November 08, 2024

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 11/8

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

if you want a thriller

woman of the hour

Vincent Georgie: Actress Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut is a taut, edge-of-your-seat thriller. The tension, mood and menace of story are memorable. Character actor Daniel Zovatto stuns. Based on a true story. Don’t miss this one.

Synopsis: In 1970s Los Angeles, as a wave of murders makes headlines, a young woman aspiring to become an actress and a serial killer cross paths during an episode of a dating show.

Available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

if you want a quality drama

the outrun

Vincent Georgie: Saiorse Ronan is one of busiest and strongest actresses working today, incredible because she only recently turned 30. She anchors this moving, tough drama.

Synopsis:After living life on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. She returns to the wild beauty of Scotland’s Orkney Islands where she grew up, hoping to heal.

Available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

if you want to be touched

babe

Vincent Georgie: Heartwarming, beautifully crafted and extraordinarily told. Nominated for 7 Oscars, including Best Picture. Perfect for kids, even better for adults.

Synopsis: Gentle farmer Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell) wins a piglet named Babe (Christine Cavanaugh) at a county fair. Narrowly escaping his fate as Christmas dinner when Farmer Hoggett decides to show him at the next fair, Babe bonds with motherly border collie Fly (Miriam Margolyes) and discovers that he too can herd sheep. But will the other farm animals, including Fly’s jealous husband Rex, accept a pig who doesn’t conform to the farm’s social hierarchy?

Available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime and Crave.

DOUBLE FEATURE

all hail, ralph fiennes

Vincent Georgie: The star of WIFF 2024’s Closing Night Film Conclave reminded us that he is one of the very best actors we have. Take a look at two other masterful performances by the still Oscar-less Fiennes.

quiz show

Queens-born Herbie Stempel (John Turturro) becomes an unlikely hero after winning on America’s beloved game show, “Twenty One.” When the network decides to bring in a more telegenic contestant, the WASP-ish Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes), Stempel takes aim at the show, announcing that the game is rigged. Congressional investigator Dick Goodwin (Rob Morrow) is brought in to examine the claim that winners were given the answers. Goodwin wrote the book on which this true story is based.

Available on Apple TV, Disney+ and YouTube.

the constant gardener

Assigned to a new post, reserved British diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) relocates to Kenya with his lovely young wife, Tessa (Rachel Weisz), an activist for social justice. When Tessa is found murdered out in the wilderness, circumstances point to her friend, Dr. Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Koundé), but it is soon clear that he’s not the killer. Grief-stricken and angry, Justin sets out to uncover the truth behind Tessa’s murder — and in the process, he unearths some disturbing revelations.