#SetTheVCR: December 02-08, 2024

Monday, December 02

Our Little Secret (Anytime / Netflix)

Two resentful exes (one of whom is Lindsay Lohan) are forced to spend Christmas under the same roof after discovering that their current partners are siblings. This counts as Christmas Crap!!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: NUTCRACKERS (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)

In the most unlikely of places, four siblings find a loving shelter in an unexpected turn of circumstances. This endearing comedy-drama draws inspiration from actual events and deftly crafts a gripping story that unites everyone.
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This counts as Christmas Crap!! It also counts as Three Men and a Baby meets The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (the good one from the ’80s not this modern remake junk.) “Nutcrackers follows strait-laced and work-obsessed Mike (Ben Stiller) as he is suddenly thrust into being a caregiver for his rambunctious, orphaned nephews.” Ben Stiller meets The Fockers 2.0. It Is What It Is.

Tuesday, December 03

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: Season 1 (Anytime / Disney+)

Series Premiere: Skeleton Crew tells the story of four kids searching for their home planet after getting lost in the Star Wars galaxy, and the strange aliens and dangerous places they encounter on their adventure. Eh, sure. Skeleton Crew looks E.T. soft…this is Miles-Morales-Star-Wars asking the audience to invest in this current crop of losers. Forget Peter Parker: let’s start fresh! It comes off online dating desperate: Star Wars craves an audience it can’t successfully secure. It’s making a run for it, trying to go mainstream. And that’s never good. That’s how you end up with Star Trek musical episodes.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SWEETHEARTS (ANYTIME / HBO MAX & CRAVE)

Two college freshmen make a pact to break up with their high school sweethearts over Thanksgiving break, leading them on a chaotic night out in their hometown that puts their codependent friendship to the test.
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Yeah! A Teen Movie! Although this looks like Superbad if Lucy Hale was in it. It’s Rated R for swears (duh) but also? teen partying…that’s a real thing? Won’t somebody please think of the children?!? nonsense. Well, this ain’t John Hughes but Sweethearts will hafta do. Let’s see how badly these teens mess up their pacts…pacts never go wrong in teen movies and TV shows, right?

Wednesday, December 04

Churchill at War (Anytime / Netflix)

This captivating 4-part docuseries examines Winston Churchill’s pivotal role in World War II and the formative events that made him an ideal leader for the era.  Brought to life with his own words, the series explores Churchill’s wartime strategy and the legacy that follows. (Also? Excellent Churchill cigars.)
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: EARTH ABIDES: LIMITED SERIES (ANYTIME / MGM+)

A plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out. Yes, there are a few scattered survivors, but there are no rules. Fantastic.
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Limited Series Premiere: We got a post-apocalyptic limited series!! Yo. We’re a deeply stupid society so I was concerned the recent pandemic would curtail the virus genre. Happily, virulence has dashed and mashed most humans in Earth Abides. YES! Earth Abides is a 1949 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by George R. Stewart. Never read it, have you? Well now it’s a 6-episode limited series. “In Earth Abides, when a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out. In the aftermath, as the great machine of civilization slowly and inexorably breaks down, only a few shattered survivors remain to struggle against the slide into extinction.” Oh, yeah! Let’s Go!! Programming Note: Want more MGM+ but don’t have MGM+? The MGM+ Collection on AMC+ offers access to the full first seasons of popular MGM+ Originals including the sci-fi horror From, Beacon 23 and War of The Worlds. All highly recommended. Watch until December 31.

Thursday, December 05

Ace of Base: All That She Wants (Anytime / Viaplay)

This uncensored documentary captures Ace of Base’s fascinating story – where grandiose pop dreams, charts and money collide with relentless adversity, performance anxiety and shattered friendships. Yes Ace of Base got a Last Dance.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CREATURE COMMANDOS: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / HBO MAX)

A black ops team is formulated out of prisoners, laying the foundation for the Suicide Squad.
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Series Premiere: I’ve never bothered or invested in MCU’s What If… animation. (December 22nd for the third and final season.) However, I can happily do Creature Commandos fresh from DC Studios. Though this is a mostly strange introduction to the new regime. Matt Reeves’ Batman is utter junk and more importantly it’s Elseworlds. It doesn’t count and therefore doesn’t have any value. And Superman doesn’t fly until 2025. Thus, Hello My Name Is: “Creature Commandos tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails…they’re your last, worst option.” James Gunn wants us to meet Steve Agee as Economos, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana, Anya Chalotra as Circe, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Sean Gunn as GI Robot & Weasel, David Harbour as Frankenstein, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Indira Varma as The Bride and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. Apparently the humans will appear as themselves in real life movies. They’re…cast, cast. So begins the new DC era under James Gunn and friends. Is it gonna be a different animal this time around or the same old Creatures? Programming Note: Canadians can consume Creature Commandos on Adult Swim Canada (NOT on Crave like all the other HBO TV shows). I know and I agree this is silly. #SetTheVCR: Friday, December 6 at 11:00 pm on Adult Swim Canada.

Friday, December 06

Mary (Anytime / Netflix)

Through Mary’s eyes, this coming-of-age biblical epic tells the story of one of history’s most profound figures and the remarkable journey that led to the birth of Jesus. Chosen to bring the Messiah into the world, Mary is shunned following a miraculous conception and forced into hiding. When King Herod (Anthony Hopkins) orders a murderous hunt for her newborn baby, Mary and Joseph, go on the run – bound by faith and driven by courage – to save his life at all costs. This counts as Christmas Crap!!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BLACK DOVES: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

When her secret lover Jason is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam to keep her safe. 
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Series Premiere: Keira Knightley going full James Bond is a bit much. That’s the exact same con job as Sandra Bullock as an astronaut in Gravity. Come on, man. Using the Kill Bill song as a callback to The Bride makes it as desperate as using online dating as a viable solution for loneliness. According to Netflix: “The trailer features new music from British singer Raye, who has recorded a cover of Nancy Sinatra’s Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down). This song will be featured throughout Season 1 of Black Doves.” Um, okay. Here’s what we got: “Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, Black Doves is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy. For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organization she works for: the Black Doves.” Oh, oh. Programming Note: Netflix has already confirmed that Black Doves will return for a Season 2. So no stress to watch this right now.

Saturday, December 07

That Christmas (Anytime / Netflix)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Based on the charming trilogy of children’s books by writer/director Richard Curtis, That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness, and Santa Claus making a big mistake, not to mention an enormous number of turkeys! This counts as Christmas Crap!!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY (ANYTIME / HBO MAX & CRAVE)

Actor Christopher Reeve rises to stardom when he lands the role of Superman in the 1970s. When a horse-riding accident leaves him paralyzed in 1995, Reeve spends the rest of his life searching for a cure for spinal cord injuries.
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Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a documentary…oh, how my man earned this Last Dance. Superman II is still (STILL) in DC Comics’ Top 5 movies. Superman’s strength is his distinctiveness. When you’re one of one that’s not loneliness. That’s enviable power. You’re truly special. And that’s where Christopher Reeve’s power comes from; that bold distinct freedom. Reeve portrayed the Man of Steel in four Superman movies (III was weak and IV was wretched, so he firmly established the DC Comics template for Batman to follow…) and played dozens of other roles in film, TV and Broadway that displayed his talent and range as an actor. Of course, he was injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Like Terry Fox’s cancer diagnosis this set Reeve on a whole new life trajectory. He became an activist in the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, as well as a passionate advocate for disability rights and care. As a kid watching Superman and hearing that iconic theme music…there was no way to see any of that coming. Sadly, Christopher Reeve passed away on October 10, 2004. This is his…Super Story.

Sunday, December 08

Paris Has Fallen: Season 1 (Anytime / Hulu)

Series Premiere: A TV series, adapted from the …Has Fallen movie franchise:Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen, Angel Has Fallen…is that all of em? Never watched any of these, I think? For this we got…When a terrorist group led by the villainous Jacob Pearce attacks a high- profile event, with the French Minister of Defense as their target, protection officer Vincent Taleb finds himself working with street-smart MI6 operative Zara Taylor to save the day. But when events take a dark turn, Vincent and Zara soon realize that the plan extends beyond just one politician. When they suspect that one of their colleagues in the security services is feeding information to Jacob, Vincent and Zara find themselves needing to rely only on each other. Increasingly isolated and with Jacob always one step ahead, can this unlikely pair stop Paris from falling to a man hell-bent on vengeance? Eh, sure.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LUCY WORSLEY’S HOLMES VS. DOYLE (8 P.M. / PBS)

The British Historian Investigates the Love-Hate Relationship Between Sherlock Holmes, the Greatest Detective Who Never Lived, and the Complex Man who Created Him – Arthur Conan Doyle
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I dunno who Lucy Worsley is. I know who Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is and of course I know who Sherlock Holmes is. The irony is Doyle felt Holmes denied him highbrow fame. He resented Sherlock and the success he ushered in. Thus…The Final Problem a classic tale where Holmes falls to his death while fighting his archenemy, Professor Moriarty, over the Reichenbach Falls. (It’s an excellent story, a must read.) Only it wasn’t enough…the public outcry was so great (and in Doyle’s case grating) and he was forced to bring back Sherlock Holmes. Sigh. For a known oculist Doyle created a monster with Sherlock Holmes. This BBC documentary explores the tension between those…individuals.

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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.