With the festive season upon us, we wanted to impart some words of encouragement:
If Bobby Shmurda can make the Billboard charts from prison in 2018, you can:
–Look enthused during your office’s Kris Kringle reveal
–Navigate Christmas Eve pandemonium at Coles
–Wrangle the AUX cord from your nephew on Christmas Day
If all else fails, here are December’s best titles on Netflix.
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (film)
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We’re not entirely sure why The Jungle Book is being remade a mere two years after Jon Favreau’s, but are willing to give it a chance based on the vocal talent alone. As well as directing the ensemble, critically acclaimed motion-capture actor Andy Serkis also plays Baloo the bear. He’s joined by Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Freida Pinto and oh so many others.
We’re all familiar with the story: Mowgli (Rohan Chand) is raised by wolves in the jungles of India, and learns valuable life lessons from pals Baloo and Bagheera (Bale). Unfortunately, Shere Khan (Cumberbatch) would very much like to eat him.
In this retelling, Shere Khan isn’t even the apex predator. Matthew Rhys plays Lockwood, a British hunter tasked with slaying the fearsome tiger. We’re sensing overt colonialism themes here, even more so than in the original Kipling novel.
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle airs December 7 on Netflix Australia.
Neo Yokio: Pink Christmas (anime series)
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In a collab no one ever expected, Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig teamed up with Jaden Smith to create Neo Yokio, a series that pays homage to anime, the internet, English literature and modern New York fashion and culture. Released on Netflix last year, season one was met with mixed reviews but quickly garnered a cult following.
Smith plays Kaz Kaan, an eligible bachelor/demon slayer currently nursing a broken heart. His source of comfort? Toblerone. Kaan’s obsession with the chocolate spawned many a meme, and possibly extended the brand’s clout beyond airport duty free counters.
Back in October, Toblerone’s Twitter account posted an image of Kaan holding a Toblerone block, which read, “More Neo Yokio?”
To which Neo Yokio’s replied, “What about a Christmas special?”
Said Christmas special airs December 7 on Netflix Australia.
Out of Many, One (documentary)
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One out of five of the world’s immigrants have chosen the United States as their new home. In the current political climate, it’s increasingly hard for immigrants to achieve their American Dream.
Named after the motto of the United States “E Pluribus Unum”, Out of Many, One, illustrates how education in shared history and a willingness to participate can go a long way in preserving democracy.
In the trailer, a Chinese immigrant cites becoming an American citizen as his greatest happiness in life. He’s followed by a Venezuelan immigrant, grateful to have escaped persecution back home. They, and countless others are emblematic of America’s history – as being a nation of immigrants.
Out Of Many, One airs December 12 on Netflix Australia.
The Innocent Man (documentary)
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aRonald Keith Williamson was the Innocent Man, spending 11 years on death row for a murder he didn’t commit. After a bout of depression, the former Oklahoman baseball star was named by two people as a possible suspect in the brutal murder of Debbie Sue Carter.
After two polygraph tests came back inconclusive, the case was dropped. Five years later, when Williamson was jailed for forging cheques, he was again pinned for Carter’s murder.
Diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, Williamson was denied medication by prison staff and acted accordingly at his trial. He was then convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
The case became further sensationalized when John Grisham penned it as a best-selling book, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town. Drawing from the book as well as interviews with victims’ friends and families, attorneys and journalists, The Innocent Man highlights the importance of DNA testing and confronts lapses in the judicial system.
The Innocent Man airs December 14 on Netflix Australia.
Sunderland ‘Til I Die charts the team’s highs and lows of last season, which culminated in a humiliating second relegation. It’s a labour of love from lifelong friends/SAFC fans Ben and Gabe Turner, Ben Winston and Leo Pearlman, whose successful production studio Fulwell73 (The Late Late Show) was even named after Fulwell end in Roker, and the year Sunderland last won the FA Cup.
The eight-part docuseries encompasses on-pitch action as well as candid interviews with former CEO Martin Bain, sacked manager Simon Grayson, and of course the club’s die-hard unwavering fan base.
Sunderland ‘Til I Die airs December 14.
Bird Box (film)
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Earlier this year, John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place scared us into silence. Bird Box snatches away a different sense – sight. Sandra Bullock plays Mallory, a mother of two who must fend off monsters – blindly, because anyone who looks at them goes insane and quickly dies.
There’s a sanctuary, which they can only reach via paddleboat down a river. The trick is to stay blindfolded, sure, but their lack of sight means that it’s open season for all other predators.
Bird Box airs December 21 on Netflix Australia.
