Have Yourself a Small-Screen Christmas

New releases to watch on winter break

By Meg Weichman | Dec. 19, 2020

With all the changes to our holiday plans and traditions this year, it’s nice to look for the silver linings. And one good tiding of comfort and joy is that there has never been a better time to be an at-home movie watcher than right now. So when you need a break from all the familiar Christmas classics or just Christmas cheer in general, there's a huge slate of new release movies streaming from the comfort and safety of your home (Thanks, Santa COVID!).

And while the family outings to the movie theater may not be in the cards, it doesn’t mean you can’t bring a bit of the magic of the theatrical experience home. With plenty of brand new big-screen worthy fare available on streaming platforms and VOD, you can simply stay in your PJs, turn up the sound, turn down the lights,  and settle in with one of these excellent film selections. Better start perfecting your popcorn recipe now!

BLOCKBUSTERS & STAR POWER
After a year of ever-revolving release date cancellations and delays, some of the year’s biggest and most anticipated films are skipping the theaters and heading right into our homes for Christmas — it’s the gift of streaming!

·  Lasso the family together for the highly anticipated (it was initially scheduled to debut in June) superhero sequel, Wonder Woman 1984. Star Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins return for another round of derring-do, with our most earnest and compassionate of caped crusaders, Diana Prince, going up against a new pair of villains (played by Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig) amidst the reignited Cold War tensions of the Able Archer-era Regan Administration. A big, beaming beacon of joy and excitement, action and romance, the film’s hopeful message, not to mention its blockbuster thrills, is exactly what we’re all craving right now. Streaming on HBO Max Dec. 25

·  The latest from Pixar, the world’s gold standard for animated films, is unlike anything the studio has brought us before. The first Pixar film to feature an African American lead, Soul is a metaphysical jazz odyssey that takes us into the innermost workings of humanity and the creation of our very souls. If that all sounds a bit existential for your cartoon viewing, it’s because this film that is so much more — poignant, innovative, gentle, cerebral, sweet, funny, beautiful, and a must-see this holiday season. Streaming on Disney+ Dec. 25

·   An ambitious sci-fi epic hiding an old school Stanley Kramer- message movie, The Midnight Sky is apocalyptic drama at its finest. Directed by and starring your mom’s favorite actor, George Clooney, the film follows Augustine Lofthouse, an arctic scientist desperately trying to reach a returning NASA spaceship to alert them that Earth has become uninhabitable following cataclysmic environmental events. Also starring Kyle Chandler, Felicity Jones, and David Oyelowo, this gripping tale is both a powerful warning call and a moving story of redemption. Streaming on Netflix Dec. 23.

·   We may have to wait for Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story until next year, but we can enjoy another star-studded Broadway musical adaptation this Christmas with The Prom. Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Kerry Washington, and Andrew Rannells star in this story of down-on-their-luck Broadway performers who take their “Let’s Put on a Show” pluck to small-town Indiana to give a teen girl the prom she deserves. Charmingly corny and undeniably catchy, this goofy and sweet toe-tapper from Ryan Murphy brings the exuberant joy of live theater home. Streaming on Netflix.

SERIOUS AWARDS CONTENDERS
If your next favorite season after the holidays is awards season, you can spend your winter break catching up on all the prestigious Oscar bait dropping just in time for the end-of-year qualifying deadlines. And although what will follow will no doubt be one of the strangest awards seasons in film history, there are still plenty of statuette-worthy movies to enjoy.

·   A passion project over 30 years in the making, Mank tells the story of acclaimed screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, played by Oscar-winner Gary Oldham, as he works on a little film you may have heard of before: Citizen Kane. Written and directed by the great David Fincher (Zodiac, Gone Girl, Fight Club, The Social Network), this rapturous, gorgeous, and beautifully crafted look at old Hollywood is the film lovers' event of the year. Streaming on Netflix.

·   The Christmas gift for cinephiles that keeps on giving, the brilliant Steve McQueen (of the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave), brings us a new collection of five original feature films. The Small Axe anthology series tells the stories of London's West Indian community from the late 1960s to mid-1980s, and these standalone films are among the very best of the year. The standouts include Mangrove, the gripping and powerful true story of The Mangrove Nine (and the historic trial that followed), and Lovers Rock a beautiful romance set to an intoxicating rhythm of song and dance. Streaming on Amazon Prime.

·   The latest experiment from director Steven Soderbergh’s post-“retirement” career takes an awards-darling cast (Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest, Lucas Hedges), puts them on a luxury cruise liner (a transatlantic crossing of The Queen Mary 2), and then makes a guerilla-style film while aboard (with a very small crew, including a makeup artist with ties to Leelanau). A wry exploration of female friendship, Let Them All Talk follows a trio of college friends reuniting and trading salty quips in a film that is a marvel of not only filmmaking but performance. Streaming on HBO Max.

·   This adaptation of August Wilson’s award-winning play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a must-see for many reasons: The amazing Viola Davis in the title role, its incredible blues music, and its searing story of working black musicians in an industry that doesn’t respect them. But without a doubt the most compelling reason is the chance to see Chadwick Boseman’s final performance as trumpeter Levee, a part he infuses with so much vitality and verve it’s impossible to not expect awards nominations to follow and also impossible to not feel the pain of a talent gone far too soon. Streaming on Netflix. 

INDIES & FOREIGN
With all the comfort food going around the table, pair it with an experience perhaps outside of your comfort zone, and explore one of these independent or foreign films. You may not be traveling, but you can travel the expanses of the cinematic world.

·   You don’t have to be a fan of heavy metal to appreciate this mesmerizing story of a heavy metal drummer (Riz Ahmed in a beautiful performance for the books) who is losing his hearing. Blistering and visceral in its power, Sound of Metal’s distinctive visual and aural techniques makes for an unforgettable experience for your senses. Delicately illuminating the deaf community, as well as one man’s journey of love and loss, this character study finds its greatest power in aching silence. Streaming on Amazon Prime.

·   A sumptuous period romance set in mid-century New York City and against an aching backdrop of jazz and music, Sylvie’s Love tells the story of a chance meeting turned years-long love affair. Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok) stars as Sylvie, who meets saxophonist Robert in her father’s record store and is ignited by feelings she doesn’t expect. A swooning old-school love story, its gorgeous design, costumes, and score are rivaled only by its deep feeling. Streaming on Amazon Prime Dec. 25.

·  Now a documentary about the corruption of the Romanian health care system sounds like the kind of good-for-you cinematic medicine someone could only force you to take. And while Collective is very much about that seemingly dense topic, it’s is much better served to be described as the gripping and infuriating thriller it is. Following a team of heroic journalists exposing corruption after a deadly nightclub fire, with breathtaking access and propulsive urgency the film is a riveting real-time look at a quest for truth. Available on Video On Demand.

·   Jack London’s most autobiographical of novels, Martin Eden, gets transported to Italy in this sweeping adaptation. An old fashioned historical epic, it follows the young, self-educated working-class Martin as he sets his sights on an upper-crust girl and his dreams of becoming a writer. But as Martin soon finds, the bourgeoise isn’t perhaps all that it’s cracked up to be, resulting in an awakening that dissolves the line between triumph and tragedy. Romantic, lush, and superbly crafted, this is a true cinematic achievement. Video On Demand through Kino Marquee. 

FAMILY FLICKS
Too many trips to the uncanny valley of The Polar Express? Take a break from dead-eyed Tom Hanks and watch one of these new family-friendly finds.

·  Doing for fairy godmothers what Enchanted did for Disney princesses, family fairytale Godmothered brings these classic elder fairies into our modern world with loads of laughs. The hilarious Jillian Bell stars as Eleanor, a godmother-in-training who is dismayed to learn that her chosen profession is in danger of going extinct. She sets out to show the world just how much fairy godmothers are needed by answering a young girl’s letter. Problem is, said young girl is now all grown up and a single mom played by Isla Fisher. But you can bet this unexpected turn of events isn't going to stop Eleanor from giving her a "Happily Ever After" in this charming comedy. Streaming on Disney+.

·  Everyone’s favorite prehistoric family is back for a new epic animated adventure in The Croods: A New Age. This time around, as the Croods and their adorable pet sloth search for a safe place to call home, they encounter a family further along the evolutionary ladder, the Bettermans. What starts as an antagonistic meeting of the minds changes course when a new common threat emerges, forcing the families to band together and learn from each other to survive. Featuring an all-voice cast including Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, and Ryan Reynolds, this sequel to the hit film is filled with the slapstick, imaginative, and yes, crude humor kids love. Available on Premium Video On Demand.

·  From the acclaimed hand-drawn animation team that brought us the Oscar-nominated The Secret of Kells, comes their latest dazzling Celtic adventure, Wolfwalkers. An enchanting story of love, kindness, and empathy set against ancient Irish werewolf mythology, it’s as rich of an experience emotionally as it is visually. A heartfelt and mesmerizing watch for adults and children alike, this is far from your standard, corporate kiddie fare. Streaming on Apple TV+.

·  Based on an inspiring true story, Safety follows Clemson University football safety Ray McElrathbey as he meets the challenges of raising his 11-year-old brother while competing in the high-pressure, high-profile world of Division 1 college football. Like The Blind Side meets Disney’s storied tradition of empowering sports dramas (think The Rookie, Miracle, Cool Runnings, etc), this is an uplifting and heartfelt film that is all too easy to root for. Streaming on Disney+.