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All the new films hitting Netflix, Amazon Prime and NowTV this weekend

Yet another weekend of lockdown, and another weekend reaching for the remote.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 20th November 2020
Netflix

As the nation relaxes into another weekend of lockdown and the weather forecasts show rain and gloomy skies, many of us will be reaching for the remote.

But what new films are set to hit screens over the next few days?

If you’re looking for something to tune into, then leading streaming platforms Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and NowTV have got you covered and will each be releasing a collection of new flicks to their platforms, with everything from romance, drama and horror, to dark surrealist comedy, parody and even some brand new originals to take your pick from.

Here’s everything new you can check out this weekend.

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Netflix

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The Princess Switch: Switched Again

Starring – Vanessa Hudgens

Brand new to the streaming service this today, The Princess Switch: Switched Again is the much-anticipated sequel to the 2018 Christmas romantic comedy film The Princess Switch, which followed the well-known concept of two people running into one another who look identical and switching places.

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In this latest instalment though, when Margaret’s Christmas coronation complicates her love life, her double Stacy steps in to save the day, but will a third look-alike ruin their plan?

Holmes & Watson

Starring – Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly

This 2018 mystery comedy film is a parody of the famed detective duo – with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as the title characters – which sees them they set out to find the culprit behind a threat at Buckingham Palace, and features performances from Rebecca Hall, Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, and Ralph Fiennes in supporting roles.

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A film branded “so bad, it’s good” by some critics, you may as well give it a watch just once.

Life of the Party

Starring – Melissa McCarthy

Another comedy film to first hit the big screen back in 2018 – starring Melissa McCarthy, and written and directed by her husband Ben Falcone – Life of the Party sees a middle-aged mother return to college in order to complete her degree and ends up bonding with her daughter’s friends after her husband abruptly asks for a divorce.

A great pick if you fancy a good laugh.

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square

Starring –  Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski & Treat Williams.

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Another Netflix original, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square is a Christmas musical film directed and choreographed by acclaimed choreographer Debbie Allen, which follows follows a wealthy and pretentious woman named Regina Fuller, who after the death of her father, returns to her hometown before Christmas to evict the residents and sell the land to a mall developer.

Catch it on Netflix this Sunday 22nd November.

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Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime Video

Seven Stages To Achieve Eternal Bliss

Starring – Kate Micucci, Sam Huntington & Taika Waititi

Often going by an abridged version of the full title Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss By Passing Through the Gateway Chosen By the Holy Storsh, this dark comedy film sees a small-town young couple learn their new apartment is being used for a deranged cult’s ritualistic suicides.

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With Academy Award-winning writer, director and actor Taika Waititi playing the cult leader, you know you’re in for a wild ride.

Body Cam

Starring – Mary J. Blige and Nat Wolff

In this 2020 police procedural horror film, Mary J. Blige stars as a cop with the Louisiana Police Department who, when a routine traffic stop results in the unexplained, grisly death of her colleague, realises footage of the incident will play for her eyes only.

Officers are haunted by a spirit after the death of a black youth and the subsequent cover-up.

Uncle Frank 

Starring – Paul Bettany & Sophia Lillis.

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Set in 1973, Uncle Frank is a roadtrip movie about a gay man who confronts his past.

When Frank Bledsoe and his 18-year-old niece Beth take a road trip from Manhattan to Creekville, South Carolina for the family patriarch’s funeral, they’re unexpectedly joined by Frank’s lover Walid.

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NowTV

(with a Sky Cinema pass)

Sky Group / NOW TV

The Photograph

Starring – Issa Rae & LaKeith Stanfield

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This 2020 romantic drama film, famed photographer Christina Eames unexpectedly dies and leaves her estranged daughter Mae Morton hurt and full of questions, but when a photograph tucked away in a safe-deposit box is found, Mae finds herself on a journey delving into her mother’s early life and ignites a powerful, unexpected romance with a rising-star journalist, Michael Block.

One that’s worth the watch.

Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island

Starring – Maggie Q, Michael Pena, Lucy Hale & Michael Rooker

In this 2020 supernatural horror film, five people take a trip to the eponymous magical island – adapted from the popular 1970s TV show – only to discover that their dream fantasies brought to life begin to turn into horrific living nightmares that they must try to survive.

Reckon you can hack it?

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A completely objective ranking of every Quality Street sweet

Gareth Lloyd Gareth Lloyd A completely objective ranking of every Quality Street sweet

It’s Christmas Day and dinner is done. 

Dad is sat there snoozing with his mouth ajar, a glass of red wine hanging loosely between his fingers. Mum is tapping away on her phone, probably doing some intel as to how her gifts went down with relatives. An aunt, uncle and or grandparent is propped up in the corner, frowning in confusion at the “rubbish” playing on the television. 

The rest of you are eyeing up the purple tub of chocolates sitting on the dining room table. Dad’s spilled drink will wake him up at any moment. Mum has nearly finished finding out if her pressies were a success. And the aunt/uncle/grandparent will soon want a distraction from that “stupid” programme they can’t understand. 

Someone is about to lift the lid off the Quality Street, and then it’s game time. With a belly already fit to burst, you need to choose wisely. Not all of these chocolates are created equal, after all. 

For 85 years, ranking Quality Street has proven more problematic than naming a round piece of bread (is it a barm, bap, bun, breadcake cob, roll? One problem at a time…), but we reckon we’ve cracked it. 

Here’s a definitive list that ought to put you in pole position during the annual Christmas Day race for the best chocolates in the tub.

11. Toffee Penny

Chowing down on a Toffee Penny is like listening to an elderly family member trying to read aloud a long joke from a Christmas cracker.

On and on it goes, getting more tedious and uncomfortable by the second, and just as you think it’s all over, you realise it’s only getting started.

Chewy, sickly and sticky, Toffee Pennies are always among the last choccies remaining in any depleted Quality Street box. And that’s no coincidence. 

10. Toffee Finger

A completely objective ranking of every Quality Street sweet. Toffee Fingers
Toffee Fingers. Credit: The Manc Group

A little less chewy and a bit more flavoursome than the Penny, the Toffee Finger is a familiar and distinctive Quality Street staple… but it’s still not something to get particularly excited about. 

Maybe one is fine when it’s getting late, the layers are thinning out and you’re left staring into that abyss of scrunched-up wrappers, but otherwise, you can do far better.

This is one of the few instances in life where you should not go for gold. 

9. Coconut Eclair

A completely objective ranking of every Quality Street sweet - coconut eclair
Coconut eclairs. Credit: The Manc Group

It’s funny how some flavours have an incredible ability to get people riled up to the point of boiling hot anger. Take coriander, for instance – a herb despised so much that someone actually made a Facebook account titled ‘I Hate Coriander’ that has since grown into a community of a quarter of a million members. The page even sells merch nowadays.

Coconut is another ingredient that seems to stir up similar sensations in certain members of the population, and a lot of people find Quality Street’s blue-wrapped choccies borderline offensive as a result (the coconutty Bounty gets the same treatment when the Celebrations come out). 

Indeed, in one YouGov poll, the Coconut Eclair ranked as the least popular variety of all. 

As coconut fans, we’re actually ok with it, but we appreciate there’s no way to talk anyone into giving the Eclair a second chance. The hostility towards coconut is just too strong. The people who hate it, really hate it. 

8. Fudge

A completely objective ranking of every Quality Street sweet. Fudge
Fudge. Credit: The Manc Group

Fudge’s are fine. Absolutely fine. It’s just that over the years, we might have had way too many of them. 

Consumer group Which? conducted research into chocolate tubs that found that Fudges are the most common flavour in any typical Quality Street box – with an average of nine appearing amongst the multicoloured rubble. 

That’s a lot of fudges. And whilst they might be pretty decent, it’s just like anything else: Too much of the same and it gets a bit… meh. 

7. Orange Crunch 

A completely objective ranking of every Quality Street sweet. Orange crunch
Orange Crunch. Credit: The Manc Group

The Orange Crunch boasts a nice blend of textures and to be fair, it’s pretty damn good.  

It’s got zest, it’s got bite, and it’s got a few very, very loyal fans – some of whom will shamelessly bat away the hands of others to snap up all the little orange hexagons from the moment the Quality Street is opened. 

If there’s one going spare, it’s worth grabbing. Just make sure you don’t have any die-hard Orange Crunch fans in the house. Otherwise, Christmas could get ugly.  

6. Milk Choc Block

A completely objective ranking of every Quality Street sweet. Milk Choc Block
Milk Choc Block. Credit: The Manc Group

The chocolate box equivalent of a Yorkie bar, the Milk Choc Block requires a bit of effort to actually eat – so it may not be the wisest choice immediately after a gluttonous Christmas dinner. But when things have settled and you’re finally sensing a bit of wiggle room, it’s worth plucking one of these dark green wrappers from the tub and getting stuck in. 

These beasty blocks are a cracking accompaniment for your afternoon/evening cuppa, and whilst they can take a while to break down, they won’t lose their flavour. 

A perfect option when you’re not feeling too adventurous. 

5 & 4. Strawberry Delight / Orange Creme

A completely objective ranking of every Quality Street sweet. Strawberry and orange fruit cremes
Strawberry and orange fruit cremes. Credit: The Manc Group

We’re into the upper echelons of the Quality Street rankings now, and whilst some will be loathed to admit it, the fruit cremes definitely belong towards the top end of the table. 

Eating Strawberry Delights or Orange Cremes is like sipping a strong, exotic cocktail. The distinct flavour and strange texture takes you by surprise at first, and you can embrace or reject it. We recommend the former. Once you’ve had one or two and you’re on board, there’s no going back. You’ll realise just how good these things are. 

We’re cheating here and ranking these two choccies side-by-side. They’re just too tough to set apart. 

3. Caramel Swirl 

Caramel swirl
Caramel swirl. Credit: The Manc Group

Caramel Swirls feel like the desserts of the aristocracy. The wrappers have the shimmering, royal quality of a Ferrero Roche – except the choccies have got a gooey, gold, rich, creamy centre to match. 

Understandably, the Caramel Swirl can be a bit too much for some. But on a day when you want to indulge – there are few desserts more fitting. 

Take a couple and treat yourself. You got through 2024, for God’s sake. You’ve earned it. 

2. Green Triangle

A completely objective ranking of every Quality Street sweet - the Green Triangle
The Green Triangle. Credit: The Manc Group

The Green Triangle is the Tom Hanks of box chocolates: It’s been around forever and no matter what the setting, it will never let you down. 

It’s reassuring, solid and reliable. It’s easy to love. And it makes ordinary movies more enjoyable than they should be. 

Good old Green Triangle. Never change. 

1. The Purple One

The Purple One.
The Purple One. Credit: The Manc Group

All hail The Purple One. God tier chocolate. The biggest, most beloved, and indisputably the best. 

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With handsome wrapping and delicious contents of milk chocolate, runny caramel and a crunchy hazelnut at its core, The Purple One appears on top of user polls time and time again. Because class is permanent. 

As soon as you open that Quality Street box on Christmas Day, get looking immediately for that purple wrapper. They won’t last long. 

Happy scoffing, folks.

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Featured Image – The Manc Group

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Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk separated during face-off after recording-breaking stare-down

Danny Jones Danny Jones Fury v Usyk 2 11-minute face-off

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk managed to break a new record before the fight had even started during their face-off on Thursday as they engaged in an extremely intense stare-down – the longest in boxing history.

Fury vs Usyk 2 takes place this weekend, with both excitement and now tension around the eagerly-awaited rematch boiling over as the two fighters locked into respective thousand-yard stares as they met on stage in Riyadh ahead of their rematch.

The pre-fight press and build-up had felt a little quiet and understated up until the last couple of weeks but with the two division-conquering heavyweights now set for what looks to be a real battle and an actually believable feud, the anticipation and stakes have never felt higher.

Fury will have to wait until Saturday to get his second shot at beating the Ukrainian but it’s clear that both their heads are very much already in the ring as the pair ultimately had to be pulled apart after an extremely intense and, frankly, awkward 11-minute stare-down.

As you can see, the situation was an unprecedented one and neither Fury nor Usyk seemed willing to flinch or concede even a little bit of ground to the other, resulting in the longest face-off professional boxing has ever seen. It could have gone on longer by the looks of things…

More than 10 minutes passed before either party said a word to each other and it took various members of security, the promoters, Fury’s entourage and Usyk‘s to edge the two away from each other as the Wythenshawe-born boxer eventually appeared to lose his cool.

In addition to trading countless threats and insults as per, the Manc fighter looked visibly red-faced and began perspiring profusely as he became more mobile and agitated; in contrast, his Ukrainian counterpart barely moved an inch from the same spot.

Perhaps the most jarring aspect of the hot-blooded affair was the general pageantry and ceremonial stuff going on around them, as tonnes of Saudi locals danced, got up on tables and played music around them as the face-off came to its conclusion.

However, it was the scenes picked up by cameras as the two were finally separated that many fight fans think have proved most telling, as the 36-year-old launched into a torrent of verbal abuse and expletives after the fact. As they see it, Fury’s ‘meltdown’ shows he’s already lost the first round:

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Usyk didn’t get to enjoy his unified title for very long after beating Tyson the first time around but judging by the level of composure on display, he might already have a leg up in the rematch too.

‘The Gypsy King’ has also been criticised once again for his conduct during the aftermath for homophobic, discriminatory and generally offensive remarks (something he’s come under fire for in the past) though he is yet to address the accusations and is unlikely to with just less than 24 hours before the bell rings.

Fury claims he hasn’t spoken to his wife in three months amidst his busy schedule and strict training camp rules for this fight – another comment he received some flak for online. Whether or not isolating himself has helped his chance, only time will tell.

If you happen to have free time on your hands and nothing better to do, you can watch the whole 11 minutes and change stare-off between Fury and Usyk down below. Better still, give us your predictions: who do you think is going to win this one?

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — DAZN/TNT Sports (screenshot via YouTube)

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