The 10 best new films and TV shows on Netflix UK, December 2018
From Alfonso Cuarón's brilliant new black-and-white drama to a Christmas special for Sabrina the teenage witch, this month's newest arrivals on Netflix are perfect to watch while curled up on the couch drinking eggnog and overindulging on holiday treats.
FILM: The Holiday (from December 7)
Dir: Nancy Meyers Cast: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Rufus Sewell, Edward Burns Cert: 12A Year: 2006
In a nutshell: Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jack Black get all warm and fuzzy for this festive romcom. Lovelorn Amanda (Diaz) and Iris (Winslet, playing, of all things, a Daily Telegraph columnist) agree to a house exchange (LA vs quaint English village). In their new locations, they meet prospective partners, Graham (Law) and Miles (Black). When the holidays end, decisions must be made about the romances.
FILM: Dumplin’ (from December 7)
Dir: Anne Fletcher Cast: Danielle Macdonald, Jennifer Aniston, Luke Benward, Odeya Rush, Dove Cameron, Harold Perrineau Cert: tbc Year: 2018
In a nutshell: Patti Cake$ star Danielle Macdonald plays plus-sized Texan teen Willowdean Dixon, who enters the local beauty pageant to spite her ex-beauty queen mother (Aniston), kicking off an unexpected turn of events in their town.
FILM: Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (from December 7)
Dir:Andy Serkis Cast: Rohan Chand, Matthew Rhys, Freida Pinto, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris Cert: 12A Year: 2018
In a nutshell: Andy Serkis’s interpretation of The Jungle Book drew the short straw against Disney’s 2016 version, and was languishing in release limbo until Netflix scooped it up from Warner Bros. In this version of Rudyard Kipling’s masterpiece, Mowgli (Chand) is torn between the jungle and the human world and most learn the navigate the dangers of both. Read our review
FILM: The 40-Year-Old Virgin (from December 7)
Dir: Judd Apatow Cast: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen, Shelley Malil, Elizabeth Banks Cert: 15 Year: 2005
In a nutshell:Nerdy Andy Stitzer (Carrell) is a virgin at 40 in this crass buddy comedy from Judd Apatow. Egged on by his workmates, Andy endures drunken encounters and painful chest waxes – which make it seem better to be chaste than chased. That is until he meets Trish (Keener). A raunchily amusing yarn, even if the film's one joke premise starts to grow tired by the end.
TV: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: A Midwinters Tale (from December 14)
Creator: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Davis, Miranda Otto, Michelle Gomez, Jaz Sinclair, Ross Lynch Cert: 15 Year: 2018
In a nutshell:The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina returns for a special winter solstice before the return of the second season. Sabrina hosts a seance with that results in serious consequences, while in the mortal realm Susie’s merry-making plans turn unexpectedly menacing.
FILM: Roma (from December 14)
Dir:Alfonso Cuarón Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavria, Fernando Grediaga, Jorge Antonio Guerrero, Marco Graf Cert: 15 Year: 2018
In a nutshell:Alfonso Cuarón’s subtle, semi-biographical film chronicles a tumultuous year in the life of a middle-class family in Mexico City in the Seventies. Read our review
FILM: Bird Box (from December 21)
Dir: Susanne Bier Cast: Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson, Trevante Rhodes, Jacki Weaver, Rosa Salazar, Danielle Macdonald Cert: 15 Year: 2018
In a nutshell:In a post-apocalyptic world where a wave of mass suicides has decimated the world’s population, a woman (Bullock) and her two children set off blindfolded on on a dangerous journey for sanctuary.
FILM: Sing (from December 22)
Dir: Garth Jennings Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton Cert: U Year: 2016
In a nutshell:This well-trodden tale of triumph over adversity would fail in lesser hands than those of British director Garth Jennings (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Son of Rambow). In a city of animated animals, a koala theatre manager (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) tries to save his struggling venue by inviting the town’s creatures to compete in an X Factor-style contest - prompting a fun cast of characters to try their luck. Read our review
FILM: Avengers: Age of Ultron (from December 26)
Dir:Joss Whedon Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chris Hemsworth Cert: 12 Year: 2015
In a nutshell:Joss Whedon's superhero film gives you a pop-culture sugar rush, stacking characters, conflicts, sub-plots and plenty of background treats. But the structure holds and the film flies past at speed, perhaps because Whedon values humour as much as a spectacular set-piece. This time the all-star Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, etc) do battle with the all-powerful Ultron. Read our review
TV: You (December 26)
Creator: Greg Berlanti, Sera Gamble Cast: Penn Badgley, Elizabeth Lail, Shay Mitchell, Luca Padovan, Zach Cherry Cert: TBC Year: 2018
In a nutshell: Greg Berlanti, architect of the CW’s ‘Arrowverse’ and director of Love Simon, continues to expand his empire with a new psychological thriller. A brilliant, sociopathic New York bookstore manager (Badgley) falls in obsessive love with an aspiring writer (Lail) and by stalking her on social media and in real life, begins to strategically remove any and all obstacles that prevent her from being with him – at any cost.
