What to watch: Oscars' snub hub

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I know it's like January and he's probably taking a nap. But is it too early to ask Santa for "The Substance" to win best picture at the Oscars? (Asking for a friend who's been a good boy.)

Everyone's talking Academy Award nominations: who's in, who's out, snubs, surprises, all that drama. This is Watch Party, though, not Oscar Party (which does sound pretty classy), so we've got you covered on what you need to see before the big day in March. Also, Mark Wahlberg's got a new movie out – and he's a baldie, so that's new – plus "The Night Agent" is back for another white-knuckle season on Netflix.

Now on to the good stuff:

Catch up on all the awards-season fare before the Oscars on March 2

When it comes to Academy Awards nominations, no one's ever happy, but the Oscars didn't do that bad a job this year at feting a lot of different movies and a bunch of fresh faces. Other than leaving "Sing Sing" out of best picture, I'm not mad at them. So what if Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie aren't up for best actress? Those A-listers will be back. It's cool to see Fernanda Torres and Karla Sofía Gascón in there instead. Patrick Ryan, our resident master of snubbery, put together a list of the biggest snubs from Thursday's nominations.

Have you seen everything you need to before Oscar night? If not, I put together a list of 10 contenders, from "Wicked" and "Conclave" to "Emilia Pérez" and "A Real Pain," that you can watch at home right now. We'll be updating in the coming weeks as theatrical releases like "The Brutalist" and "A Complete Unknown" make their way to streaming services or are available to rent or buy.

See a crazed Mark Wahlberg hijack a plane in Mel Gibson's air thriller 'Flight Risk'

No offense to the Artist Formerly Known as Marky Mark but his new flick "Flight Risk" is probably not going to be nominated for an Oscar. (Let's just call that snub a year early.) What you go to a movie like that for is to watch Wahlberg chew scenery as a Mob hitman who hijacks a plane to take out a government witness (Topher Grace) before he can testify in a high-profile criminal trial.

My pal Marco della Cava chatted with Wahlberg about how the Mel Gibson movie felt like a play and why he decided to shave his head every day instead of wearing a bald cap. "I pitched Mel on the haircut and he said, 'You'd really do that?' I said sure, I'm not doing a wig," Wahlberg says. "You think of movies like 'The Shining' (with over-the-top Jack Nicholson) and that's the kind of guy I was going for."

Stream Season 2 of 'The Night Agent' on Netflix

Netflix has a whole cottage industry of pretty solid political dramas ("The Diplomat," anyone?) and spy thrillers. One of the most watchable of the latter is "The Night Agent," which teams an FBI agent (Gabriel Basso) and a cybersecurity expert (Luciane Buchanan) for conspiracy-busting shenanigans and a hint of romance. The second season is now streaming, and TV critic Kelly Lawler writes that it's a worthy follow-up to a satisfying first outing in her ★★★ review.

"The series keeps its most important promise: to bring just the right amount of semi-mindless action, flirty banter and exciting twists to cozy up with on these frigid winter nights," she writes. "Call it a security blanket TV show."

Basso talked with my colleague Bryan Alexander about his "Night Agent" fight scenes, why no one would want to date a hacker and how, despite his lack of a "come-talk-to-me disposition," he does like to interact with fans. "There's a little bit of hesitancy to approach. But I am friendly. I'm not a murderer. Especially when you're paying me a compliment."

Even more goodness to check out!

• Best picture contender "The Brutalist" isn't a true story but the acclaimed period film does have some basis in reality.

• Lucy Liu's got a new ghost story in theaters called "Presence," and in the latest edition of our The Essentials series, the actress explains why her ideal day off involves ... grocery shopping?

• "ER" doctor Noah Wyle is back in scrubs for the medical drama "The Pitt" and he's feeling "liberated" about it.

• Sundance is back, baby! I rounded up the 10 greatest movies that the annual film festival has given us.

• Also back: the Razzies. "Madame Web" and "Megalopolis" are in the running for the worst film of 2024.

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

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to watch: Oscar movies, 'Flight Risk,' 'The Night Agent'