Weekly Entertainment Recap: Week of December 4th, 2023

Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder (Disney+): Some of the effects are a little rough here, and that’s fine because historically that’s what Doctor Who has been. The idea of playing with the edge of the universe and what lies beyond there is cool and allows for a more grounded hard science fiction story that is more in line with the anthological nature of the show. On top of that, one of the underrated benefits of revisiting a previous iteration of the Doctor is allowing him to deal with the ramifications of what’s come after him in the 15 years (longer in show canon) since with a familiar likeness in a way the show has never done before. Still, the question about why David Tennant is back as the Doctor is still being played as a mystery so hopefully that gets wrapped up next week.

The Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 5 (Disney+): The explanation as to why Mangus Antas got sealed away was more than a little underwhelming and the explanation as to why the elves thought this was serious enough to warrant their potential exile makes little sense. It is what it is because now Scott is going to have to deal with Magnus Antas and that will probably have something to do with his daughter’s magic abilities, not unlike how X-Men: Apocalypse had Jean Grey go full Phoenix to dispatch Apocalypse.

You May Have Missed:

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney+): Despite an interesting dynamic between Indiana Jones and his goddaughter Helena, there is not a ton to love in the fifth movie in this franchise. It’s overlong, it doesn’t have a clear sense of direction, and the action sequences fall flat more often than they work. For a full review, click here.

This Week In Theaters:

The Boy and the Heron: Acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki returns with a new animated feature about a young boy during the Pacific War who comes across an abandoned tower in his new town and enters a fantastical world. This film is available both in Japanese with English subtitles and in English.

Eileen: Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway star in a psychological thriller set in 1964 about a secretary at a prison who becomes enamored with a new counselor.

Last Week At The Box Office:

Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé: $21.0 Million

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: $14.5 Million

Godzilla Minus One: $11.0 Million

Trolls Band Together: $7.6 Million

Wish: $7.4 Million