All The Great Stuff Coming To Hulu In December 2022
December is here, and that means it’s time to celebrate the winter holiday season in your own individual way. Some people plan for parties with friends. Others coo over the adoptable kittens and puppies from the SPCA displayed in Macy’s store windows. And still others will take up the advice from one of Hulu’s lesser offerings this month to treat this as “the season to get s**tfaced.”
Whatever floats your boat holiday-wise, make some time to catch something on Hulu this month other than the Santa tracker special. Nothing says family togetherness like an award-winning comedy about a father catfishing his son. Or how about returning to Letterkenny for a new season to see who’s getting their ass kicked and for what. Or check out an adaptation of a classic historical time-travel novel written by the late Octavia E. Butler.
In addition to your Hulu watching, enjoy some chobop aka Korean sushi or take in one of the more twisted offerings at this year’s Another Hole In The Head Film Festival. Living in the S.F. Bay Area rather than yet another Clonesville, USA outlet is an experience worth cherishing.
December 1
Barney’s Version–This acclaimed adaptation of Mordecai Richler’s (“The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kravitz”) last novel tells the life story of the anti-heroic Barney Panofsky (Paul Giammati in a Golden Globes-winning performance). A low-functioning alcoholic and a cigar chain-smoker, this rude producer of bad TV shows exudes a weirdly sweet romanticism that persuades three different beautiful women (including one played by Rosamund Pike) to eventually marry him. Yet the big question hanging over Barney’s life is whether he murdered his best friend or not.
Christine–The legendary John Carpenter directed this first adaptation of Stephen King’s titular horror novel. The titular Christine happens to be a 1958 Plymouth Fury marked by a history of bringing death and other misfortunes to people it doesn’t like. When the awkward and unpopular teen Arnie Cunningham unknowingly buys the car and begins restoring it, Christine takes a liking to Arnie and even protects him in its way. But the teen doesn’t realize yet that Christine’s possessive protectiveness doesn’t make the titular car the sharing type.
Christine
Ever After: A Cinderella Story—What if the Cinderella story was treated as a tale of historical fiction? In Renaissance France, widowed Auguste de Barbarac remarries Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent (Angelica Huston). When he dies, his much beloved daughter Danielle (Drew Barrymore) becomes subject to the cruelties of her stepmother and stepsisters. Life turns around for Danielle when she accidentally encounters Henry, a handsome young man who turns out to be the Crown Prince of France. A romance blooms between Danielle and Henry after she impersonates her stepmother in a bid to rescue a beloved servant from slavery. But between the Baroness’ suspicions and Danielle’s efforts to avoid meeting the King and Queen, something is going to give…
The Rider–Director Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”) first shot to popular attention with this highly acclaimed modern-day Western. Brady Blackburn (Brady Jandreau) is a top bronco rider and horse trainer. A serious head injury following a fall at a rodeo could mean Brady’s riding career is over. But if rodeo riding is Brady’s life dream, how can he continue pursuing it? Zhao’s film draws on several aspects of Jandreau’s life.
Rio–In this animated comedy, Blu (voice of Jesse Eisenberg) is a male Spix’s macaw who needs to mate with a female of his species to avoid extinction. He’s taken to Rio de Janeiro, where he meets the free-spirited female Spix’s macaw Jewel (Anne Hathaway). The two endangered birds eventually fall in love, but unless they can escape the clutches of an animal smuggling gang their species has no future.
December 3
Huda’s Salon–Huda is a Bethlehem hair stylist whose clientele includes Reem, a former hairdresser whose husband Yousef prefers she not resume her career. But their friendly relationship takes a dark turn when the stylist blackmails Reem into spying for the Israeli occupiers. While Reem tries to figure out who she can trust, Huda’s loyalties turn out to be far from clear-cut. This spy thriller is directed by Hany Abu-Assad (“Paradise Now”).
December 4
Back In The Groove–Taye Diggs hosts this dating reality show.which gives a twist to the May-December romance scenario. Three 40-ish women stuck in the everyday grind are given the chance to vacation at the Dominican Republic resort known as the Groove Hotel. There, they’ll get a chance to rediscover their youth, live out loud, and maybe get it on with men half their age.
The Rider
December 8
The Night House–Grieving widow Beth (Rebecca Hall) is also angry at her husband Owen for suddenly committing suicide. Living alone in the idyllic lake house Owen built, she tries her best to carry on as if things were normal. But there are odd noises at night, and the stereo suddenly comes on and plays the couple’s favorite song. On top of that, there are signs Owen was studying the magic of mazes and reversed spaces. And why does Owen’s phone have pictures of other women resembling Beth?
December 9
Fate Of A Sport–Paul Rabil may have been a legendary lacrosse player, but the league he played in was anything but professional. Disgusted with this status quo, he partners with his brother Mike Rabil to create the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). It will be a struggle to raise capital, poach top talent, and keep things going in the midst of a global pandemic. But even if he succeeds in making the PLL a reality, can he be both league manager and league player?
The MIghty Ones Season 4–This popular DreamWorks animated series follows the misadventures of a twig, a pebble, a leaf, and a strawberry. These four friends, who call themselves The Mighty Ones, live in a very unkempt backyard owned by a trio of equally unkempt humans (aka the gods). In this new season, Twig is forced to become a gladiator after accidentally getting tossed into the compost bin. Meanwhile, Leaf looks for a pair of pants that fit. And the gang’s plan to launch themselves into outer space hits a snag when they get stuck in the heavens (read: a light bulb).
December 11
Retrograde–The new documentary from Matthew Heineman (“The First Wave”) recounts the last nine months of the 20-year U.S. war in Afghanistan from three different perspectives: one of the last U.S. Special Forces units deployed in the country, a young Afghan general and his command fighting an uphill battle to defend their country, and terrified civilians trying to flee before their country collapses. The film goes everywhere from military operational control rooms to the chaos at Kabul airport during the final U.S. withdrawal.
December 13
Kindred–This new series adapts Octavia E. Butler’s classic tale of time travel. Aspiring writer Dana James has left a life of family obligation behind to move to Los Angeles and plan a future all her own. But those dreams get thrown into disarray when she’s repeatedly yanked back in time to a particular plantation in the Antebellum South. That plantation and an interracial romance are somehow intimately connected to some long-buried secrets in her family’s history.
The Mighty Ones
December 15
Biography: The Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne–This documentary in nine sections looks at the life of the heavy-metal pioneer. The film goes from Osbourne’s difficulties growing up in Birmingham, England to his finding fame with the group Black Sabbath to his eventual re-invention as a reality TV star. Hopefully, at least a clip or two from the delightful “Ozzy and Jack’s World Detour” will be included. After all, who knew Osbourne was also a history buff?
The Food That Built America Season 3–It’s the return of this documentary series that tells the stories of the creators behind some now iconic food brands. This season features a fight between high school friends and a physicist to make the first submarine sandwich franchise, a would-be donut chain involves the revolutionary pairing of donuts and coffee, and a former Hollywood agent decides to start selling his own gourmet chocolate chip cookies.
Life Partners–Paige (Gillian Jacobs) and Sasha (Leighton Meister) have a codependent friendship where they do everything from mock the latest episode of “America’s Next Top Model” to providing each other consolation after another failed relationship. One day, Paige meets Tim, who quotes “The Big Lebowski” far too often for comfort. But when Tim becomes a viable romantic partner for Paige, that romance forces Sasha to try harder to find a partner of her own..without much success.
December 16
I Love My Dad–James Morisini’s semi-autobiographical comedy won two Narrative Feature Competition Awards at SXSW. Awkward and self-conscious Franklin (Morisini) has emerged from rehab after a suicide attempt. He can’t count on his father Chuck (Patton Oswalt) for support as the older man has let him down far too often in the past. Franklin even blocked Chuck on social media. One day, a woman named Becca sends Franklin a friend request, which he reluctantly accepts as she’s equally alone and living in Maine. But the way Becca talks and the attention and care she gives Franklin proves comforting, and he develops so much of a crush on Becca that he wants to travel to Maine to meet her. What Franklin doesn’t know is that he’s being catfished by Chuck. The previously absent father adopted the identity of an actual friendly waitress named Becca to allow him to be a more present father. However, as with other catfishing tales, things will eventually get very messy.
Retrograde
December 18
The Legend Of Molly Johnson–Leah Purcell writes, directs, and stars in this remix of the classic Henry Lawson short story “The Drover’s Wife.” In the late 19th century, Molly Johnson lives in a remote cabin in the Australian outback along with her children. Her husband’s a drover, someone who moves livestock from one area to another and is away for months at a time. That means Johnson alternates between constant worry for her family members’ safety and a steely determination to do what she can to keep them safe. But it is her encounters with intruders ranging from a British military officer trying to bring order to the area to an escaped indigenous prisoner that wind up changing Johnson’s life.
December 19
Three Minutes: A Lengthening—In 1938, David Kurtz shot three minutes of mostly color home movie footage of the Jewish inhabitants of Nasielsk, Poland. Those precious minutes of celluloid would turn out to be the only moving images of these people before the Holocaust occurred. Kurtz’s grandson Glenn Kurtz sets out on a journey to learn more about how his grandfather’s film came to be. Can the now non-existent people and places depicted in the Kurtz film be rescued from the amnesia of time?
December 21
Big Bet– Choi Min-sik, the star of classic Korean thriller “Oldboy,” appears in a television series for the first time in 26 years. Cha Mu Sik (Choi) is known in the Philippines as the legendary king of the casinos. His rise to the top came about despite his lacking wealth or connections or other privileges. However, his entanglement in a murder case sets off a chain of unfortunate events that leads to Cha hitting rock bottom. Determined to not let life beat him down again, Cha feels that to get back into the game, no price is too large to pay…even if that price is his life.
December 26
Blade Runner 2049– This sequel to Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” is set 30 years after the events of that film. The corporation that once made replicants is now bought out and controlled by Niander Wallace’s (Jared Leto) agribusiness empire. K (Ryan Gosling) is an LAPD blade runner, a limited lifespan replicant tasked with exterminating first-gen replicants who’ve gone into hiding. When K uncovers a long-buried secret which could throw society into chaos, he’s sent on a dangerous mission whose outcome is of great interest to both Wallace and K’s superior officer. The path of that mission will lead K to the now misanthropic ex-blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) aka the hero of Scott’s “Blade Runner.”
Kindred
Letterkenny Season 11–It’s time to return to the fictional rural Ontario community of Letterkenny in this popular comedy series. What will spark feuds among the Hicks, the Skids, and the Hockey Players this season? Try the best chip flavors, an influencer invasion, a mystery at the Church Bake Sale and unwanted guests at beer league…for starters.
December 27
The Devil Is A Part-Timer! Season 2–For those coming in new to this anime comedy series: after a failed attempt at conquest, interdimensional demon lord Satan Jacob winds up in modern-day Tokyo. However, he’s totally de-powered. To make ends meet, the devil takes the name Sadao to work at a MgRonald’s fast-food franchise and soon becomes a model employee. Expect the new season to see more supernatural beings enter the fray. Sadao’s relationship with Emi (aka his former enemy Emilia) may take an unexpected turn with the appearance of a girl birthed by a golden apple and who claims to be Sadao’s and Emi’s child.
December 31
Enough Said–Nicole Holofcener directs James Gandolfini in what would be his second-to-last film appearance before his early death. Albert (Gandolfini) is a middle-aged divorced father and self-admitted quirky slob. At a cocktail party, his path crosses that of the masseuse Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), a divorcee more concerned with her daughter’s impending departure for college than looking for a new relationship. The two divorced individuals wind up bonding. Eva also finds a new client in the form of Marianne (Catherine Keener), a wealthy woman who actually makes a living as a poet. Eva wants to see where her relationship with Albert goes, but she also wants to hang out with the cool Marianne. However, Marianne happens to be Albert’s ex-wife, and her complaints about Albert start affecting the way Eva interacts with him.
Letterkenny
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