Being The Ricardos (Amazon Prime movie) — Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem take a stab at roles that are more challenging than mere physical transformations. As well, this isn’t merely a light and fluffy production, given that Aaron Sorkin has infused the story with not only the complexity of the pair’s working and professional relationships but also the drama inherent with cultural and political controversy. In addition, expect to see some scandalous accusations flying, along with peeks behind closed doors during one pivotal week of I Love Lucy production. J.K. Simmons also appears in this project because he’s basically in everything these days.
Jim Gaffigan: Comedy Monster (Netflix stand-up special) — The multi-Grammy nominee and prolific everydude is back onstage to joke about billionaires and bikers. Hopefully, those two subjects intersect at some point. If not, that’s a lost opportunity.
Grumpy Christmas (Netflix film) — Grumpy Grandpa/Don Servando (Héctor Bonilla) of The Patriarch joins up with extended family and a commune of hippies. That sounds dubious already, but they decide to spend Christmas at the beach, where Don meets his ultimate nemesis. Soon, we’ve got a war of wills, and hopefully, this won’t dampen everyone’s holiday spirit.
In case you missed this pick from last Tuesday:
Murders At Starved Rock (HBO Max) — A 60-year-old murder mystery rears its head with the convicted killer (Chester Weger) behind bars while seeking exoneration (and insisting that he’s innocent). David Raccuglia presents the fruits of 15 years of research while attempting to uncover the truth about the crimes committed by the local “bogeyman.” This rural community runs on rumors and opinions, and the townspeople are clearly divided with grey areas and alleged police misconduct in this case, which might make everyone involved question what they thought they knew.