Christmas is almost upon us, and whether you want to tuck in with a holiday favorite or look ahead to the new year, there’s something for you to see. From a classic Christmas rom com to several sci-fi explorations, it’s a great time of year to sit back and stream.
What to watch on Netflix
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire
Zack Snyder has always had a distinctive, sometimes divisive perspective in his filmmaking, but from Dawn of the Dead and 300 to his most recent Netflix hit Army of the Dead, the director fills that action-centric niche like no one else. Rebel Moon is his latest project, marking the first in a streaming cinematic series that seeks to create a new sci-fi mythos. Billed as Dune meets Seven Samurai with just a dash of Star Wars, the film centers a sprawling galaxy and its inhabitants (including Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou and Anthony Hopkins). Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire premieres Thursday night, December 21st. Read Observer’s review.
Love Actually
Those of you wanting to watch a contemporary Christmas classic are in luck, because Love Actually is available on Netflix for a limited time. Turning 20 this year (!), the perennial holiday watch stars a rom com ensemble tailor-made for the average Anglophile, including Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth, among many, many others. The ever-interlocking stories of romance, ruses and rekindling never get old, and it’s obviously the most wonderful time of the year to watch them. Love Actually is streaming through the end of the month.
What to watch on Hulu
The Creator
Gareth Edwards uses the skills he gained from the likes of Godzilla and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to craft an intricate futuristic world for The Creator, where a war is being waged between humans and the artificial intelligence that they built. John David Washington stars as a disillusioned soldier who’s pulled into a mission to destroy a new technological weapon: a powerful robot in the form of a human child. Will he go through with it, or find a new way to live with this so-called enemy? The Creator premiered on streaming earlier this week. Read Observer’s review.
Ford v Ferrari
With Michael Mann’s Adam Driver vehicle Ferrari coming out this Christmas, why not enjoy another bit of automobile history with Ford v Ferrari? It’s scrappy American engineering against sleek Italian design in this James Mangold film, which chronicles the rivalry between the two car giants at the Le Mans race in the mid-’60s. Matt Damon and Christian Bale star as the men leading the charge to innovate at the Ford Motor Company, with the supporting cast rounded out by Jon Bernthal, Caitríona Balfe, and Tracy Letts. Ford v Ferrari will be available to stream until the end of the month.
What to watch on Max
Batman
Few things on this planet contain as much unbridled silliness as the Batman of the 1960s. While the series holds hours upon hours of delightful nonsense, the 1966 film distills it all into a sub-two hour runtime. Adam West and Burt Ward star as the famed caped crusader and his sidekick Robin, and Batman sees them face off against the biggest baddies in Gotham, who just so happen to pose a threat to the entire world! From bat-shark repellent to a whole batcopter, the movie is jam-packed with ridiculous puns and references to chuckle at all these years later. Batman streams until the end of the month.
What to watch on Peacock
Dr. Death
This chilling series casts a light on real life medical monsters. Functioning as an anthology, with each season focusing on a new menace, Dr. Death Season 2 stars Édgar Ramírez as Paolo Macchiarini. The infamous Italian surgeon promised medical miracles, only to perform largely experimental operations on his patients. Rather than save lives, his work took them. Mandy Moore co-stars as Benita, a journalist who gets caught up in Macchiarini’s confidence and charm while interviewing him for a story. Her instincts are slow to kick in, but those of the people in charge of some of the world’s top medical institutions are even slower. Season 2 of Dr. Death premiered Thursday, December 21st.
What to Watch is a regular endorsement of movies and TV worth your streaming time.
