Every week, MobileSyrup goes over some of the most notable movies and TV shows that recently hit Canadian streaming platforms.
Our ‘Streaming in Canada’ column typically focuses on new content from Amazon Prime Video Canada, Crave and Netflix Canada, but other services like Apple TV+ and Disney+ will be mentioned when relevant.
We’ll also highlight shows or movies that are made in Canada, involve notable Canadian cast or crew and/or are filmed in Canada.
Finally, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing many movies to hit digital platforms much sooner than planned, we’ll make note of any major films — as well as any other notable streaming service news — that fall into this category when applicable.
Amazon Prime Video
Sonic the Hedgehog
An anthropomorphic, lightning-fast hedgehog named Sonic teams up with a local sheriff to defeat the evil Dr. Robotnik.
Based on Sega’s popular video game franchise of the same name, Sonic the Hedgehog stars James Marsden (Westworld), Newmarket, Ontario’s own Jim Carrey (The Truman Show) and Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) as the voice of Sonic.
It’s worth noting that the film was shot in Vancouver.
Original theatrical release date: February 14th, 2020
Amazon Prime Video Canada release date: December 2nd, 2020
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 63 percent (based on 237 reviews)
Stream Sonic the Hedgehog here.
Amazon Prime Video is included at no additional cost in a $79 CAD/year Amazon Prime subscription.
The full list of movies and shows that hit Amazon Prime Video Canada in November can be found here. A roundup of December new content, meanwhile, is available here.
Apple TV+
Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special [Apple Original]
Singer-songwriter Mariah Carey teams up with fellow musicians like Ariana Grande (Thank You, Next) and Jennifer Hudson (JHUD) and actors like Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip) and Billy Eichner (Billy on the Street) to bring Christmas cheer.
Apple TV+ Canada release date: December 4th, 2020
Genre: Christmas musical
Runtime: 43 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special here.
An Apple TV+ subscription costs $5.99 in Canada.
Crave
Euphoria Special: Trouble Don’t Last Always
In the aftermath of Jules’ (Hunter Schafer) relapse, Rue (Zendaya) tries to celebrate Christmas.
This is the first of two special Euphoria episodes, although the second one doesn’t yet have a release date. It’s important to note, however, that the specials aren’t part of Season 2; that’s set to release sometime in 2021.
HBO Max release date: December 3rd, 2020 (U.S. only)
Crave release date: December 4th, 2020
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream the Euphoria special here.
My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood
Singer-songwriter Carrie Underwood performs a variety of songs, including a duet with John Legend on “Hallelujah,” an original song on her My Gift album.
HBO/Crave release date: December 3rd, 2020
Genre: Musical
Runtime: 53 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood here.
The Hunt
Twelve strangers are pursued by wealthy elitists until one of the hunted takes the fight to them.
The Hunt was directed by Craig Zobel (Z for Zachariah) and stars Betty Gilpin (Glow), Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project) and Emma Roberts (American Horror Story).
It’s worth noting that The Hunt‘s ‘right’ vs. ‘left’ premise proved so controversial that its theatrical release was pulled for several months as U.S. President Donald Trump slammed the film.
Original theatrical release date: March 13th, 2020
Crave release date: December 4th, 2020
Genre: Dark comedy, thriller
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 56 percent (based on 258 reviews)
Stream The Hunt here.
Shameless (Season 11)
In the final season of Shameless, the dysfunctional Gallagher family face changes that force them to grow up or hit the road.
John Wells (ER) adapted Shameless from Paul Abbott’s British series of the same name. The American version of the show stars William H. Macy (Fargo), Jeremy Allen White (Beautiful Ohio), Ethan Cutkosky (The Unborn), Vancouver-born Noel Fisher (The Red Line) and Cameron Monaghan (Gotham).
Showtime/Crave release date: December 6th, 2020 at 9pm ET
Runtime: TBA
Genre: Comedy-drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream Shameless here.
Your Honor
A respected judge works to cover up a hit-and-run committed by his son.
Based on Israeli TV series Kvodo, Your Honor was created by Peter Moffat (Criminal Justice) and stars Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me By Your Name), Hunter Doohan (Truth Be Told), Sofia Black-D’Elia (The Night Of) and Carmen Ejogo (True Detective).
Disney+ Canada release date: December 6th, 2020 at 10pm ET
Genre: Drama
Runtime: Nine episodes (about one hour each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream Your Honor here.
This week in Crave news: Bell has confirmed that Crave will be the exclusive Canadian streaming home to popular sitcom Friends starting December 31st; the series will remain on Netflix until then.
A standard Crave subscription costs $9.99/month, with Starz adding another $5.99/month and HBO an additional $9.99/month.
The full list of movies and shows that hit Crave in November can be found here. A roundup of December’s new content, meanwhile, is available here.
Disney+
Godmothered [Disney+ Original]
A fairy godmother-in-training helps a woman in an effort to prove that fairy godmothers are still needed.
Godmothered was directed by Sharon Maguire (Bridget Jones’ Diary) and stars Jillian Bell (Brittany Runs a Marathon) and Isla Fisher (Arrested Development).
Showtime/Crave release date: December 4th, 2020
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 67 percent (based on 27 reviews)
Stream Godmothered here.
This week in Disney+ news: While this dropped on Sunday night, it’s still absolutely worth mentioning now — Marvel has added a touching opening credits tribute to the late and great Chadwick Boseman when you stream Black Panther on Disney+.
Additionally, Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan is now free to all subscribers, after only being available for an additional fee earlier this year. You can stream Mulan (2020) here.
A Disney+ subscription costs $8.99/month or $89.99/year in Canada.
The full list of movies and shows that hit Disney+ Canada in November can be found here. A roundup of December’s new content, meanwhile, is available here.
Netflix
Alien Worlds [Netflix Original]
Using Earth-based science, this series aims to paint a picture of what alien life on other planets might look like.
The series is narrated by Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda).
Netflix Canada release date: December 2nd, 2020
Genre: Nature documentary
Runtime: Four episodes (41 to 47 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream Alien Worlds here.
Big Mouth (Season 4) [Netflix Original]
A new monster comes to town, bringing with it changes to the lives of Nick, Andrew and the rest of the gang.
Big Mouth was created by Nick Kroll (Kroll Show), Andrew Goldberg (Family Guy), Mark Levin, (Earth 2) and Jennifer Flackett (Wimbledon) and features the voices of Kroll, John Mulaney (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Jessi Klein (Inside Amy Schumer), Jason Mantzoukas (How Did This Get Made?) and Jenny Slate (Kroll Show).
Netflix Canada release date: December 4th, 2020
Genre: Animated sitcom
Runtime: 10 episodes (around 30 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent (based on five reviews)
Stream Big Mouth here.
Captain Underpants Mega Blissmas [Netflix Original]
George and Harold go back in time to make some changes to beloved Christmas traditions.
The Captain Underpants Christmas special is based on Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants children’s novel series and features the voices of Nat Faxon (Disenchantment), Ramone Hamilton (Hot in Cleveland) and Jay Gragnani (The Loud House).
Netflix Canada release date: December 4th, 2020
Genre: Animated comedy
Runtime: 46 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream Captain Underpants Mega Blissmas here.
The Holiday Movies That Made Us [Netflix Original]
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of two Christmas movies: Elf and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Netflix Canada release date: December 1st, 2020
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: Two episodes (44 to 45 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream The Holiday Movies That Made Us here.
Mank [Netflix Original]
In 1930s Hollywood, alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz races to finish Citizen Kane.
Mank was directed by David Fincher (The Social Network), based on a script by his father Jack, and stars Gary Oldman (The Darkest Hour), Amanda Seyfried (Les Misérables), Lily Collins (Emily in Paris), Arlis Howard (Moneyball) and Tom Pelphrey (Marvel’s Iron Fist).
Netflix Canada release date: December 4th, 2020
Genre: Biographical drama
Runtime: 2 hours, 11 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 86 percent (based on 147 reviews)
Stream Mank here.
Selena: The Series [Netflix Original]
This series chronicles the life of famed Mexican-American singer-songwriter Selena.
The series was developed by Moisés Zamora (Star) alongside Selena’s family and stars Christian Serratos (The Walking Dead), Noemi Gonzalez (The Young and the Restless) and Seidy López (Training Day).
Netflix Canada release date: December 4th, 2020
Genre: Biographical drama
Runtime: Nine episodes (around one hour each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 25 percent (based on eight reviews)
Stream Selena: The Series here.
A ‘Basic’ Netflix subscription costs $9.99/month, a ‘Standard’ subscription (HD-supported) costs $13.99/month and a ‘Premium’ membership is priced at $16.99/month (4K-supported).
The full list of movies and shows that hit Netflix Canada in November can be found here. A roundup of December’s new content, meanwhile, is available here.
Premium video on demand (PVOD)
Black Bear
A filmmaker stays at a remote lake house with a couple in an effort to find inspiration, only for the visit to devolve into a dangerous and calculated conflict.
Black Bear was written and directed by Lawrence Michael Levine (Wild Canaries) and stars Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Toronto’s own Sarah Gadon (Alias Grace) and Christopher Abbott (First Man).
VOD release date: December 4th, 2020
Genre: Comedy-drama, thriller
Runtime: 1 hour, 44 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89 percent (based on 56 reviews)
Black Bear can be rented on iTunes for $5.99 or purchased for $14.99; rented on Google Play for $4.99 and purchased for $9.99 and rented on the Cineplex Store for $4.99 or purchased for $14.99.
Freaky
After she unintentionally swaps bodies with a serial killer, a teenage girl has to fight to get her body back.
Freaky was co-written and directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) and stars Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies) and Vince Vaughn (True Detective).
Original theatrical release date: November 13th, 2020
Genre: Horror comedy
Runtime: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 83 percent (based on 182 reviews)
Freaky can be rented on iTunes, Google Play and the Cineplex Store for $19.99.
What are you planning on streaming this week? Let us know in the comments.
For more recommendations, check out last week’s Streaming in Canada column here.
Image credit: Netflix
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