Canada vs. the world on ‘Drag Race,’ Quebec’s ‘cocaine cowgirls’ and a holiday movie franchise is revived: Here’s what to watch on Netflix, Crave and more

With so many different streaming platforms and cable offerings to navigate through, choosing what to watch has never been harder. To make things easier, here are our best tune-in tips for the week ahead.

MONDAY

Stutz

Is there a way to turn your darkest thoughts into a positive mindset? Phil Stutz believes there is. The psychiatrist’s client list includes actor Jonah Hill who has now decided to make a documentary about his doctor. The result is revealing conversations between Stutz and Hill in an attempt to gain more insight into the successful techniques the psychiatrist employs. In addition, audiences will learn more about the personal mental health issues that Hill has recently been struggling with.

Netflix

WEDNESDAY

In Her Hands

This new documentary shares the story of Zarifa Ghafari who at the age of 26, became one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors and the youngest to ever hold the position. Layers about Ghafari’s rise are peeled back as she fights to survive against the political unraveling of her country. This is especially precarious when the Taliban government reclaims its power.

Netflix

The Lost Lotteries

This Thai film about ‘huay’ or playing the lottery captures the betting craze in that country. The heist comedy is about the winners of a jackpot who have their winning ticket stolen. The five down-on-their luck teenagers now have to get their ticket back from an unrelenting mafia boss. The film is among six new Thai projects that Netflix is expected to release shortly.

Netflix

Mind Your Manners

Etiquette teacher Sarah Jane Ho helps students become the best version of themselves by teaching them manners in this new voyeuristic series. Subject matters covered include the right ways to cut into a banana, use a hand fan or shoot an arrow.

Netflix

The Santa Clauses

November means a slew of holiday releases but even I didn’t see this one coming. Yes, Tim Allen is back to reprise his role as Scott Calvin/Santa, a character he last played in 2006’s “The Santa Clause 3.” For this new Disney Plus series, Calvin realizes that he can’t be St. Nick forever (something Allen should have probably realized well before this) and begins the process of trying to find a replacement ahead of retirement.

Disney Plus

FRIDAY

Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?

In 1996, the war between Coke and Pepsi was at its boiling point. Despite Pepsi’s spectacular advertising budget, its enemy still controlled the larger market share. In an effort to claim bragging rights, the second-place soft drink producer unveiled its “Pepsi Stuff” campaign that offered the chance to buy sunglasses, leather jackets, and even a jet plane with “Pepsi Points,” (accumulated if you bought enough of the sweet soda). While executives assumed the ludicrous 7,000,000 point price of the plane was enough to deter potential customers and make them realize the offer was a joke, one college student took the challenge as a personal mission. John Leonard and his rich friend Todd Hoffman put together a plan to take home the plane. The result is one of the more compelling subjects of a documentary that I have ever encountered. Definitely the top pick this week.

Netflix

Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World

This six-episode extravaganza features queens from the international Drag Race community competing to become the Queen of the North. Keep an eye out for the Prime Minister this season as Justin Trudeau will become the first world leader to make a guest appearance on a “Drag Race” franchise.

Crave

Sugar

The story of two Quebec influencers seduced into a luxury vacation on a cruise ship bound for Australia captured the attention of the world in 2016. Melina Roberge and Isabelle Lagace became known as the ‘cocaine cowgirls’ and now their dream-turned-nightmare trip is dramatized in a new film. “Sugar” stars Katherine McNamara and Canadians Jasmine Sky Sarin and Eric Bruneau.

Prime Video

Slumberland

Jason Momoa and newcomer Marlow Barkley star in this fantasy adventure that takes viewers into a magical dream world (shot in Toronto) where anything can happen. When Nemo (Barkey) learns about her father being lost at sea, she retreats into her dreams as a way to deny what is actually happening. That’s where she meets the effervescent Flip (Momoa) who helps her cope with the reality of the situation she is in. It’s a different kind of role for Aquaman but one that he shines in, proving that he is more than just muscle.

Netflix

The People We Hate at the Wedding

Based on the book by Grant Ginder, this comedy follows siblings Alice (Kristen Bell) and Paul (Ben Platt) who agree to attend the wedding of their estranged half-sister (Cynthia Addai-Robinson). As the ceremonies get underway, the family uncovers more secrets from their past.

Prime Video

Spirited

While many still want to see Will Ferrell reprise his “Elf” role, this might just be the next best thing. In this new Apple original film, the funnyman plays the Ghost of Christmas Present who selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits (in a nod Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”). The twist is that this time, the wrong person is picked. Ryan Reynolds plays Clint Briggs who turns the tables on his guide. The best part? While this tells Dickens’ story from the perspective of the ghosts (which hasn’t been done before), this is also apparently a musical. A must-see this holiday season.

Apple TV Plus

Disenchanted

The wait is over for Disney fans as the long-awaited sequel to Enchanted is finally here. Titled “Disenchanted” instead of “Enchanted 2,” the film picks up where its 2007 predecessor left off. Fifteen years after Giselle (Amy Adams) and Robert (Patrick Dempsey) got married, Giselle is starting to get disenfranchised with their lives in the city. They decide to move their family back to Monroeville where the suburban life is now ruled by Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph). Without spoiling things, magic is used incorrectly and the result is a race against time to figure out what the true meaning of “happily ever after” really means.

Disney Plus

DON’T MISS

Yellowstone

The new season of Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” premiered last week on Paramount Plus Canada. John Dutton (Kevin Costner) is now the governor of Montana and continues to rule with his daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) by his side. It’s rumoured that this season will finally be the one where Kayce (Luke Grimes) and Monica (Kelsey Asbille) break up leading to speculation that at least one will not make it out of this season alive.

Sundays, Paramount Plus Canada

Tulsa King

I had the chance to check out the premiere of Taylor Sheridan’s other new show for Paramount Plus Canada at an event in Toronto last week. The ageless Sylvester Stallone plays Dwight Manfredi, a Mafia man who just finished a 25-year prison sentence. When he returns to “the family,” he is reassigned to Tulsa, Oklahoma in an effort to establish a criminal network in unclaimed territory. Manfredi makes an immediate impact by hiring a driver, criminalizing a legal marijuana dispensary and bringing a tough-guy sense of humour that only “Rocky” can. Very entertaining.

Sundays, Paramount Plus Canada

Murtz Jaffer is a Toronto-based Entertainment writer and a freelance contributor for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @murtzjaffer

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