Q Wave's Watchlist: December 2020

By: Darren Chu

"There's nothing to watch," is not a phrase that should exist in a world drowning in content. Join us every month to get curated content - from the latest and greatest to revisiting oldies - we'll help you avoid the dreaded “Netflix Block” and find something to watch!

This year, more than ever, we’ll all be looking for entertainment to keep spirits up and hopeful. For our December watchlist, we’ve selected a handful of things that will bring a smile to your face and some joy to your holidays.

Klaus (Netflix)

In this Academy Award nominated retelling of the story of Santa Claus, a young postman, Jesper (voiced by Jason Schartzman), is sent to Smeerensburg by his father as a wake-up call to do better with his life. The threat: to post 6,000 letters within a year or be cut off. Jesper arrives only to find a dark town divided by feuding clans and no one willing to mail letters. But when he finds a lone woodsman (JK Simmons) who once made toys, he discovers that “a true selfless act always sparks another.”

Wonderfully animated, and delightfully told, the story feels new and fresh despite the need to weave in the mythos of Santa and his elves. Reindeer who pull the sled instead of a horse? Check. Why a chimney is used? Check. Lump of coal? Double-check.

Interspersed throughout the narrative are also moments of sorrow that will undoubtedly pull on your heart-strings. If you watch the details closely, you’ll find yourself on an emotional rollercoast not unlike the hilly slopes of Smeerensburg. If your list of holiday entertainment consists of old classics, add this to your list because it is sure to be a family favourite.

You'd like this if you enjoyed: Despicable Me, The Grinch (2018)

Runtime: 98 Minutes

Genre: Animation

Dear (Apple TV+)

“Every time you make something, you’re throwing rocks in a pond. You have no idea the ripples that are gonna come back to you.”

These are the words of Lin-Manuel Miranda, lead actor and visionary behind the Broadway hit, Hamilton. They also encompass all that this show is about. Each episode dives into the letters sent to the likes of Lin-Manuel, Oprah, Spike Lee, Stevie Wonder, Gloria Steinem, Big Bird, Jane Goodall, Aly Raisman, Yara Shahidi, and Misty Copeland. You’ll get a glimpse of how each of these people got to where they are now, but also the effects of the stones they’ve thrown in the proverbial pond throughout their careers.

The letters are read by their actual authors, and despite a little bit of over-the-top staging, they offer a genuine glimpse into the way people are inspired by this handful of celebrities (though I don’t think “celebrities” is quite the right word). Know this, you will be moved and perhaps inspired to reflect on the impacts people have had on your own life.

You'd like this if you enjoyed: Jane, I Am Big Bird, Gloria - In Her Own Words

Runtime: 10 Episodes

Genre: Documentary

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Disney+)

I could never decide if this was a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie, so I’ve always watched it sometime in November. But no matter when it gets watched, it’s always a holiday favourite of mine.

When Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon/Danny Elfman), the king of Halloween Town, becomes disillusioned with the annual Halloween traditions, he stumbles upon a collection of doorways to different holiday towns. He is so mystified by everything he finds in Christmas Town that he decides to kidnap Santa Claus and do Christmas himself.

The movie is based on a poem (now a children’s book) written by Tim Burton, who was inspired by the juxtaposition of Halloween and Christmas displays in a store window. It took animators three years to create the full feature, because every second of film needed 12 stop-motion moves. It also features the voice talents of Catherine O’Hara as Sally and Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) as one third of the mischievous trio, Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

You'd like this if you enjoyed: Corpse Bride, Coraline

Runtime: 78 Minutes

Genre: Claymation, Musical

Love Actually (Amazon Prime Video)

A modern, holiday classic, Love Actually is a British romantic comedy that features quite the ensemble cast: Alan Rickman (Professor Snape), Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility), Hugh Grant (Notting Hill), Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean), Colin Firth (The King’s Speech), Liam Neeson (Taken), Bill Nighy (Underworld), Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead), Laura Linney (Ozark), and many others.

Love Actually has spawned numerous parodies, not least of which is Andrew Lincoln’s declaration of love using bristol board signs. The various couples’ stories are all interconnected in some way, but I think my personal favourites are Laura Linney / Rodrigo Santoro, and Colin Firth / Lucia Moniz. Because there are so many different stories being told, each time you rewatch it, you’ll discover something new you never noticed before.

Fun fact: The word “actually” is spoken twenty-two times by various characters throughout the movie.

You'd like this if you enjoyed: Bridget Jones’ Diary, Notting Hill

Runtime: 136 Minutes

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Home Alone (Crave)

Here is a throwback to a time when going away on holidays was possible. And although we may not be able to fly to Paris for Christmas, that doesn’t mean we can’t live vicariously through the McCallisters.

In a series of unfortunate events, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) gets left behind as his family rushes off to catch their flight to Paris for the holidays. Left to his own devices, Kevin proceeds to live out his fantasies by ordering pizza and watching movies. But when a pair of home burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stem) try to rob the McCallister home, it’s up to Kevin to defend the castle.

This may be an oldie, but it lives on as one of the best holiday movies to revisit year after year (it held a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as “Highest Box-Office Gross - Comedy,” grossing $477 billion worldwide until 2011 when it was surpassed by The Hangover Part II). Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek) and John Candy (Planes, Trains and Automobiles) are outstanding as the family matriarch and a polka musician who helps a mother in need.

You'd like this if you enjoyed: Dennis The Menace, Cheaper by the Dozen

Runtime: 103 Minutes

Genre: Comedy

The Great British Baking Show - Holiday Collection (CBC Gem)

Holiday baking is arguably one of the best parts of December, so why not celebrate with the UK’s best baking show? Each episode features the main judges, Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, and Mary Berry, accompanied by the show’s hosts, Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding, as they judge 4 former contestants on their baking skills.

For those who don’t know, now in its 11th season, this competition features home bakers from across the UK vying for the coveted glass cake pedestal. Contestants must survive three challenges in each episode: the “signature” bake, then the “technical” bake, finishing with a “show stopper.” Various themes abound from week to week, from patisseries to cakes to breads to biscuits; each guaranteed to make your mouth water.

The Great British Bake Off (under the name “Baking Show” in North America) is unlike most reality series in that contestants often help each other and are genuinely upset when someone gets eliminated. It is a dose of positivity in the sea of cut-throat reality TV shows.

You'd like this if you enjoyed: The Great British Bake-Off, The Great Canadian Baking Show, MasterChef

Runtime: 7 Episodes

Genre: Reality, Competition

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