Laverne and Shirley : New Years Eve 1959 (1977)

Released on ABC, airing December 27th in the US.

Season 3. Episode 12.

The story: Shirley is having a party this New Year's Eve at the Pizza Bowl.
She doesn't want to pressure Laverne, but she wants her to finally make a decision on who she will be attending with.

Laverne really wanted to go out with Norman, but because he's a Milwaukee policeman, he is on duty on New Year's Eve.

So Laverne now has to make a decision between three other guys, although she really wanted to go out with someone special this year.

Just then, Beatrice shows up at the Pizza Bowl, and Shirley wants to know if Beatrice and her boyfriend Pete want to come to the party.

That's when Beatrice tells Shirley that she and Pete broke up.

Funny thing about that is, Laverne has had a crush on Pete since that picnic in the sixth grade.

Shirley thinks it's a big chance that if Laverne invites Pete over to the house, Shirley can persuade him to take Laverne to the party.
Stars Shirley Williams , Penny Marshall, David L Lander , Michael McKean , Craig Littler , Eddie Mekka , Phil Foster , Betty Garrett , Leoda Richards , Bo Kaprall

Directed by Alan Rafkin

Rated TV G

COMEDY/FAMILY/NEW YEARS/SERIES/TV

Laverne and Shirley : O Come All Ye Bums (1978)

Released on ABC, airing December 19th in the US.

Season 4. Episode 14.

The story: Every year at Christmas, Mr. DeFazio hosts a Christmas dinner for the homeless, and everyone is looking forward to it.

But this year, the pizza bowl hasn't been doing so well, and he's been working as a department store Santa to make the extra money to throw the party.

When he gets fired from the Santa gig, he insists there will be no dinner.

That's when Laverne, Shirley, and Carmine hit the streets to try and raise the funds.

Stars Penny Marshall , Cindy Williams , Hamilton Camp , Mickey Fox , Paul Micale , Michael McKean , David L Lander , Scott Marshall , Phil Foster , Rusdi Lane , Lynne Marie Stewart , Eddie Mekka , Wayne Powers

Directed by Joel Zwick

Rated TVG

COMEDY/FAMILY/CHRISTMAS/TV/SERIES

"Behave yourself, little man. Because Santa Claus likes to eat little bad boys...."

No Exit (2022)

Released February 26th in the US.

Filmed entirely in New Zealand.

The story: Darby is a young woman who recently overdosed and currently finds herself in rehab instead of jail...

While at a meeting, she gets an urgent phone call.

Apparently, her mother is in the hospital, and it's not good. 

When Darby tries calling her mother, she isn't allowed to, due to those rules she knows all about.

She is very worried about her mother, and because she is given such a hard time about using the phone, she decides there is no other alternative.

Darby must see her mother.

She finds her way outside of the rehab and hot-wires an orderly's car.

On her way out of town, she drives into a snowstorm.

When she is found by police sleeping on the side of the road, she is told to take a driving break at the rest area nearby.

There, Darby finds two men her age and an older couple.

It seems they are all stranded there and, of course, without any phone service.

When one of them mentions that they got a bit of phone service outside by the tree, Darby makes her way out there to give it a try.

Instead of service, she is terrified to find something else out there that she cannot bring herself to walk away from.

Stars Havana Rose Liu , James Gaylyn , Nick Davies , Jared Hill , Benedict Wall , Dennis Haysbert , Dale Dickey , David Rysdahl , Danny Ramirez , Mila Harris , Sam Forde , Paul Green

Directed by Damien Power

Rated R
MYSTERY/THRILLER

Taxi : A Full House for Christmas (1978)

Released on ABC , airing December 12th in the US.

Season 1. Episode 13.

The story : Elaine is down about Christmas this year , so she decides to have a small party at the garage.

Louie's little brother Nick is visiting from Las Vegas and that's all their mother has been talking about.

But Nick isnt exactly interested in spending time with his mother , he's more interested in gambling.

Louie gets Alex to play a high stakes poker game against Nick , with Louie funding Alex's game. 
If Alex wins , Louie can get his brother to commit to spending time with their mother.

Stars Marilu Henner , Danny DeVito , Jeff Conaway , Judd Hirsch , Tony Danza , Richard Foronjy , Benny Powell Singers , Randall Carver , Darren Milton , Ian Bruce , Joyce Goldman 

Directed by James Burrows

Rated TVPG

COMEDY/CHRISTMAS/SERIES/TV

Last Man Standing : Putting a Hit on Christmas (2012)

Released on ABC, airing December 14th in the US.

Season 2. Episode 7.

The story: Ryan has been trying to talk Kristen into allowing him to take Boyd to Canada for Christmas this year.

Mike also believes Boyd should be home with them at Christmas.

After Vanessa expresses how hectic the holidays are for her and that she really wishes Christmas was like it used to be, before they had any kids, Mike changes his mind about Boyd going to Canada.

Mike also tries getting rid of the rest of the family as well, so he and Vanessa can have a Christmas alone,  like old times.

Stars Amanda Fuller , Jordan Masterson , Nancy Travis , Tim Allen , Flynn Morrison , Christoph Sanders , Kaitlyn Dever , Hector Elizondo , Molly Ephraim , Hope Lauren

Directed by John Pasquin

Rated TVPG

COMEDY/CHRISTMAS/SERIES/TV

Last Man Standing : Last Christmas Standing (2011)

Released on ABC, airing December 6th in the US.

Season 1. Episode 12.

The story: While at Christmas service at the church, everyone notices Kristen's ex/Boyd's dad, Ryan has shown up.

After church, Kristen explains Rthat yan is back in town and wants to have a relationship with Boyd.

Mike is having the hardest time with Ryan's return and doesn't want to have anything to do with him.

But when Ryan shows up on Christmas day, Kristen reminds Mike of a story that teaches people to forget about the past and forgive those around us on the holidays.

Stars Tom Allen , Nancy Travis , Molly Ephraim , Kaitlyn Dever ,  Alexandra Krosney , Evan George Kruntchev , Luke Andrew Kruntchev , Nick Jonas , Paris Dylan , Kristop Sanders , Hector Elizondo , Natalie Distler , Logan Kishi 

Directed by John Pasquin

Rated TVPG
COMEDY/CHRISTMAS/SERIES/TV

Golden Girls : Have Yourself a Very Little Christmas (1989)

Released on NBC, airing December 16th in the US.

Season 5. Episode 12.

The story: It is only two days before Christmas, and it's really too hectic at the stores to go running around shopping for gifts.

Dorothy suggests that they put their names in a bowl, and whoever's name each one of them picks is the only gift they need to buy.

At first, Rose disagrees with the idea.

But after giving it some thought, she believes it's a good idea.

Her church is serving Christmas dinner to the poor, hungry people in the neighborhood, and Rose volunteered to help serve, so that will give her all the Christmas spirit she needs.

After opening their presents and Blanche is happy with the gift Rose gave her , Dorothy asks if the church could use more help.

Rose assures her they could , that's when Blanche decides she wants to help too.

While helping , Blanche and Dorothy are saddened to see so many children at the dinner.

Then , Dorothy finds out that the man in the Santa suit that arrived with the rest of the people for dinner is Stan which she never seen coming.

Stars Bea Arthur , Herb Edelman , Rue McClanahan , Estelle Getty , Betty White , Matt McCoy , Cynthia Lea Clark

Directed by Terry Hughes

Rated TVPG
COMEDY/CHRISTMAS/SERIES/TV

"Who's for some fresh, baked Christmas cookies?"
"Rose, why are the cookies in the shapes of American flags and Liberty bells?"
"I couldn't find the Christmas cookie cutters, so I used the Fourth of July cutters instead."
"I wonder where President Bush stands on eating the flag."

Golden Girls : 'Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas (1986)

Released on NBC, airing December 20th in the US.

Season 2. Episode 12. 

The story: This year for Christmas, the girls have plans to go home to spend the holidays with their families, which they are all really looking forward to.

But before they go, Rose has suggested that they have a small Christmas celebration together and swap gifts that they made for each other instead of buying them, and everyone agrees.

On Christmas Day, Rose is helping at the Grief Counseling Center.

When Dorothy and Blanche show up to get Rose, they end up having to wait a bit while Rose deals with a man who is struggling with money problems.

Just as they are on their way out, a man dressed as Santa Claus enters the room.

Rose greets him, telling everyone Santa has come to visit.

That's when Santa keeps them all hostages.

Stars Bea Arthur , Estelle Getty , Betty White , Rue McClanahan , Craig Richard Nelson , Sam Anderson , Terry Kiser , Teddy Wilson , Buddy Daniels Friedman

Directed by Terry Hughes 

Rated TVPG
COMEDY/CHRISTMAS/SERIES/TV

"Rose, I love it. This will come in a lot handier than those pearl earrings....the next time I'm lost in the woods with a stack of pancakes."

ReMastered : Tricky Dick and the Man in Black (2018)

Made for Netflix, airing on instant streaming November 2nd in the US.

Filming location(s) unknown.

The story: When Richard Nixon ran for President of the United States in 1960, he was beaten out by John F. Kennedy.

In 1968, Richard Nixon ran, once again for the presidency, and this time around won.

It was a time of battles between race, war, and peace.

Nixon's intention was to identify with Middle America, and he felt that singer/songwriter Johnny Cash was literally as much Middle America as humanly possible.

He believed that he understood Cash's symbolic importance, and, relating to him, believed Cash could relate to him as well.

When Cash spoke publicly on his TV show one evening that he supported the president, it spoke volumes to the world.

Even more so to Nixon, who decided to invite Cash and his whole family to the White House.

On April 11 , 1970, President Nixon helped to organize the Cash concert at the White House that night, titled 'An Evening at the White House with Johnny Cash'.

It was the very same night that the Apollo 13 mission became a successful failure.

All that happened that night was completely legendary and changed America once again.

Stars Joanne Cash , Mark Stielper , Tommy Cash , Rev Jimmy Snow , Billy Zimmerman , Aram Bakshian , John Carter Cash , Don Reid , Pat Buchanan , Alexander Butterfield , WS Holland 

Directed by Sara Dosa & Barbara Kopple

Not Rated

HISTORY/DOCUMENTARY/BIOGRAPHY/MUSIC/TV

"A dove with claws."

Being Charlie (2015)

 

Released May 6, 2016 in the US.

Filmed in Utah and California.

Based on truths.

The story: Eighteen, Charlie takes it upon himself to skip the drug clinic he was currently in treatment at in the middle of nowhere and heads home, where it's familiar.

When he gets there, he walks into an intervention, which he tries running out on, but has no other choice.

At first, Charlie is ready to leave just as quickly as he arrived, but one night,  while getting ready to walk away, he hesitates due to Eva, a seemingly strong girl who is also getting treatment there.

Charlie then begins to give this new way of life a good try, mostly due to the new people with struggles like his that he befriends and lets into his life.

He still battles with his relationship with his politician father, but truly wants to do what's right for himself as well as his parents.

Soon Eva and Charlie are inseparable and help each other through their treatments.

When they finally get a bit of freedom that they believe they need, Eva cannot stay sober, and that sends Charlie over the edge right behind her.

But at what cost?

Stars Nick Robinson , Charles Halford , Aubrey Reynolds, Devon Bostick , Cary Elwes , Susan Misner , Common , Morgan Saylor , Eric Aude , Richardo Chavira , Richard Sharrah , Christy Summerhays , David H Stevens , Christopher Robin Miller , Zachary Grant , Nathan Stevens , Karli Hall

Directed by Rob Reiner

Rated R
DRAMA

Rob Reiner 

1947 - 2025

Rest in Peace 

Welcome to Chippendales (2022)

Released on Hulu instant streaming as an 8-part mini series, November 22nd in the US.

Filmed in California and Nevada.

Based on truths.

The story: In the 70s, South Asian Somen "Steve" Banerjee was working at a gas station in L.A.

But he wanted to be a businessman who made a lot of money.

After 7 years of saving up almost all of the small amounts of cash he made, he decided to buy a dying club and turn it into a bar/backgammon club. But that just wasn't working.

On an off night in 1979, Banerjee met Paul Snider, who was a club promoter.

Snider befriended Banerjee simply by telling him all about his and his wife Dorothy Stratten's friendship with Hugh Hefner, which fascinated Banerjee as he aspired to be rich and famous just like Hefner.

Soon, the two men brainstormed the club as a strip club for women, and that's when Chippendales was born.

It did well at first, but when Emmy-award-winning choreographer Nick De Noia was thrown into the mix, the club really took off.

Soon, many problems arose. From Banerjee's constant jealousy of De Noia's fame over his work with the club, to rival male stripclub openings, and finally to the club being shut down by the L.A. fire department due to the club being overloaded, causing the fire exits to be blocked off.

All that Banerjee ever wanted was accomplished, but his control issues and fierce neglect for the law finally caught up with him.

Stars Kumail Nanjiani , Eliyas Qureshi , Dan Stevens , Nicola Peltz Beckham , Philip Shabaz , Darren Lipari , Mark Jacobson , Joshua Hoyo Jr , Luke Crory , Adam Ray , Murray Bartlett , Cyrus Hobbi , Maximillian Acevedo , Nathan Provost , Danny Axley , Zach Chyz , Chuck Saculla , Annaleigh Ashford , Juliette Lewis , Quentin Plair , Jack Schumacher , Max Teboul , Daxton Bloomquist , Michael Graceffa , Justin L Wilson , Kevin Mylrea , Robin de Jesus , Spencer Boldman , Ravi Kapoor , Mona Sishodia , Suriyan Di Ianni , Jacob Buckenmyer , Andrew Rannells , Patrick Cage , Jeff Elam , Jack Laufer , Tamar Davis , Anthony Marciona , Matthew Floyd Miller , Roland Rusinek , Adrian Sparks , Kelly Cole , Nathan Madden , Jim Meskimen , Lucie Pohl , Davis Rahal , Ricky Jaime , Devinn Harris , Jason Bernardo , Jen Cohn , Brighton Sharbino , Donna Pescow , Evan Jonigkeit , Van Epperson , Joe Tapper 

Directed by Matt Shakman, Gwyneth Horder Payton, Nisha Ganatra & Richard Shepard

Rated TVMA
BIOGRAPHY/HISTORY/DRAMA/TV/SERIES