Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Holiday hold-up: Asa Butterfield and Cora Kirk return for ‘Your Christmas or Mine 2’
WHAT’S NEW ON PRIME VIDEO “Your Christmas or Mine 2” (2023)
The inevitable chaos of family holidays takes on new meaning in the festive British rom-com sequel “Your Christmas or Mine 2,” premiering Friday, Dec. 8, on Prime Video. No matter how well they plan, it seems like young couple James (Asa Butterfield, “Sex Education”) and Hayley (Cora Kirk, “Prey for the Devil”) just can’t get their Christmas vacations to go to plan. While last year their well-intentioned hopes to surprise each other turned into the couple swapping family holidays by mistake, this season is getting the whole family involved. James’ family has invited Hayley’s to spend Christmas at a luxury ski resort in the Austrian Alps, hoping to get to know their son’s new girlfriend better. But after a transportation mix-up at the airport, the families end up at each other’s accommodations — on opposite sides of a valley, and opposite ends of the TripAdvisor ratings scale. All the while, Hayley and James do their best to help their relationship survive through another turbulent Christmas. Directed once again by Jim O’Hanlon (“Trying”) and written by Tom Parry (“Class Dismissed”), the film also stars Alex Jennings (“The Crown”), Angela Griffin (“Crime”), Daniel Mays (“Temple”), Jane Krakowski (“30 Rock”), Rhea Norwood (“Heartstopper”) and David Bradley (“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” 2001).
WHAT’S NEW ON PEACOCK “Christmas at the Opry”
Celebrate the spirit of the season in style with the new special “Christmas at the Opry,” streaming on Peacock, Friday, Dec. 8, after its linear premiere on NBC the day before. Featuring some of the best and brightest voices in country music, this two-hour musical special, hosted by Wynonna Judd (“A Bad Goodbye”), treats audiences to a lineup of Christmas favorites, holiday classics and today’s biggest hits, all performed for a live audience at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Included in this year’s star-studded lineup are fan-favorite artists and country music icons, including Adam Doleac (“Another”), BRELAND (“My Truck”), Brenda Lee (“Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”), Chris Janson (“Buy Me a Boat”), Chrissy Metz (“Talking To God”), Kelly Clarkson (“Underneath the Tree”), Lauren Alaina (“Road Less Traveled”), Meghan Patrick (“I
Hope It Snows”), Mickey Guyton (“Somethin’ Bout You”), Mitchell Tenpenny (“Truth About You”) and Trace Adkins (“You’re Gonna Miss This”).
WHAT’S NEW ON HULU “We Live Here: The Midwest”
Experience the resilience and love of America’s diverse communities in the new documentary “We Live Here: The Midwest,” when it premieres Wednesday, Dec. 6, on Hulu. Every family experiences new challenges every day as they learn, grow and adapt together. But many families throughout America also face “a rising tide of discrimination and hate in their churches, schools and even their own neighborhoods” (per Hulu). Profiling families who are hoping to stay in a part of the country that they love, often where deep roots are already established, “We Live Here” chronicles their journey to find happiness and safety where they are without having to compromise. The film follows along with the stories of: “a trans/queer family with five children in Iowa [who] must find a new community after being expelled from their church; a gay Black couple with a young daughter [who are testing] the line of acceptance in Nebraska; a lesbian couple [who are homeschooling] their bullied son on a
farm in Kansas; a gay teacher in Ohio [who] creates a safe space for LGBTQIA+ students; and a couple in Minnesota [as they struggle] to rebuild their families following both of their transitions. Meanwhile, Minnesota State Representative and queer mother Heather Keeler brings LGBTQIA+ rights to the political forefront despite ongoing death threats” (Hulu). Capturing a crucial time in America, the film sees the values of families across the Midwest put to the test. Marking filmmaker Melinda Maerker’s feature documentary debut, “We Live Here: The Midwest” is executive produced by Maerker and David Cayton Miller (“Defying Gravity,” 1997), with coproducer Lindsay Kent (“Going Furthur,” 2016).
WHAT’S NEW ON DISNEY+ ”Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever” (2023)
The Heffley’s are off on vacation in the new animated family film “Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever,” premiering on Disney+ Friday, Dec. 8 . This year, the winter holidays are turning out to be extra stressful for Greg Heffley (Wesley Kimmel, “The Book of Boba Fett”). After accidentally damaging someone else’s property while playing in the snow with his best friend Rowley (Spencer Howell, “Ithaca,” 2015), Greg is worried that he might not get the gift he desperately wants for Christmas as a punishment. To make matters worse, Greg winds up trapped indoors with his entire family — including his terrifying older brother Rodrick (Hunter Dillon, “Holly Hobbie”) and annoying baby brother Manny (Gracen Newton, “Puppy Dog Pals”) — when a massive snowstorm hits the town. As Greg does the unthinkable — actually spending quality time with his family — he’ll have to try extra hard to stay on his best behavior for Christmas. Based on the book of the same name by Jeff Kinney, “Cabin Fever” is written by Kinney, with a screenplay by Kathleen Shugrue (“SciGirls”). Luke Cormican (“Teen Titans Go!”) directs.
WHAT’S NEW ON NETFLIX “My Life With the Walter Boys” - Season 1
The heartwarming coming-of-age story “My Life With the Walter Boys,” an adaptation of Ali Novak’s 2014 novel of the same name, makes its series premiere Thursday, Dec. 7, on Netflix. Spanning 10 episodes, this drama series follows the story of 15-year old Manhattanite Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez, “On My Block”), who is forced to leave her privileged and proper life in New York behind after losing her family in a tragic accident. Sent away to live in rural Colorado with her new guardian, Jackie finds herself struggling to adjust to the crowded Walter family, with Katherine (Sarah Rafferty, “Suits”) — her mom’s best friend — her husband George (Marc Blucas, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and their 10 kids. While Jackie is determined to keep her sights set on a future at Princeton, she’ll have to grapple with her growing feelings for two of the Walter boys, who are drastically different; Alex (Ashby Gentry, “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”), the reliable and bookish brother, and Cole (Noah LaLonde, “Deer Camp ‘86,” 2022), the mysterious and troubled bad boy. Through grief, ambition and new love, Jackie will have to do everything she can to stay true to herself. Created for television by Melanie Halsall (“Itch”), “My Life With the Walter Boys” is directed by Jerry Ciccoritti (“Schitt’s Creek”), Winnifred Jong (“Tokens”) and Nimisha Mukerji (“65_RedRoses,” 2009). The series also stars Connor Stanhope (“Garage Sale Mysteries”), Johnny Link (“Dear Edward”), Corey Fogelmanis (“Girl Meets World”), Dean Petriw (“Home Before Dark”), Lennix James (“Superman & Lois”), Alix West Lefler (“Riverdale”), Isaac Arellanes (“Ghostwriter”), Myles Perez (“The Curse of Bridge Hollow,” 2022), Zoe Soul (“Reed Between the Lines”), Alisha Newton (“Heartland”), Jaylan Evans (“Power Book III: Raising Kanan”), Ashley Tavares (“Hollywood Heights”), Moheb Jindran (“Make Me a Match,” 2023), Ellie O’Brien (“Alert: Missing Persons Unit”), Mya Lowe (“Yellowjackets”), Gabrielle Jacinto (“Deadly Midwife,” 2023), Nathaniel Arcand (“Heartland”), Alex Quijano (“Fresh Off the Boat”) and Kolton Stewart (“Locke & Key”).
New Releases for the week of December 3 - 9 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Now retired from teaching, globe-trotting archeologist Indiana Jones (Ford) is pulled back into action for one final adventure after uniting with his estranged goddaughter, Helena (Waller-Bridge), the daughter of his former wartime ally Basil Shaw (Jones). Learning that an artifact,
previously rescued by Indy during the war, has now fallen into the hands of revenge-fueled scientist Jurgen Voller (Mikkelsen), the duo race to reclaim the lost treasure. As Voller and his secret NASA operatives, set off to reset the outcome of World War II, Indiana and his allies, old and new, must face their greatest challenge yet. Director: James Mangold. Stars: Harrison
Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore, Karen Allen. 2023. 154 mins. Action.
The Kill Room
Worlds collide when the arts community is introduced to the criminal underworld. Seeking to launder money as a means of hiding his connections, bakery owner Gordon (Jackson) and boss to temperamental assassin Reggie (Manganiello), offers struggling art dealer Patrice (Thurman) a lifeline. Agreeing to the scheme, Patrice hosts Reggie’s artwork, a side project to his hitman obligations, which unwittingly captures the attention of the avant-garde arts scene. As the accolades and resurgent art gallery grows, the trio must further bury the truth as the secret origins of “The Bagman” and his artwork come into question.
Director: Nicol Paone. Stars: Uma Thurman, Joe Manganiello, Samuel L. Jackson,
Maya Hawke, Debi Mazar, Dree Hemingway, Larry Pine, Candy Buckley, Liv Morgan. 2023. 98 mins. Action.
Daddy Daughter Trip
A family road trip becomes an adventure to remember when father and daughter encounter two famous travel bloggers on their journey. Wanting to provide his young daughter, Meara (Miranda Schneider), with a memorable spring break, ambitious but struggling inventor Larry (Rob Schneider) sets out to plan the perfect father/daughter adventure. Proving skeptical wife Megan (Sandler) correct after immediately encountering obstacles, the trip is saved when they meet social media darlings Fernanda (Huarte) and Santiago Arachavaleta (Munoz), a pair of travel vloggers.
Director: Rob Schneider. Stars: Rob Schneider, Miranda Schneider, Jackie Sandler, John Cleese, Miguel Angel Munoz, Monica Huarte, Gavin Guerrero, Michael Buble. 2023. 100 mins. Comedy.