Many fantastic TV recomendations and I’m doing my Christmas best to keep the crappy Holiday movies at bay. They’re there if you want em, not hard to find. Which is why I’m suggesting don’t overlook these #SetTheVCR gems.
Monday, December 04
The Exorcist: Believer (Anytime / Peacock)
Satan is streaming to help you keep Baby Jesus at bay!! The Christmas movies are coming for us and not even spiked eggnog can’t make that tripe palatable. So any and all #SetTheVCR alternatives are most welcome.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: HOLLYWOOD SUITE: FREE PREVIEW (ANYTIME / HOLLYWOOD SUITE CHANNELS)
Tis the season to be jolly with Hollywood Suite’s nationwide free preview, December 1st thru January 5th!
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Now, this is a holiday tradition I can get into. It’s the annual Hollywood Suite Free Preview for Canadians. This year it runs from December 1st to January 5th. Hollywood Suite is a collection of movie channels: one channel is dedicated to the 70s, another to the 80s, 90s, and finally 2000s. All uncut and no edits: swears and sex and satire. Bonus: the movies are also On Demand so basically, it’s like having another Netflix…for free! Some of this year’s features include Scarface, 300, John Wick(s), The Untouchables, Wayne’s World, They Live, The Wiz, Bourne(s), The Muppets Take Manhattan…there’s lots more. Enjoy the outstanding 100 Years Of Warner Bros. docuseries about the legendary studio. (Trailer is below!) So yeah check this out…it’s free. I mentioned it’s free yeah? It’s truly a Christmas miracle every year. So now what will you watch first: something classic or something that will become a classic or something that is classically so bad it’s good?
Tuesday, December 05
For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close (Anytime / Super Channel)
A documentary about the legendary improv guru, Del Close featuring Adam McKay, Tim Meadows, Patton Oswalt and Bob Odenkirk.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: IT’S A WONDERFUL KNIFE (ANYTIME / SHUDDER)
Winnie’s life is less than wonderful one year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve. When she wishes she was never born, she finds herself magically transported to a nightmarish parallel universe. Wait for it…
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Look at me with some Holiday Horror! “A spin on the Christmas classic, the horror film centers on Winnie Carruther, who saves her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve. A year later, her life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse.” Directed by Tyler MacIntyre who directed Tragedy Girls so that should make it fun. This counts as a Christmas movie yes? Works for me.
Wednesday, December 06
The Super Mario Bros Movie (Anytime / Netflix-US)
The movie tells the story of two Brooklyn plumbers who are brothers and best friends: Mario (Chris Pratt), the brave one with the “let’s-a go” attitude, and the perpetually anxious Luigi (Charlie Day), who would prefer to go nowhere.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (ANYTIME / DISNEY+ CANADA & CRAVE)
Miles Morales catapults across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.
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You know how the song goes by now: Miles Morales/Does whatever a spider can/Spins a web, any size/Here comes a Spider-Man. While it’s still dumb on Marvel’s part to have two characters named Spider-Man (they have 2 Captain Americas and 2 Wolverines…so dumb) these animated movies are goofy fun. So enjoy friendly-neighborhood-Multiverse Spider-Man. Now streaming on Disney+ Canada and it’ll be on Crave on December 22nd. (Crave is currently streaming Spider-Man: Into The Sider-Verse if you require a refresher.) It was released on Netflix-US on Halloween. Check, it might still be there.
Thursday, December 07
Coach Prime: Season Two (Anytime / Prime Video)
Coach Prime is a six-episode docuseries that transports fans inside the locker room and onto the field of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) football program for the 2023 season.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: JOY RIDE (ANYTIME / CRAVE)
Follows four Asian American friends as they bond and discover the truth of what it means to know and love who you are, while they travel through China in search of one of their birth mothers.
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Crazy High Asians. Fun Fact: The movie’s working title was Joy Fuck Club. It’s Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg so you know what to expect by now. They got a R-Rated brand and this is their latest produced project. Instead of Good Boys it’s bad girls.
Friday, December 08
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie (Anytime / Peacock)
It follows Monk, a brilliant detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder. He returns to solve one last case involving his stepdaughter Molly, a journalist preparing for her wedding.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)
A family’s getaway to a luxurious rental home takes an ominous turn when a cyberattack knocks out their devices — and two strangers appear at their door.
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The movie is based on the best-selling 2020 novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam. Never heard of the book or the writer until now. The adaptation is written and directed by Sam Esmail who gave us Mr. Robot. Similarly it’s technology that is struggling in this world: there’s an EMP like blackout on the East Coast and…the deer are also on the fritz? Before the family staying at the Airbnb can properly unwind a mysterious couple show up at their door…claiming they own the house. They seek refuge from the cyberattack. Was it a cyberattack or a blackout? In every single apocalyptic thriller it’s hard to know who to trust; the circle of information shrinks and hope is rationed out. Paranoia is good though; that keeps you alive. So let’s see who makes it out alive if this is indeed the end of the world. Wait…is this the end of the world or the end of a world?
Saturday, December 09
Merry Little Batman (Anytime / Prime Video)
When Damian is left home alone while Batman takes on Gotham’s worst Super-Villains on Christmas Eve, he stumbles upon a villainous plot to steal Christmas and leaps at the chance to save the day. It’s Home Alone set in Gotham.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: DOCTOR WHO: THE GIGGLE (ANYTIME / DISNEY+ & BBC iPLAYER)
The giggle of a mysterious puppet is driving the human race insane. When the Doctor discovers the return of the terrifying Toymaker, he faces a fight he can never win..
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And that is it for (once again) for David Tennant and Catherine Tate. The Church on Ruby Road airs on Christmas Day and ushers in Ncuti Gatwa as the new Doctor which ushers me out. I’m not feeling that at all. This is like Chris Eccleston 2.0 and I didn’t enjoy that nor have I ever returned to it. It’s okay to skip Doctors just as some James Bonds are obviously better than others. Millie Gibson plays Ruby Sunday a new companion. For now though one last time with the Fourteenth Doctor as part of the 60th anniversary specials. It’s been a great and grand 60 years of Doctor Who; here’s to 60 more.
Sunday, December 10
A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop (8:30 p.m. / CBS)
A live concert special (well shot on November 8 at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California) celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop in a two-hour tribute special that will feature exclusive performances from hip-hop legends including Common, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Questlove, De La Soul, Remy Ma and more: D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince are set to reunite. Can be streamed on Paramount+.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: 30 FOR 30: THE GREAT HEISMAN RACE OF 1997 (ANYTIME / ESPN+)
The doc takes an immersive, time-capsule style approach to telling the story of the Heisman Trophy race of 1997, going back a quarter century to chronicle a season that fans continue to debate.
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‘The Great Heisman Race of 1997 was between Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson. In 1997 Manning made a surprise decision to return for his senior season at the University of Tennessee thus spurning the NFL. That made him the pre-season Heisman front-runner as he focused on an SEC Championship. Only this is why we play the games. You can’t just declare greatness you hafta go out and be great. Charles Woodson played for the University of Michigan, under the leadership of Lloyd Carr, from 1995-1997, where he became a two-way player. In addition to playing cornerback, he returned punts and played wide receiver. During his junior season, he became the third Michigan player to receive the Heisman Trophy, and is the only defensive player of all time to receive the award. Beef is amazing…it doesn’t hafta be hostile. Look at how Letterman vs Leno elevated late night. Beef is wonderful and good. And here is outstanding beef from 1997.
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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.
