Seen on Screen: Nick Cave, Walton Goggins, James Cameron and One Epic Finale

Think of the coming weeks as the calm before the storm. Christmas and New Year’s Eve aren’t upon us just yet, and Hollywood’s awards season hasn’t quite gone full tilt. But we do have some beloved franchises making noisy returns, from Avatar and Stranger Things to Knives Out and Fallout.

Yet there’s ample room for quieter fare too, including a family portrait based on a Nick Cave novel, and an Oscar-tipped dramedy. Between cinemas and streamers, here are our top picks for the best TV shows and movies to make time for in December.

For a new villain in the world of Pandora: Avatar: Fire and Ash

You probably need no introduction to Avatar, which ranks among the most monolithic of modern film franchises. Or even a reintroduction, since The Way of Water came out just three years ago. So what exactly does Fire and Ash offer, beyond another vivid immersion in the lush world of Pandora? Well, there’s an enticing new villain in Varang, the leader of a bloodthirsty, fire-themed tribe. She’s played by Oona Chaplin, granddaughter to silent film icon Charlie Chaplin. But the full sensory experience of an Avatar movie should be more than enough to get people flocking to cinemas – especially as director James Cameron keeps bending new technological advancements to his storytelling will. In cinemas December 18.

For the finale of a pop-culture juggernaut: Stranger Things S5 

As epic as TV gets, Stranger Things is finishing with not just a two-volume fifth season, but a blockbuster finale on New Year’s Eve (and in select cinemas). It’s more than just a victory lap for Netflix’s flagship series, though: it’s the long-brewing climax of the show’s teen-centred supernatural saga. It’s worth remembering that Stranger Things turned most of its original cast of unknowns into household names – especially Millie Bobby Brown – and brought Winona Ryder back into the conversation. And if each of the remaining episodes plays more like a movie, that’s no accident. Neither is Netflix’s decision to hook us with the first half and then deliver the rest when we’ve hunkered down with loved ones in the final stretch of 2025. On Netflix now, December 25 and December 31.

For a quirky family portrait based on a Nick Cave novel: The Death of Bunny Munro

If that title seems familiar, it’s because this six-episode black comedy is based on a 2009 novel by Nick Cave – who also wrote the show’s original score alongside Warren Ellis. The story actually follows two characters called Bunny Munro: a smooth-talking salesman (Matt Smith) and his nine-year-old son, Bunny Jr (Rafael Mathé), who are making the rounds in Brighton, England. Both are wobbling after the death of Bunny’s wife (and Junior’s mum), and no number of Dad’s trysts with bored housewives will fill that absence. There’s also a serial killer on the loose, adding friction to the story’s subdued 2003 setting. Smith is getting some of the best reviews of his career for his layered performance here. On Binge now.

For a farewell to a charming cast: Bump: A Christmas Film

The well-liked Australian dramedy Bump may have wrapped up in late 2024 after five seasons, but this holiday movie puts an official bow on it. Set between the show’s final two episodes, this film follows the bountiful ensemble cast on a South American cruise with new foibles at every turn. Claudia Karvan’s matriarch is trying to write her memoir, Angus Sampson’s character is deprived of contraband booze and a new suitor makes his interest known to Nathalie Morris’s Oly. For another Aussie spin on yuletide complications, 2023’s Christmess is coming to Netflix on December 6, with some familiar faces in Middle Kids’ Hannah Joy and Colin From Accounts scene-stealer Darren Gilshenan. Both should be blissfully free of snow. On Stan now.

For visceral thrills on the world’s top racetracks: F1: The Movie

The director of Top Gun: Maverick knows exactly how to put us in the driver’s seat (or cockpit) of lightning-fast vehicles, and Joseph Kosinski brings that specific prowess to this blockbuster about a faded Formula 1 racer who gets one last shot at victory. That would be Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes, who commands the unwavering support of his team owner (Javier Bardem) but must continually prove himself to everyone else. The movie was shot during F1 Grand Prix weekends with swathes of actual drivers, including Australians Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo. Such technical achievement is its biggest selling point – and now F1 is finally slated for streaming after a huge mid-year run in cinemas. On Apple TV+ December 12.

For the fun of an impossible murder: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

As acting gigs go, Daniel Craig has landed a truly plum one as Benoit Blanc, casually returning every few years to reprise the dapper detective and his playful Southern accent. But it’s yet more sleight of hand from this twisty movie franchise that Blanc is often only a minor part of the action. Josh O’Connor’s heartfelt priest is arguably the lead this time around, as he argues for his innocence in a crowded cast that includes Andrew Scott, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington and Mila Kunis. On Netflix December 12.

For Walton Goggins holding court once more: Fallout S2

This adaptation of the post-apocalyptic video game franchise was a big swing – and a big hit – for Amazon Prime. It’s returning after a 20-month break with the addition of new cast members Justin Theroux and Macaulay Culkin, and unlike the first season’s simultaneous drop, these eight episodes will arrive on a weekly basis. Ubiquitous TV presence Walton Goggins (The White Lotus, The Righteous Gemstones) provides this season’s emotional centre via his gunslinging ghoul, and his awkward bond with Ella Purnell’s character is one of the show’s most appealing features. And crucially, Fallout’s dark vein of humour and splashy knack for gory effects makes this harsh world a whole lot of fun to explore. On Amazon Prime from December 17.

For a painfully funny look at family and filmmaking: Sentimental Value

Fresh off her turn as a chatty, mangled robot in Predator: Badlands, Elle Fanning steps into this Oscar-tipped family dramedy as a Hollywood starlet subbing in for an estranged daughter. A reunion of director Joachim Trier and actor Renate Reinsve after their 2021 breakout The Worst Person in the World, Sentimental Value has showered film veteran Stellan Skarsgård in some of the best reviews of his career as a tyrannical director and absent father who has long since alienated his two daughters. But this being a Joachim Trier movie, there are painful laughs sprinkled in with the actual pain. Expect a major upswing for this movie as the awards season hits its stride. In cinemas December 25.

For Sydney Sweeney going toe to toe with Amanda Seyfried: The Housemaid

Director Paul Feig was primarily known for comedies like Bridesmaids and Spy before he made 2018’s A Simple Favor, a more suspenseful concoction pitting Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively against each other (and earning a sequel earlier this year). He appears to be doing something similar – only much darker – with Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried in The Housemaid. Based on Freida McFadden’s hugely popular page-turner, this domestic thriller sees the two stars ramp up their intensity as Sweeney plays the titular live-in servant for Seyfried’s seemingly idyllic family. Both women are harbouring uncomfortable secrets, which will come out just as surely as the trailer promises blood and melodrama. In cinemas December 26.