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&34;Just got word that will shock the world Land of the free...home of the brave DAMN PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!&34; Johnson wrote on Twitter at the time. Dwayne Johnson reveals how he accidentally announced Osama bin Laden's death before the president: 'Oh s' &34;Just got word that will shock the world Land of the free...home of the brave DAMN PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!&34; Johnson wrote on Twitter at the time. By Lauren Huff :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/PXL202501060627063092a245c0a56a194868af7b6a47af56223c.

"Just got word that will shock the world - Land of the free...home of the brave DAMN PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!" Johnson wrote on Twitter at the time.

Dwayne Johnson reveals how he accidentally announced Osama bin Laden's death before the president: 'Oh s---'

"Just got word that will shock the world - Land of the free...home of the brave DAMN PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!" Johnson wrote on Twitter at the time.

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New Photo - Guillermo del Toro on the Frankenstein scene he had to argue for, and how Jacob Elordi found the ...

The director, Elordi, and Oscar Isaac join EW for a laughfilled conversation about the new adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel. Guillermo del Toro on the Frankenstein scene he had to argue for, and how Jacob Elordi found the Creature's voice The director, Elordi, and Oscar Isaac join EW for a laughfilled conversation about the new adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel. By Gerrad Hall :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/Gerrad413fcf02541834f43bb26c0de8fe66f66.jpg) Gerrad Hall is an editorial director at , overseeing movie, awards, and music coverage.

The director, Elordi, and Oscar Isaac join EW for a laugh-filled conversation about the new adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel.

Guillermo del Toro on the Frankenstein scene he had to argue for, and how Jacob Elordi found the Creature's voice

The director, Elordi, and Oscar Isaac join EW for a laugh-filled conversation about the new adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel.

By Gerrad Hall

Gerrad

Gerrad Hall is an editorial director at **, overseeing movie, awards, and music coverage. He is also host of *The Awardist* podcast, and has cohosted EW's live Oscars, Emmys, SAG, and Grammys red carpet shows. He has appeared on *Good Morning America*, *The Talk*, *Access Hollywood*, *Extra!*, and other talk shows, delivering the latest news on pop culture and entertainment.

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Director Guillermo del Toro and Oscar Issac as Victor Frankenstein on the set of Frankenstein.

Director Guillermo del Toro and Oscar Isaac on the set of 'Frankenstein'. Credit:

Ken Woroner/Netflix

Guillermo del Toro loves a good movie monster.

In the case of his latest, *Frankenstein*, he actually has two. Yes, there's the Creature (a prosthetics-covered Jacob Elordi) created by scientist Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), but he, it turns out, is just as monstrous, if not worse — cruel and abusive in his treatment of the experiment he thinks is unsuccessful but in reality just needed more of his time, attention, and love.

The Creature is the latest on a long list of del Toro "monster" movies, including the Pale Man and Faun in *Pan's Labyrinth*, the Amphibian Man in *The Shape of Water*, and *Hellboy*'s Abe Sapien. But his monsters aren't there just for the sake of pure horror; they often symbolize the story's deeper meaning. In this case, it's a father-son relationship and Frankenstein author Mary Shelley's core themes of pain and regret. But del Toro expands the emotional spectrum with forgiveness.

The director has waited his whole life to make this movie — he's a superfan of Shelley's 1818 novel and has a collection of Frankenstein memorabilia at his famous Bleak House in Los Angeles — and at one time, it was going to be two movies: one dedicated to Victor, and the other to the Creature; now it's one movie in two acts. After premiering at the Venice Film Festival and a successful limited theatrical/Oscar-qualifying run, it's now available to stream on Netflix.

Jacob Elordi as The Creature and Mia Goth as Elizabeth in Frankenstein

Jacob Elordi as the Creature and Mia Goth as Elizabeth in 'Frankenstein'.

Courtesy of Netflix

Below, del Toro, Oscar Isaac, and Jacob Elordi sit down with ** to talk about the director's vision for his long-gestating film, how Isaac found his way into the mad scientist, how Elordi connected with the Creature and found his voice, and more.

How 'Frankenstein' was influenced by the kidnapping of Guillermo del Toro's father

Director Guillermo del Toro and Oscar Issac as Victor Frankenstein on the set of Frankenstein.

'Frankenstein' cast: Who's who in Guillermo del Toro's heartbreaking Netflix adaptation

Jacob Elordi as The Creature and Mia Goth as Elizabeth in 'Frankenstein'

**: Guillermo, I know this movie was a dream of yours to make for a few decades, and you had a very specific vision for it. But what did these guys bring that you weren't expecting? What did they bring that wasn't necessarily part of that vision? **

**GUILLERMO DEL TORO:** Honestly, themselves. And each of them was a surprise because when I met with Oscar the first time, we were just having a general meeting.

**OSCAR ISAAC:** He wasn't even into my acting.

**DEL TORO: **I thought he was an insurance man. I said, "I'll take that." [*laughs*] No, but when we started talking about our fathers and being fathers and the lineage of pain in a family, how it passes from one generation to the next, at the end of the chat, I said, "I'm gonna write it for you." And when I spoke with Jacob the first time on Zoom, I texted Oscar, timestamped, and I said, "I found him. We found him." You can talk about range, you can talk about this, but it's essence. If the character's essence is perfect for the actor, or the actor's to the character, you don't have to think again. You just tailor it to them, and watch them grow. They can't fail.

**Oscar, you had previously told me Victor Frankenstein was not on your list of dream roles, but the experience became a dream...**

**OSCAR ISAAC:** I mean, you say what you gotta say when you're in room... [*laughs*]

Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein in

Oscar Isaac in 'Frankenstein'.

Ken Woroner / Netflix

**But you did say that it was kind of a dream experience for you, and what you got to do here. How did this push or change you or challenge you in ways that previous roles haven't?**

**ISAAC:** The form of it is so heightened and extreme, which was really exciting. And very early on, Guillermo said, "This is not naturalism. This isn't naturalistic. I want speed: speed of thought, speed of language. You've got lots of things to say, but I need it to move at a much quicker pace than maybe you'd think naturally you would want that to be." Finding the voice, we talked a lot about what that would be, that would ignite that way of speaking. And also, he encompasses such an incredibly physical character. It's very elemental. He's Jungian, he's archetypal...

**DEL TORO:** And running up and down...

**ISAAC:** Yeah! Those tiny little boots, running up and down those steps.

**DEL TORO:** Those cute little boots.

**JACOB ELORDI:** So cute. [*laughs*]

**ISAAC:** So everything about that, which was also what was so indelible and so pleasurable about that, was also what the big challenge was, encompassing all that.

**Your dad is a doctor, and he got to come to set. You told me you were going to take him to the premiere. What was that experience like for him?**

**ISAAC:** Yeah, he came to set and he criticized Guillermo [*laughs*] and he didn't understand why he was doing so many takes.

**DEL TORO:** He said, "I think you got it on the take before." [*laughs*] I said, "Thank you, sir." And then I understood everything.

**ISAAC:** Then he really understood me! He was like, I made the right decision. [*laughs*] And I did, I brought him to the screening in Venice, and at a certain point I was watching it, and I heard some sniffles behind me. I think it really impacted him.

**DEL TORO:** But funny, his dad was very pleased that we had a medical advisor on the set. He goes, "Does he know about Victorian surgery?" ... "He does." ... "Okay."

Jacob Elordi as The Creature in Frankenstein

Jacob Elordi as the Creature in 'Frankenstein'.

Ken Woroner/Netflix

**Jacob, when you look at yourself in the movie, what do you see?**

**JACOB ELORDI: **I love it. It's really nice because I can see how I feel inside when I watch the film, but I can't see me. So it makes it a lot easier to enjoy the picture as a whole 'cause if it was me on screen without all of that, I think I'd be sitting there scratching holes in my head. But I see a lot of myself behind closed doors.

**Oscar mentioned finding the voice. Was there a lot of trial and error for you, finding that very specific sound?**

**ELORDI:** Yeah. Even while we were filming, [Guillermo would] come back from the edit the next morning and he'd say to me, "There's a gravel that needs to be there," because I was developing with the Creature as the Creature developed in the film. I was lucky enough to, for the most part, shoot it in something of a chronological order. So I got to develop the voice as I played it live. But I had a lot of conversations with [*pointing at Oscar*] Gerry early on, and there was this kind of throat chant thing that we would practice and work on, but it was something that evolved.

**DEL TORO: **Tibetan.

**ELORDI:** Tibetan, yeah. A Tibetan throat chant. But it was something that evolved, depending on the physicality of the scene or how he's being treated in the moment affects the way his voice works. And there's also a sensitivity that you wanna find because you don't just want to growl and do something that doesn't mean anything. But I think the voice really comes from every incision, every memory, every different bit of flesh, every life lived — you have to build something that sounds like that.

**ISAAC:** We worked with Gerry Grennell, was a great voice coach.

**DEL TORO:** [Jacob] didn't think [Oscar] was Gerry. [*laughs*]

**ELORDI:** This is my buddy, Gerry.

**ISAAC:** He calls me Gerry. It's totally fine.

**DEL TORO:** The other thing that was very fortunate, not by design, is the way we shot the movie. We started with the scenes where he was most articulate, and then we went to the ones where he was learning vowels and consonants with the Blind Man (played by David Bradley). It happened in the right way, finding the "f" and the "s." The monologue with the Blind Man was out of the teeth...

**ELORDI:** And David Bradley is also super instrumental in the voice, because I had recordings of him doing Shakespeare when he was younger, and then I had him sitting in front of me telling stories about drinking with John Hurt. And you can hear the way he draws words out. And when he remembers something, the way his voice would change to when he's speaking in the present, the way his voice would change. There was just so much to absorb and draw from.

Writer/Director Guillermo del Toro and Jacob Elordi as The Creature on the set of Frankenstein

Director Guillermo del Toro and Jacob Elordi on the set of 'Frankenstein'.

Ken Woroner/Netflix

**How closely does the final look of your Creature resemble your original ideas of what he might look like?**

**DEL TORO:** I have a sketch from 1987 that has a couple of the...

**ISAAC:** He had it on set!

**DEL TORO:** The thing that evolved was newly minted. It needed to feel not like a repaired body but a newly minted individual, a soul. And I think the evolution, if you've see *Cronos*, when I'm trying that look with the vampire, and then I try it again with a vampire in *Blade*, it takes a while to find somebody like Mike Hill, who is a true artist and is a true partner in creation to make it feel exquisitely designed, frail, and vulnerable — all these things that should not go together. The difference between Mike and everybody else: 99 percent of makeup artists are gonna create a monster; one percent are gonna create a character, and Mike is in that one percent.

**When we spoke in Toronto, I had not seen the movie yet, and I asked you to describe him. You said "staggeringly beautiful," and I was like, *What's that going to mean*? And when I saw it, it really blew me away.**

**DEL TORO: **Because it is about, can we ruin something beautiful? And sadly, the answer as humans is yes.

**ELORDI:** Always.

**DEL TORO:** You have to see the purity of the moment when Victor touches his cheek and understand that there *could* be a happy ending, but there won't be. When I saw Jacob in *Priscilla*, there's a moment of rage there, I knew from talking to him on the Zoom that he had all this innocence and pain in his eyes, but the *Priscilla* rage, I went, *Okay, this is what can happen*. The work of a director is to watch and listen.

**Jacob, when I spoke with Guillermo in Toronto, he shared with me that you had said you felt the Creature was more you than you. Can you elaborate on that? What is it about what you got to explore that you connected with so deeply?**

**ELORDI:** I was thinking about this as I was driving here. I don't think you can attempt to find truth in something like this without mining into yourself. You can't just do a roar or bend your fingers a certain way. It has to be everything that you have. And I had such a short amount of time from Guillermo calling to go and shoot the film that the only way through was to go and find a place that I hadn't been to before, which is also — [*pointing to Oscar*] which you'll attest to — the treat of acting. It's constantly evolving, and every time there's somewhere else you can go. The Creature gave me this sort of space. It's the kind of character that allows you to fully go to the bottom of whoever you are, and you have to go down there to play it. Otherwise, you sort of have no chance of attempting to do it honestly if you don't,

Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the Creature in Frankenstein

Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi in 'Frankenstein'.

Courtesy of Netflix

**What was the hardest part about making this for each of you that you weren't expecting? Aside from the days your dad was there.****

**DEL TORO:** Honestly, the way you connect, it becomes a hall of mirrors. And you are all looking for truth and sincerity. I jokingly say it is the first time I have method-directed because it affected me emotionally in a way that no other movie had. Perhaps *Pan's Labyrinth* and *Shape of Water* — those and this are the three times. But this one, I lasted from sort of the first quarter all the way to the end. I felt emotionally involved with the Creature and, sadly, for me, with Victor. [*laughs*] I identified the good traits and the bad traits, and it made me softer.

**For you guys? ****

**ELORDI:** Probably working with Oscar.

**ISAAC:** Me too.

**ELORDI:** Tough stuff. [*laughs*]

**DEL TORO:** Finally, they agree on something. [*laughs*]

**I think people would expect maybe prosthetics, but was that a limitation? **

**ELORDI:** It was so delightful. And I knew it was gonna come to an end as well. There's a finite amount of time that you can put them on for, 'cause the movie has to finish. So to squander any moment in them, I would've just hated myself. People say this all the time, but the more I look back on it, and I look back at being in it, it was just delightful. It was like your dreams playing live, and you are in them, and you're fully conscious and fully awake in your dream. So I can't say anything that was difficult.

**ISAAC:** It's funny 'cause it's not just like looking back now with rose-colored glasses. I kept a journal, and throughout it's like, "This is amazing! ... Oh my God, this day was even better than the last day!" And it really was like that. But of course, there's days where it's like, *Oh, I didn't trust enough, I didn't quite find my flow state, and I was reaching for something when I didn't need to*. So you come in really wanting to leave everything out on the floor, but that's not necessarily different from other films where you just wanna make sure that you're giving everything you can, but the actual joy of doing it was daily.

**Guillermo, you put your own spin on this story, and that includes changing the end of Mary Shelley's version. How did you come to this conclusion? **

**DEL TORO:** I knew I wanted the Creature to have his only act as a human. Meaning, he reacts to love with love, he reacts to hatred with hatred. But the moment they make each other human — father and son — he comes out and he decides in a beautiful moment to say, "The people that attacked me, I'm gonna free them." And turns and pushes [the ship]. And to me, how moving it was... and we were missing a shot that I had to argue with my producing partner — I said, "No, you don't understand, we need that shot." Because you're pushing the ship and looking at it for a second, that gained a lot more weight, I thought. It's a liberation. And I think that's the difference with the book. This ends in a note of possible hope.

*This interview has been edited for clarity and length.*

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.*****

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New Photo - The 15 coziest Christmas movies to stream this holiday season (and where to watch them)

Our list spans 84 years of festive favorites and hidden gems. The 15 coziest Christmas movies to stream this holiday season (and where to watch them) Our list spans 84 years of festive favorites and hidden gems. By Randall Colburn :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RandallColburnauthorphotoe7e8b48d9f8645588439077e721a5f48.jpg) Randall Colburn Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at . His work has previously appeared on The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer, and many other publications. EW's editorial guidelines November 8, 2025 9:00 a.m.

Our list spans 84 years of festive favorites and hidden gems.

The 15 coziest Christmas movies to stream this holiday season (and where to watch them)

Our list spans 84 years of festive favorites and hidden gems.

By Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn author photo

Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at **. His work has previously appeared on *The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer*, and many other publications.

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November 8, 2025 9:00 a.m. ET

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan in 'The Shop Around the Corner'

James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan in 'The Shop Around the Corner'.

These days, Ernst Lubitsch's *The Shop Around the Corner* is mostly remembered as the inspiration for *You've Got Mail,* the maddening Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan rom-com that's become something of a Christmas classic in its own right. Both movies follows ostensible rivals who don't realize they've also been communicating as anonymous pen pals.

*You've Got Mail *sparkles thanks to Hanks and Ryan's chemistry, but there's more depth and specificity in *The Shop Around the Corner*, which stars James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan as feuding sales clerks in Budapest leather goods store, a shop so cozy you can practically smell the rich, earthy leather.

"Hanks in *Mail* is lovable, engaging, deeply sympathetic. In short, he's not a heck of a lot more complex than his golden retriever," reads an EW ode of the film from 1999. "Stewart in *Shop* is bitter and hopeful, a jerk and a mensch, scared and serene — all the things a smart, struggling young guy on the cusp of love would be."

It goes on to call *Shop* "one of the most perceptive movies ever made about the workplace," adding, "It sees employees as members of a fractious family and acknowledges that each has a story worth telling (the focus on two potential lovers seems mere happy accident)."

Where to watch *The Shop Around the Corner*: Amazon Prime (to rent)**

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

'It's a Wonderful Life'.

*It's a Wonderful Life*'s dominance as the alpha and omega of holiday classics is sort of funny when you consider how much of it is about shattered dreams, despair, and resignation. But isn't the hope for angelic intervention and a renewed perspective a gift unto itself? Speaking with EW a few years back, stars like Dolly Parton, Claire Danes, and Mary Steenburgen all cited it as one of their favorite holiday movies.

The truth, of course, is that *It's a Wonderful Life'*s story isn't remembered so fondly for its story so much as its cathartic ending, which can't help but make one grateful for whoever they're currently cuddling.

"It fully embraces both the love and humor and compassion, all the positive elements of Christmastime," film historian Jeremy Arnold told EW in 2020. "But it does not shy away from the darker aspects of the season, so it feels very honest."**

Where to watch *It's a Wonderful Life:* Amazon Prime

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn in 'Miracle on 34th Street'

Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn in 'Miracle on 34th Street'.

20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

Christmas is that time of year that allows even the most jaded adults to feel like kids again — if only for a moment.

The holiday classic that perhaps best encapsulates that sensation is *Miracle on 34th Street*, George Seaton's 1947 film about a Macy's department store Santa who turns out to be none other than Kris Kringle. (He's even forced to prove it in a courtroom.)

"To see Santa Claus proven as real? It's a great scene," said an EW editor in 2016. "Everyone wants to see their childhood continue. The film allows us to believe… and have a happy ending where yes, Santa is real and the world is a nice place."

Where to watch *Miracle on 34th Street:* Amazon Prime

White Christmas (1954)

Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Vera-Ellen in 'White Christmas'

Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Vera-Ellen in 'White Christmas'.

Paramount/Getty

VistaVision, a widescreen film format renowned for producing sharp images suited for the big screen, is making a comeback due to recent successes like *The Brutalist* (2024) and *One Battle After Another* (2025). The first movie to be filmed in VistaVision? *White Christmas*, Michael Curtiz's ecstatic musical about a song-and-dance duo working to save a Vermont lodge with the help of two mellifluous sisters.

More than 70 years later, *White Christmas* still looks gorgeous, positively popping with berry reds, snowy whites, and minty greens. It's as easy on ears as it is on the eyes, with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen crooning through the title song, as well as enduring hits like "Sisters" and "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)."

Where to watch *White Christmas:* YouTube (to rent)****

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) TV Holiday Special Directed by Kizo Nagashima, Larry Roemer Original air date: December 6, 1964 Shown from left: Hermey (voice: Paul Soles), Rudolph (voice: Billie Mae Richards)

'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'.

RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS

The stop-motion spectacles of Rankin/Bass are the platonic ideal of Christmas coziness. And no list of holiday musts is complete without *Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, *one of the earliest creations of the beloved production company.

Is it less polished than many of the Christmas specials that followed? A little longer in the tooth? Oh, sure. But, for many, it was the first movie to crack open the myth of Santa Claus and build an entire world around his workshop.

It helps, too, that it's so peculiar. All those Misfit Toys, strange cadences, and ramshackle songs lodge themselves in young, impressionable minds in such a way that makes them impossible to forget (and enticing to revisit).

Where to watch *Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:* Amazon Prime (to buy)**

The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)

The Heat Miser in 'The Year Without a Santa Claus'

The Heat Miser in 'The Year Without a Santa Claus'.

RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS

Like *Rudolph,* the 1974 special *The Year Without a Santa Claus* folds new characters into Rankin/Bass' Christmas universe while also telling an entirely new story. This time, Mrs. Claus (Shirley Booth) recruits a motley crew of elves and reindeer to give a grumpy, spurned Santa (Mickey Rooney) a break after he becomes disillusioned by the world's lack of love and appreciation.

Heat Miser (George S. Irving) and Snow Miser (Dick Shawn), two of Rankin/Bass' most inspired creations, steal the show with their jaunty song-and-dance routine, which still hits all these years later.

Where to watch *The Year Without a Santa Claus:* Amazon Prime (to rent)**

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977)

EMMET OTTER'S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS, Harvey (performed by Jim Henson), Charlie (performed by Richard Hunt), Emmett Otter (performed by Jerry Nelson), Wendell (performed by Dave Goelz), 1977

'Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas'.

Jim Henson Studios

*Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas* is among Jim Henson and Co.'s most evocative and immersive creations, a heartwarming tale set on tree-lined riverbanks, icy ponds, and wood-paneled shanties shot with such flair that it's easy to forget you're looking at miniatures.

It follows a sweet otter named Emmet (Jerry Nelson) and his widowed mother, Alice (Marilyn Sokol), each as fuzzy and huggable as can be. They want to surprise each other with Christmas gifts amid hard times, and join a talent show with the hopes of securing a cash prize. Unfortunately, they'll have to square off against the Riverbottom Gang's gaggle of weasels, snakes, and muskrats (who somehow manage to still be so dang cute).

Themes of community and sacrifice abound, as do bluegrass ditties penned by Paul Williams.

Where to watch *Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas:* Amazon Prime

A Christmas Story (1983)

A CHRISTMAS STORY, Peter Billingsley, Jeff Gillen, 1983.

'A Christmas Story'.

everett collection

You'd be forgiven for being a little sick of *A Christmas Story*, Bob Clark's beloved tale about 9-year-old Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) and the Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle he so fiercely desires. For years, TBS and TNT have made it inescapable with 24-hour marathons beginning on Christmas Eve.

Give it a break for a year or two, though, and you'll return to find it fits just as snug as it used to, its tale of Midwestern holiday mishaps laying over your shoulders like that threadbare sweater you can't bear to thrift.

"One of the best things about *A Christmas Story," *EW previously observed, "has always been its lack of holly-strewn sentiment: the light that shines brightest in it is not the standard glow of lovingly-strung Christmas bulbs, but the wanton plastic leg lamp, wrapped in fishnet and saucily topped with bordello tassels, that Ralphie Parker's dad so proudly displays in the family-room window."

It's amusing how that leg lamp, once so scandalous, has now become as common a Christmas decoration as snow globes and nutcrackers.

Where to watch *A Christmas Story:* HBO Max**

Metropolitan (1990)

METROPOLITAN, Bryan leder, Allison Rutledge-Parisi, Carolyn Farina, Chris Eigeman, Edward Clements, Dylan Hundley, Elizabeth Thompson, Will Kempe, Isabel Gillies, Taylor Nichols

The ensemble cast of 'Metropolitan'.

You won't find Santa, Rudolph, or the Grinch in *Metropolitan*, the directorial debut of refined filmmaker Whit Stillman. Christmas lingers in the periphery of this "identity comedy," which centers on the relationships, banter, and after-hours arguments of upper-crust New Yorkers on vacation from college during the holiday.

Much of this lovely, cerebral film unfolds in a cozy Manhattan high-rise, a Christmas tree twinkling in the background as snow falls outside. One memorable scene takes us to a sumptuous Mass on Christmas Eve, "Come All Ye Faithful" filling the vast cathedral.

Traditional holiday themes of generosity, salvation, and tradition are mostly absent here. Rather, *Metropolitan* evokes the youthful experience of being home, avoiding family, and clinging to friends during the holiday break, when responsibility remains over the horizon and your whole life is still ahead of you.

Where to watch *Metropolitan*: HBO Max

Mrs. Santa Claus (1996)

Angela Lansbury in 'Mrs. Santa Claus'

Angela Lansbury in 'Mrs. Santa Claus'.

Hallmark Entertainment / Courtesy: Everett Collection

Angela Lansbury stars in 1996's *Mrs. Santa Claus,* a mostly-forgotten gem that first aired on CBS in 1996. A story of female independence, it finds Lansbury's titular wife mapping out a new, more efficient route for Santa (Charles Durning, who played the gift-giver five times in his career). To test the route, she leaves the North Pole, only to be waylaid by a storm in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1910.

There, Mrs. Claus becomes involved in the women's suffragette movement, helping to organize a strike demanding labor reforms (and help some locals find love).**

The legendary Jerry Herman (*Hello, Dolly!, Mame*) composed the whimsical score, which exudes Christmas cheer across the film's many song and dance numbers, many of which unfold in the snow-crusted thoroughfares of its charmingly vintage vision of New York City.**

Where to watch *Mrs. Santa Claus:* Tubi

One Special Night (1999)

Julie Andrews in 'One Special Night'

Julie Andrews in 'One Special Night'.

Tony Esparza CBS/courtesy Everett Collection

There's no shortage of snowed-in romances out there, but you might've missed Roger Young's made-for-TV romance *One Special Night*. Julie Andrews and James Garner, whose screen history dates back to the 1960s, star as widowers who spark a late-in-life connection while trapped in an abandoned cabin during a winter storm.

It's a familiar premise that's elevated by the chemistry of its leads. You may know where it's all heading, but that doesn't blunt the impact of its climactic moment, which unfolds on Christmas Day. Andrews and Garner deftly convey years of love and loss, as well as the difficulties and rewards of moving on. ****

Where to watch *One Special Night:* Tubi

Polar Express (2004)

Polar express 2004

'The Polar Express'.

This one's for the Zoomers, as the uncanny motion-capture animation of Robert Zemeckis' *The Polar Express *creeped out many older audience members. But kids *love* this movie, and, even if it creeps you out, it nevertheless remains an "intricate, exploratory, indefinably askew interpretation," as articulated by EW back in 2007.

Set on Christmas Eve, this adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's beloved 1985 children's book follows a young boy whose waning belief in Santa Claus is reinvigorated after hopping on a magical train to the North Pole. It's bursting with warmth and wonder (there's even a song about hot chocolate.) And Tom Hanks, a repository of good vibes, plays no less than five different roles (including Santa Claus).**

Where to watch *The Polar Express*: HBO Max

Christmas, Again (2014)

Kentucker Audley in 'Christmas, Again'

Kentucker Audley in 'Christmas, Again'.

The tragically under-seen *Christmas, Again, *written and directed by Charles Poekel, is a subtle film about Noel (Kentucker Audley), a newly-single Christmas tree salesman whose brief encounter with Lydia (Hannah Gross) brings a spark of magic into the lives of these troubled souls.

It's a simple story that about small joys, like slotting holly into a wreath or how a Christmas tree can light up a child's eyes.**

Where to stream *Christmas, Again*: Cineverse

The Holdovers (2023)

THE HOLDOVERSDominic Sessa, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Paul Giamatti in 'The Holdovers'

Dominic Sessa, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Paul Giamatti in 'The Holdovers'.

Seacia Pavao/FOCUS FEATURES

Everyone's a little sad in *The Holdovers*, Alexander Payne's charmingly sour comedy about a student stuck at his New England boarding school over the holidays with only his grouchy professor (Paul Giamatti) and the school cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) for company. And that's appropriate; coziness and sorrow are not mutually exclusive.

"The film's three lost souls all need someone, and as their secrets trickle out, they become the ragtag family they so desperately crave. Even if only for a little while," reads EW's review. "The holidays are inherently melancholy for so many — the season's emphasis on togetherness simultaneously highlighting our most painful losses. It is through this bittersweet relationship with the season that these characters connect."

Where to watch *The Holdovers*: Amazon Prime (to rent)

Christmas Eve in Miller's Point (2024)

'Christmas Eve in Miller's Point'

'Christmas Eve in Miller's Point'.

The exhilarating *Christmas Eve in Miller's Point* wastes no time in assembling its massive cast of mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, and pet lizards. An ensemble piece in the truest sense, Tyler Taormina's film captures the joys and exhaustions of holiday gatherings via a Long Island family's annual Christmas Eve shindig.

There are a few through lines here — an ailing grandma and a bit of teenage rebellion — but the film feels most alive when Taormina shakes up the little snow globe he's populated and lets his characters bounce off of each other.

Come for the holly-strewn chaos, but stay for Michael Cera and Gregg Turkington's amusing turns as a pair of straight-faced cops.

Where to watch *Christmas Eve in Miller's Point*: AMC+**

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Movies"

Source: Movies

Published: November 09, 2025 at 06:38AM on Source: MORNING MAG

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The 15 coziest Christmas movies to stream this holiday season (and where to watch them)

Our list spans 84 years of festive favorites and hidden gems. The 15 coziest Christmas movies to stream this holiday sea...

MLS playoffs: Inter Miami trounces Nashville 40 behind braces from Lionel Messi, Tadeo Allende Kari Anderson November 9, 2025 at 3:20 AM 0 Inter Miami CF rolled to an easy 40 win over Nashville SC on Saturday, securing the win behind a firsthalf brace from star midfielder Lionel Messi and a secondhalf brace from Tadeo Allende. The victory completes a win in the bestofthree Round 1 series, and sends Inter Miami to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time in franchise history. Early on, Nashville made the costly mistake of giving Messi space.

- - MLS playoffs: Inter Miami trounces Nashville 4-0 behind braces from Lionel Messi, Tadeo Allende

Kari Anderson November 9, 2025 at 3:20 AM

Inter Miami CF rolled to an easy 4-0 win over Nashville SC on Saturday, securing the win behind a first-half brace from star midfielder Lionel Messi and a second-half brace from Tadeo Allende. The victory completes a win in the best-of-three Round 1 series, and sends Inter Miami to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time in franchise history.

Early on, Nashville made the costly mistake of giving Messi space. Messi quickly made them pay, sprinting through three Nashville defenders and striking the ball just outside the penalty box for his first goal of the game in the 10th minute.

It had to be him. 🐐Messi strikes first for @InterMiamiCF! // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/TJyxbLvK9T

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 9, 2025

Nashville managed to fend off several Miami free kicks outside the box, keeping the game at 1-0 through some good defending and a good showing from goalkeeper Joe Willis.

But in the 39th minute, Messi struck again. This time it was a collaborative effort, with Jordi Alba sending the ball long to Mateo Silvetti, who made a perfect backheel pass to his captain.

MESSI BRACE. 🇦🇷Alba to Silvetti to Messi. 2-0. // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/oCBsgfcf4a

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 9, 2025

Nashville didn't give up its fight. Minutes into the second half, Nashville nearly cut into the deficit with a goal from Sam Surridge. But Surridge was whistled for a foul after just catching the feet of Maximilian Falcón while making a run, and the goal was called off.

Surridge made several more attempts at goal in the second half, though none were close enough to really threaten Miami.

And then Miami really started to run away with it, with Allende scoring two goals in a four-minute span. Allende first found the back of the net in the 73rd minute off a stellar pass on the endline from Alba; he then found it again in the 76th with a long run and chip over the head of Willis.

Perfect pass, brilliant finish. 😍Messi links up with Allende to make it FOUR. // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/zpDOJmbbX9

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 9, 2025

Messi was credited with assists on both of Allende's goals, and was named the Player of the Match as a result.

The pair of braces led Miami to a dominant performance, even without forward Luis Suaréz. Suaréz was suspended one game by the league after kicking Nashville defender Andy Najar during Game 2.

Miami will next face FC Cincinnati, which beat Columbus 2-1 in Game 3 earlier on Saturday, in the conference semifinals. The game will take place in Cincinnati, since Miami is the lower seed.

It's the furthest that the team has made it in the MLS playoffs since the franchise's inaugural season in 2020; last season, even after dominating the league and winning the MLS Supporters' Shield, Miami was stunned by No. 8 seed Atlanta United in the first round.

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Sports"

Source: Sports

Published: November 09, 2025 at 05:28AM on Source: MORNING MAG

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November 08, 2025

MLS playoffs: Inter Miami trounces Nashville 4-0 behind braces from Lionel Messi, Tadeo Allende

MLS playoffs: Inter Miami trounces Nashville 40 behind braces from Lionel Messi, Tadeo Allende Kari Anderson Novembe...

Hagel lifts surging Lightning to 32 win over Capitals ERIK ERLENDSSONNovember 9, 2025 at 4:20 AM 0 1 / 5Capitals Lightning HockeyTampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) celebrates with the bench after his goal against the Washington Capitals during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Hagel scored the tiebreaking goal 8:42 into the third period and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals 32 on Saturday night.

- - Hagel lifts surging Lightning to 3-2 win over Capitals

ERIK ERLENDSSONNovember 9, 2025 at 4:20 AM

1 / 5Capitals Lightning HockeyTampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) celebrates with the bench after his goal against the Washington Capitals during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Hagel scored the tiebreaking goal 8:42 into the third period and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Saturday night.

Hagel and Jake Guentzel each had a goal and an assist as Tampa Bay won for the seventh time in eight games. Emil Lilleberg scored his first goal of the season, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves.

Charle-Edouard D'Astous had two assists for the Lightning.

Brandon Duhaime and John Carlson scored for Washington, which has one win in the past seven games. Logan Thompson, who stopped 16 shots, allowed more than two goals for the first time in 10 starts.

Hagel took a pass from rookie Dominic James in traffic inside the blue line, cut underneath James and fired a shot from the slot for his seventh goal in the last seven games.

Duhaime put the Capitals in front quickly, taking a pass from Ethen Frank and scoring on a snap shot from a side angle that banked in off Vasilevskiy at 4:06 of the first period.

Tampa Bay answered when Lilleberg joined the rush and one-timed a pass from Guentzel in the slot at 6:07.

Guentzel put the Lightning in front with a power-play goal when Victor Hedman's point shot deflected off his shin pad at 15:09.

Carlson pulled Washington even when his slap shot from inside the blue line squeaked through Vasilevskiy and sat in the paint before Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak knocked the puck into the net with 2:52 left in the second period.

Up next

Capitals: At the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.

Lightning: Host the New York Rangers on Wednesday.

___

AP NHL: https://ift.tt/JrSLEOH

Original Article on Source

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Source: Sports

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Hagel lifts surging Lightning to 3-2 win over Capitals

Hagel lifts surging Lightning to 32 win over Capitals ERIK ERLENDSSONNovember 9, 2025 at 4:20 AM 0 1 / 5Capitals Lightni...

Messi leads Inter Miami to East semifinals with 2goal, 2assist showing in 40 win over Nashville ANDRES JAIMEMENDEZNovember 9, 2025 at 4:20 AM 0 1 / 5MLS Nashville Inter Miami SoccerInter Miami forward Lionel Messi, top, celebrates with forward Mateo Silvetti, bottom, after scoring during the first half of Game 3 in the first round of MLS soccer's Western Conference playoffs against Nashville SC in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin) FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are three wins away from an MLS Cup title.

- - Messi leads Inter Miami to East semifinals with 2-goal, 2-assist showing in 4-0 win over Nashville

ANDRES JAIME-MENDEZNovember 9, 2025 at 4:20 AM

1 / 5MLS Nashville Inter Miami SoccerInter Miami forward Lionel Messi, top, celebrates with forward Mateo Silvetti, bottom, after scoring during the first half of Game 3 in the first round of MLS soccer's Western Conference playoffs against Nashville SC in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are three wins away from an MLS Cup title.

Messi scored a pair of first-half goals and added two assists, leading the way as third-seeded Inter Miami ousted sixth-seeded Nashville SC 4-0 on Saturday night in the decisive Game 3 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

Tadeo Allende scored a pair of goals about three minutes apart — both set up by Messi — in the second half to blow the game open for Inter Miami, which outscored Nashville 8-3 in the series. Messi had a hand in all eight of those goals, scoring five and assisting on the other three.

Inter Miami will go to FC Cincinnati for an East semifinal match — everything now is single-elimination, unlike Round 1's best-of-three format — on Nov. 22 or Nov. 23. Cincinnati went 1-0-1 against Inter Miami this season, winning 3-0 at home on July 16 and playing to a scoreless draw at Fort Lauderdale on July 26. Messi was in the lineup for the first meeting, but not the second.

Messi is the heavy favorite to win his second straight MLS MVP award, and if that happens he would be the first back-to-back winner in league history. He also won the Golden Boot as MLS' leading scorer this season, just finalized a new three-year deal to remain with the club through 2028 and seems to be playing his best soccer at the perfect time for Inter Miami.

This is the first time Inter Miami has gotten this far in the MLS playoffs. South Florida's MLS predecessor — the long-defunct Miami Fusion — got as far as the league's semifinals in its final season in 2001, but this is new territory for Inter Miami.

A year ago, in Messi's first full season with the club, it lost a Game 3 of Round 1 at home as the Supporters Shield winners and were ousted by Atlanta.

Not this time. Messi saw to that.

With four Nashville defenders around him, Messi scored from the top of the 18-yard box in the 10th minute for a 1-0 lead. And the second goal was from nearly the same spot, albeit much easier.

Mateo Silvetti controlled a long pass and got past a Nashville defender, attracting the attention of goalkeeper Joe Willis. Silvetti pushed the ball toward Messi, who had nothing but empty net to shoot at in the 39th minute for a 2-0 edge.

Inter Miami is now 19-2-3 this season in MLS play when it scores at least two goals, but Nashville made the Herons earn this one.

It appeared, briefly anyway, that Nashville cut the lead in half in the opening minute of the second half, but Sam Surridge's would-have-been goal was whistled dead because one of his feet got tangled with Inter Miami's Maxi Falcon on the play and a foul got called.

The Inter Miami-Cincinnati winner will play either top-seeded Philadelphia Union or fifth-seeded NYCFC in the East final. The MLS Cup final is scheduled for Dec. 6, and Philadelphia, Cincinnati or Inter Miami would all play host that match if it got to the title game.

___

AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this story.

___

AP soccer: https://ift.tt/2d9sJuD

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Messi leads Inter Miami to East semifinals with 2-goal, 2-assist showing in 4-0 win over Nashville

Messi leads Inter Miami to East semifinals with 2goal, 2assist showing in 40 win over Nashville ANDRES JAIMEMENDEZNo...

Josh Allen, Elijah Moore fined for touchdown celebration against Chiefs Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAYNovember 8, 2025 at 11:15 PM 0 Josh Allen, Elijah Moore fined for touchdown celebration against Chiefs The Buffalo Bills earned a huge 2821 win over the visiting Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9 behind three touchdowns from reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen. Allen found tight end Dalton Kincaid for a touchdown in the first quarter and ran for two more scores, including a 1yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give the Bills a 2813 lead.

- - Josh Allen, Elijah Moore fined for touchdown celebration against Chiefs

Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAYNovember 8, 2025 at 11:15 PM

Josh Allen, Elijah Moore fined for touchdown celebration against Chiefs

The Buffalo Bills earned a huge 28-21 win over the visiting Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9 behind three touchdowns from reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen.

Allen found tight end Dalton Kincaid for a touchdown in the first quarter and ran for two more scores, including a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give the Bills a 28-13 lead. He celebrated with his teammates after scoring what proved to be the game-clinching touchdown, wide receiver Elijah Moore included.

The NFL's taken issue with his celebration.

Allen was fined $14,491 and Moore was fined $13,888 for what the league called a "violent gesture," per multiple reports. The two appeared to make a throat-slashing gesture after clapping hands.

The NFL fined Bills QB Josh Allen and WR Elijah Moore $13,888 each for unsportsmanlike conduct (violent gesture) — a throat slash motion after Allen scored a TD last week. pic.twitter.com/fffmhMS1LJ

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 8, 2025

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Josh Allen, Elijah Moore fined for touchdown celebration against Chiefs

Josh Allen, Elijah Moore fined for touchdown celebration against Chiefs Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAYNovember 8, 2025 at 11:...

Dwayne Johnson reveals how he accidentally announced Osama bin Laden's death before the president: 'Oh s---'

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Guillermo del Toro on the Frankenstein scene he had to argue for, and how Jacob Elordi found the Creature's voice

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The 15 coziest Christmas movies to stream this holiday season (and where to watch them)

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

White Christmas (1954)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977)

A Christmas Story (1983)

Metropolitan (1990)

Mrs. Santa Claus (1996)

One Special Night (1999)

Polar Express (2004)

Christmas, Again (2014)

The Holdovers (2023)

Christmas Eve in Miller's Point (2024)

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