What to watch this weekend May 26, 2023: Movie awards contenders

Matthew Jacobs
·3 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Memorial Day brings a smattering of high-profile TV finales — “Succession,” “Yellowjackets,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Somebody Somewhere,” “Barry,” and “Citadel” — but the long weekend leaves plenty of time to slip in a movie or two. Our top choice is an invigorating documentary with ties to the recent hits “Fire of Love” and “Free Solo,” but you can also shell out for the latest installment in one of Hollywood’s great action franchises. 

This week’s contender to watch: “Wild Life”

More from GoldDerby

Part love story and part conversation ode, “Wild Life” bows on Disney+ and Hulu after getting a theatrical release in April. It would make for a great double feature with last year’s “Fire of Love,” another documentary about married environmentalists whose passionate romance matched their sense of adventure. In this case, we’re talking about Doug and Kris Tompkins, former corporate executives who used their wealth to preserve the wilderness of Chile and Argentina. “Wild Life” is co-directed by their friends Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, who know a thing or two about making this kind of film: Their credits include the mountain-climbing feats “Free Solo” and “Meru.” 

Other contenders:

  • “The Innocent”: Louis Garrel of “The Dreamers” and “Little Women” wrote, directed, and stars in a comedic thriller about a French tour guide determined to prevent his mother (Anouk Grinberg) from marrying an ex-con (Roschdy Zem). After he recruits a co-worker (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” breakout Noémie Merlant) to help with his scheme, everything turns upside down. Stream this sly caper on The Criterion Channel. 

  • “John Wick: Chapter 4“: The latest installment in the assassin franchise that rebirthed Keanu Reeves‘ career was the best-reviewed one yet. Buy it on VOD for $19.99, and you can watch John Wick’s operatic quest for vengeance over and over. The series has yet to earn an Oscar nomination, but its sound design and cinematography could someday break through. 

  • “The Fire That Took Her”: The world can’t get enough true crime right now, but this 2022 documentary is one of the genre’s worthier releases in recent memory. It profiles the first person to testify in her own murder case: Judy Malinowski, an Ohio mother whose volatile ex-boyfriend doused her in gasoline and lit her on fire. Malinowski’s determination to survive her ordeal and seek justice gives the film a sense of must-see resolve. “The Fire That Took Her” is now streaming on Paramount+. 

PREDICT the 2023 Emmy nominees through July 12

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?

SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

Best of GoldDerby

Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.