Best Movies, TV, Books and Music for December 2020

Welcome to Culture Hound, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important cultural happenings, pop and otherwise.

Note, due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, release dates are highly tentative.

RETURNING TO TV: Big Mouth

The wonderfully foul-mouthed and painfully honest cartoon about awkward adolescence returns, this time located at a summer camp and featuring new cast members voiced by Zach Galifianakis, Seth Rogen, Lena Waithe and John Oliver. (Dec. 4, Netflix)

Other returning TV series and specials: The Great British Baking Show (Dec. 4, Netflix); Shameless (Dec. 4, Showtime); The Expanse (Dec. 14, Prime Video); Stephen King’s The Stand (Dec. 16, CBS All Access); Letterkenney (Dec. 26, Hulu); The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Dec. 31, Netflix)

WATCH: Mank

David Fincher examines the life of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he writes the screenplay for Citizen Kane in a black-and-white all-star biopic that seems to take its cues and styles from the Orson Welles classic. (Dec. 4, Netflix)

More new films coming to the small screen and big: Three more parts of Sound of Metal (Dec. 4, Prime Video); Small Axe (Dec. 4, 11, 18, Prime Video); The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone aka The Godfather III re-edited (Dec. 8, VOD); Archenemy (Dec. 11, VOD); The Last Blockbuster (Dec. 15, VOD); the possible-drinking classic Another Round (Dec. 18, VOD); Chadwick Boseman’s final performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Dec. 18, Netflix); The Midnight Sky (Dec. 23, Netflix); Soul (Disney+, Dec. 25); Wonder Woman 1984 (Dec. 25, HBO Max)

STREAM: Earth at Night in Color

Ahhhhh … slow, calming TV. Narrated by Tom Hiddleston and filmed across six continents, this docuseries captures the nocturnal lives of animals. Possibly the only show everyone can agree on in 2020. (Dec. 4, Apple TV+)

New TV series and specials: Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults (Dec. 3, HBO Max); Stillwater (Dec. 4, Apple TV+); Your Honor (Dec. 6, Showtime); The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (Dec. 12, HBO); Tiny Pretty Things (Dec. 14, Netflix); Bridgerton (Dec. 25, Netflix)

READ: Mediocre

Maybe December isn’t the time for heavy reading (or self-examination), but Ijeoma Oluo’s follow-up to the best-selling So You Want to Talk About Race examines, critiques and reimagines the (fragile) white male identity. (Dec. 1)

And, the exact opposite type of book but also a great gift: The Great British Baking Show: Love to Bake (Dec. 22)

BUY: Tenet

Christopher Nolan’s head-scratching and modestly reviewed (also modestly-seen, though not his fault) summer blockbuster comes to Blu-ray and VOD. (Dec. 15)

PLAY: Cyberpunk 2077

The much-buzzed but oft-delayed action game finally sees a release (it was initially announced eight years ago); Keanu Reeves takes a starring role in this futuristic, open-world first-person shooter.

LISTEN/WATCH: Crock of Gold

Subtitled “A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan,” director Julien Temple spotlights the occasionally incomprehensible — he’ll be subtitled — but talented and charming frontman of the Irish band The Pogues. (Dec. 4, VOD)

More new albums, special editions and box sets: (Dec. 4) Arctic Monkeys, Sigur Ros, White Stripes, Amy Winehouse; (Dec. 11) The Avalanches, Muse, Puscifer, Sturgill Simpson, Guided by Voices, Foxy Shazam, Deftones, Neil Young; (Dec. 18) Paul McCartney