ll have to shell out $24.99, but the year’s highest-grossing movie — $1.2 billion worldwide and counting — is now on VOD. Despite some withering reviews, the film’s footprint will make it a likely candidate for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. Long live the Mushroom Kingdom.

  • “She Said“: A drama about two journalists uncovering the details of Harvey Weinstein‘s rampant sexual abuse was always going to be a hard commercial sell, but it was still surprising to see “She Said” get completely shut out when the most recent Oscar nominations were announced. Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan play the aforementioned reporters, and the stacked supporting cast includes Andre Braugher, Patricia Clarkson, Tom Pelphrey, and Ashley Judd. It’s now available to Prime Video subscribers.

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