December 2024’s Best Streaming Titles: Knives Out, Gladiator, The Muppets, Squid Game, Happy Gilmore
Benoit Blanc, Maximus Decimus Meridius, Kermit the Frog, Korean thrills, Adam Sandler, and more.
As Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, et al. add more content, it can be difficult to know what to look for amidst all of the new titles. I’ve compiled a list of particularly noteworthy and interesting movies and TV shows to add to your streaming queues in the coming month.
Amazon Prime Video
Babylon 5, Seasons 1-5 (Dec 1)
It’s easy to look at J. Michael Straczynski’s sci-fi series and poke fun at its cheap-looking, vintage ’90s sets and special effects. But doing so overlooks Straczynski’s ambitious, complex storyline. Set in the 23rd century, Babylon 5 takes place on the titular space station where humanity and numerous alien races strive for galactic peace even as other, more ancient forces work towards all-out war. The series addressed a number of themes during its run, from ethnic cleansing and slavery, to government conspiracies and corruption, to the role of religion in society.
Jackie Chan’s First Strike (Dec 1)
As always, hapless Hong Kong detective Kevin Chan (Jackie Chan) finds himself in over his head when he works with the CIA on a nuclear smuggling case. Soon enough, he’s on the run from the Russian mafia who are trying to acquire a nuclear bomb. Although First Strike might not rank as highly as Police Story or Drunken Master II, it’s still a lot of fun to watch as Chan takes on the bad guys with his trademark blend of martial arts, elaborate stunts, and prop comedy.
Once Upon a Time in the West (Dec 1)
After concluding his Dollars Trilogy with 1966’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Sergio Leone planned to retire from making Westerns. He was persuaded, however, by Paramount Pictures to return to the genre, with the result being 1968’s Once Upon a Time in the West. The iconic Western stars Henry Fonda (cast against type as the villain), Jason Robards, and Charles Bronson, and features another one of Ennio Morricone’s famous scores.
The Warriors (Dec 1)
After they’re falsely accused of murdering the leader of the city’s most powerful gang, the Warriors must make the long journey back to their home base while fending off the rest of New York’s gangs. This simple premise makes for one of the great cult movies, as the Warriors make their way through a nightmarish, dystopic New York as imagined by director Walter Hill (The Driver, Streets of Fire).
Secret Level, Season One (Dec 10)
Blur Studio had great success with the first season of Love, Death & Robots for Netflix, and now they’re hoping to repeat that success on Amazon Prime Video with Secret Level. The animation anthology features 15 episodes inspired by some of the world’s most popular and beloved video and tabletop games, including Armored Core, Dungeons & Dragons, Mega Man, and Warhammer 40,000.