1 of 5 | Will Smith stars in "Emancipation," streaming Friday on Apple TV+. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
License Photo
Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Will Smith film Emancipation, stop-motion adventure Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise, holiday romance A Christmas Fumble and music special CMA Country Christmas are among the entertainment options streaming this weekend.
In addition, the Night at the Museum franchise returns with animated movie Kahmunrah Rises Again, a Broadway star is celebrated in Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?, the holidays get hazy in It's a Wonderful Binge, anthology series Little America returns, celebrities sing in new episodes of Carpool Karaoke: The Series, Steve Martin and Martin Short host SNL and Washington rings in the Christmas season with National Christmas Tree Lighting: Celebrating 100 Years.
Here's a rundown of some of the movies and TV shows coming to streaming platforms this weekend.
Film
'Emancipation' -- AppleTV+
Drama film Emancipation, which streams Friday on AppleTV+, tells the real-life story of Peter (Will Smith), a slave who escaped slavery in Louisiana to join the Union Army. A photo of the whipping scars on Peter's back is credited with raising the profile of the abolitionist cause after being published in Harper's Weekly in 1863. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, also stars Ben Foster, Steven Ogg, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, Mustafa Shakir, Grant Harvey, Ronnie Gene Blevins and Timothy Hutton.
'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' -- Netflix
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, a reimagining of the Carlo Collodi book The Adventures of Pinocchio, streams Friday on Netflix. The stop-motion animated film, co-directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson, follows the story of Pinocchio (Gregory Mann), a wooden puppet who comes to life and brings both joy and chaos into the life of his creator, Geppetto (David Bradley). Ewan McGregor also stars as Pinocchio's friend, Sebastian J. Cricket. Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, Rom Perlman, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett and Burn Gorman also have roles.
'Ticket to Paradise' -- Peacock
Romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise, starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts, streams Friday on Peacock. The film, written by Ol Parker and Daniel Pipski and directed by Parker, tells the story of exes who find themselves on a shared mission to stop their lovestruck daughter from making the same mistake they once made. Kaitlyn Dever, Billie Lourd, Maxime Bouttier and Lucas Bravo also star.
'A Christmas Fumble' -- OWN, Discovery+
Holiday romance A Christmas Fumble, which airs Saturday on cable network OWN and streams on Discovery+, follows crisis manager Nicole Barnes (Eva Marcilleis) as she tries to help NFL-star-turned-TV-personality Jordan Davies (Devale Ellis) weather a crisis -- all while keeping her bosses from learning of her previous relationship with her client.
'Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?' -- Disney+
Documentary feature Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?, streaming Friday on Disney+, looks back on the life and career of actress and singer Idina Menzel as she prepares to realize her lifelong dream of performing at Madison Square Garden. the documentary is directed by Anne McCabe.
'Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again' -- Disney+
The fourth entry in the Night at the Museum film franchise, Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again, streams Friday on Disney+. The first animated entry in the series, Kahmunrah Rises Again sees Zachary Levi take over the role of Larry Daley, the museum guard previously portrayed by Ben Stiller. The new movie stars Joshua Bassett as Daley's son, Nick, who gets a summer job following in his father's footsteps. The film also features the voices of Alice Isaaz, Joseph Kamal, Thomas Lennon, Akmal Saleh, Kieran Sequoia, Jack Whitehall, Bowen Yang and Steve Zahn.
'It's A Wonderful Binge' -- Hulu
The Binge, a 2020 Hulu original comedy film spoofing The Purge horror franchise, gets a holiday-themed sequel in It's a Wonderful Binge, streaming Friday on Hulu. The new film sees the Binge, an annual event where all drugs and alcohol are legal for only a single day, coincide with Christmas Eve. The comedy, written and directed by Jordan VanDina, stars Eduardo Franco, Dexter Darden, Zainne Saleh, Marta Piekarz, Danny Trejo, Tony Cavalero, Nick Swardson, Kaitlin Olson, Tim Meadows, Paul Scheer, Patty Guggenheim, Esteban Benito, Eileen Galindo and Karen Maruyama.
TV
'Little America' Season 2 -- AppleTV+
Anthology series Little America, created by Lee Eisenberg and Siân Heder, returns for a second season Friday on Apple TV+. The series, influenced by true stories featured in Vox Media's Epic Magazine, tells the stories of immigrants from all over the world living in the United States. The new season features performances from Phylicia Rashad, Alan S. Kim, Ki Hong Lee and more.
'Carpool Karaoke: The Series' -- Apple TV+
Apple TV+ original Carpool Karaoke: The Series returns Friday with a new batch of episodes featuring various celebrities singing behind the wheel. Guests for the new episodes include brothers Kevin and Michael Bacon, married duo Ciara and Russell Wilson, Hillary Clinton and daughter Chelsea, Duran Duran and Sandra Oh, the cast of For All Mankind and more.
'CMA Country Christmas' -- Hulu, Disney+
Carly Pearce hosts this year's installment of CMA Country Christmas, which airs Thursday on ABC and streams Friday on Hulu and Disney+. The 13th annual holiday special features performances by Steven Curtis Chapman, Dan + Shay, Scotty McCreery, Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Pearce, Molly Tuttle and The War And Treaty.
'Saturday Night Live' -- NBC, Peacock
Steve Martin and Martin Short serve as co-hosts for this weekend's installment of Saturday Night Live, which airs Saturday night on NBC and streams Sunday on Peacock. The duo will be joined by musical guest Brandi Carlile for the last SNL episode of 2022.
'National Christmas Tree Lighting: Celebrating 100 Years' -- CBS, Paramount+
The lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., was celebrated with a 100th annual ceremony Nov. 30. The ceremony will be broadcast Sunday at 8 p.m. EST and streamed on Paramount+ at the same time, with on-demand viewing available starting Monday. The special features celebrities including LL Cool J, Joss Stone, Shania Twain, Andy Grammer, the Estefans and Yolanda Adams.
