Image via Netflix
Christmas Day is one of the biggest movie days of the year, and it seems like studios slowed down this week in preparation for this month’s big releases coming later this month. This week’s TV and movie offerings aren’t as stacked as they have been in the past few weeks or the way the rest of December will be, but there are plenty of strong options to binge-watch this weekend. One of Netflix’s biggest international hit series is coming to an end on Friday, Dec. 3. Before Squid Game, Money Heist, originally named La Casa de Papel, became the streaming giant’s biggest global sensation, and it kept viewers tuned in for five seasons. The Spanish heist crime drama TV series created by Alex Pina has all the ingredients for what makes people tune into Netflix for hours on end. It has suspense, thrills, and action, but it also has love stories and characters that fans couldn’t get enough of. Volume 1 premiered earlier this year, but Volume 2 will pick up as The Professor and his crew cope with Tokyo’s loss and continue to fight for their freedom.
Netflix also has another premiere this week with the highly-acclaimed The Power of the Dog, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons, and it is a completely different pace than Money Heist but still worth watching. Jennifer Lopez’s 2019 film Hustlers has also hit streaming service this week, providing plenty of entertainment with a captivating tale of a group of New York City strippers who aim to bring their Wall Street clients to justice after the 2008 Wall Street crash, one scam at a time. Movies like Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City and House of Gucci are already out if you get the urge to hit a movie theater near you this weekend. We have listed our recommendations for what to watch this weekend below, and check back for what’s in store next week.
'Money Heist'
When: Friday, Dec. 3
Where: Netflix
The Money Heist finale is here. The second installment of Part 5 of the series hit Netflix on Friday, Dec. 3, and its millions of fans around the world will have to say their goodbyes to The Professor and his crew as they attempt to make it out of the Bank of Spain alive. Any TV show that gets the whole world rooting for the bad guy is a show worth watching, and the series has kept viewers coming back for more season after season. What started as a show about a heist in 2017 has since become a global phenomenon. People tuned in around the world catapulting the show’s stars like Ursula Corbero, Álvaro Morte, and Jaime Lorente to fame. The theme song “Bella Ciao,” an Italian protest folk song, has become a fan-favorite, and their Salvador Dalí masks and red jumpsuits have become one of the most popular Halloween costumes we’ve seen in recent years. The adrenaline-filled story has kept viewers at the edges of their seats, all while rooting for each one of their show’s beloved characters like Rio, Tokyo, Denver, Moscow, Helsinki, Nairobi and Berlin to make it. While some of them didn’t live long enough to see the end, the Professor and his gang of brave and loyal soldiers will have to face the consequences that come with trying to pull off one of the biggest heists in history.
'The Power of the Dog'
When: Friday, Dec. 3
Where:Netflix or in theaters
Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog is now streaming on Netflix, as well as playing in theaters. The film has already been receiving wide praise since its Venice premiere, and now viewers can join in on the slow-moving but captivating film. Campion directed and wrote the script, which is based on Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel by the same name. The movie follows two rancher brothers owners in Montana in 1925 named Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George (Jesse Plemons). After George falls in love, his brother feels left out when his brother’s new wife, Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and her son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), move in with them at the ranch. Peter finds himself having to protect his mother from his uncle Phil’s cruel treatment by any means necessary.
'Hustlers' (2019)
When: Wed., Dec. 1
Where: Hulu
Hustlers is finally available for streaming on Hulu this week. The 2019 box office hit stars Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Keke Palmer, Julia Stiles and featured appearances from Cardi B, Lizzo, and Usher. The film is inspired by the viral 2015 New York Magazine article “The Hustlers at Scores” by Jessica Pressler, which was about a true story of a group of astute former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients after the NYC strip club where they work is affected by the 2008 Wall Street financial crash. Ramona, played by Lopez, takes Destiny (Wu) under her wing and brings her into a dangerous scheme to scam their clientele, but things quickly take a turn for the worse. The film is easily one of Lopez’s best performances on the big screen, and there were rumors that it could land her an Oscar nomination. Her performance in the crime drama earned her nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as recognition in the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role category. The Oscar nom didn’t happen after all, but the powerful, empowering film and its all-female cast performed better than expected at the box office and opened doors for similar stories to be told. And sometimes that’s enough. It also doesn’t hurt that it features J. Lo showing off her best stripper moves that she worked hard to perfect for the film. Hit play this weekend if you’ve never seen it or watch it again if you haven’t seen it since it first hit theaters three years ago.
