Couch Theatre: Ryan Reynolds
By Demi Taveras
"Spirited" (PG-13) -- Diehard Christmas fans no longer have to wait until December to watch new holiday movies, especially with one of the most expected films of the 2022 season out on Nov. 18! "Spirited" reimagines the well-known tale of "A Christmas Carol" in a much more modern and grand sense. Ryan Reynolds is none other than Ebenezer Scrooge, while Will Ferrell portrays the Ghost of Christmas Present. Also part of the cast are Octavia Spencer, Sunita Mani and Patrick Page. Full of musical numbers and so many jokes thrown between Ferrell and Reynolds, this release will put you right in the Christmas spirit. (AppleTV+)
Ryan Reynolds is a modern-day Scrooge and Will Ferrell is the Ghost of Christmas Present in "Spirited." Photo Credit: Courtesy of AppleTV+
"Falling for Christmas" (TV-PG) -- Lindsay Lohan (yup, you read that right) is making her return to acting for the first time in more than a decade, starring as Sierra Belmont, a "Paris Hilton" type who loses all memory of herself after a ski accident gone wrong. Sierra is found by single father and lodge owner Jake (Chord Overstreet), who gives her a place to stay while she waits to be found by her family. The magical circumstances that bring Sierra and Jake together, right in time for Christmas, put lots of love in the air. Lohan smartly decided to go back to her romantic-comedy roots, which no doubt begs the question of whether her public image will remain a controversy following this release. Out now. (Netflix)
"A Christmas Story Christmas" (PG) -- Releasing Nov. 17, yet another Christmas movie will already be out pre-December for viewers to enjoy. Dubbed as the official legacy sequel to the 1983 film "A Christmas Story," Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) returns from the first film, 30 years later. After the death of the Old Man, the now grown-up Ralphie makes his way back to his former home on Cleveland Street with the intent to give his children a Christmas just like the one he had when he was a kid. Ralphie's longtime friends Flick and Schwartz also make appearances in the sequel. (HBO Max)
"Disenchanted" (PG) -- Speaking of sequels coming decades after the original, the sequel to the 2007 film "Enchanted" heads straight to streaming on Nov. 18. A majority of the original cast will reprise the roles, including Amy Adams as Giselle, Patrick Dempsey as her husband, Robert, James Marsden as King Edward and Idina Menzel as Queen Nancy. Giselle and Robert move with their now-16-year-old daughter, Morgan, from New York to a suburb called Monroeville, but when the move isn't going exactly as planned, Giselle gets an ingenious idea just to wish for happiness instead. Unfortunately, when the spell backfires, Giselle is forced to make a plan to save her family and her homeland from demise. (Disney+)
(c) 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.