Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! If you are hoping to avoid some loved ones this weekend, you’re in luck. There is content to be consumed! Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the highly anticipated follow-up to his 2019 whodunnit Knives Out arrives on Netflix following its successful theatrical run and stars Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, and Janelle Monáe. Also coming to Netflix is The Witcher: Blood Origin, the prequel limited series to The Witcher that stars Michelle Yeoh and Minnie Driver.
Whitney Houston (finally) gets a biopic with the aptly titled I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Damien Chazelle’s old Hollywood epic Babylon, the star-studded cocaine explosion is a gluttonous good time led by Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt. Cannes Film Festival Official Selection Corsage is here to fill the 19th century shaped hole in your heart and will likely also cause a mid-life crisis. If you want some festive family fun, then check out Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical on Netlfix and Apple TV+’s Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse, which is pure chicken soup for the soul.
Here’s a closer look at five exciting titles hitting the big and small screens this weekend!
Corsage
Release Date: December 23 in Theaters
If you are ever feeling insecure or self-conscious, just remember: “The lion doesn’t lose sleep over the opinion of sheep.” Phantom Thread and Old actress Vicky Krieps becomes Empress Elisabeth of Austria in the stylish and bold film Corsage. Written and directed by Marie Kreutzer and taking place in 1877, this biographical drama puts a fictional twist on the beautiful Elisabeth as she deals with the complicated reactions and many judgments about her behavior and appearance as she turns 40. The film, which earned Krieps the award for Best Performance at the Cannes Film Festival (which she shared with Harka’s Adam Bessa), also stars Colin Morgan, Aaron Friesz, and Alma Hasun.
I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Release Date: December 23 in Theaters
There have been so many music biopics over the last few years, from Elton John’s Rocketman and Freddie Mercury’s Bohemian Rhapsody, to Elvis Presley’s Elvis and Aretha Franklin’s Respect. Now, another music legend is getting her chance in the spotlight. Naomi Ackie shines in I Wanna Dance with Somebody as Whitney Houston, the legendary R&B pop vocalist known for songs such as “I Will Always Love You” and the 1987 hit “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” Watch as the full-of-life singer pursues her passion for music and hones her incredible singing voice throughout her emotional life. The film, which is directed by Kasi Lemmons and written by Anthony McCarten, also stars Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Clarke Peters, and Tamara Tunie.
Babylon
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Release Date: December 23 in Theaters
Lights, camera, action, and a lot of drugs! La La Land and Whiplash writer-director and Oscar winner Damien Chazelle is taking things to a wild new level with his latest and busiest project, Babylon. This historical dramedy takes us back to the early, dazzling days of Hollywood when putting sound in a movie was considered radical and unthinkable. The 1920s were a time of “unbridled decadence and depravity” for everyone, but especially those in the movie making business. This epic film has an equally epic ensemble playing eccentric characters, with Brad Pitt starring as hard-partying silent film star Jack Conrad, Margot Robbie as the fast-talking and fast-moving upcoming mega star Nellie LaRoy, Tobey Maguire as the yellow-toothed mobster James McKay, and Jean Smart as journalist extraordinaire Elinor St. John. And if they aren’t enough for you, then don’t worry, because Olivia Wilde, Diego Calva, Samara Weaving, Spike Jonze, and Chloe Fineman are just some of the other actors rounding out the cast.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
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Release Date: December 25 on Netflix
Nothing can get in the way of this little one’s imagination. From the magical and oh-so-creative mind of Roald Dahl, the author of whimsical books including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and James and the Giant Peach comes the Netflix musical spectacular Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical. Based on Dahl’s book Matilda and the Broadway and West End musical, this family film follows Matilda Wormwood (Alisha Weir), a young girl with an enormous appetite for reading and learning, who is cast aside by her colorful and eccentric parents (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough). Finally at a loss for how to handle their smart and brazen child, they send her to a school for misbehaving children headed by the harsh and horrible Agatha Trunchbull (Emma Thompson). When Matilda’s not butting heads with angry Agatha, she’s inspiring her classmates and teacher Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch) with her imagination and determination.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
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Release Date: December 25 on Apple TV+
This is truly the only gift you need this holiday. Artist and author Charlie Mackesy has become known for his wholesome and wholehearted best-selling book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse about a lost young boy (Jude Coward Nicoll) and his mole companion (Tom Hollander) who do their best to bring the boy home. Director Peter Baynton, as well as producers Woody Harrelson and J.J. Abrams, have brought the delightful drawings onto the screen. As the Boy and his cake-loving mole friend stroll through their sunny and snowy landscape, they encounter the Fox (Idris Elba), who has a harsh exterior and is allergic to vulnerability, and the Horse (Gabriel Byrne), who has regrets and fears greatness. The four eventually bond and earn each other’s trust, becoming unlikely friends in the process. Though the boy and his anthropomorphic friends are cuddly and cute for any age, their deep reflections on life and its challenges are sure to resonate with and inspire adults the most.
New Episodes
Friday
The Mosquito Coast (Apple TV+)
Mythic Quest (Apple TV+)
Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
Three Pines (Prime Video)
Sunday
ZIWE (Showtime)
Dangerous Liaisons (Season 1 Finale, Starz)
Tulsa King (Paramount+)
The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime)
George & Tammy (Showtime)
1923 (Paramount+)
The Witcher: Blood Origin (Series Premiere, Netflix)
