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Portrait of Brian Truitt Brian Truitt

USA TODAY

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

You can catch up on "Wicked," featuring Oscar nominees Cynthia Erivo (left) and Ariana Grande, at home.

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.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

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’

Michelle Dockery (left) as FBI agent Madolyn and Mark Wahlberg as pilot Daryl in "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

Gabriel Basso returns for more flirty banter and conspiratorial shenanigans in Season 2 of "The Night Agent."

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!

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 BlueskyInstagram and Threads.

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