1. FILM: Marty Supreme (December 25)
It's a hard-hitting Hollywood pitch: an indie ping pong movie set in the 1950s. But Marty Supreme has a few key points. First, it stars Timothée Chalamet, the Oscar-nominated actor from Call Me By Your Name, Dune and its sequel, and Total Unknown. And secondly, critics are already delighted with it. The film has a 97 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed and co-written by Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme is an underdog story based on the story of table tennis champion Marty Raisman. Gwyneth Paltrow, Fran Drescher and Kevin O'Leary – yes, that Kevin O'Leary – are co-stars.
2. Television: “Stand Up for Canada” (December 28)
Rick Mercer's recent comedy tour appearance in Saint John, Nebraska is now an hour-long special on CBC and CBC Gem. Comedians Sophie Buddle, Mace Galoni and Julie Kim also get airtime. Mercer, known for This Hour Is 22 Minutes and The Rick Mercer Report, told the Montreal Gazette he wanted to lift Canada's spirits. “It feels like now is the time to bring this number back, even though it's the number I've been doing for over 20 years,” he said. “We just made the decision to go down the path of celebrating Canada.”
3. MUSIC: “Stranger Things”: soundtrack from the Netflix series, season 5, volume 2 (December 26)
So. Many. Stranger. Things. The horror series is releasing its fifth and final season in three parts, airing on November 26, December 25 and December 31. Likewise, the season's soundtrack will be released digitally in three parts: Volume 1 on November 28, Volume 2 on December 26, and Volume 3 on January 1. The full season soundtrack will be released on January 30th in digital, CD, vinyl and cassette formats, ideal for recording. those vibes are 1980s. So far, season five songs include “I Think We're Alone Now” by Tiffany, “Pretty in Pink” by the Psychedelic Furs and, of course, “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush.
4. BOOK: Amazing Generation (December 30)
Jonathan Haidt's 2024 book Generation Anxious explores how smartphones and social media affect young people's development. To create this book, he teamed up with Katherine Price, author of How to Break Up with Your Phone (2018). “Readers… have been asking us for years if we would write a book for their children,” they told Postmedia. Generation Amazing is exactly that book: written specifically for children aged 9 to 12, it aims to inspire them to take a stand for their childhood by choosing to minimize screen time and fill their free time with true friendship, freedom and fun.”
5. CELEBRATION: New Year (December 31).
Say goodbye (or good riddance) to 2025 in any way that suits you. It may be worth taking a cue from traditions around the world, as detailed in The Old Farmer's Almanac. For example, in Denmark, people smash plates and glasses on each other's front doors to ward off evil spirits. In Spain you will be lucky if you eat 12 grapes within 12 strokes of midnight. In Switzerland, people drop dollops of whipped cream on the floor in hopes of a prosperous year. And in Scotland, in honor of Hogmanay, people hold bonfire ceremonies and swing large fireballs on poles.
