MUST-WATCH: Four real life superheroes meet while two fictional superheroes reunite in our Top 10
Posted January 11, 2021 6:20 pm.
We’ve got some major awards contenders entering our Top 10 this week, as well as the small screen debut of two of Marvel’s most powerful superheroes. Will the Marvel Cinematic Universe reign supreme in our Must-Watch, or will something else take the top spot this week?
One Night in Miami
Streaming platform: Amazon Prime Video
This was one of the most popular films at 2020’s Toronto International Film Festival, and now you can watch it at home!
One Night in Miami is about the meeting of four African-American legends; soul singer Sam Cooke (played by Leslie Odom Jr.), civil rights icon Malcolm X (played by Kingsley Ben-Adir), Cleveland Browns fullback Jim Brown (played by Aldis Hodge), and the Greatest himself, Muhammad Ali (played by Eli Goree). The film takes place late February, 1964, when Ali, then going by the name Cassius Clay, had his first of two fights with heavyweight boxing champion Sonny Liston. It’s also the directorial debut of Regina King, who won an Academy Award for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk.
You can expect to see several award nominations for this film in the coming weeks. You can check this out on Amazon Prime Video on January 15th!
I Am Burt Reynolds
Streaming platform: Crave
From Smokey and the Bandit to Boogie Nights, Burt Reynolds was the epitome of masculinity in the second half of the 20th century.
I Am Burt Reynolds is a new documentary looking back on the life of, you guessed it, Burt Reynolds. It covers everything, from the more than 200 films and shows he appeared in, to his iconic bearskin photo. The documentary features never before seen footage of Reynolds, and several interviews with his members of his family. Not to mention, you get to look at the simply fantastic mustache.
This film is out today on Crave!
Pieces of a Woman
Streaming platform: Netflix
Another major awards contender you can’t miss out on!
Pieces of a Woman played at the Venice Film Festival, as well as the Toronto International Film Festival last year. It stars Vanessa Kirby (who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival) and Shia LaBeouf as a couple recovering after the death of their infant child. Both stars have received tons of praise, as has Ellen Burstyn, who plays the mother of Kirby’s character.
Vanessa Kirby is a front-runner for several acting awards, so if you’ve got a betting pool going this year, this film is definitely for you!
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption and Conspiracy
Streaming platform: Netflix
The crack epidemic took the lives of many Americans over the years, and this new documentary shows that its reach was much further than initially thought.
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption and Conspiracy is the latest documentary from Netflix. It details the rise of the cheapest version of cocaine, crack. The tiny rock that decimated several Black communities all over the United States, the government agencies involved in bringing it to America, and how it affected society in the decades since. Directed by Stanley Nelson, who also helmed the Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, this is the perfect documentary to watch if you want to learn.
It’s available on Netflix now.
WandaVision
Streaming platform: Disney+
If you’ve been missing the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the wait for new content is almost over! But be warned, there’s spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen Avengers: Endgame.
The first narrative show from Marvel to premiere on Disney+, WandaVision tells the tale of Wanda Maximoff (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (played by Paul Bettany) re-uniting after Vision’s death. But how exactly did Vision come back to life? We’ll have to wait until Friday when the first episodes drop to find out. This show also features the return of Randall Park from Antman and the Wasp, and Kat Dennings from the Thor movies.
This is the first production of Marvel’s Phase 4, which will continue later this year with Black Widow. The first episodes drop on January 15th!
680 NEWS’ MUST WATCH TOP 10
10. Pretend It’s a City – Netflix
9. I Am Burt Reynolds – Crave
8. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Netflix
7. Pieces of a Woman – Netflix
6. History of Swear Words – Netflix
5. Crack: Cocaine, Corruption and Conspiracy – Netflix
4. Soul – Disney+
3. Cobra Kai (Season 3) – Netflix
2. One Night in Miami – Amazon Prime Video
1. WandaVision – Disney+
