On the second week of December, my newsletter recommended to me … four brand-new shows, three movies in theaters, two socialites, and a Charlie Brown special on Apple TV. But wait, there’s even more, so here you go.
Featured Presentations
.
No Good Deed
Liz Feldman of Dead to Me fame has created another dark comedy about dissatisfied adults living in Southern California. This time, the focus is a married couple — Ray Romano and Lisa Kudrow — attempting to sell their gorgeous Los Angeles home. The prospective buyers have great interest — and also lots of secrets. This show is bingeable as hell. — Jen Chaney
.
Maria
The end of director Pablo LarraÃn’s unofficial trilogy of incandescent women of the 20th century, Maria features Angelina Jolie as the famous opera singer Maria Callas. Like Natalie Portman in Jackie and Kristen Stewart in Spencer, a majority of LarraÃn’s drama falls on the shoulders of the exquisite actress at the helm, as Maria follows the singer during the last days of her life as she tries to regain the confidence of her voice since her retirement years prior. It looks as lush and fantastic as LarraÃn’s previous films, but I’m not sure watching at home on Netflix is the best place to experience a meditation of an emotionally interior woman. But it’s worth a shot.
.
Nightbitch
Nightbitch is rolling out to more theaters after its small New York City and Los Angeles premieres, so hopefully, you’ll finally be able to see director Marielle Heller’s take on Rachel Yoder’s novel about a stay-at-home mother who tends to transform into a dog. Amy Adams stars as that mom as she contends with the tough balance of going from full-time artist to a round-the-clock caretaker tending to her son while her husband (Scoot McNairy) is off on many work trips.
The One-Sentence Review
Kraven the Hunter
“‘A movie no one asked for’ isn’t criticism so much as it’s a clear-eyed assessment of Kraven the Hunter’s fundamental issue: It’s based on a deep-cut comic-book character who isn’t recognizable enough to be a draw on his own, starring an actor of unreliable charisma who also isn’t a draw on his own, and who’s frankly more fun in a supporting role as a priggish skeptic in Nosferatu than he is parkouring through London barefoot here.†(In theaters now; read Alison’s review here.)
.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Merry Christmas, Lord of the Rings fans; here’s an animated film to add to your annual holiday rewatch of the Peter Jackson films.
.
One Hundred Years of Solitude
An adaptation of Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez’s much beloved and lauded 1967 novel of the same name, One Hundred Years of Solitude spans 16 episodes (only the first eight are out right now) to tell the multigenerational story of the BuendÃa family who found the fictional town Macondo. Even the author had deemed his magical-realism masterpiece impossible to adapt, so it’ll be quite interesting to see how the crew, which involves GarcÃa Márquez’s sons Rodrigo GarcÃa and Gonzalo GarcÃa Barcha as exec producers, bring this massive tale to life.
.
The End
The gritty realistic musical streak continues. Directed by documentarian Joshua Oppenheimer, The End is a postapocalyptic musical about a wealthy family (composed of Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon, and George MacKay) hiding in a bunker after they’ve had a hand in whatever happened on the surface.
Carry-On
It’s a Christmas movie. It’s an action flick. It’s a Jason Bateman film. It’s … a story where airport security agents are the heroes? In true Netflix fashion, Carry-On, starring Bateman as the villain and Taron Egerton as a TSA agent, isn’t exactly a good movie, but it hits all its proper genre notes in entertaining-enough fashion. And while we all love an airplane thriller — Red Eye, you will always be famous — this one adds a twist by taking place almost entirely in the airport. —Ray Rahman
.
Dexter: Original Sin
Is it ironic that the serial-killer property just won’t die? This prequel series is set in Miami in 1991, as Dexter (now played by Patrick Gibson) starts receiving murder guidance from his cop father, Harry (Christian Slater). The biggest mystery of these ten episodes is how much screen time guest star Sarah Michelle Gellar gets. (The answer is always never enough.) —Roxana Hadadi
âž¼ In some perfect corporate-synergy news, Paramount+ is offering Dexter seasons 1-8 to all its subscribers. Before it was only available to Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers.
Streaming’s Greetings
A Charlie Brown Christmas
From December 14–15, A Charlie Brown Christmas is free to watch on Apple TV, so flip on this classic special and see Charlie Brown and the gang declare that “Christmastime Is Here.â€
➼ And for some more nostalgia! ABC is airing classic movies under the Wonderful World of Disney Presents banner, including The Sound of Music. Tune into the wonderful Julie Andrews musical at 7 p.m. ET on December 15. (If you don’t have cable, it’s on Disney+.)
Reality Bites
Paris & Nicole: The Encore
Whatever your opinion regarding reality TV, two of the genre’s early pioneers were Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, whose The Simple Life series followed the two best friends as they traveled around the country experiencing how most Americans live. More than 20 years later, they return for a three-episode series in which the pair produce an opera based on one of their signature catchphrases. — R.H.
➼ And there’s a new season of Queer Eye, where Jeremiah Brent is replacing designer Bobby Berk after his departure.
Animation Station
Bluey Minisodes
Yes, they are only Bluey shorts, and yes, there are only a handful of them. This will only tide your kids over for a few short bursts. But the minisodes appearing on December 9 will be the final batch of this little dose of Bluey, and at least one of the minisodes thus far, “Muffin Unboxing,†has become an instant legend in the elaborate Bluey lore. Yes, there is elaborate Bluey lore. — Kathryn VanArendonk
➼ Also on Disney+ this week is Dream Productions, an Inside Out spinoff series about the daydream director (voiced by Paula Pell) who is in charge of Riley’s dreams.
Finally Streaming
.
Joker: Folie à Deux
“Finally, a love story I can relate to. So insane, so well thought out, so well directed, so much smoking! It’s Jailhouse Rock meets Busby Berkeley with a 9/11 That’s Entertainment! ending that will make you shake your head in cinematic astonishment. Stupid critics. Gaga so good. Joker so right. Die, dumbbells, die!†— John Waters
Joker: Folie à Deux is now on Max. Read the rest of filmmaker John Waters’s list of the best movies of the year here.
.
Conclave
That pope movie you’ve heard so much has been nominated for six Golden Globe Awards. It’s now streaming on Peacock.
➼ For more recommendations, there’s French filmmaker Mati Diop’s documentary Dahomey out on Mubi. Red One, the movie with the buff Santa Claus (not played by The Rock, because he’s obviously the elf), is on Prime Video.
Want more? Read our recommendations from the weekend of December 6.