A Christmas Carol, on FX
Don’t miss this dark, immersive and spine-tingling take on Charles Dickens’ iconic Christmas ghost story that boasts an all-star cast of actors including Guy Pearce as Ebenezer Scrooge, Stephen Graham as Jacob Marley, and Andy Serkis as the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Tender laughs: Walton Goggins stars in 'The Unicorn' on CBS
Walton Goggins stars in "The Unicorn"
Tender laughs: Walton Goggins stars in 'The Unicorn' on CBS
Walton Goggins stars in "The Unicorn"
Q: Who does the voice of Frosty in "Frosty Returns"? It sounds so familiar.
It'll make perfect sense when you know: It's John Goodman.
Who else should play the magical, hulking nice guy in a feel-good story featuring a cast of comedy luminaries?
The 1992 special, a followup to the classic 1969 Rankin and Bass cartoon, also featured "Saturday Night Live" alum Jan Hooks, '80s screwball-comedy great Brian Doyle-Murray, "SCTV" star Andrea Martin, and standup comedy legend Jonathan Winters.
Live in Front of a Studio Audience, on ABC
Jimmy Kimmel returns to host the special that captivated audiences last spring, complete with an all-star cast. Live recreations of Emmy Award-winning series "All in the Family" and ground-breaking sitcom "Good Times" are featured in this new installment.
Well Groomed, on HBO
This SXSW documentary delves into the stunning world of creative dog grooming. Follow a group of women who transform their beloved poodles into bright, colorful works of furry art for the annual Creative Dog Grooming Competition in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Holidays With the Houghs, on NBC
Join remarkably talented siblings, Derek and Julianne Hough, in this festive hour-long special. Along with some of the duo’s fancy footwork, the special will include hilarious comedy sketches, performances by top recording artists and visits from their celebrity friends.
Q: Is "You've Got Mail" a Christmas movie?
The definition of Christmas movie has always been loose, but is pretty hotly contested these days -- see the ongoing debate (to put it mildly) about "Die Hard" (1988).
The discussion seems to revolve around a few questions: Does most of the action take place during Christmas? Is the holiday somehow central to the plot? And more controversially: Is it a feel-good, happy sort of story? (That's where the action-movie entries lose points.)
New Releases for the week of December 15 - 21
Ad Astra
When human life on Earth is threatened by power surges in the solar system, Maj. Roy McBride (Pitt), the son of celebrated astronaut H. Clifford McBride (Jones), is notified by U.S. Space Command that the current disturbance is happening because of the defunct Lima Project, which was created 26 years ago by his father, who hoped to find intelligent life. After receiving information that his missing father may still be alive, Roy accepts a mission to travel into the solar system to not only locate his father, but also find the source of the mysterious power surges threatening human life.
Director: James Gray. Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland, Liv Tyler, Kimberly Elise. 2019. 123 mins. Action.
Downton Abbey
This film is set in 1927 and continues the storyline from the original television series. Robert (Bonneville) and Cora Crawley (McGovern), the Earl and Countess of Grantham, are notified that King George V (Jones) and Queen Mary (James) will visit Downton Abbey as part of their royal tour through the country. The Royal Family travels with their own assemblage of staff and attendants, however, and feathers are ruffled as the families and their entourages clash.
Director: Michael Engler. Stars: Matthew Goode, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Tuppence Middleton, Michelle Dockery, Kate Phillips, Allen Leech, Joanne Froggatt, Hugh Bonneville, Simon Jones, Geraldine James. 2019. 122 mins. Drama.
Abominable
After discovering a young escaped yeti on her apartment roof in Shanghai, Yi (Bennet) names the creature Everest. Yi gains the young Yeti's trust by hiding him from his wealthy owner, Mr. Burnish (Izzard), who seeks to exploit him, and she makes it her mission to travel across the Himalayas to reunite Everest with his family on Mount Everest.
Directors: Jill Culton, Todd Wilderman. Stars: Chloe Bennet, Albert Tsai, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Joseph Izzo, Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson. 2019. 97 mins. Animation.
Rambo: Last Blood
Having retreated to Arizona in an attempt to live a normal life, Vietnam War veteran John Rambo (Stallone) reconnects with an old friend, Maria (Barraza), and her granddaughter, Gabriela (Monreal). When traveling in Mexico to meet her biological father, Gabriela is drugged and kidnapped by a cartel, and it falls on Rambo to save Gabriela and defeat the vicious cartel.
Director: Adrian Grunberg. Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adriana Barraza, Yvette Monreal. 2019. 89 mins. Action.
The 42nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors, on CBS
Celebrate artistry that has made a profound cultural impact by honoring R&B collective Earth, Wind & Fire, actress Sally Field, singer Linda Ronstadt, children's show “Sesame Street” and visionary conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.