Hulu’s December Lineup: Nat Geo Docs, Classic Reruns, and Sherlock

Programming-wise, this December on Hulu can be characterized as the equivalent of scraping the sides of a mostly empty pot.  New programming-wise, only a couple of excellent National Geographic documentary films are the month’s highlights.  Rerun-wise, a few more gems can be found.  There’s an anthropomorphic steampunk version of Sherlock Holmes that Hayao Miyazaki was involved with. There are a couple of powerful dramas involving armed forces personnel in crises either emotional or financial.  And if all else fails, there’s always the 30th anniversary screening of what at least one film reviewer called the best action film of the 1990s.   

So remember to add an extra kick to your favorite tipple, grab a comfy blanket or even a warm pet, and check out at least one or two of these titles.

Now Available

Antwone Fisher–Denzel Washington stars in and makes his directorial debut with this drama based on a true story.  Antwone Fisher thought that by joining the U.S. Navy, he could make something out of himself after a childhood marked by parental abandonment and foster parent abuse.  But Fisher’s traumatic childhood leaves him with a violent temper.  A display of anger results in his demotion and his being sent to psychiatric treatment with Dr. Jerome Davenport (Washington).  The psychiatrist gets Fisher to open up emotionally, a process further widened by Fisher’s relationship with fellow sailor Cheryl.  But the key to Fisher’s finding emotional peace might well be locating his real family.

Gladiator–Ridley Scott directed this Oscar-winning action tale set in the days of the Roman Empire.  General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) gets tapped by Emperor Marcus Aurelius to succeed him as regent because the Emperor feels his son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) is unfit to rule.  When Commodus learns of this decision, he has his father murdered and orders Maximus to swear loyalty to him.  Maximus’ refusal leads to the murder of his family and his being sold into slavery to fight as a gladiator.  Can Maximus win his freedom and exact revenge against Commodus?

Muppet Treasure Island–Orphaned Jim Hawkins, who lives at an English inn with friends Gonzo the Great and Rizzo the Rat, comes into possession of Captain Bernie Flint’s treasure map.  The trio convinces the half-witted Squire Trelawney (Fozzie Bear) to mount an expedition on the Hispaniola to find Flint’s treasure and keep it out of the hands of pirates.  But the Hispaniola’s captain, Abraham Smollett (Kermit The Frog), has good reason to be suspicious of certain members of the ship’s crew.  Long John Silver (Tim Curry) and a group of pirates have secretly infiltrated the crew with the aim of taking the treasure for themselves.

Sherlock Hound–This mid-1980s animated collaboration between RAI and Tokyo Movie Shinsha re-imagines the characters in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories as anthropomorphic dogs operating in a steampunk world.  In addition, legendary director Hayao Miyazaki directed six of the series’ episodes.  

Speed–Is Jan de Bont’s thriller the greatest action movie of the 1990s?  On the film’s 30th anniversary, here’s your chance to find out.  LAPD SWAT bomb disposal officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves in a then atypical role) thought he’d seen an end to extortionist Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper in Batman villain mode) when Payne was supposedly blown to bits.  However, it turns out the extortionist is very much alive and has unveiled his newest threat.  A bomb has been planted on a passenger-filled city bus, and it’ll go off if the bus’ speed drops below 50 mph.  Jack manages to board the bus, but the driver can’t help because he’s been shot.  Passenger Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) must help Jack keep the bus moving until a way is found to get the passengers to safety and/or disarm the bomb.  Most of the film’s dialogue comes from the hand of Joss Whedon, so YMMV.

December 3

Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern–Think you’ve got a cast-iron stomach and can eat anything?  Then you need to see chef and travel writer Andrew Zimmern as he travels the globe and chows down on such unusual foods as stir-fried banana rat and pig blood panna cotta.

December 4

Light Shop–This adaptation of the Kang Full webtoon “Shop of the Lamp” centers on a supposedly ordinary light shop located at the end of a dubious alleyway.  The shop becomes a magnet for strangers whose common characteristic is difficulty in processing a horrible past experience.  Could these strangers find the key to their pasts, presents, or even futures in this unusual shop?

December 5

Living–Kazuo Ishiguro adapts the Akira Kurosawa classic “Ikiru” to a story set in 1953 England.  Senior London County Council bureaucrat Rodney Williams (Bill Nighy) feels utterly uninspired by his life.  But when he receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, he finds himself flailing in his search for something to do with his life before he dies.  A petition languishing in bureaucratic limbo winds up providing the key to fulfilling Williams’ wish.

MythBusters Season 19–Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman’s farewell season on the show still finds them using bits of the scientific method to test the truth of various urban myths and legends.  Under examination this season are such myths as using gummy bears for rocket fuel, employing a vacuum cleaner and explosives to destroy cars, and making cannon-fired shrimp. 

Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls–This true crime docuseries looks at notable crimes committed in and around the majestic American wilderness.  This fourth installment begins with the disappearance of Samantha Koenig, an 18-year-old barista from Anchorage.  The efforts to find Koenig would take investigators from the Alaskan wilderness to rural Vermont.  Eventually, the trail would lead to Israel Keyes, a psychopath whose growing up off the grid led to his developing a secret life of violence.  

December 6

Paris Has Fallen Season 1–Former French Foreign Legion soldier Jacob Pearce launches a terrorist attack against the French Minister of Defense at a high-profile event.  The minister’s protection officer Vincent Taleb intercedes in the attack, but Pearce’s assault turns out to be part of a larger revenge plan against the French government.  Taleb joins forces with MI6 agent Zara Taylor to stop Pearce, but their efforts are hampered because one of their colleagues is a turncoat feeding sensitive information to Pearce.  

December 7

The Convert–Lee Tamahori directs this drama set in 1830 New Zealand.  Lay preacher and troubled ex-soldier Thomas Munro (Guy Pearce) arrives in a land ripped by tumult.  Maori chiefs Maianui and Akatarewa fight each other for control of the territory. Traders such as Kedgley are happy to arm both Maori sides.  The British colonists at Epworth have no interest in intervening in any way as war between the Maori chiefs seems inevitable.  Based on historical events.

Inside The Enchanted Forests–This new National Geographic docuseries takes viewers on a globe-hopping trip to Earth’s most diverse woodlands.  Whether it’s the tropics or the arctic poles, meet the wild residents of these forests and learn how these woods provide both connection and nurturing.

December 10

Coup!–This class war comedy takes place at an isolated island mansion in 1918.  The First World War is still raging, and the Spanish Flu epidemic has been devastating the world.  Rich couple Jay and Julie Horton’s privileged existence spares them from these horrors.  Things change when they hire a new cook named Floyd Monk (Peter Sarsgaard), who’s actually a mysterious grifter.  Monk may claim to be a fan of Jay Horton’s leftist journalism, but that doesn’t stop him from slowly whipping Horton’s domestic staff into insurrection against an employer who’s deluded himself into thinking he’s a friend of the working class.

The Real Full Monty–Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”) executive produces this special where a team of male celebrities strip tease in front of a live audience to raise awareness of testicular and prostate cancer treatment and research.  Anderson leads a team which includes Taye Diggs, NFL player Chris Jones, and Bruno Tonioli (“Dancing With The Stars”).  Mandy Moore (“So You Think You Can Dance”) choreographs the big strip dance.

Sugarcane–St. Joseph’s Mission School was one of many Canadian Indian residential schools run by the Catholic Church.  In 2021, this school located near the Sugarcane Reservation in British Columbia was discovered to have a disturbing number of unmarked graves of children from the school.  The outcry would break a decades-long silence to publicly reveal that places such as St. Joseph’s Mission actively separated First Nations children and engaged in forcibly assimilating these children.  Those youths who resisted were subjected to horrifying physical abuse.  Can the revelations of residential schools’ horrors allow those who survived their residential school experience to heal from the traumas inflicted on them?  Winner of Sundance 2024’s Grand Jury Prize For Directing.

December 12

Knight Fight–Welcome to the Armored Combat League.  Here, modern day warriors prove their fighting prowess before an eager crowd by engaging in full contact battles.  But each combatant wears over 80 pounds of armor and uses real steel weapons of the past.

December 14

How It’s Made Seasons 23 & 24–This Canadian documentary series shows how very common objects are manufactured.  Subjects covered in these seasons include rawhide lampshades, mobile concert stages, recycled skateboards, and plasma gems. 

December 17

Blink–Daniel Roher (“Navalny”) and Edmund Stinson direct this documentary which follows a Canadian family on an unusual year-long global tour.  Edith Lemay and Sebastien Pelletier are the parents of four children.  They’ve taken in stride the chaos that comes with having four kids.  But how do you adapt to the news that three of your children have retinitis pigmentosa, a rare and incurable disease that will eventually lead to total blindness?  Lemay and Pelletier’s answer is to fill their children’s brains with as many memories as possible so they have something to cling to once they lose their vision for good.  Whether it’s something as simple as eating ice cream or something heartwarming such as making friends in foreign countries, these kids rise to the challenges facing them.

December 18

The Suspicions Of Mr. Whicher–Paddy Considine plays real-life detective Jack Whicher, whose crime solving efforts in Victorian England run afoul of the self-interest of the well-connected.  First as a Scotland Yard Detective Inspector and later as a private inquiry agent, Whicher’s investigations involve such things as a blood-soaked nightdress, an unwelcome visit to a lunatic asylum, and a possibly vengeful lascar.

December 24

The Arctic Convoy–In 1942, a group of 35 civilian ships brave brutal Arctic seas and enemy-infested waters.  The ships are headed for Murmansk, carrying arms and supplies for the soldiers fighting on the Eastern Front.  Normally, such convoys are provided with military escorts to defend against German attack.  But when the British fighters protecting the convoy suddenly get reassigned to other hotspots, the convoy is faced with a terrible choice: abort their resupply trip or gamble that enough ships will get through despite being unprotected from air and submarine assaults.

December 27

Breaking–Marine Corps veteran Brian Brown-Easley (John Boyega) barely keeps himself financially afloat with a monthly disability check issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  But the failure of the V.A. to issue his expected check threatens to plunge the desperate vet into homelessness and worse.  In a last-ditch attempt to get the payment he’s owed, Brown-Easley walks into a Wells Fargo bank with what he claims is a backpack filled with C-4 explosive.  Can this crisis be solved without someone getting hurt?  Based on an unfortunately true story.

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