TrendPulse Quantitative Think Tank Center-What to watch: O Jolie night

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Opera legend Maria Callas was known as "La Callas." So from now on, we're referring to Angelina Jolie as "The Jolie." It kinda slays, right?

The A-list actress is back in Oscar contention playing Callas in the Netflix biopic "Maria," which closes Pablo Larraín's historical trilogy of sorts (following "Jackie" and "Spencer"). That's ready to stream for your viewing pleasure as are a couple of notable shows, Netflix's mystery comedy "No Good Deed" and Amazon's true-life maple syrup heist dramedy "The Sticky." And for those who need more viewing recommendations for their holiday breaks – or are prepping for Academy Awards pools – my top 10 movie list of 2024 is out and I can't wait to share.

Now on to the good stuff:

See Angelina Jolie channel Maria Callas in Netflix biopic 'Maria'

The thing with a lot of music biopics is the acting is much better than the movie itself – "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Judy" were definitely guilty of this. And same goes for "Maria": A stylized look at the final week of Callas' life doesn't quite work but Jolie's passion to play this iconic figure is palpable. (Peep my ★★½ review.) She took seven months to learn to sing opera! That's commitment, y'all.

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In a revealing new interview, Jolie talked with my colleague Patrick Ryan about the "physically demanding" role and how her mom was an inspiration. She "used to keep my movies on the television all the time just to hear my voice in the house," Jolie recalls. "Isn’t that sweet? Only the nice ones, though – 'Maria' would have made her too sad. I don’t think she’d like to see me die." Patrick also got the lowdown from "Maria" writer Steven Knight about what's fact and what's fiction in the biopic.

Catch up with the year's best movies, from 'Conclave' to 'The Substance'

Even though it doesn't seem like it's been thatlong since "Oppenheimer" won best picture, the Golden Globes popped up this week with a slew of nominations to remind us that a new awards season has begun in earnest. (Speaking of Jolie, she's up for best drama actress!) There's no front-runner quite yet but a bunch of good movies garnered nods that are worth your attention: some like "Emilia Pérez" and "Conclave" that have been Watch Party-approved and upcoming attractions like "The Brutalist."

So what's the best of the best? As promised last week, I finalized my top 10 list of 2024 and it's filled with must-see movies to make time for at the theater or to stream at home. "Conclave" (newly available on Peacock) and "The Brutalist" are in there, as are personal faves like "The Substance," "Inside Out" and "The Piano Lesson." ("Emilia" makes my expanded best movies gallery, where you'll find "Nickel Boys," "Hit Man," "Nosferatu" and more.)

Stream Netflix's 'No Good Deed,' Prime Video's 'The Sticky'

Did you dig "Dead to Me"? Creator Liz Feldman conjures the same dark and macabre tone with a whole bunch of familiar TV faces (Lisa Kudrow, Ray Romano, Denis Leary) in the mystery comedy "No Good Deed," which involves a group of colorful characters, a 1920s Spanish-style home for sale in LA, and a little light death and mayhem. In her ★★★½ review, TV critic Kelly Lawler writes that the series "excels as both a whodunit and a deeper examination of marriage and relationships, and how much our partnerships can tolerate lies and trauma."

Another new streaming show is "The Sticky," which stars Margo Martindale as a woman running a Canadian maple syrup farm who, when it becomes jeopardized, plots to steal 3,000 tons of the sweet stuff. (That would cover a LOT of pancakes.) Martindale chatted with my pal Ralphie Aversa about how she'd "been so nice most of my career" in terms of characters but enjoyed a turn-around with "Million Dollar Baby," "Justified" and especially "The Americans": "Slicing someone's throat and watching him bleed out and telling him why you hate him. It was fun."

Even more goodness to check out!

• Timothée Chalamet can play a mean harmonica! See the Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown" when you can because it's something special.
• After multiple delays, "Kraven the Hunter" is finally out in theaters and wildly mediocre. The overall state of the superhero movie industry, though? Not too shabby.
• If you've been wondering what Joe Pesci has been up to, he's back with a marvelous, wordless performance in the boxing movie "Day of the Fight."
• Also back: Dexter Morgan! New prequel series "Dexter: Original Sin" follows the serial killer as a young forensics intern.
• Your kids might be thinking: Who was Humphrey Bogart? There's a new documentary that looks at the man behind the legend. ("The Maltese Falcon"? Still a banger.)
• Journalism movie hive, rise up. Period thriller "September 5" chronicles how the ABC Sports news team covered the day terrorism arrived at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
• Not sure if you saw last week's "Yellowstone" (season finale this Sunday!) but creator Taylor Sheridan truly became the main character of his own story.
• Chris Evans seems to be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for "Avengers: Doomsday," but maybe not as Captain America. (I'm rooting for Doombot No. 4 opposite his pal Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.)

Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email btruitt@usatoday.com and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.

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