• Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell in 'Spirited', available to stream from November 18. Photo: Apple TV+
    Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell in 'Spirited', available to stream from November 18. Photo: Apple TV+
  • David Harbour in 'Violent Night'. Photo: 87North
    David Harbour in 'Violent Night'. Photo: 87North
  • Lindsay Lohan as Sierra, Chord Overstreet as Jake, Olivia Perez as Avy in 'Falling For Christmas'. Photo: Netflix
    Lindsay Lohan as Sierra, Chord Overstreet as Jake, Olivia Perez as Avy in 'Falling For Christmas'. Photo: Netflix
  • Justin Hartley in 'The Noel Diary'. Photo: Netflix
    Justin Hartley in 'The Noel Diary'. Photo: Netflix
  • Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio', featuring the voices of Gregory Mann and Christoph Waltz. Photo: Netflix
    Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio', featuring the voices of Gregory Mann and Christoph Waltz. Photo: Netflix
  • Aimee Garcia and Freddie Prinze Jr in 'Christmas with You'. Photo: Netflix
    Aimee Garcia and Freddie Prinze Jr in 'Christmas with You'. Photo: Netflix
  • A still from 'Scrooge: A Christmas Carol'. Photo: Netflix
    A still from 'Scrooge: A Christmas Carol'. Photo: Netflix
  • A behind the scenes photo from 'Best. Christmas. Ever.' starring Heather Graham, Jason Biggs and Brandy Norwood. Photo: Instagram / Brandy
    A behind the scenes photo from 'Best. Christmas. Ever.' starring Heather Graham, Jason Biggs and Brandy Norwood. Photo: Instagram / Brandy

Eight new Christmas movies for 2022: a guide to new festive films and how to watch them


Farah Andrews
  • English
  • Arabic

It may only be mid-October, but before we know it, Diwali, Halloween and UAE National Day will be behind us and we'll be in the throes of the 2022 festive season.

This year, as has become a modern tradition, there is a crop of new Christmas films being released on streaming sites and in cinemas.

Here we round up the new Christmas movies for 2022.

'Falling for Christmas'

Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Chord Overstreet, George Young

Release date: November 10

Watch it: On Netflix

Netflix has made a name for itself with cheesy Christmas films in recent years, and Falling for Christmas looks set to be its 2022 show-stopper.

Lindsay Lohan makes her movie comeback in festive fashion. With all the tropes of a holiday classic, newly engaged spoiled hotel heiress Sierra Belmont (Lohan) gets into a skiing accident. She wakes up in a small town with amnesia, unable to remember her name or where she came from.

Cue the handsome stranger (Overstreet), with a precocious daughter, who takes her in in the run-up to Christmas.

'Spirited'

Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell in 'Spirited'. Photo: Apple TV+
Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell in 'Spirited'. Photo: Apple TV+

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, Octavia Spencer

Release date: November 11

Watch it: On Apple TV+ and in cinemas

With an A-list line-up of Reynolds, Ferrell and Spencer, Spirited is one of the most anticipated festive flicks of the season.

It a modern musical Charles Dickens adaptation, reinterpreting the classic A Christmas Carol.

With all the classic tropes of the Dickens' novel, Reynolds plays Ebeneezer Scrooge, a "miserly misanthrope who is taken on a magical journey".

The ghosts of Scrooge's Christmases past, present and yet to come are featured, with Ferrell taking on the role of the present.

The film will have a limited run in cinemas from November 11, ahead of its streaming release on November 18.

'Christmas with You'

Starring: Freddie Prinze Jr, Aimee Garcia, Gabriel Sloyer

Release date: November 17

Watch it: On Netflix

Christmas with You, starring 1990s heart-throb Prinze Jr, looks like it also ticks off plenty of festive film tropes.

Angelina is a burnt-out pop star, who grants a young fan's Christmas wish in small-town New York. Naturally, she doesn't just find that the good deed has a morale-boosting impact, she also finds love in an unexpected place.

'The Noel Diary'

Starring: Justin Hartley, Bonnie Bedelia, James Remar

Release date: November 24

Watch it: On Netflix

Author Jake Turner (Hartley) returns home at Christmas to settle his estranged mother's estate and discovers a diary that could hold the secrets to his past.

'Violent Night'

Starring: David Harbour, Beverly D'Angelo, John Leguizamo

Release date: December 2

Watch it: In cinemas

If Die Hard is the archetypal anti-Christmas film, Violent Night might be coming for its crown.

Starring Stranger Things actor Harbour as Santa Claus, as we've never seen him before, he is a jaded take on Father Christmas.

However, it is down to Santa to save the day when a group of mercenaries take a wealthy family hostage on Christmas Eve, just before ol' Saint Nick arrives to step in and save the day.

Based on the trailer, the film will be packed with violence and a few gory moments. There are also plenty of seasonal puns — think "time for some season's beatings" and "these bad men are on my naughty list"— along with the title itself.

'Scrooge: A Christmas Carol'

A still from 'Scrooge: A Christmas Carol'. Photo: Netflix
A still from 'Scrooge: A Christmas Carol'. Photo: Netflix

Starring: Jessie Buckley, Luke Evans, Olivia Colman

Release date: December 2

Watch it: On Netflix

There is not one but two new takes on the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol this year. Netflix is throwing its Santa hat in the ring with Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, voiced by a star cast that includes Buckley, Evans, Colman and Jonathan Pryce.

Evans lends his voice to Ebenezer Scrooge and Johnny Flynn is Bob Cratchit, while Colman is the Ghost of Christmas Past and Trevor Dion Nicholas voices the Ghost of Christmas Present.

'Pinocchio'

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett, Christoph Waltz, Finn Wolfhard

Release date: December 9

Watch it: On Netflix

Although it's not an all-out Christmas film, the story of Pinocchio is a classic pantomime tale, so it's likely that family members of all ages will gather in front of the tree this December to watch Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro's reimagining of the story.

The film is a stop motion take on the Carlo Collodi tale, immortalised in Disney's 1940 animation.

It tells the story of the fabled wooden boy, with a slightly darker edge from previous retellings, but with the same foundations of adventure and love.

'Best. Christmas. Ever.'

Starring: Brandy Norwood, Heather Graham, Jason Biggs

Release date: TBC

Watch it: On Netflix

A film that looks set to be a Christmas comedy, every year Jackie (Norwood) sends a humble brag-filled holiday newsletter that makes her old college friend Charlotte (Graham) feel like her life isn't up to scratch.

This year, however, a twist of fate lands Charlotte and her husband Rob (Biggs) on Jackie’s snowy doorstep only days before Christmas. Charlotte quickly seizes the opportunity to prove her old friend's "perfect" life can’t possibly be that perfect.

Three tips from La Perle's performers

1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.

2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.

3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
 
  • Grade 9 = above an A*
  • Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
  • Grade 7 = grade A
  • Grade 6 = just above a grade B
  • Grade 5 = between grades B and C
  • Grade 4 = grade C
  • Grade 3 = between grades D and E
  • Grade 2 = between grades E and F
  • Grade 1 = between grades F and G
How has net migration to UK changed?

The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.

It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.

The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.

About RuPay

A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank

RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards

It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.

In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments

The name blends two words rupee and payment

Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs

UAE v United States, T20 International Series

Both matches at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free.

1st match: Friday, 2pm

2nd match: Saturday, 2pm

UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Amjad Gul, CP Rizwan, Mohammed Boota, Abdul Shakoor, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat

USA squad: Saurabh Netravalkar (captain), Jaskaran Malhotra, Elmore Hutchinson, Aaron Jones, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Jannisar Khan, Xavier Marshall, Monank Patel, Timil Patel, Roy Silva, Jessy Singh, Steven Taylor, Hayden Walsh

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PRO%20MAX
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7%22%20Super%20Retina%20XDR%20OLED%2C%202796%20x%201290%2C%20460ppi%2C%20120Hz%2C%202000%20nits%20max%2C%20HDR%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20P3%2C%20always-on%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20A16%20Bionic%2C%206-core%20CPU%2C%205-core%20GPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20128%2F256%2F512GB%20%2F%201TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20iOS%2016%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Triple%2048MP%20main%20(f%2F1.78)%20%2B%2012MP%20ultra-wide%20(f%2F2.2)%20%2B%2012MP%20telephoto%20(f%2F2.8)%2C%206x%20optical%2C%2015x%20digital%2C%20Photonic%20Engine%2C%20Deep%20Fusion%2C%20Smart%20HDR%204%2C%20Portrait%20Lighting%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204K%20%40%2024%2F25%2F30%2F60fps%2C%20full-HD%20%40%2025%2F30%2F60fps%2C%20HD%20%40%2030fps%2C%20slo-mo%20%40%20120%2F240fps%2C%20ProRes%20(4K)%20%40%2030fps%3B%20night%2C%20time%20lapse%2C%20cinematic%2C%20action%20modes%3B%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%204K%20HDR%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012MP%20TrueDepth%20(f%2F1.9)%2C%20Photonic%20Engine%2C%20Deep%20Fusion%2C%20Smart%20HDR%204%2C%20Portrait%20Lighting%3B%20Animoji%2C%20Memoji%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A04K%20%40%2024%2F25%2F30%2F60fps%2C%20full-HD%20%40%2025%2F30%2F60fps%2C%20slo-mo%20%40%20120%2F240fps%2C%20ProRes%20(4K)%20%40%2030fps%3B%20night%2C%20time%20lapse%2C%20cinematic%2C%20action%20modes%3B%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%204K%20HDR%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204323mAh%2C%20up%20to%2029h%20video%2C%2025h%20streaming%20video%2C%2095h%20audio%3B%20fast%20charge%20to%2050%25%20in%2030min%3B%20MagSafe%2C%20Qi%20wireless%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Apple%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBiometrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Face%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lightning%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDurability%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20IP68%2C%20dust%2Fsplash%2Fwater%20resistant%20up%20to%206m%20up%20to%2030min%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20eSIM%20%2F%20eSIM%20%2B%20eSIM%20(US%20models%20use%20eSIMs%20only)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Deep%20purple%2C%20gold%2C%20silver%2C%20space%20black%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20iPhone%2014%20Pro%20Max%2C%20USB-C-to-Lightning%20cable%2C%20one%20Apple%20sticker%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh4%2C699%20%2F%20Dh5%2C099%20%2F%20Dh5%2C949%20%2F%20Dh6%2C799%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs

Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km

Updated: November 07, 2022, 10:28 AM