December streaming highlights: the films and series you just can’t miss

What’s the best Christmas gift you can give? A broken drum – you can’t beat it. And you know what else is unbeatable? My list of film and series highlights this December.

Netflix

Tomorrow and I (anthology series)

The trailer reminds you of Black Mirror, you say? Yep, me too. No surprises there, considering Tomorrow and I also tells four, self-contained short stories that make uncannily accurate predictions of a technological future. A future we should’ve seen coming, given it’s not that far removed from our current reality. The difference is, it’s set in Thailand, not the West. In fact, Tomorrow and I is a Thai production.

One of the four episodes is strongly reminiscent of Nosedive, the first episode in the third season of Black Mirror. Both episodes tell the story of a society where people want to boost their own ratings. Be it by holding open a door, giving a friendly smile, looking good, or bringing someone cake. The better your rating, the higher your social status and the more extensive your access to government and institutional services. However, unlike in Nosedive, where people give each other ratings, the characters in Buddha Data are rated by an AI working according to Buddhist principles. But who says AI can tell right from wrong?

Release date: 4 December

Squid Game, Season 2 (series)

Ah, the deadly games are back. And this time, there’s a special twist. Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), season one’s winner, returns as a sort of insider. Plotting to help his fellow players survive, he even tries to stop the cruel games from happening. The goal? To thwart the fiendish plans of the frontman (Park Chang-yi) and his unscrupulous organisation. Not only does the organisation use the games for their own sadistic entertainment, but they also plunder and sell the organs of dead contestants.

What excited me so much about the first season was the successful mixture of social commentary and suspense-filled game scenarios. The violence in the show wasn’t a sensationalist end in itself. Instead, Squid Game could be considered a warning. A painful reflection on the darker sides of South Korean society or Western society’s insatiable hunger for entertainment. Let’s see if the second season degenerates into the very thing the first season decried.

I’m looking forward to it.

Release date: 26 December

Disney+

Skeleton Crew (series)

Let’s address the elephant in the room. Or should I say, «the rancor in the dungeon»? That slightly futuristic, quintessentially American, eighties-style, suburban aesthetic shown in the trailer doesn’t really suit Star Wars, does it? But hey, we’ve been warned. Two years ago, we were made to believe that Skeleton Crew would be like a mishmash of The Goonies, E.T. and Stranger Things. Except, you know, in outer space.

Does that bother me? Not in the slightest. In keeping with the style of a classic 1980s Amblin Entertainment adventure by Steven Spielberg, the story revolves around a group of 10-year-old suburban kids who get stranded on an alien planet and somehow have to find their way back home. Skeleton Crew so perfectly captures this nostalgic, magical feeling of adventure, excitement and the childhood thrill of exploration. As «Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)» by Peter Schilling plays in the background in Huttese, I can’t help but get goosebumps. Oh, and Jude Law as a so-called Jedi? That’s the cherry on the womp rat cake.

Release date: 3 December

Elton John: Never Too Late (documentary)

It’s crazy to think that between 1970 and 1975, Elton John released a whopping 15 albums. That’s three per year, seven of which climbed to the top of the album charts. When Elton gave one of the most iconic live performances in music history at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in October 1975, he seemed unstoppable. Shortly afterwards, he swallowed 64 Valium tablets in an attempt to take his own life.

He only just survived.

Elton John: Never Too Late focuses on that crazy time in his life. Everyone who was part of it obviously gets their say – including Elton John himself. For a major fan like me, the documentary’s a must-see. However, if docs aren’t your thing, I’d recommend Rocketman starring Taron Egerton. Incidentally, the actor sings all the songs in the film himself. In fact, he sings so well that he’s even performed with the real-life Elton John. Basically, you need to watch it.

Release date: 13 December

What If...?, Season 3 (anthology series)

Before the first season came out, I thought, «Okay cool, fine, but it’s not what I’m most looking forward to.» When I got the chance to see it, however, I was forced to do a complete U-turn.

Why? Because, contrary to what was announced in advance, the anthology series didn’t just tell a few unrelated what-if stories from the Marvel Multiverse. For example, one about Prince T’Challa becoming Star-Lord instead of the Black Panther. No, in the end, all the stories were connected in a way that went beyond my imagination. They were told by the Watcher, who started out as just the narrator, but then suddenly became the protagonist himself. Awesome.

Not quite able to keep up with the hype or excellent storylines of the first season, the second season went slightly downhill. The third and final season supposedly makes up for this. I’m already a little hyped up.

Release date: 22 December

Amazon Prime Video

Secret Level (anthology series)

Secret Level is ambitious, no question about it. Around 15 independent short stories focus on the fascinating worlds of video games. But not just any video games. Instead, the series revolves around well-known classics such as Pac-Man, Dungeons & Dragons, Warhammer 40K, Mega Man, Armored Core and even martial arts adventure Sifu. Each set in one of these gaming universes, every episode aims to tell a brand new, gripping story. Sounds pretty mind-blowing, right?

The project was led and developed by Blur Studio and Tim Miller, the creative mind behind Netflix’s Love, Death + Robots and director of the first Deadpool film. Gaming buffs, what more could you want?

Release date: 10 December

Sky Show

The Franchise (series)

Dozens of megastars, an army of employees, dizzyingly high production costs – how chaotic and bizarre can things really get on the set of a gigantic blockbuster? The Franchise, a satirical series created by Sam Mendes and Armando Iannucci, aims to reveal the answer. Taking audiences behind the scenes of a fictitious film production, it’s packed with dry humour and features a first-class cast.

At the centre of the madness is Daniel Kumar (Himesh Patel, Yesterday), the first assistant director attempting to rein in the chaos – all while teetering on the verge of a nervous breakdown himself. It’s day 35 on the set of Tecto – Eye of the Storm, the latest instalment of an epic comic book adaptation, and the crew’s already twelve days behind schedule. Daniel’s constantly juggling eccentric German auteur Eric Bouchard (Daniel Brühl), temperamental stars and a studio that’s forever demanding new changes and a higher percentage of women (though not as many as to upset the fans, please).

Then, the producer’s fired and replaced by Daniel’s ex, Anita…

Release date: 6 December

Apple TV+

To the Moon (film)

The Apple-produced, Sony-distributed film To the Moon hit cinemas almost six months ago as Fly Me to the Moon. Now, it’s finally coming to Apple TV+. The film seems to be creating a lot of discussion on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics have given it a modest approval rating of just 65 per cent. Audiences, on the other hand, loved the film. They’ve given it a 90 per cent approval rating – almost the highest score of the year. So who’s right?

To the Moon is a clever, pointed comedic drama set against the fateful backdrop of the Apollo 11 moon landing. When the White House declares the Apollo 11 mission a matter of national prestige, Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) is suddenly faced with the delicate task of putting together a credibly staged moon landing – as a backup plan in case the real mission fails. But what if the public got wind of it? It’d take a sledgehammer to all of NASA flight director Cole Davis’s (Channing Tatum) work.

Release date: 1 November

Paramount+

Zorro (series)

Ah, that brings back memories. Even as a kid, when I could only speak Italian, I loved watching Disney’s 1950s series Zorro. Zorro’s trademark, the Z he artfully carves with his sword into any place he’s fought against corruption and oppression, is still widely known today. It goes without saying that I was also a fan of the more modern interpretation, The Mask of Zorro (1998), in which Antonio Banderas (the new Zorro) is apprenticed to Anthony Hopkins (the «aged», original Zorro).

This new version, a French production, takes a completely different approach. Don Diego de la Vega, who’s long since hung up his mask, is now mayor of his town. But his fight against greed and power games bears little fruit. So he decides to revive his alter ego: Zorro. Let’s see if the series, starring Oscar winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist), is any good.

Release date: 6 December

Have I missed a film or series that we should definitely watch this month? Let me know in the comments.