It’s officially DEZEMBA! And in terms of new streaming releases, there’s a LOT to be festive about. We have the debut of David O. Russell’s star-studded Amsterdam, the return of both spy caper Slow Horses and fantasy drama His Dark Materials, a steamy new adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and much more.
MOVIES
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
Netflix – 2 December 2022
We kick things off with a new musical retelling of that most classic of Christmas stories with Scrooge: A Christmas Carol. This star-studded musical animated feature film redo of Charles Dickens’ iconic story sees the likes of Luke Evans, Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Jonathan Pryce, James Cosmo, and more, lend their voices to the tale of Christmas-hating curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge and his supernatural run-ins with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Disney+ – 2 December 2022
No, this has nothing to do with a South African youngster who hangs out a particular restaurant known for their burgers and coffee on road-trips. Diary of Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is the animated adaptation of the second installment in Jeff Kinney’s popular kids book series. Following on from 2021’s Diary of the Wimpy Kid (neither of which is to be mistaken for their same-titled live-action counterparts from a decade ago), Rodrick Rules sees series star Greg getting into all sorts of trouble when hanging out more with his aggressive older brother Rodrick.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Netflix – 2 December 2022
There was a time when Lady Chatterley’s Lover was the height of scandal. I am, of course, referring to author D.H. Lawrence’s 1928 novel which eventually became the subject of a landmark 1960s obscenity trial. Originally banned in several countries for its explicit descriptions of sex and the frequency of *gasp* swear words, the novel has since been adapted numerous times to screen, stage, and even radio, as its content became less salacious to more modern audiences. Now we have the latest take, starring Emma Corrin as the titular upper-class Lady who has fallen out of love with her aristocratic husband, and Jack O-‘Connell as the lower-class gamekeeper she begins a torrid affair with. Reviews have called this possibly the best film adaptation yet of Lawrence’s work, so be sure to check it out if you’re looking for some steamy romantic drama.
Warriors of Future
Netflix – 2 December 2022
And now for something completely different! If you’re just craving some over the top sci-fi action where the laws of physics are mere suggestions, then look no further than Warriors of Future (yes, I typed that correctly and there isn’t a “the” missing in that title). This Hong Kong blockbuster involves meteorites, alien plants, post-apocalyptic cities, mechs, exo-skeletons, and a whole lot of slow-motion destruction. I’m in!
Moonshot
Showmax – 5 December 2022
This one’s for the fans of teen rom-coms… but with a sci-fi twist. Set in 2049, Moonshot stars All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’s Lana Condor as a college student and Riverdale’s Cole Sprouse as barista who have to pretend to be in a relationship as part of a scheme to get onto a shuttle heading to Mars as part of a student exchange program. The two undertake this outer space journey for personal reasons involving realizing childhood dreams and fixing long-distance relationships that have nothing to do with each other… but we all know how this one is going to turn out, right?
Amsterdam
Disney+ – 7 December 2022
Filmmaker David O. Russell is infamous for being an absolute terrible person on set (and that’s me being very diplomatic), but A-list actors still line up to star in his frequently award-winning productions. And the latest of these is Amsterdam, a comedy thriller based on the 1933 Business Plot political conspiracy, which sees three friends get caught up in the mysterious murder of a retired US general. The film stars such incredible talents as *deep breath* Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldaña, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, Taylor Swift, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alessandro Nivola, Rami Malek, and Robert De Niro. Phew.
SERIES
Slow Horses S2
Apple TV+ – 2 December 2022
Britain’s most dysfunctional branch of MI5 is back. The brilliant first season of Slow Horses introduced us to Jackson Lamb, Gary Oldman’s cantankerous master spy, and his team of intelligence community rejects who managed to foil a government conspiracy and clear their own names in the process. But a job well done is not enough to get them out of the infamous spy dumping ground of Slough House and a new potential threat is on the horizon involving Russian sleeper agents embedded in England who suddenly get activated and leave a string of bodies in their wake.
Three Pines S1
Amazon Prime Video – 2 December 2022
Who doesn’t love a twisty, small-town, murder mystery with a baffling homicide? Well, besides for the actual victim, I mean. For the rest of us, we can get our sleuthing teeth sunk into the latest offering of the genre with Three Pines, a new series adaptation of the Chief Inspector Gamache novel series by Louise Penny. Alfred Molina stars as the eponymous lawman who “sees things that others do not”. He’ll need all of that keen power of perception to unravel a series of mystifying murders in the seemingly idyllic village of Three Pines.
His Dark Materials S3
Showmax – 6 December 2022
This is it. The battle lines have been drawn, and the worlds of witches, daemons, angels, and one brave young girl with a huge destiny is finally all crashing together. HBO and the BBC’s adaptation of author Philip Pullman’s acclaimed fantasy drama trilogy is coming to an end with this final 8-episode season. Although it didn’t garner the buzzy public reception of some of its peers, I’ve really enjoyed this show’s previous two seasons and I’m stoked to see it all get wrapped up. I’m particularly interested in how the showrunners adapt Pullman’s final book, seeing as how its where the story got really controversial for its not-so-subtle allegorical criticisms of organized religion.
Heels S1
Showmax – 5 December 2022
If you’re a fan of Arrow star Stephen Amell and follow him on social media, you would know that the actor is very much into professional wrestling. Amell turned that passion into his latest job with Heels, a drama created Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’s Michael Waldron. The show follows Amell and Vikings’ Alexander Ludwig as two brothers who clash as frequently over the running of their late-father’s regional wrestling promotion as they do as the heel and face (aka hero and villain) inside the wrestling ring. The show has received rave reviews and already earned a second season renewal.
DMZ S1
Showmax – 6 December
I’ll be honest, I’m never one to moan when adaptations change details from the source material, but I was a little annoyed when I heard how much HBO Max was tweaking its live-action adaptation of Brian Wood’s fantastic DC Vertigo comic DMZ. So annoyed that I never actually bothered to see if the show turned out to be any good or not. Well, now’s my chance to correct that, I guess! This four-episode dystopian drama miniseries during a second American Civil War which leaves Manhattan Island as a demilitarized zone stuck between the two warring sides. Rosario Dawson stars as a New York City paramedic who, while simply trying to find her missing son, unintentionally becomes a symbol of hope for the inhabitants of this island who didn’t choose to be cut off from the rest of the country.