It’s the week of Thanksgiving. For those lucky to remain employed during the pandemic, that maybe means a few days off and some much-needed time to unwind, Netflix and chill with some wine and turkey. It wouldn’t be surprising if the streaming giant saw some of its highest streaming numbers this very week.
Unfortunately, it’s not the best week to stream on Netflix. The streaming service isn’t dropping too many classics, but the service is releasing two high-profile for originals. Given it’s the holiday season now, let’s start with The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two. Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn return to the Netflix hit, which was a disappointment despite their star-powered charisma. At the end of the day, though, it is Kurt Russell playing Santa Claus. An impossible offer to turndown.
To put it simply, Kurt is the man. Always has been, always will be. He deliveries. No matter the quality of a movie, nothing can damper one of the great movie star’s charisma. I mean, that laugh. It’s so infectious and jolly, which is a part of why he’s so great as Santa Claus. When you’re a movie fan and a kid, you look up to Kurt Russell, kinda like Santa Claus. Again, the first movie didn’t fully deliver on the fun, but anything with Russell in the lead, we’re interested.
We’re less hopeful, however, about Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy. It’s based on a very popular book that, fairly or unfairly, got heavily politicized during the Trump election. At its core, though, it is the story of a kid working hard during hard times to achieve something for himself. Inspiring, yes, but not an inspiring movie, according to critics. Critics have ripped Howard’s movie to shreds, suggesting it’s every bit as bad as the trailer. It’s big, loud, and crass drama, from the sound of it.
Howard is a hit or miss filmmaker. When he hits, he hits big, like Rush, Frost/Nixon, Apollo 13 and Night Shift. At worst, audiences get The Dilemma, In the Heart of the Sea, and the laborious Robert Langdon movie starring Tom Hanks. Howard can entertain and sometimes inspire, but based on the early buzz, he hits some seriously flat notes with his Netflix drama.
As for what else is coming to Netflix, in terms of movies, there’s not much else to speak of. No holiday classics. There’s a direct-to-VOD Bruce Willis movie, Hard Kill, but those are almost never worth watching. Unlike Kurt Russell, Willis hasn’t retained his movie star charm for the last ten years or so, although there’s a few exceptions. For all you Shawn Mendes fans out there, there is a doc on the singer hitting Netflix. I’m sure that’s exciting for Shawn Mendes fans.
Today
Hard Kill (2020)
Shawn Mendes: In Wonder (2020) N
Strongest Delivery Man (Season 1)
November 24th
Before 30 (Season 1)
Dragons: Rescue Riders: Huttsgalor Holiday (2020) N
Hillbilly Elegy (2020) N
Notes for My Son / El Cuaderno de Tomy (2020) N
Wonderoos (Season 1) N
November 25th
The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020) N
Great Pretender (Season 2) N
November 26th
Fantastica (2018)
Larry the Cable Guy: Remain Seated (2020)
Mosul (2020) N
Unexpectedly Yours (2017)
November 27th
A Toot-Toot Cory Carson Christmas (2020) N
Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker (2020) N
Over Christmas / Überweihnachten (Season 1) N
Sugar Rush: Christmas (Season 2) N
The Beast / La Belva (2020) N
The Call (2020) N
The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives (Season 1) N
Virgin River (Season 2) N
November 28th
The Uncanny Counter (Season 1) N
November 29th
Wonderoos: Holiday Holiday! (2020) N
