BOX SETS AND ON DEMAND
Spirited (Apple TV+, from Fri)
A great cast - headed by Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer - make this festive film a must-see. It’s a modern reworking of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, told from the perspective of the ghosts. Ferrell stars as the Ghost of Christmas Present who, each December 24, chooses a miserable, good-for-nothing for special treatment - they will be visited by a trio of spirits whose task is to transform them into kindly, compassionate souls. However, this season, he picks the wrong person. Clint Briggs (Reynolds) manages to turn the tables on Present, forcing him to take a long look at his own existence - including what the future may hold. The film also features original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, whose previous credits include La La Land and The Greatest Showman.
Tulsa King (Paramount+, from Mon)
Sylvester Stallone may not have made a massive blockbuster lately, but he’s still regarded as a movie star. However, he’s swapping the big screen for the small by taking the lead role in this intriguing crime drama, which marks his debut in a scripted TV series. Stallone takes the lead role of Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi, a New York-based Mafia captain who is about to be released from prison following a 25-year sentence. But rather than returning to his old stomping ground, Manfredi’s boss has decided to exile him to Tulsa, Oklahoma. He realises he’s being left high and dry by his former friends, so sets about creating a new crew from some decidedly unexpected characters - but do they have the skills to help him create a new crime empire?
The Santa Clauses (Disney+, from Wed)
Between 1994 and 2006, Tim Allen appeared in three Santa Clause movies as Scott Calvin, a divorced dad who accidentally kills Father Christmas - as a result, he’s forced to take the great man’s place, even gaining weight and growing white whiskers for the role. Now Allen is back in a new sixpart spin-off that should get everyone in the mood for the festive season. This time Scott is approaching his 65th birthday and it’s beginning to dawn on him that he can’t be Santa forever, so he tries to find a possible replacement - a task that’s easier said than done. Elizabeth Mitchell and Eric Lloyd also reprise their roles from the movies; Kal Penn and Laura San Giacomo join the cast, while ex-American Football star Peyton Manning has a cameo as himself.
The Wonder (Netflix, from Wed)
Florence Pugh’s recent bigscreen release Don’t Worry Darling is more famous for its off-screen problems than its on-screen storyline, but The Wonder has, so far, received good reviews. The tale takes place in 1862, with Pugh playing Lib Wright, an English nurse who travels to Ireland to meet Anna O’Donnell, an 11-year-old village girl who remains in good health, despite not having eaten for four months. A committee has been formed to establish whether Anna’s condition is the result of divine intervention, and Lib has been tasked with figuring out if she’s being secretly fed. Based on Emma Donoghue’s 2016 novel, the film deals with notions of faith and reason, and features a supporting cast that includes Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds and mother-and-daughter duo Elaine Cassidy and Kila Lord Cassidy.