Clockwise from top: The Brutalist, Your Monster, Prime Targetand Presence.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: A24, Neon, Apple TV+, Vertical Entertainment
Oscar nominations are out, and I’m sure the hot takes will only proceed to get hotter. The Brutalist has already lived a full life, from plenty of awards recognition and wins to an AI scandal, and it’s only now opening wide in theaters. But if you want lighter fare, there’s always The Night Agent. Here’s everything to watch this weekend.
Brady Corbet’s three-hour drama, with intermission, deconstructing the American Dream has reverberated across Film Twitter as it opened in various cities over the past few weeks. Filmed on Vistavision, The Brutalist is gorgeous to look at and unflinching in its story (that somewhat falters in its second act) as it takes us through the yearslong struggle of Hungarian Jewish architect László Tóth (Adrien Brody), who immigrated to the U.S. post–World War II. There, he crosses paths with a haughty industrialist (Guy Pearce) who enlists Tóth to build a massive community center.
The first of two Steven Soderbergh pictures out this year is a psychological thriller filmed from the point of view of the titular presence haunting a suburban family led by Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan. Julia Fox is featured, but despite her ubiquitous press run, don’t expect her to be in most of the movie.
-This conspiracy thriller about an FBI agent whose sole responsibility is to pick up a phone if it rings at night and signal an emergency was a surprise hit for Netflix. The streamer renewed it, but details about what Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) is getting up to now are scarce. Real ones know, though, that the true mystery is whatever’s going on with Hong Chau’s wig. -Ho turn your
“[Mark] Wahlberg is a natural antagonist who has somehow instead convinced Hollywood to brand him as a wholesome leading man, and the unnamed assassin he plays in Flight Risk is the best part of the whole misbegotten production, though that’s not saying much.”
(In theaters now; read Alison’s review here.)
From the streamer that has brought you Slow Horses comes Slow Horses with a mathematician. Prime Target brings in One Day actor Leo Woodall as a postgrad math genius who discovers he’s being followed by the National Security Agency for his work studying prime numbers. (Get the title now?)
A riff on Beauty and the BeastCaroline Lindy’s Sundance horror-comedy may have a chance to gain a larger audience as it makes its way to Max. Melissa Barrera stars as Laura, an actress who tries to get back into the game after her cancer treatment only to find that her boyfriend (Edmund Donovan) has written a stage musical based on her story, with another actress (Meghann Fahy) cast in the lead role. It isn’t until Laura discovers a monster (played by Tommy Dewey) in her childhood closet that she starts to find the confidence to bounce back.
Based on Peter Brown’s children’s books of the same name, The Wild Robot has had quite the impressive run in theaters, now culminating in three Oscar nominations, including Best Animated Feature. Director Chris Sanders’s take on Brown’s robot ROZZUM, or Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), is heartwarming and heart-wrenching as she finds herself on a deserted island with only the local animals (voiced by a stacked cast from Catherine O’Hara to Pedro Pascal) to help.
➼ Plus, Robert Eggers’s vampyr horror Nosfer and Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 are both available on digital platforms now. What a double feature.
Want more? Read our recommendations from the week of January 17.
