What to watch November 3, 2023: Movie awards contenders

Things are getting serious. “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “The Holdovers,” “Priscilla,” and “Anatomy of a Fall” are in theaters, and the first major streaming service contender arrives this weekend. Really, two starry streaming debuts are on offer, but only one of them seems poised to go the distance. 

The contender to watch this week: “Nyad“

What’s that noise? Could it be the sound of Annette Bening finally winning an Oscar? The four-time nominee has steep competition in Emma Stone, Lily Gladstone, Sandra Hüller, and many others, but “Nyad” is classic awards bait through and through: an uplifting biopic about a recognizable cultural figure – in this case, long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad – elevated by A-list performances. Bening and Best Supporting Actress candidate Jodie Foster are triumphant, even when the movie itself doesn’t stay afloat. Watch it on Netflix. 

Other contenders:

• “Fingernails“: “Apples” director Christos Nikou‘s English-language debut proved divisive during its festival run, so whether it can gain significant awards traction is questionable. If nothing else, “Fingernails” coasts on the power of its sterling cast, namely Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed as colleagues at the Love Institute, which administers scientific tests to determine whether couples are right for each other. Both a melancholic romance and a “Black Mirror”-style thriller, the sci-fi drama co-starring Luke Wilson, Annie Murphy, and Jeremy Allen White hits Apple TV+ this weekend following a limited theatrical bow. 
• “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”: Arguably the Best Animated Feature front-runner, the beloved sequel to 2018’s “Into the Spider-Verse” is now streaming on Netflix. 
• “A Haunting in Venice”: An awards contender? Nah. But Kenneth Branagh‘s latest Agatha Christie whodunnit is available on Hulu and VOD. 
• “Rewind & Play”: Shortly before Thelonious Monk’s European tour ended in 1969, he sat for an interview on the French show “Jazz Portrait.” The host, Henri Renaud, was dissatisfied with Monk’s answers to his questions and demanded copious retakes. Combining the unadulterated rushes with footage of Monk performing, director Alain Gomis (“Félicité”) has made an enlightening feature-length essay about the legendary jazz composer. “Rewind & Play,” which came out in March, is on Mubi. 

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