All The Cool Stuff Coming To Hulu In December 2023

Hi, we’re tentatively back!  For those who just came in, as this column tries to be a labor solidarity space, it went on voluntary hiatus in support of the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) strike to get the members of the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to negotiate a fair contract.  Instead, the AMPTP chose to let their greedhead flag fly high for months, even after the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) joined WGA in their strike.  The good news was that the WGA eventually got a better deal than the AMPTP’s initial “eat s**t” offer.  However, the SAG membership as of this writing has not given their stamp of approval to the contract their negotiating team worked out.  So since the SAG is in tentative strike over mode for now, this column makes a provisional return for now..   

As it’s December, Hulu is naturally packed with holiday programming twee regarding the joys of love and family.  However, none of the holiday-themed offerings particularly stood out, which is why this writer’s only nod in the listings to cuteness and warm fuzzy feelings is the second Paddington movie with Ben Whishaw reprising the voice of the titular talking  bear.  

Highlights of the month include the film that gave Paul Newman his breakout role, a documentary about a Christian missionary whose dreams of adventure fatally fail to match reality, a lesbian drama set in Thatcher-era England, and the final season of a beloved comedy about a Canadian rural town.  However, is Hulu trying to tell viewers something about the new year by packing its eve with horror films?

December 1

Harvard Park–The title refers to a special baseball park located in South Central Los Angeles.  Aside from being an oasis from 1980s drug- and gang-related violence, the park would be a place for young men to start on the path to becoming sports stars.  Such legendary baseball players as Darryl Strawberry and Barry Larkin would owe a lot to Harvard Park.

The Hustler

House Of Flying Daggers–Zhang Yimou’s wuxia romance is set in the declining years of the Tang Dynasty.  Several rebel groups have arisen in the wake of Tang decline, the biggest of which is the Robin Hood-like House of Flying Daggers.  Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are two cops tasked with the job of offing the House’s leader within ten days.  However, nobody knows who that leader is.  Blind dancer Mei (Zhang Yiyi) is a possible lead as she might have been the previous House leader’s daughter.  Jin gains Mei’s trust by pretending to be a rebel sympathizer, but complications ensue when the undercover cop actually falls for the dancer.  But that’s not the biggest complication facing Jin.

The Hustler–In this classic adaptation of Walter Tevis’ (“The Queen’s Gambit”) novel, the legendary Paul Newman made his breakout performance as pool shark “Fast Eddie” Felson.  To prove himself the best pool player ever, he must beat legendary pool champion Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason).  Gambler and Felson’s manager Bert Gordon (George C. Scott) thinks Eddie might have what it takes to beat Fats, but only with such encouragement as having Eddie’s thumbs broken.  Complicating Bert’s plans is Eddie’s relationship with alcoholic Sarah (Piper Laurie), which might lead Eddie to turn away from his self-destructive temptation to elevate winning above anything else in life.   

Hustlers–In this crime comedy based on a true story, novice stripper Dorothy/Destiny (Constance Wu) wants to earn more money at the club Scores to support her elderly grandmother.  She latches onto Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), Scores’ star stripper.  Ramona obliges by mentoring Dorothy/Destiny on identifying the three types of customers for the Hustle.  But when the 2008 market crash seems to put paid to that scam, Ramona comes up with a scheme to lure wealthy men into Scores to help her and her stripper friends get financially independent and more. 

Paddington 2–In this live-action family-friendly comedy, Paddington the talking bear (voice of Ben Whishaw) has hit on the perfect gift for the 100th birthday of his Aunt Lucy: an antique pop-up book of London.  But when the book gets stolen by egotistical actor Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant), poor Paddington winds up getting framed for the theft and sent to prison.  While Paddington tries to keep his spirits up in prison, the Brown family (whom Paddington is staying with) struggle to prove the bear’s innocence and find the real thief and his endgame.  Will Paddington’s exposure to ignoble human behavior in prison dim his lovable optimism?  

December 6

Crazy Rich Asians—In this hit romantic comedy, New York University economics professor Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) agrees to accompany her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) on a trip to Singapore to attend the wedding of Nick’s best friend Colin Khoo.  But Rachel’s nervousness about meeting Nick’s family increases tenfold when she learns from former college roommate Goh Peik Lin (Awkwafina) that the Young family is not just rich, they’re crazy rich and akin to royalty in Singapore high society.  Matters are not helped by Nick’s imperious mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh) taking a dislike to her and other rich Singapore society women treating Rachel like a gold-digger.

Science Fair: The Series

We Live Here: The Midwest—What do you do if you live in a part of the country you love, you have deep roots…but your community has embraced hatred?  That’s the dilemma facing the Midwestern LGBTQIA+ individuals and families featured in this film.  From a Nebraska gay Black couple with a young daughter to a transgender Minnesota couple struggling to rebuild their family to a Kansas lesbian couple forced to homeschool their bullied son, these are stories of Midwestern families put to the test by the mushrooming of anti-queer legislation and sentiment.

December 8

Culprits Season 1–What makes a hit and run which befalls an Oregon wanna-be business owner more than a simple accident?  Maybe it’s because years ago, Joe (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) the hopeful businessman was once known as Muscle when he worked for master criminal Dianne Harewood (Gemma Arterton) on a very big job.  That caper, a break into a supposedly impenetrable vault to steal 30 million pounds stashed by supposed fat cats who’ve hidden their wealth there, succeeded and the various members of the gang who pulled off that burglary disappeared into the ether.  Now the deadly professional assassin known as Psycho has started offing Muscle’s old team mates.  Can Muscle and the surviving team members work out who’s after them and why before paranoia or Psycho’s bullets permanently take them out?

The Mission—Fresh from its recent screening at SFFILM’s Doc Stories and a brief theatrical run, this documentary from Bay Area filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss recounts the tragic story of young American Christian fundamentalist missionary John Chau.  Enchanted by adventure tales of survival while growing up, Chau comes to believe God’s adventure for him involves converting the isolated inhabitants of North Sentinel Island to Christianity.  Towards that end, he becomes an influencer for missionary work and goes on missionary expeditions to Mexico and Kurdistan.  Yet what was the factor that would cause Chau’s last mission to end tragically?    

December 11

Science Fair: The Series–In this series inspired by the award-winning documentary directed by Cristina Constantini and Darren Foster, students vie for a spot on the incredibly competitive International Science And Engineering Fair.  They hope to win their spot by using science to solve such contemporary problems as teen suicide prevention, wound care monitoring systems, and more efficient induction motors.  The teachers and families behind these students are also featured in the series as they alternately support and push these students to do their best.

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

December 13

Moving–In this Korean superhero drama, a trio of teenagers have been ordered by their retired superhero parents to hide their special abilities.  Kim Bong-seok can fly.  New girl Jang Hui-soo can heal instantly from bullet wounds.  Class president Lee Gang-hoon has super-strength.  However, when a government assassin starts targeting retired superheroes, the teens have to grow up pretty quickly and join their parents in fighting off this threat.

December 14

Blue Jean–This historic drama is set in 1988 England.  Margaret Thatcher’s Tory government is about to pass a set of laws against the “promotion of homosexuality” that will be later known as the notorious Section 28.  For Newcastle secondary school PE teacher Jean, she’s happy staying in the closet and not socializing with the other teachers at her school.  When new student Lois arrives at the school, the teen starts fixating on Jean after a chance encounter at a local lesbian bar.  But Jean fears Lois’ less cautious behavior will get the teacher outed and fired.  Yet Jean’s cautious behavior has also driven a wedge in her relationship with the punkish Viv.

December 15

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa—Steve Coogan returns to his BBC role of buffoonish radio celebrity Alan Partridge. In this film, Partridge is now working as a radio morning chat show host at North Norfolk Digital Radio.  But when the station gets acquired by the Gordale Media conglomerate, the “Mid-Morning Matters” host saves his job by convincing the new executives to fire his colleague Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney) instead.  The sacking makes Farrell go postal and he takes the entire station hostage with a shotgun.  Partridge winds up becoming mediator between the cops and Farrell, and the ensuing celebrity makes Partridge try to parlay the attention into reviving his moribund career.

Such Brave Girls–In this loosely autobiographical British sitcom, creator Kat Sadler plays depressive insecure Josie, who’s internalized traumatic childhood pain and abandonment agony from a father who disappeared a decade ago.  Sister Billie overcompensates for her own insecurities by projecting overconfidence.  Their non-loving mother Deb has a new boyfriend named Dev, who she hopes will make the relationship permanent.  Deb needs a financially stable man to lean on, as Deb’s former husband left his family with an enormous amount of debt when he abandoned them.  Unfortunately, the daughters’ own emotional turmoil and Dev’s narcissism threaten to sink the mother’s plans.

Letterkenny

White God–In this Hungarian fantasy, 13-year-old Lili is a child of divorce whose only friend is the mixed-breed street dog called Hagen.  The duo becomes separated thanks to a nosy neighbor who reports Hagen to Animal Control.  The dog manages to escape his captors but winds up wandering the streets alone foraging for food.  However, his streetside existence comes to an end when he’s captured and conditioned to become a fighting dog.  When Hagen escapes again, he has one goal in mind: a reunion with Lili.

December 20

Boom For Real: The Late Teenage Years Of Jean-Michel Basquiat—Sara Driver’s documentary looks at the New York art scene that famed artist Jean-Michel Basquiat sprang from.  It’s partly a survey of incredible art works found on city streets, brick walls, and even a subway car.  But it’s also a survey of a deliberately impoverished Lower East Side world that featured SAMO’s graffiti, Colab’s “Real Estate Show,” and the Mudd Club.

Woori The Virgin–Will lightning strike again for this second foreign adaptation of the Venezuelan drama “Juana la Virgen?”  Yes, this is a Korean adaptation of what American audiences know as “Jane The Virgin.”  Oh Woo-ri works as an assistant writer on a popular drama series.  Her plans to keep her virginity until she’s married to cop Lee Gang-jae get permanently sidetracked when she’s accidentally artificially inseminated with the sperm of cosmetics company CEO Raphael.  The CEO may be a secret romantic, but he’s stuck in a loveless marriage.

December 26

Letterkenny Season 12 aka The Final Season–Time to say farewell to this comedy series about the misadventures of the rural residents of the fictional Canadian town of Letterkenny.  What insult fights will the Hicks, the Skids, and the Hockey Players get into with each other?  Among other things happening this season will be “comedy night at Modean’s, a country music hit, the Degens’ bad influence, a new nightclub, and an encore at the Ag Hall.”  To see the rest of this season’s comic chaos, you know what to do.    

December 27

Raffa–Raffaella Carra is one of Italy’s best-loved stars.  In the 1970s, she was a symbol of freedom and gender equality.  In the 1980s, she was the queen of public TV.  In the 1990s, she became an LGBTQIA+ icon.  Yet despite a career that ran the gamut from music to film work, Raffa as a person remains a mystery thanks to her jealous protection of her private life.  But one thing is clear: Raffa had to fight for her place in the spotlight, and doing so came at a cost.

Such Brave Girls

Rewind The ‘90s Season 1–This documentary series looks back at the decade that ushered in the new millennium and the forces and people that shaped these eventful 10 years.  Get ready to remember camcorders, the early days of “The Real World,” Tupac Shakur, Weird Al Yankovic, Y2K, and more!

December 31

The ABCs Of Death 2–This anthology of 26 short shoestring budget horror films, one for each letter of the alphabet, deal with interpretations of death.  The results are of course uneven.  But the really good shorts outweigh the clinkers.  So keep eyes open for such shorts as “B Is For Badger” (Prick TV show host gets his from a nasty family of badgers), “K Is For Knell” (Terror from a poisonous, murder-inducing black liquid), and “Q Is For Questionnaire” (Street questionnaire gets cross-cut with primal brain surgery).

Honeymoon–Newlyweds Paul (Harry Treadaway) and Bea (Rose Leslie, “Game Of Thrones”) decide to spend their honeymoon at a remote lake cottage so they can get hot and heavy.  Unfortunately, their relationship may not last thanks to such strange events as mysterious lights and Bea’s oddly changed behavior after her mysterious disappearance.  This is one of those films where viewers may either like or loathe how things turn out. 

Splinter–Couple Seth Belzer and Polly Watt’s plans for a romantic Oklahoma camping trip get cancelled when the couple gets carjacked by escaped convict Dennis Farrell and his drug addict girlfriend Lacey Belisle.  But when the car is forced to make a stop at a sleepy gas station, the occupants will discover that the station is under attack by a mysterious infectious force which turns corpses into raw material for making larger and deadlier creatures.  

V/H/S 2–This anthology of four short horror films of varying quality is bookended by a story about a pair of private detectives searching for a missing student.  The detectives find the student’s home is deserted, but there are a bank of TV sets and a large stack of VHS tapes.  The stories on the tapes are: a man who receives a bionic eye starts seeing dead people; a zombie outbreak told from the zombie’s POV; a must-see about a news crew whose visit to a cult compound goes crazy thanks to an unfortunately revealed deadly secret; and the self-explanatory “Slumber Party Alien Abduction.”  Needless to say, the detectives’ mission does NOT end well.