INSIDE THE HOSPITAL
Most of Lennox Hill, a Netflix docuseries that follows four physicians at a New York hospital, takes place before the COVID-19 pandemic. In some ways, that makes their hardships and hectic work lives even more powerful. The physicians make difficult decisions to save patients while also tending to their own personal lives — and those lines too often are blurred. In the last episode, the pandemic has arrived, and while viewers have less access to the doctors then, we can only imagine what they're going through, given what we've seen already. (WILSON CRISCIONE)
ALL HAIL HOLLAND
Happiest Season got a lot of hype for being a mainstream, Christmas-set lesbian rom-com, but it unfortunately falls short of being, you know, good. If you can't root for a rom-com's main couple, that's a pretty big problem. But the movie streaming on Hulu has its moments, and almost all of them come courtesy of Mary Holland as Jane, the wannabe fantasy author and in-house Geek Squad fixer-upper to sisters Harper (MacKenzie Davis) and Sloane (Alison Brie) and their parents. Holland similarly stole every scene she appeared in earlier this year in Robbie, the Rory Scovel Comedy Central sitcom available via YouTube. She's one to watch. (DAN NAILEN)
DRINK TO THAT
The Inlander has covered the Keep Music Live movement aiming to raise $10 million to support Washington's shuttered live music venues and their employees. Now there's a tasty way to support the cause. Elysian Brewing created a Keep Music Live IPA currently available on the West Side and planning to come to Spokane, too. All proceeds go to support the cause. You can also pick up a T-shirt, hoodie, pint glass or other bit of merch to help, available at keepmusiclivewa.com. (DAN NAILEN)
GIMME ONE REASON
Am I going to tell you Christmas Chronicles 2 is a great movie? I am not. But I am going to tell you that when it comes to new, generally mindless holiday products, you can do a lot worse than watching Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn as Santa and Mrs. Claus. The story? Forgettable. Santa's beard? Fierce! And really, you can just fast-forward this flick on Netflix straight to the point when Darlene Love shows up as an airport ticket agent who bursts out into song, an original new holiday tune called "The Spirit of Christmas" written by Little Steven Van Zandt. It ain't Christmas without a little Love. (DAN NAILEN)
THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST
Some noteworthy new music hits online and in stores Dec. 18. To wit:
PAUL McCARTNEY, McCartney III. A spiritual sequel to the cleverly titled McCartney and McCartney II. And bound to be pretty great.
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS, The New OK. Previously released digitally, get your physical copy of the Truckers' surprise album drop. You won't regret it.
VARIOUS ARTISTS, The Prom (Music from the Netflix film). I don't know about this Prom, but mine had way too many Cutting Crew songs involved. (DAN NAILEN)
