What to watch: Don't say nope to the pope (or 'Conclave')

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When it comes to good viewing recommendations, we quote Madonna: Just like a prayer, you know I'll take you there.

Which brings me to "Conclave," an Oscar-ready new papal thriller (when's the last time you saw one of those?!) that may not send you straight to church but is a darn good time at the movies. While that needs to be on your must-see list this week, make sure you stream some flicks at home – including Hulu and Disney+'s Bruce Springsteen documentary – and also get ready for Halloween. Sure, horror films are watchable all through the year, yet there's no question they're more fun during spooky season.

Now on to the good stuff:

Witness the holy thrills of Ralph Fiennes' 'Conclave'

So far (for me at least), there's only been a couple of movies this year that have really stood out as possible best picture winners. One of them was the fabulous summer release "Sing Sing," and the other is newcomer "Conclave," which stars Ralph Fiennes as the super-stressed Catholic cardinal in charge of running the operation to find the next pope after the pontiff unexpectedly dies. The cast is stellar (John Lithgow is especially antagonistic as a power-hungry contender), there are some nice twists, and it effortlessly weaves together elements of courtroom drama, detective mystery and political thriller. And being that it's rated PG, it's truly for papal fans of all ages. (Peep my ★★★★ star review.)

My pal Marco della Cava talked with Fiennes about the movie, and the actor discussed his character's crisis of faith and also the fact that he himself is a lapsed Catholic. "At age 13, I protested,” says Fiennes, who nonetheless is still fascinated by the historical figure of Jesus. “If I take away all the carapace of the churches and the paintings and you go, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, who was that guy?’ He had a message to help people lead their lives with a sense of purpose."

Stream the new Bruce Springsteen documentary 'Road Diary' on Hulu and Disney+

Every fan of The Boss – or even those who are, shall we say, Boss-curious – will want to check out the documentary "Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band" (streaming on Hulu), which follows the beloved rock group on their recent world tour. Our music critic Melissa Ruggieri watched it to share highlights, and writes about how Springsteen ends all his shows with “I’ll See You in My Dreams" – a "sweet meditation on loss and spirituality" – and quotes the musician about his thinking in creating the band's set list: “In 25 songs, I chose to focus on what would complete the narrative for what I wanted to say and it would let the audience know who I am at this point in my work life.”

The doc is one of many new films available on streaming services this month, and I put together a handy-dandy guide for various cinematic tastes. There's a bunch of theatrical titles that are now watchable at home, like M. Night Shyamalan's "Trap" and "Bad Boys: Ride or Die," plus original streaming fare including the Netflix romance "Lonely Planet" and Amazon crime comedy "Brothers."

Get your scare on with Halloween-ready TV and movies

Whether you've been binging "Agatha All Along" and "Grotesquerie" or went to the theater for "Terrifier 3" or "Smile 2," October has seen various new thrillers and chillers for those wanting to celebrate spooky season. Honestly, it's been a lot – not to mention classic scary movies and older stuff you might want to revisit or watch for the first time.

We got you, fam. Here's our Halloween screen coverage all in one spot for your viewing convenience, from new TV shows and fresh films to the 25 movies that you need to see before you die and horror flicks for people who don't like horror movies. I also updated the ranking of the best horror movies this century – there's 75 of those! – and you can't go wrong watching one or several before the trick-or-treaters come calling.

Even more goodness to check out!

• With "Venom: The Last Dance," Tom Hardy's superhero trilogy ends how it lived, in extremely underwhelming fashion.

• I think my daughter and I need to chat about her phone time after reading about the insightful new docuseries "Social Studies."

• What you missed this week on "Golden Bachelorette": Hometown dates and an awkward granddad kiss.

• Was there really a serial killer on "The Dating Game"? Yep! Here's a fact check on Netflix's 1970s true-life thriller "Woman of the Hour."

• CNN's John King breaks down how he's going to get through election night next week. (I feel him on the coffee, not so much the squats.)

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 Twitter (not calling it X!), Instagram and Threads.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to watch: 'Conclave,' streaming Bruce Springsteen doc