What to watch in the New Year, from “Here We Go” to “Avatar”

timehe Loads of movies and TV shows during the holidays It can be both overwhelming (in terms of quantity) and impressive (in terms of quality), so we’ve picked out some of the key highlights from this year’s line-up for everyone to make time for.

From new installments in the Knives Out mystery series to a special one-off film from David Attenborough in his centenary year, there’s plenty to see, and plenty with cross-generational appeal.

Here’s a selection of 16 shows worth watching during the festive season…

The dead wake up

Streaming on Netflix

Netflix dominates Christmas with an original movie that everyone in the country seems to have watched, then kind of regretted, from Don’t look up The unfortunate one in 2021 Chicken Run The sequel will be released in 2023. This year, their popular tickets have improved, at least: The dead wake upThe third installment in the Knives Out series, while not quite up to the standards of the 2019 original, offers enough star power and baroque flair to be easily tolerated. Daniel Craig’s handsome detective is back, this time to solve the murder of a brutal priest played by Josh Brolin. Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close and Andrew Scott are all suspects. Aihua

Avatar: Fire and Ashes

in cinema

The general critical consensus for the Avatar movies seems to have shifted from “Oh my god, wow!” to “Oh my god, wow!” 2022 water way More of an “OK, sure!” sequel this month, but don’t let that put you off. James Cameron’s blue-skinned epic maintains its visual dazzle so clearly that the occasional hiccup (that dialogue! Zoe Saldana’s cry!) doesn’t feel too irritating. fire and ashes Oona Chaplin plays a cunning villain who plays with the grieving protagonists Jake and Neytiri (Sam Worthington and Saldaña), who are still grieving the loss of their sons. water way. Go see it with your grandparents and surprise them. Aihua

F1

Stream on Apple TV

Despite the savvy capitalists, Apple TV cleverly put Brad Pitt’s Formula 1 movie (which opened in theaters in June and grossed $600 million at the box office) online over Christmas for all the dads and non-dads out there to enjoy. Pete is a legend from yesteryear who was brought back into the F1 world to assist a struggling dragster team led by rising British star Damson Idris. Produced and directed by Jerry Bruckheimer Top Gun: MaverickJoseph Kosinski, F1 It’s a deliberate return day of thunder In the adrenaline-soaked cheese era, Pete was at home. Aihua

christmas karma

Available for rent and purchase

This is Bend like Beckham Gorgeous musical interpretation by director Gurinder Chadha Christmas carolswhich features songs by Gary Barlow (boo!) and All Saints’ Shaznay Lewis (yay!). big bang theoryKunal Nayyar stars as a miserable London businessman who is visited by three ghosts (Billy Porter, Eva Longoria and Boy George) who try to get him to change his ways. Does the casting here look like someone threw a dart at a chessboard of random headshots? Pixie Lott, Hugh Bonneville and Danny Dyer are also in the credits – yes, really. But it’s British and better suited to your needs during a turkey coma, so we can forgive it. Aihua

tinsel town

Streaming on Sky Cinema and Now

Kiefer Sutherland and Rebel Wilson star in this festive British comedy about an American film star who unexpectedly travels to a small Yorkshire town to star in a pantomime. Of course, it’s absolute gibberish, but with Sutherland’s charm and a supporting cast of well-known faces, including Danny Dyer (again!) and Meera Schaal, it all works out. Aihua

Goodbye June

Streaming on Netflix

Fans of nepotism and sniveling may be keen on Kate Winslet’s directorial debut, which dropped on Netflix just before Christmas, leaving us all messed up before the day’s feast. Winslet’s son Joe Anders wrote the heartwarming script, which stars Winslet, Andrea Riseborough, Johnny Flynn and Toni Collette as battered siblings brought back together by their dying mother (Helen Mirren) to prepare them for a life of greatness ahead. think of it as holiday Have a more serious illness or family stone But not evil. Aihua

looking for santa claus

on channel 4

BAFTA winner Lenny Rush, 16, acts so precocious in BBC comedy Am I being unreasonable?steals the show in this one-off festive film from Channel 4. He plays a teenager who still believes in Santa Claus, while James Buckley plays his disturbed father who decides it’s finally time to reveal the news to his son. (Yes, Jay Cartwright from “Knee Deep Hug” middleman It is now the age for parents to play. ) Featuring an award-winning cast ranging from Greg Davies to Asim Chaudhry to Stephen Fry, the film is a Christmas-filled adventure. Ellie Harrison

Amanda Lan

on iPlayer

worshiped motherland The spin-off series is back with a very special guest. Jennifer Saunders stars as Aunt Joan, a “drunk-shit” alcoholic and sister to Joanna Lumley’s Felicity, marking the first on-screen reunion of the champagne-loving duo since. From Fab. Of course, in the middle of it all is Lucy Punch’s brash Amanda, as ever striving for perfection and trying to keep the peace. It’s all relatable and absolutely brilliant. Eich

The Great Peep Show Christmas Baking Contest

on channel 4

This festive season Super Hans will be swapping pills for pudding as the cast of the classic comedy diorama Enter bake tent. Matt King (who plays everyone’s favorite aforementioned stoner) stars alongside Olivia Colman, David Mitchell, Issy Satie and Sophie Winkleman. Sadly, Robert Webb is missing from the line-up, which is a real shame because I’d love to see what fresh hellish confections the man behind Jez would put together. But it was a joyous moment — the first time the rest of the cast had appeared on screen together since the release of “Star Wars.” diorama Packed 10 years ago. Eich

python

in cinema

Okay, let’s be honest here: this comedy pseudo-reboot of the 1997 Ice Cooper/Jennifer Lopez monster movie (remember Jon Voight spitting out of a giant snake’s mouth and winking at the camera?) dismal. But the holidays are also a time to check your taste at the door (Related: maid Also in cinemas), so maybe it tickles something? Paul Rudd and Jack Black play bored Americans who fly to the Amazon jungle to film amateur remakes of their favorite movies pythononly to stumble upon a real anaconda. See what I mean? dismal. But yes, I will observe. Aihua

Marty Supre

Released in cinemas from December 26

if python It’s a box of slightly pale, spoiled Maltesers. Marty Supre It was a glass of Prosecco and a tower of Ferrero Rocher. Or something. Christmas is here, I’m tired, don’t disturb me. Josh Safdie (one of the brothers behind the scenes) uncut gems) directed this raucous sports movie in which Timothée Chalamet plays an absolute fool who believes he is destined to be a great table tennis player. It’s a fun, thrilling, breathtaking piece of work, with Safdie never letting the action slack and Chalamet at his best. What’s more, the film also marks the glamorous return of Goop queen Gwyneth Paltrow, who temporarily ditches the expensive gadgets to play a once-famous movie star who gets entangled with Chalamet. She’s great at that, too. Aihua

here we go

New Year’s Eve, 8pm, BBC One

The diamond of this family sitcom Wallis Island BalladTom Basden returns for a festive special and the Jessop family is as chaotic as ever. Boy Paul (Jim Howick) drags his family, including his wife Rachel (Katherine Parkinson) and mother Sue (Alison Steadman), to their holiday cabin to welcome the New Year. One of the many problems was that the place he booked basically looked like their Suburban semi-final in Bedford. The troubles didn’t end there, however, and as always, hilarity ensues with this wonderful, under-the-radar show. Eich

wild london

New Year’s Day, 6.30pm, BBC One

David Attenborough has fascinated us with his globe-trotting adventures over the decades, whether it’s a close encounter with a gorilla in Rwanda or mingling with millions of red crabs off the coast of Christmas Island. But his new project has the naturalist turning his attention closer to home. In this one-off film, filmed on the occasion of the centenary of his birth, Attenborough explores the city where he lived for 75 years: London. The BBC says it will be “poignant” and “personal” while uncovering the truth about how wildlife from peregrine falcons to foxes have adapted to life in the vast urban landscape. Eich

traitor

New Year’s Day, 8pm, BBC One

I just recovered celebrity traitor It’s back to October, and now it’s time for a classic version of the show to return. Can this group of ordinary people compete with the likes of disheveled traitor Alan Carr and farting Celia Imrie? We hope so. What’s certain is that the cheating game has now well and truly turned into a reality TV show, and it’s likely to break even more ratings records this time around, especially with New Year’s Day viewers staying 100 per cent loyal to their sofas. Eich

night manager

New Year’s Day, 9.05pm, BBC One

After just ten years of waiting, the BBC’s brilliant le Carré drama returns for a second series. The relatively peaceful night-time surveillance life of MI6 officer Jonathan Pine, played by Tom Hiddleston, is interrupted by a violent conflict with Colombian businessman Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva). The first series was extremely sexy and thrilling and was many British viewers’ introduction to the stunning Elizabeth Debicki. Can this follow-up, with no more le Carré material to draw from and no Debicki to draw from, live up to its predecessor? Eich