A holiday viewing guide for every taste

Family-friendly fare

“Flow” (85 minutes, HBO Max) 

Winning the best animated feature in 2024, this dialogue-free film from Latvia follows a black cat and her various animal pals on a boat as they escape a flooded world. Younger kids might be disturbed by the depictions of mild danger, but there are also plenty of sight gags and stunning visual scenes to distract.

“Julie and the Phantoms” (9 episodes, Netflix)

Disney Channel royalty Kenny Ortega (“High School Musical,” “The Descendants”) executive produced this charming musical TV series with a killer soundtrack that some might argue rivals one by a certain demon-fighting K-pop group. In the series, high schooler Julie (the talented Madison Reyes) is a struggling musician who through magical means becomes the lead singer of a ghost boy band with members who were last alive in 1995. Still with me? Full of incredibly catchy earworms, goofy ghost jokes and adorable musical moments (inspired by “Ferris Bueller” and “Dirty Dancing”) this show was destined for teen obsessive greatness – with live touring and the whole shebang – but unfortunately became a casualty of the early COVID lockdowns.

“The Mitchells vs. the Machines” (109 minutes, Netflix)

With the success of “KPop Demon Hunters,” it’s a good reminder of another excellent Sony animated film that plays on the same streaming service. Aspiring director Katie finds herself trapped on a cross-country road trip with her Luddite dad who’s not a fan of her filmmaking dreams. The Mitchells will have to learn to work together though when an evil AI named PAL decides to take revenge on humanity by launching them into space. Anyone who’s ever felt like an oddball or unappreciated genius will identify with the misfit Mitchells and their pet Monchi, who appears to be more goblin than dog.

“Wolfwalkers” (103 minutes, Apple TV+)

In 17th century Ireland, Robyn Goodfellowe is an apprentice hunter who follows her father when he’s called in to exterminate wolves. However, she’s accidentally bitten by a wolf, who turns out to be a transforming Wolfwalker girl named Mebh. Now Robyn is faced with becoming the very creature her father is hunting. This is probably better suited to older kids, who won’t be disturbed by the themes, but will still appreciate the fanatical storytelling and stunning animation.

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Holiday vibes (for kids)

“It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie” (88 minutes, Prime Video)

Most fans are familiar with the Muppet adaptation of “A Christmas Carol,” but this 2002 film is often overlooked because it’s one of the few in the Muppet oeuvre not owned by the Walt Disney Company. In the film, Kermit must save the Muppet Theatre from evil banker/real estate developer Rachel Bitterman (Joan Cusack) and decides to raise money by putting on a show, “Moulin Scrooge.” Expect additional shenanigans like references to “It’s a Wonderful Life” and the Grinch, while boasting a guest cast that includes David Arquette, William H. Macy, Whoopi Goldberg, Molly Shannon, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the cast of “Scrubs” and more.

“Merry Little Batman” (96 minutes, Prime Video)

While Bruce Wayne (voiced by Luke Wilson) is away on a mission, his son Damian (Yonas Kibreab) gets pulled into his version of “Home Alone” in this energetic and imaginative animated comedy adventure. Finding a suit and cowl made just for him, Damian transforms into Little Batman in order to safeguard Wayne Manor and Gotham City from villains, including a rather mischievous Joker. This holiday film is the precursor to Prime Video’s new animated comedy series “Bat-Fam.”

“Robin Robin” (32 minutes, Netflix)

From the same studio that created the “Wallace & Gromit,” “Shaun the Sheep” and “Chicken Run” films comes a different type of stop-motion animation that trades smooth plasticine for the warmer, more tactile needle felting. Robin is a young bird who was raised by mice and decides to prove her worth by breaking into a human house and stealing the star off the top of their Christmas tree.

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Holiday vibes (for mature teens and adults)

“8-Bit Christmas” (97 minutes, HBO Max)

Short of actually being made in the ’80s, this film was engineered in a lab to appeal to Gen X-ers who are nostalgic for Casio watches and Cabbage Patch Kids. Adult Jake Doyle (Neil Patrick Harris) tells his daughter who wants a cell phone all about that one Christmas in 1988 when he went to great lengths to try and obtain a Nintendo game system by participating in a Scout fundraising contest, raising money selling off baseball cards and pinning his hopes on his cool uncle who’s living in Japan.

“The Family Stone” (104 minutes, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video, Sling TV, fuboTV)

This all-star classic starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel McAdams, Claire Danes, Dermot Mulroney and more resurfaces every Christmas for its realistic yet heartfelt depiction of complex family dynamics. But with the sudden passing of Diane Keaton this year, the annual viewing takes on extra poignance. Salon’s Coleman Spilde writes, “As a mother desperate for a final, perfect Christmas with her family, Sybil Stone is one of the finest, most lucid depictions of what Keaton stood for in her life and career, liberally doling out grace yet standing no bulls**t.”

”Homestar Runner” Decemberween compilation (12 shorts, YouTube)

Anyone dialed into online culture in the early aughts encountered the surrealist comedy series born from Flash animation and two brothers spoofing kids books. While the Strong Bad Emails, in which the charismatic villain answers fan emails, became the most popular of the franchise’s series (with a new episode that dropped as recently as Nov. 24), Homestar Runner had success with his series on Decemberween, a fictional holiday occurring 55 days after Halloween. The shorts often satirize Christmas traditions such as gift-giving and pageants.

“With Love” (11 episodes, Prime Video)

From Gloria Calderón Kellett (“One Day at a Time”) comes this criminally underseen rom-com series that follows the massive yet close-knit Diaz clan and their love lives. Lily (Emerald Toubia) just split with her boyfriend and is now torn between an old family friend and a new guy; her brother Jorge (Mark Indelicado) is uncertain what to do now that he’s with a stable, loving guy; and cousin Sol (Isis King) is mixing work at the hospital with pleasure. Starting at the family’s sprawling Christmas Eve celebration and then jumping to a new holiday for each episode, this GLAAD-nominated series is short enough to be binged over the break.

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Relaxing releases (calm, nostalgic or feel-good)

“Ludwig” (6 episodes, BritBox)

John Taylor (David Mitchell) would rather stay home and hide behind his puzzle-making persona Ludwig than venture out into the world. So imagine his reluctance when sister-in-law Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin) asks that he not only leave the house, but also impersonate his twin brother James, a respected detective, who has gone missing. Each episode involves a cosy mystery that taps into John’s ability to not only make puzzles but also solve them. Check out Melanie McFarland’s review.

“North of North (8 episodes, Netflix)

In this charming comedy, Siaja (Anna Lambe) is a young Inuk woman who grew up too fast – between marrying young and taking care of her alcoholic mother – and now wants to find her own path. If only she wasn’t so awkward around her new love interest (Braeden Clarke) and her boss Helen, an often inappropriate but well-meaning lone white woman (Mary Lynn Raijskub) embedded in the Inuit community. Created by two First Nations women, the series pokes fun with affection in a very Canadian way, while also nodding to the darker historical realities of society.

“Secret Mall Apartment” (92 minutes, For rent)

Co-produced by Jesse Eisenberg and director Jeremy Workman, this fascinating documentary starts by following eight artists who protest gentrification by constructing a clandestine living space inside a Rhode Island mall, but evolve that act of protest by intersecting it with their public artwork. The director spoke to Salon about making the film, commenting, “The fantasy of living in a mall is not really for me, but what amazed me was the passion of all these guys who pursued this.”

“St. Denis Medical” (Currently in Season 2, Peacock, NBC.com)

Justin Spitzer, who created the workplace comedy “Superstore,” transplants that formula to an underfunded Oregon hospital. The series’ mockumentary format creates an extra layer of caustic humor as the hospital staff reveals just how human (read: fallible) they are, even as they attempt to save lives. Allison Tolman, David Alan Grier and Wendi McLendon-Covey anchor the ensemble cast in this less taxing medical companion to HBO Max’s “The Pitt.”

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Edgier escapism

“Black Bag” (94 minutes, Prime Video)

Come for the Steven Soderbergh spy antics but stay for the fabulous wardrobe of stylish jackets, pocket squares and sunglasses. Cate Blanchett is such a revelation in russet that you’ll have to rewind just to remember to listen to the dialogue in this smart and sexy espionage drama in which counterintelligence officer George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) must sniff out who among his dinner party leaked a top secret program code. Among his suspects is his dear wife Kathryn (Blanchett), which adds a delightful zing to the game of cat and mouse. Salon’s Coleman Spilde writes, “Kathryn and George don’t see their fidelity as a hindrance, but rather a challenge. What constitutes spice when you’re both in a line of work where spice is the primary flavor?”

“Caught Stealing” (107 minutes, Netflix)

Darren Aronofsky continues his more mainstream trajectory with this black comedy crime thriller about bartender Hank (Austin Butler, who’s dropped his Elvis drawl), tasked to petsit his neighbor’s fluffy tabby cat when he runs into New York mobsters. Despite the director’s history of more indie and experimental fare, “Caught Stealing” feels like a nostalgic throwback to charismatic, action-packed crowd pleasers.

“Death by Lightning” (4 episodes, Netflix)

What could possibly be better than Michael Shannon playing a driven James A. Garfield? How about Matthew Macfayden donning the slimy skin of the president’s would-be assassin? As Charles Guiteau, the “Succession” star sinks his chompers into the 19th century scenery, leaning into the delusion that he had contributed to Garfield’s election victory even if he had to break some Greggs to do so. Betty Gilpin, Nick Offerman and Bradley Whitford round out a powerful cast.

“The Night Manager” (6 episodes, Prime Video)

The Emmy-winning limited series adaptation of the John Le Carré novel is what started the Tom Hiddleston 007 rumors in 2016 as he proved to be more than capable of commanding this spy thriller opposite the amoral arms dealer Dickie Roper played by a wild-eyed Hugh Laurie. Binge the half-dozen episodes now to prepare for the long-awaited second season coming Jan. 11.

 

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