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Hi there! The new season of The Crown has us thinking about the secrets that picture-perfect families keep—whether they be royal figureheads, or ordinary people whose lives seem a little too Instagram-worthy to be real. No need to go out and spy on your neighbors (then you would be the one with something to hide), instead, this week’s recs have all the intrigue, but none of the fallout of real-world gossip mongering. |
| In the Spotlight |
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The Crown |
The Story Imelda Staunton takes over for Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II for the latest iteration of Netflix’s hit drama series. This season fast forwards to the 1990s, a tumultuous period for England’s royal House of Windsor that includes the shocking death of Princess Diana.
The Commitment 10 Episodes +/- 60 Minutes Per Episode
The Elevator Pitch The Queen of England’s “annus horribilis,” revisited.
The Winner Longtime fans who feel like members of the royal family.
Whet your appetite for royal romance and palace intrigue with these series based on the lives of real-life European monarchs: |
| The Empress | This German-language series follows the whirlwind courtship and royal marriage that led rebellious Bavarian princess Elisabeth von Wittelsbach (known to her friends as “Sisi”) to become the Empress of Austria in 1854. | Add to watchlist |
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| Victoria | Queen Elizabeth II’s great-grandmother Queen Victoria is the focus of this British drama series, starring Doctor Who’s Jenna Coleman as the young monarch in the early years of her reign. | Add to watchlist |
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| The Great | This Hulu dramedy takes a cheeky “anti-historical” approach to the life and reign of 18th-century Russian empress Catherine the Great, played here by Elle Fanning. | Add to watchlist |
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| Trailer of the Day |
| | Kindred | Adapted from Octavia E. Butler’s celebrated novel by writer and showrunner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the FX series centers on Dana James (Mallori Johnson), a young Black woman and aspiring writer who finds herself being violently pulled back and forth in time. All episodes begin streaming Tuesday, Dec. 13 on Hulu. | View Trailer |
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| Guess the Movie |
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- Of Judi Dench’s seven Bond films, this one gives her the most screen time.
- This is the first Bond movie where a character drops an F-bomb.
- It received 5 Academy Award nominations, the most ever for a Bond movie (up to that point).
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Answer in footer |
| Hidden Gems |
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Bedroom Disunity |
Ever since there have been cozy suburban enclaves, movies have explored their dark sides. Whether they take their inspiration from sci-fi, film noir, or black comedy (or perhaps a little of all three), these movies have one rule: behind the picket fence, there’s always sinister secrets.
The Popular The real drama of Olivia Wilde’s sophomore feature Don’t Worry Darling may have been behind the scenes. But beyond the secret salad dressings and possible spit takes lies a bizarre, sci-fi-influenced tale straight out of the Twilight Zone. At the beginning of the movie, newlyweds Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles) move into the experimental desert community of Victory, a place that seems like it’s too perfect to be real—which means it most definitely is. Haven’t seen it yet? Don’t Worry Darling is now streaming on HBO Max. If you have, find out Why Don’t Worry Darling Is Actually Great on a Rewatch.
The Overlooked 3 more movies that scratch the underbelly of suburban life: |
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| Blue Velvet | A David Lynch classic, starring Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern as clean-cut youngsters who stumble into a dangerous subculture in a small town. You’ll never forget Isabella Rosselini, who co-stars as a kinky lounge singer. | Add to watchlist |
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| Vivarium | Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots play a young couple anxious to settle down together, but Irish director Lorcan Finnegan’s sci-fi thriller takes the feeling of being trapped in a routine suburban existence to surreal, horrific extremes. | Add to watchlist |
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| The List |
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All I Want for Christmas Is You |
Lindsay Lohan is back in the acting game, playing a hotel heiress who bonks her head in a skiing accident and lands in the arms of a hunky blue-collar lodge owner in the Netflix holiday rom-com Falling for Christmas, which premieres tomorrow. Part of the appeal of these movies is their delicious silliness, but some holiday rom-coms transcend the formula and deliver something that’s not just fun, but actually good. |
| Happiest Season | Director Clea DuVall pulled from her own life for this groundbreaking queer rom-com about a photographer (Kristen Stewart) whose girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davis) invites her home for Christmas, with one catch—Harper’s conservative parents don’t know she’s gay. | Add to watchlist |
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| Last Holiday | Queen Latifah stars in this life-affirming flick set around Christmas, as a driven businesswoman who checks into a swanky hotel and vows to live her last few weeks to their fullest after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. | Add to watchlist |
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| The Holiday | Rom-com queen Nancy Meyers gathers a stellar ensemble of actors—Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black—in a picturesque cottage in the English countryside for this feel-good Christmas romantic comedy par excellence. | Add to watchlist |
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| Love Hard | Love Hard is a knowing, tongue-in-cheek holiday movie that’s made for fans of the genre, starring Nina Dobrev as an L.A.-based newspaper columnist who decides to surprise her online boyfriend with a visit, only to discover that she’s been catfished. | Add to watchlist |
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| Love Actually | You probably already have this 2003 heart-melter playing on repeat from Halloween through New Year’s. But we’re including it, just in case. | Add to watchlist |
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| More Wednesday Premieres |
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| Save Our Squad With David Beckham | Superstar David Beckham returns to his East London roots on the feel-good reality series Save Our Squad, as he coaches a struggling crew of young athletes in hopes of turning the team's fortunes around. | Add to watchlist |
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| FIFA Uncovered | Kicking off 11 days before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Netflix docuseries FIFA Uncovered exposes the history of criminal corruption behind soccer’s, or football’s (for our international readers), biggest governing body. | Add to watchlist |
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| Zootopia+ | Set during the events of Disney’s 2016 animated hit Zootopia, this short-form series expands the universe of the movie by telling the stories of some of its most intriguing background characters, like arctic fox Fru Fru and Flash the sloth. | Add to watchlist |
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| Coming Soonish |
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👙 How to watch Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show on Prime Video.
🔪 Netflix renews Ryan Murphy's Watcher for Season 2, Monster for Seasons 2, 3.
🤖 Farewell to Westworld, which was unceremoniously canceled after destroying itself.
💸 Lin-Manuel Miranda to play Hermes In Percy Jackson & The Olympians Disney+ series.
🏆 Jimmy Kimmel will return as host for the Oscars.
🧑🎄 It’s a Wonderful Binge gives a taste of a drug-infused Christmas celebration. |
Guess the Movie Answer | Skyfall turns 10 years old today! All James Bond movies are now streaming on Prime Video. |
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