The Five: What's ahead in pop culture for Dec. 26-Jan. 1

1. FILM: Marty Supreme (Dec. 25)

It’s a tough serve from Hollywood: an indie movie about Ping-Pong that’s set in the 1950s. But Marty Supreme has some key things going for it. First, it stars Timothée Chalamet — the Oscar-nominated actor from Call Me by Your Name, Dune and its sequel, and A Complete Unknown. And second, critics are already raving about it. The movie has a 97 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed and co-written by Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme is an underdog story loosely based on champion table tennis player Marty Reisman. Gwyneth Paltrow, Fran Drescher and Kevin O’Leary — yes, that Kevin O’Leary — co-star.

2. TV: Stand Up For Canada (Dec. 28)

The Saint John, N.B., performance from Rick Mercer’s recent Stand-Up for Canada Comedy Tour is now a one-hour special on CBC and CBC Gem. Comedians Sophie Buddle, Mayce Galoni and Julie Kim also get airtime. Mercer, who’s known for the shows This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer Report, told the Montreal Gazette he wanted to uplift Canada. “It seems like now is the time to bring the act back, even though it is the act that I’ve been doing for over 20 years,” he said. “We just made a decision to take that lane that was all about celebrating Canada.”

3. MUSIC: Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 5, Volume 2 (Dec. 26)

So. Much. Stranger. Things. The horror series has been releasing its fifth and final season in three parts, streaming on Nov. 26, Dec. 25, and Dec. 31. Likewise, the season’s soundtrack is launching digitally in three parts: Volume 1 on Nov. 28, Volume 2 on Dec. 26, and Volume 3 on Jan. 1. The full season soundtrack lands Jan. 30 in digital, CD, vinyl, and cassette formats — perfect for capturing those 1980s vibes. So far, songs in Season 5 include I Think We’re Alone Now by Tiffany, Pretty in Pink by Psychedelic Furs, and of course, Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush.

4. BOOK: The Amazing Generation (Dec. 30)

Jonathan Haidt’s 2024 book, The Anxious Generation, examined how smartphones and social media affect young people’s development. For this book, he teamed up with Catherine Price, author of How to Break Up with Your Phone (2018). “Readers … have asked us for years if we’d write a book for their kids,” they told Postmedia. “The Amazing Generation is that book: it’s written directly for nine- to 12-year-olds and is designed to inspire them to stand up for their own childhoods by choosing to minimize their time on screens and fill their free time with real friendship, freedom, and fun.”

5. CELEBRATION: New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31)

Say goodbye — or good riddance — to 2025 in however way suits your fancy. Maybe take a cue from traditions around the world, as detailed in The Old Farmer’s Almanac. For example, people in Denmark smash plates and glasses against each other’s front doors to shoo away bad spirits. In Spain, you’ll have good luck if you eat 12 grapes during the 12 strokes of midnight. In Switzerland, people drop dollops of whipped cream on the floor in hopes of a year full of richness. And in Scotland, for Hogmanay, people hold bonfire ceremonies and swing around large fireballs on poles.