Netflix may make your December a bit more magic

Above : James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Keegan-Michael Key star in “The Prom.” (Photo: Netflix)

New viewing choices are emerging all the time, streaming through any number of subscription services. One of the most popular of the services is Netflix , which I’ve been a customer of since the days of DVDs arriving in the mail.

Those days are long over. Now I stream everything, except for what I find in my own home library. But my library isn’t that vast, so I don’t have access to everything I might want to watch. I depend, then, on what I can find online.

To that end, here are some of the best films, old favorites and original premieres, that Netflix will make available in December:

“50 First Dates” (2004, available now): You can take or leave Adam Sandler movies, but this romantic comedy about a guy in love with a woman (Drew Barrymore) with a short-term memory disability is one of his more touching efforts. That, of course, has a lot to do with Barrymore, playing someone whom Sandler’s character has to find a way to romance anew every single day.

“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982, available now): Pure Steven Spielberg, with lovable kids (including a much younger Drew Barrymore) and aliens pitted against dark government forces and, most of all, a plotline that boasts a happy ending with E.T. not just phoning home but returning there, too. This is exactly the kind of movie we all need right now. Can’t rewatch this one enough.

“Jurassic Park” (1993, available now): More Spielberg, and another of his best action/adventure films. This one is about the dangers of science gone wild, again with hardy kids in peril and featuring great performances by adult peformers such as Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough and, of course, Jeff Goldblum (not to mention Samuel L. Jackson in a supporting role). Yeah, it was followed by sequels and reworkings. But none of them come close to matching the quality of the original.

“Stargate SG-1: Seasons 1-10 (1997-2007, available now): Richard Dean Anderson starred in the Canadian-produced sci-fi series that premiered on Showtime before moving in 2002 to the Sci-Fi Channel (now Syfy). A takeoff from the 1994 feature film (starring Kurt Russell and James Spader), it features space travel and exploration through an ancient alien series of wormholes. I was addicted to the series and then to its spin-off “Stargate Atlantis.” And I’d watch them all again.

And among the new offerings, these stand out:

“Mank” (premiere, available Friday): David Fincher’s artsy period-piece drama focusing on the screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and his partnership with Orson Welles in the writing of “Citizen Kane.” Starring Gary Oldman as the title character.

“The Prom” (premiere, available Dec. 11): Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden star in this adaptation of the Broadway musical about a group of Broadway stars who descend on a small town to help a young high school student enjoy her school’s annual prom.

As always, so much viewing material, so little time. But this list should provide a start.