What to watch this weekend July 26, 2024: Movie awards contenders
If “Wicked Little Letters,” our top pick of the week, had been promoted more, it could have been a contender at the 2024 Golden Globes. It’s a crowd-pleasing, well-received comedy starring Oscar winner Olivia Colman and Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley that went under the radar in America. But now that it’s coming to Netflix on Saturday, a lot more people will see it and say, “That was delightful!”
“Wicked Little Letters” is based on events that really happened in England in 1920. Colman plays Edith, a devout, unmarried, prim and proper woman who starts getting profane, abusive letters in the mail. She accuses her neighbor, Irish single mother Rose (Buckley), of sending them. Just from that setup, you can probably tell where this is going. But it’s not a movie to watch for the plot, but to watch for the witty dialogue and the performances from Colman and Buckley, who are both always great.
Here are some other movies to stream this weekend:
“Knox Goes Away”: Hitman movies are so hot right now. Oscar nominee Michael Keaton directs himself in this one, playing a contract killer with a rapidly advancing form of dementia who’s trying to help his son (James Marsden) out of a jam before his mind deteriorates entirely. Keaton called in favors from fellow Oscar winners Al Pacino and Marcia Gay Harden for this one, and he outperforms the script. It’s available to stream on Max.
“Sleeping Dogs”: Another thriller where an actor races against a ticking clock of dementia. In this one, Oscar winner Russell Crowe plays a retired homicide detective with Alzheimer’s trying to prove the innocence of a man he previously put away before he’s executed. While he does his investigation, however, he discovers that he is connected to the case in unexpected ways. “Sleeping Dogs” is streaming on Hulu.
“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”: The second film of Jason Reitman’s “Ghostbusters” revival franchise is now on Netflix after a successful box office run. This time, the new and old Ghostbusters link up in New York to reestablish Ghostbusters headquarters and wind up having to save the city from an ancient being who wants to take over the world. You may not realize this, but Paul Rudd plays a character named Gary Grooberson. (Reitman didn’t direct this one, instead giving the reins to Gil Kenan.)
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