March 01, 2024

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 3/1

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

if you want to see what the buzz is about

spaceman

Vincent Georgie: Netflix’s latest major title drops today. This space drama stars Adam Sandler, current Oscar-nominee Carey Mulligan and future Oscar nominee Paul Dano. If you want to be leading the charge in film conversation with your friends, this is the one to see. World Premiere at the Berlinale 2024.

Synopsis: Jakub Procházka was raised by his grandparents in the Czech countryside after being abandoned as a young boy. He works as a scientist before trying to become the Czech Republic’s first astronaut.

Available on Netflix.

if you want a film destined to become a classic

the zone of interest

Vincent Georgie: Original, audacious, cold, bold and fascinating. This is a film that will still be remembered and discussed 10, 20, 30 years from now. Nominated for 5 Oscars including Best Picture. Don’t make plans for after you watch it.

Synopsis: The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife, Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.

Available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

if you want an unusual drama

costa brava, lebanon

Vincent Georgie: We don’t get many eco-thrillers, and this one fits that bill thanks to an interesting story and memorable, specific setting. An underseen fave from WIFF 2022.

Synopsis: The free-spirited Badri family escapes the toxic pollution and social unrest of Beirut by seeking refuge in a utopic mountain home they’ve devoted years to building for themselves. Without warning, the government begins construction of a garbage landfill right outside their fence, bringing the trash and corruption of a whole country to their doorstep.

Available on Netflix, iTunes and YouTube.

DOUBLE FEATURE

all hail, diane warren

She’s a Grammy-winning composer and singer, and she’s got 15 Oscar nominations to her name for her music, but an actual Oscar win has eluded her all these years. She is nominated this year for a forgettable song from a little-seen film called Flamin’ Hot. Let me instead turn you on to two films that were catapulted into popularity in great part due to her hit songs “Because You Loved Me” and “I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing”.

up close and personal

Warren Justice (Robert Redford), a producer for a Miami news program, watches an audition tape from a young Nevada woman named Sally Atwater (Michelle Pfeiffer) and decides to hire her. Under Warren’s mentorship, Sally rises from gofer to on-air personality and eventually gets a job in Philadelphia, a more prestigious market. There, she tussles with veteran anchorperson Marcia McGrath (Stockard Channing) and lands a story that catapults her to national prominence.

Available on iTunes, YouTube and Disney+.

armageddon

When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), who agrees to helm the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. (Ben Affleck), who Harry thinks isn’t good enough for his daughter (Liv Tyler), until the mission proves otherwise.