TV: ‘The Beauty’
Another year, another slate of unhinged Ryan Murphy productions. We’re kicking off 2026 with a typically buck-wild offering, “The Beauty” (on Disney Plus), which is about a sexually transmitted infection that turns you hot (and may cause, uh, spontaneous combustion). This show has the usual assortment of wacky characters, including a sadistic, eyepatch-sporting assassin (Anthony Ramos) and evil billionaire (Ashton Kutcher) with a mean wife (Isabella Rossellini), plus Murphy’s standard quota of fun nepo babies (including Rebecca Hall, Ben Platt, Amelia Gray Hamlin, and Ray Nicholson) and Evan Peters as a nihilistic, ass-kicking fed. — Briony Smith
Film: ‘Arco’
Hot off its Oscar nomination for best animated feature, the solo directorial debut of French graphic novelist Ugo Bienvenu is a captivating escape on the big screen. In 2075, a lonely young girl lives her isolated life in a world that’s on the edge of destruction. Forests are ablaze, and androids are raising a generation of children. But her world dramatically changes when she connects with Arco, a 10-year-old boy from the future, who crashes into her life after his rainbow-coloured time-travelling cape malfunctions. Together, they must plot a way to return him to the future before three mysterious men chase them down. With whispers of inspiration from Studio Ghibli and a mesmerizing score by Arnaud Toulon, this one is worth the trip to the TIFF Lightbox, where it opened on Friday. — David Friend
Documentary: ‘Saints & Warriors’
Basketball is more than just a game in Haida Gwaii. According to “Saints & Warriors” (now streaming on Crave), it’s woven into the identity of this Indigenous community off the coast of British Columbia and part of how its people heal from the trauma of colonial ills like residential schools. The film, which was an audience favourite at last year’s Hot Docs festival, follows the mighty Skidegate Saints senior squad as they defend their championship in the 2024 All Native Basketball Tournament — the “Super Bowl” to their devoted fans — against a younger group whose star player jilted his village teammates to play for a mixed-nation group from Burnaby, B.C. Intertwined with love of the sport is fierce love and pride for the land and its inhabitants. — Debra Yeo
TV: ‘Queer Eye’
“Teary Eye,” more like. In its 10th and final season on Netflix, the total makeover show delivers all the drama, poignancy and joy fans have come to expect — this time from Washington, D.C. Whether they’re helping two sisters with a complicated history (and much trauma in their back stories) or a single-mom firefighter blocked by a seemingly impenetrable emotional barricade, the Fab Five never fail to deliver precious life advice and choke up even the most cynical viewer. — Doug Brod
