Media Notes: Roundup for December 2025

  

 

Welcome to my somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during December 2025.

Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available).

Holiday movies. This was the holidays season, so naturally I watched a few holiday themed movies this month. Krampus was a big theme this year, though the films were not that good. I'd say the highlight this year was watching The Muppet Christmas Carol. Here is the list: 

• The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992. Holiday. Fantasy. Musical. Muppets). Plot description: "The . Muppets put their spin on the tale of an elder, Christmas-hating miser who is visited by spirits who foretell his future and share secrets from his past and present, which helps change his view on life." The Muppets take on the Dickens tale with Michael Cane as Ebenezer Scrooge. I remember watching this in younger days, but it has been a while, so I decided to look it up this year and watch it again. It is a cute touch Gonzo portrays Charles Dickens as the storyteller, providing a small frame. By the way, the movie does have some nice special effects. This is a nice family friendly adaptation. Sure, they take some license, and some of the scarier elements are removed, but it works overall. Michael Cane does a good performance. Kind of cute when his character is mostly serious, but then smiles here or there. If you like the Muppets, you'll probably like this movie. If you like nice Christmas movies, you may end up liking this as well. It gets the essence of the story with some fun and  good humor thrown in. Worth watching and I think a classic. One for children of all ages. 5 out of 5 stars. Watched 12/22 online.
• Sister Krampus (2021. B-movie. Horror. Holiday). Plot description: "Near the end of World War II, American soldiers perpetuate an unspeakable horror on a local nun. Turned away from the church, Krampus hears her cries, enacting brutal revenge - but it comes with a price."  Not sure how this made it to my watch list on Tubi, probably saw it on someone's list of Christmas horror movies. Anyhow, there it was, and so I am finally watching it. The movie has a decent premise, and I am sure with a serious budget someone could make something out of it. The acting is pretty low level, and so are the production values. This is as basic and minimal effort as you can get. The actress portraying Sister Krampus could do the part in a serious film; she has the look and demeanor to make it work. The plot is fairly slow, and to be honest, not a whole lot happens as the film drags on. The ending tries for a bit of humor, but at this point, to be honest, it could have been worse, so I am taking it as is. There are plenty of other Krampus movies; you can pretty much skip this one. Even for a B-movie, it's pretty bad. 1 out of 5 stars, barely. Via TubiTv. Watched 12/22.
• Krampus (2015. Horror. Holiday). Plot description: "A boy who has a bad Christmas accidentally summons a festive demon to his family home."  By now, there are a lot of Krampus movies out there for holiday horror with varying degrees of quality. This one put out by Universal Studios may have helped spur that trend further. The opening on this one I'd say would give anyone reason to summon Krampus. The dysfunctional family in the first act is just painful to watch; to be honest, I am already hoping the Krampus slashes them all to ribbons. I mean, the kid is not just having a bad Christmas. This is a toxic family of assholes who should not be together. As I said, you just root for Krampus to get there sooner rather than later. However, once we get past the painfully dysfunctional opening, and the horror starts, it starts. Movie then goes from tension and suspense to thrillers and scary moments. The movie also has a cast of actors  you may have seen elsewhere such as Adam Scott, and for me, especially David Koechner as the obnoxious survivalist uncle. The very end is a bit intriguing, for me at least. Overall, this is a pretty good Christmas season horror tale once it gets going, It has a good pace, and it keeps you watching. It may be the best of the many Krampus movies out there, but we'll see. Meanwhile, this one is worth a watch, and maybe a rewatch. 4 out of 5 stars. Watched online 12/22.
• Vikings vs. Krampus (a.k.a. Pagan Warrior. 2019. Horror. Fantasy. Holiday). Plot description: "After a savage gang of Vikings invade a Saxon Castle, murdering all in sight, one surviving man calls upon Krampus, the Yule devil to come to exact revenge for his family." The opening scene where the boy meets Krampus is nice enough, sets up the film decently. On the other hand, the so-called battle of vikings invading a castle is pretty pathetic, This is a seriously wimpy battle scene, if you can call it that; the scene to be honest drags and the acting is just not that good either. This is a scene you do not want to think about much due to its lack of logic. The summoning scene, simple as it is, has just enough darkness and drama to look pretty good. By the way, note the Krampus tells the man he will return in 10 years to collect payment for helping him; this will become important later. Still, aside from small moments like that scene, the acting is pretty bad. Once the Krampus starts doing their work, we get some horror, but too bad it happens 2/3 into the film, and even then the horror is pretty minimal. Overall, the plot, the fight scenes, the pacing, and the acting are laughably bad. Is it better than Sister Krampus? Yea, if you consider laughably bad at times better than just dragging and bad. This could have been a semi-decent horror film with a Yule theme, but no, they just messed this up to make whatever this was. There is schlock, and then there are poor films like this one. 1 out of 5 stars, and again, barely. The idea had potential, but this was bad. Via TubiTv. Watched 12/23.
• A Christmas Karen (2022. Comedy. Holidays. Literary Adaptation). Plot description: "Karen is an entitled middle-aged woman whose demanding nature has alienated her neighbors and family. After a series of instances displaying her privilege and prejudice, Karen receives an 'intervention' by some unconventional spirits." I commented and reviewed this first in December 2022. I rated it 4 out 5 stars at the time. I've watched it every year so far, as it has become a bit of a tradition. 

 

Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes:

• I continued rewatching Iron Chef (1993-1999) this month. By now I am in the middle of their 6th season as we end the month, via TubiTv.  The series has 7 seasons, so I should be done with this rewatch next month. It really is a nice comfort watch for me I enjoy watching every so often. I've commented and reviewed the series previously on this blog. 
• Master Chef: Dynamic Duos (2025).  This is basically the 15th season of the long running show. The theme for this season is couples competing together for the grand prize, thus the subtitle of "Dynamic Duos." Gordon Ramsay and Joe Bastianich return as a judges, and Aaron Sanchez is replaced by Tiffany Derry as judge. Most of the usual format with the field challenges, the pressure tests for elimination, so are still on. As I remarked before, they seem to be stretching things likely to make enough episodes. Pressure test usually followed the field challenge, both in one episode. Now, they do one episode for the challenge and another for the pressure test. So the show does feel like they are stretching the drama a bit more. They only got 12 couples to start, so yea, they do need to stretch things a bit to make the 18 episodes. The episode before the finale is basically a highlights reel episode; this is the kind of thing if you are watching the recording you might skip. The finale is a two-part, could likely be one episode. Still remains entertaining overall, and they have added a couple of new challenges like bidding for ingredients to cook with time, so if you bid too high less time to cook. The cattiness among contestants remains, including one or two that seem to really like listening to themselves, but that is part of the show. By the way, this season includes the show's 300th episode. This series sure has lasted. Overall, as I said, entertaining but I am wondering if it is losing some of the charm of the early seasons. Binged watch the whole season this month via TubiTv.