December is here, and the Christmas season is officially upon us! So, we here at Nerds & Beyond are spreading the cheer by sharing some of our favorite things to watch during the Christmas season. Check in every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday through Christmas to see what’s on our screens this time of year.
Netflix
There’s something about Christmas that just demands a corny, cliché-filled romcom. This year, Netflix is taking its turn (after Hulu’s Happiest Season last December) to serve Christmas treats for the LGBT folks. Single All the Way is exactly as you’d expect: sugary, store-bought, cookie-cutter tropes, but delightfully rainbow-colored nonetheless (and covered in no small amount of glitter).
The tropes in question? Perpetually unlucky in love Peter, played by Michael Urie (Ugly Betty),discovers that his boyfriend is actually married, right before Christmas. Not wanting to be single for the holidays with his family yet again, Peter ropes his best friend Nick (Philemon Chambers) into coming home with him—and also into embracing that classic con: the fake relationship. Their ruse doesn’t last all that long, however. It turns out that Peter’s festive-loving mom Carole (Kathy Najimy) has already set him up on a date with her spin instructor. Nick encourages Peter to go for it, and James (Luke Mcfarlane) turns out to be not only gorgeous but a decent guy. The problem? It turns out that Peter’s family kinda likes the idea of him being with Nick, actually.
Cue some familial meddling, friends to lovers, mutual pining with a little miscommunication, and “there was only one bed!” thrown in for good measure. Tropes galore. Merry Christmas, one and all.
Netflix
Oh, and of course, the glitter on top: Jennifer Coolidge. Always larger than life, leopard print, and stealing almost any scene she’s in, Coolidge plays Peter’s Tante Sandy. She delivers us a wild subplot centering around her unrealized nativity play ambitions, which leads to one of the funniest scenes in the movie.
When you click on a gay Netflix Christmas movie with a pun for a title, you know exactly what you’re getting into: a ton of unrealistic cliches; just enough angst; a cheesy ending; slightly cringey, on-the-nose humor; and a hefty dose of belief suspension. Single All the Way does exactly what you’d expect for this style of movie. But, it does manage to be quite charming in the process, delivering several genuinely funny moments and a slow build, “they didn’t know they were pining” sort of chemistry that is often underrepresented in the genre.
Urie and Chambers deliver solid performances that feel more real, imperfect, and lived-in than a lot of other textbook gay characterizations in this area, and they are carried by a stellar supporting cast including Jennifer Robertson (Schitt’s Creek) and Barry Bostwick (The Rocky Horror Show).
It’s refreshing to see a movie with queer protagonists that doesn’t use its characters’ sexualities for conflict or drama. While it’s ridiculous that this is still unusual in 2021, it’s pretty nice to watch an LGBT movie that isn’t fortified with trauma. And with Single All the Way, they not only avoided that but took it one step further; for this one, blessed Christmas moment, there’s a movie that playfully acknowledges it has gay people in it, without becoming solely about being gay. Now that is truly a Christmas miracle.
Written by Chad Hoge and directed by Michael Mayer, Single All the Way is now streaming on Netflix.
Don’t forget to check out our other Nerds Get Cheery articles for more seasonal screen selections!
This week on Dexter: New Blood, Molly and Angela decide to pursue new information about Matt, and a face Dexter fans know well returns. Meanwhile, Dexter’s paternal instinct kicks into deadly high gear. Read on to find out what happens in “Runaway.”
Warning: Run away now if you don’t want spoilers.
The Razor Shaped Elephant in the Room
Seacia Pavao/SHOWTIME
Dexter waits for Harrison and ponders the razor, wondering if Harrison remembers. Deb reminds him that he remembers what happened in the shipping container, but Dexter thinks it’s different. As they talk, Dexter begins to think telling Harrison about himself is a good idea, but Deb thinks otherwise. Harrison arrives and clocks Jim holding the razor. Harrison tells him it was for self-defense purposes. When Jim asks why Harrison brought it to school, Harrison gets extremely defensive. After a brief argument, Harrison leaves.
Soon, Jim heads to the tavern, visibly upset. Tess tries to comfort him, offering information for a therapist. Kurt wanders in, appearing to be a little drunk but jovial, nonetheless. Tess says he does that every couple of months as Kurt goes to play “Runaway” by by Del Shannon on the jukebox. Kurt pulls Tess from behind the bar to dance as Jim watches. (Knowing that Kurt currently has Chloe, it seems like this is part of his ritual.)
Straight-Up Not Having a Good Time
Seacia Pavao/SHOWTIME
Zach and Scott bring Harrison to a party, tastefully dubbed “The Kill List Party,” where everyone on Ethan’s list attends. Harrison seems uncomfortable at first, but then displays enthusiasm. Throughout, people laud him and act generally weird towards him. One girl kisses him before giving him ecstasy. Harrison clearly isn’t doing well, moving around in a haze. He eventually ends up with Scott, who gives Harrison another pill. Scott leaves and Audrey finds him. Harrison tells her that Jim doesn’t believe him. He continues by saying that Jim Lindsay isn’t even his real name. (Oh boy.) He asks if Audrey believes him before passing out. Audrey calls 911 when he doesn’t wake up.
Logan arrives and administers Narcan before bringing Harrison to the hospital. Jim arrives and the doctor fills him in on what she found in Harrison’s system. In the hallway, Logan finds the silver lining. Jim, however, is far too irritated to hear it. But he does learn who gave Scott the pills and his general location. Harrison and Jim leave, and Deb has a major “I told you so” moment. (I also found it particularly interesting she never stepped outside the hospital during this.) When they reach the car, Jim tells Harrison he’s going to therapy.
Just a Little Protective
Seacia Pavao/SHOWTIME
After setting Harrison up with breakfast, Jim heads out. Before he goes anywhere, though, he grabs some black trash bags from the shed. Next, he heads to see his livestock vet, Dr. Patel. Dexter claims he needs meds for his goat. As she’s currently preoccupied, Dr. Patel tells him where to find ketamine, also saying he can take syringes and anything else he needs when he asks. So, he grabs the ketamine, a couple of syringes, and plastic wrap.
Nearly ready for a kill, Dexter heads to Crystal Bar, where he stalks Miles. He manages to get Miles outside to tranq him. But Logan and Teddy have impeccable timing and drive up almost in time to see what’s going on. Dexter covers, resorting to beating Miles in a fit of rage. They go back to the station, where Logan questions Miles. Dexter strategically places himself within hearing range. Thanks to that and some additional slick moves, he learns Miles’ supplier’s name (Jasper) and address.
Dexter then heads to Jasper’s. Deb tries to talk him out of it. She wants Dexter to focus on being a good dad, and Dexter thinks he is. But he’s acting out of vengeance, not his urges or the Code. He doesn’t care. The house has just enough evidence to fit the Code anyway. Dexter gets in and gets Jasper on his table, in a kill room (with the return of the victim photos!) set up in the house. However, as Dexter is about to kill Jasper, he hears something outside. It’s Logan. Dexter changes his plans, forcing Jasper to inhale some drugs before cutting him free and leaving him for the police to find.
Routine, Routine, Broken Routine
Kurt shows Chloe the room he’s offering, and she’s beyond thrilled. Soon, though, she realizes she’s trapped and spots the camera. She concocts a strategy to goad Kurt. First, she begins removing her shirt, and through a mic, he tells her to stop. But she doesn’t, removing her bra until Kurt angrily shuts the camera off for the time being. When she lies on the bed, she reveals a large mirror shard.
Kurt begins prepping to kill her. He opens the door to let her out, saying she can leave. Instead, she demands he makes her. He heads to the room, and she attacks, slicing his cheek with the shard. He drags her outside, but the kill doesn’t go as planned. Chloe still dies, but Kurt’s entire routine is thrown off balance. Irritated, he heads to his diner, where he runs into Harrison, who was leaving town. Kurt buys Harrison a meal and asks what’s next. He imparts advice Harrison doesn’t want before offering (rather irately) Harrison a job.
An Angel Lands in New York
Seacia Pavao/SHOWTIME
Angela and Molly are at the station. Logan tells them he ran Matt’s credit card and got a hit at the hotel. Angela is annoyed, wanting to scold Matt in person. So, Molly says they should go to Manhattan. (She also wants to salvage her podcast episode.) Angela agrees, mentioning a law enforcement conference about missing persons she wants to attend.
They reach the hotel, and Logan calls Angela to tell her about the party and that Audrey is safe. Meanwhile, Molly tries to sweet talk information out of the front desk attendant, Thomas. He refuses to tell her anything until Angela flashes her badge. They learn Matt checked out the previous night. With a little more pushing, Thomas agrees to show them security footage later. Once they get it, they see the man is assuredly not Matthew Caldwell.
They head to the conference, where the one and only CAPTAIN Angel Batista (we really, really, really missed him) discusses how Miami Metro broke the Bay Harbor Butcher case – information that can be useful to Angela. After, Angela finds him and tells him about the missing girls. She knows something is off. He tells her to listen to her instinct. As he gets up to get drinks, he says this reminds him of the Trinity Killer case, and how a detective – Debra Morgan – helped break it by following her instinct. (Have you started sweating nervously yet?) Angela thinks Debra could help. But Batista breaks the news she died… along with her brother… who left behind a son. A son whose name Batista doesn’t remember… until he does. Harrison.
Hello, Whatever Your Real Name Is
Angela gets home, and Audrey is waiting for her. Angela assures Audrey she’s not mad about what happened. Thanks to Audrey, Harrison is alive. But something’s still bothering Audrey. She tells Angela what Harrison said at the party, about Jim Lindsay’s real name not being Jim Lindsay. That plus the information she gained from Batista is enough to prompt Angela to do some digging. And she finds Dexter Morgan’s obituary, complete with a photo.
Other Noteworthy Moments
Harrison was supposed to go to his first therapy session. Obviously, this doesn’t happen. But Jim doesn’t know that. How long until he finds out Harrison lied and tried to run away? And how will it affect their increasingly rocky relationship?
Did you recognize that end credit song? If you didn’t, it’s called “Ketamine,” by Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum. One of their three members is none other than Dexter himself, Michael C. Hall. Find “Ketamine” and the rest of the group’s music on Apple Music, Spotify, and iTunes.
Dexter: New Blood airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on Showtime. Keep up with our weekly recaps here, and the rest of our coverage here.
As audiences eagerly await news on the upcoming third season of Prime Video’s hit series The Boys, a special announcement has just rolled in. Ahead of the season 3 premiere, a new animated anthology series set in the world of The Boys is coming — Diabolical.
Diabolical will consist of eight “deliciously unique, twisted” animated episodes that will reveal unseen stories from the universe of The Boys. Writers will include Awkwafina, Garth Ennis, Eliot Glazer, Iliana Glazer, Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, Simon Racioppa, Justin Roiland, Ben Bayouth, Andy Samberg, and Aisha Tyler.
The series is due to arrive exclusively on Prime Video in early 2022.
The news was confirmed in an official video from Billy Butcher himself, series star Karl Urban.
Eric Kripke said about the series in a statement, “Surprise! We’re almost finished with eight episodes of our animated series, Diabolical. We gathered together some incredible creators and we gave them one rule … just kidding, there’s no rules. They blew the doors off it, delivering eight completely unexpected, funny, shocking, gory, moist, emotional episodes. You think The Boys is nuts? Wait till you see this.”
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg added, “Ever since we saw the animated film The Animatrix, a series of short animated films set in the universe of The Matrix, we’ve wanted to rip it off. Today that dream has come true.”
Diabolical is executive produced by Simon Racioppa, Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Ori Marmur, Ken F. Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Michaela Starr, Loreli Alanís, Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, and Ben Kalina.
The Boys, which is based on the best-selling comic book series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, is an irreverent take on what happens when superheroes, who are as popular as celebrities, as influential as politicians, and as revered as Gods, abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. It’s the powerless against the super powerful as The Boys embark on a heroic quest to expose the truth about The Seven and their formidable Vought backing.
Diabolical isn’t the first spin-off to come out of the The Boys; a series about a Supe university is also currently in the works.
Seasons 1 and 2 of The Boys are now streaming exclusively on Prime Video. Catch up on all of our coverage on the show here.
As part of the press tour for West Side Story, Rachel Zegler will be appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show on December 7! The episode will also include an appearance from Whoopi Goldberg.
Zegler is earning rave reviews for her debut role as Maria, winning the National Board of Review prize for Best Actress this week. The film is set for release on December 10, with IMAX fan events set for tomorrow, December 6. To see when The Drew Barrymore Show is airing in your area, check your local listings.
Jordan Fisher is set to appear on ABC’s The View tomorrow, Monday, December 6.
Fisher is a multi-talented artist who is reprising his role as Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. The show returns to Broadway with performances starting on December 11 at the Music Box Theatre.
Fisher had previously appeared in Dear Evan Hansen prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, and fans are excited to see him back in the role. Tickets are available to see Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, here.
The View airs on ABC, check your local listings for the time.
Ahead ofThe Matrix Resurrectionsreleasing, star Keanu Reeves will appear on LiveWith Kelly and Ryan to promote the film.
Reeves returns for the fourth installment of the Wachowski sisters’ Matrix franchise. In Resurrections, Neo (Reeves) has found himself back inside the Matrix with no recollection of his past.”… Choice, while an illusion, is still the only way in or out of the Matrix, which is stronger, more secure and more dangerous than ever before.” Lana Wachowski directed the film.
The Matrix Resurrections debuts in theaters on December 22, 2021. Check local listings to see when LIVE with Kelly and Ryan airs near you.
After weeks of waiting, Mike Shinoda’s (Linkin Park/Fort Minor) newest project, ZIGGURATS, is finally here!
Initially announcing the project back in September, Shinoda recently gave a more in depth look on his latest project, titled ZIGGURATS. Describing it as a “generative mixtape” with roots drawing from a 90s hip-hop feel, he has created a one-of-a-kind music experience.
Similar to Dropped Frames, Shinoda’s three volume collection of instrumental beats created live on Twitch, ZIGGURATS also drew inspiration from his Twitch streams and community. Bringing together bits and pieces of beats, music, vocals, and art he’s made in the past few years, Shinoda painstakingly handcrafted four unique tracks, “Genius Bar,” “Richard Bachman,” “Cheat Codes,” and “CTRL C CTRL V.” Like the music, Shinoda also created the art for this six minute and forty-four second EP, featuring five very different characters on the cover. ZIGGURATS was released on streaming services December 3.
Talking about the project, Shinoda said:
“Mixtapes were an actual cassette back in the day… but what you’d always get were verses…you weren’t really getting hooks or promotional drops. The format was for a rapper to come onto the track and showcase their skills and drop bars. It’s all rap verses over beats and it’s 6:45 minutes.”
A source of constant creativity, ZIGGURATS is far from Mike Shinoda’s only recent project. Streaming three days a week on Twitch from his home studio, Shinoda has been hard at work. ZIGGURATS follows the release of the single “Happy Endings,” featuring alternative/pop artist UPSAHL and rapper iann dior, released earlier this year, and his three volume Dropped Frames from 2020. More recently, Shinoda also received a Grammy nomination for his remix of Deftones’ “Passenger” for the upcoming 2022 Grammy Awards.
Make sure to check out Mike Shinoda’s newest solo EP ZIGGURATSstreaming worldwide! Watch the official lyric video for the project below!
It’s always a surprise when Ghostface is unmasked in the Scream franchise, and 2022’s Scream promises to continue the tradition. The fifth installment to the horror franchise spawned by Wes Craven unveiled a full cast of character posters on Saturday in addition to a featurette for the franchise’s baddie — Ghostface. In What Makes Scream’s Ghostface Such a Scary Horror Icon? cast members both past and present dive into what makes Ghostface so frightening and iconic. Check out the cast photos below.
Neve Campbell/Sidney Prescott
David Arquette/Dewey Riley
Courtney Cox/Gale Weathers
Dylan Minnette/Wes Hicks
Jenna Ortega/Tara Carptenter
Jack Quaid/Richie Kirsch
Jasmin Savoy Brown/Mindy Meeks-Martin
Melissa Barrera/Sam Carpenter
Mason Gooding/Chad Meeks-Martin
Mikey Madison/Amber Freeman
Marley Shelton/Judy Hicks
Sofia Ammar/Liv McKenzie
Paramount Pictures
While it was initially a nail-biter for directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett to see if three integral members of the original cast would join, their dreams came true with the return of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette. The fifth installment, Scream, is the first movie in the franchise’s 25 years that is not directed by the late horror genius, Wes Craven. Thankfully, audiences will get to see final-girl Sidney Prescott, resourceful journalist Gale Weathers, and the brave lawman Dewey Riley face off against Ghostface once again.
Jack Quaid (The Boys), Melissa Barrera (In the Heights) and Jenna Ortega (You) join the ensemble headed by Campbell, Cox, and Arquette. Dylan Minette (Goosebumps), Mason Gooding (Let It Snow),Kyle Gallner(Ghosts of War),Jasmin Savoy Brown(Love), andMikey Madison (Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood) are also bringing new faces to the franchise. Marley Shelton is also returning from Scream 4 as Deputy Judy Hicks.
Scream will be in theaters January 14, 2022. Further updates for the movie can be found on the Scream movie website, with our continued coverage found here.
Sony has released a new clip from Morbius, showcasing the transformation Michael Morbius undertakes when his newfound powers are unleashed.
Morbius follows the origin story of Dr. Michael Morbius, a scientist with a rare blood disease who develops a cure. Unfortunately, cures come at a cost sometimes, and in Morbius’ case, the consequence is becoming a blood-thirsty half-vampire. Morbius will add to the list of anti-heroes joining Sony’s Shared Spider-Man Universe alongside Venom.
Jared Leto will star as Morbius alongside Jared Harris, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson. This movie will add to the ever-growing list of Spider-Man villains currently on the big screen rotation and will feature at least a cameo from Michael Keaton’s portrayal of Adrien Toomes/The Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The full-length trailer released last month has multiple references to the different iterations of Spider-Man the big screen has seen since the early 2000s, including nods to events lived through the MCU’s version of Spider-Man (Tom Holland), The Amazing Spider-Man‘s version (Andrew Garfield), and Sam Raimi’s version (Tobey Maguire). In addition to these references, the trailer also name-drops Tom Hardy’s Venom and gives a glance at Michael Keaton returning as Adrien Toomes.
The official synopsis for Morbius follows:
“One of Marvel’s most compelling and conflicted characters comes to the big screen as Oscar winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero, Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success soon reveals itself to be a remedy potentially worse than the disease.”
In addition to the exclusive scene, Sony also unveiled the poster for the upcoming movie.
Miles Morales’ (voiced by Shameik Moore) story will continue where it left off after 2018’s animated Oscar-winner Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Not only did Sony unveil a first look at the sequel on Saturday, but they also confirmed the official title for the movie: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One). You read that right! Rather than one direct sequel, Spider-Verse will receive two sequels.
With the first installment of this franchise taking place largely in Miles’ home universe, it appears that part one of the sequels will involve an adventure through the Multiverse. In the first look, we see Miles and Gwen (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) reunite and head off into the Multiverse together. The fun doesn’t end there though, because fans of the web-slinger also receive a look at Miles entangled in a face-off against Miguel O’Hara aka Spider-Man 2099 (voiced by Oscar Isaac). Spider-Man 2099 first appeared in the end-credit scene for the first movie.
Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson are directing Across the Spider-Verse, taking over from the first installment’s directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman. Returning from the first movie are writer-producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller to write the script, along with Dave Callaham (Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings).
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) swings into theaters October 7, 2022.
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