Best movies on Apple TV+
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Showing items 1 to 23 of 23
Flora and Son
- Comedy
- Romance
- 2023
- John Carney
- 97 mins
- 15
Summary:
Working hand to potty mouth as a nanny, single mother Flora salvages a discarded guitar from a skip and passes off the battered instrument as her 14-year-old son Max's belated birthday present. The teenager is unimpressed so Flora resolves to play instead. Drama comedy starring Ewe Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
How to watchWhy watch Flora and Son?:
Eve Hewson is on fire as a foul-mouthed Irishwoman on a mission to learn the guitar in this salty musical comedy from writer/ director John Carney. Hewson plays Flora, a single mum with a delinquent son, who takes up the instrument and invests in online lessons courtesy of the LA-based Jeff (Joseph Gordon- Levitt) — much to the annoyance of her failed-musician ex (Jack Reynor).
As the man behind Once and Sing Street, Carney has form with the genre and Dublin setting, and he’s onto another winner here.
Emma Simmonds
The Beanie Bubble
- Drama
- Comedy
- 2023
- Kristin Gore
- 110 mins
- 15
Summary:
In the mid-1990s, Ty Warner's toy company, Ty Inc., is thriving but the introduction of Beanie Babies - limited edition stuffed creatures - eventually sparks an internet sensation and draws medical student Maya and single mother Sheila into Ty's chaotic orbit. Comedy drama inspired by real events starring Zach Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks and Sarah Snook
How to watchWhy watch The Beanie Bubble?:
This colourful biopic documents the Beanie Baby craze of the late 1990s, when ordinary people rabidly collected soft toys to sell (in theory) at hugely inflated prices. Zach Galifianakis stars as the man who birthed the Babies and became a billionaire. As the film flips between moments in his story, we follow three women who he used and abused (played by Elizabeth Banks, Geraldine Viswanathan and Succession’s Sarah Snook). Written and co-directed by comedy veteran Kristin Gore, this is a fun, nostalgic romp, though it often sacrifices substance for laughs.
Jayne Nelson
Still: a Michael J Fox Movie
- Documentary and factual
- News and current affairs
- 2023
- Davis Guggenheim
- 94 mins
- 15
Summary:
To cinemagoers around the world, Canadian actor Michael J Fox will be indelibly linked to the Back To The Future series as wisecracking, time-travelling hero Marty McFly. At the age of 29, a year after the release of the trilogy's concluding instalment, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and Fox used his public platform to shine a light on the incurable disease and passionately advocate for finding a cure. Now 61-years-old, Fox shares his personal and professional triumphs and challenges in a feature-length documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim, which incorporates archival and scripted elements. The film candidly chronicles Fox's rise to stardom in 1980s Hollywood in his own words and the subsequent years away from the cameras, clinging onto his unwavering optimism
How to watchWhy watch Still: a Michael J Fox Movie?:
“I’m a tough son of a bitch,” Michael J Fox tells director Davis Guggenheim during one of the interviews in this remarkable and heartfelt documentary. As we come to see, he really is. The film charts Fox’s early struggles to find work to his eventual global stardom thanks to 1985 sci-fi classic Back to the Future. Cleverly edited footage from his performances over the years, coupled with the occasional body double, illustrate what life was like for this energetic young Canadian, right up to the moment he awoke with a trembling little finger, the first sign of his early onset Parkinson’s disease. The end result is a fantastic, pity-free account of an extraordinary man determined to live his life at top speed, even as every doctor on screen begs him to slow down.
Jayne Nelson
Ghosted
- Action
- Comedy
- 2023
- Dexter Fletcher
- 103 mins
- 12
Summary:
After their fantastic first date, Cole discovers that Sadie is a secret agent. But before they decide on a second date they get swept away on an international journey to save the world. Action comedy, starring Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Adrien Brody and Tim Blake Nelson
How to watchWhy watch Ghosted?:
In this action-packed comedy, lovelorn Cole Turner (Chris Evans) thinks he’s found the woman of his dreams when he meets Sadie Rhodes (Ana de Armas) at a market stall. However, after a sizzling first date, Sadie doesn’t answer any of Cole’s messages. Discovering that she’s now in London, he decides to make a huge romantic gesture by flying out to surprise her, only to learn she’s a super-spy trying to take down an evil weapons dealer (Adrien Brody).
Director Dexter Fletcher steers the action with a firm hand, as the pair are swamped in fisticuffs, gunfights and bus chases. The chemistry between Evans and de Armas, in their third film together, is electrifying, and there are several brilliant cameos as their characters are hunted by bounty hunters.
Jayne Nelson
Tetris
- Drama
- History
- 2023
- Jon S Baird
- 120 mins
- 15
Summary:
The story of how inventor Alexey Pajitnov and businessman Henk Rogers found a way to bring Tetris to players around the globe. Biopic drama, starring Taron Egerton, Toby Jones, Alexey Pajitnov and Sofya Lebedeva
How to watchWhy watch Tetris?:
This tense thriller from director Jon S Baird (Stan & Ollie) tells the true story of the legal wrangle to obtain international rights to the video game Tetris in the late 1980s. Taron Egerton stars as Dutch businessman Henk Rogers, who travels to the USSR against the backdrop of Cold War tensions after successfully convincing Nintendo of the game’s potential. Upon his arrival, he forms an alliance with the game’s creator Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Yefremov), but comes up against a rogue’s gallery of cartoonish antagonists, from dodgy rival businessman Robert Maxwell (Roger Allam) to malevolent KGB agent Valentin Trifonov (Igor Grabuzov).
The film takes a little while to get going, but settles into a nice groove following Henk’s arrival in Moscow. And Lorne Balfe’s score makes excellent use of the iconic Tetris theme tune.
Patrick Cremona
Sharper
- Drama
- Crime/detective
- 2023
- Benjamin Caron
- 116 mins
- 15
Summary:
No one is who they seem in this neo-noir New York City thriller of ruthless manipulations and high-stakes power games. Crime drama, starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith and Briana Middleton
How to watchWhy watch Sharper?:
A tale of con artists and wealthy marks, Sharper is a smartly written thriller that – almost – manages to stay one step ahead of its audience. Told in segments, it centres on good-natured bookstore manager Tom (Justice Smith), who falls for a customer (Briana Middleton) who isn’t quite what she seems. As the story weaves back and forth, it introduces others into their orbit, including Tom’s father (John Lithgow), his new partner (Julianne Moore) and her troubled offspring (Sebastian Stan). The film suffers slightly from a lack of depth, but British director Benjamin Caron (The Crown) gives it a slick, Succession-like sheen.
James Mottram
Emancipation
- Romance
- Thriller
- 2022
- Antoine Fuqua
- 132 mins
- 15
Summary:
Set in the 1860s, Emancipation follows a black slave who makes a perilous journey north to escape from his plantation owners in Louisiana and join the Union Army. Action thriller, starring Will Smith, Gilbert Owuor, Ben Foster and Charmaine Bingwa
How to watchWhy watch Emancipation?:
In this fact-based drama set in Louisiana in 1863, Will Smith plays a slave labourer who is separated from his wife and family, and brutalised in a Confederate Army work camp. Making a daring escape through the swamps, he faces alligators, leeches and snakes, and is pursued by Ben Foster’s racist white tracker. What follows is a fairly conventional chase flick from Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer), as our hero attempts to reach freedom on the Union side of the Civil War front line, where President Lincoln has already abolished slavery.
The action is convincingly staged and Smith delivers a stirring portrayal of suffering, but the film lacks the emotional depth necessary to truly involve its audience in what is a vital history lesson.
Trevor Johnston
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
- Documentary and factual
- News and current affairs
- 2022
- Alek Keshishian
- 95 mins
- 12A
Summary:
After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light
How to watchWhy watch Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me?:
The multi-generational appeal of Only Murders in the Building (Disney+) has given Selena Gomez — previously a singer and actress with a fairly young audience, having started out as a child star on the Disney Channel — a new lease of professional life. New admirers will get a flavour of the journey she’s been on with this confessional documentary film, in which she opens up about her mental-health problems and the stresses of a life where success and privilege come with high expectations and self-doubt that have, on occasion, felt crippling.
Jack Seale
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
- Music
- Drama
- 2022
- Sacha Jenkins
- 106 mins
- 15
Summary:
Never-before-heard personal recordings and archival footage tell the story of Louis Armstrong's life from his perspective. From musical phenom to civil rights activist to world-renowned artist, this illuminating film shows sides of Armstrong few have seen.
How to watchWhy watch Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues?:
Some stunningly crisp archive footage, particularly of old American chat and variety TV shows, combines with previously unheard personal recordings to create this rounded portrait of one of jazz's most influential players. The film is sensitive to the difficult position Armstrong occupied in American popular culture, representing as he did a black artist who was sometimes seen as a safe pair of hands by white audiences and promoters, but who was also acutely aware of his heritage and was willing to undertake the risks involved in becoming a civil rights campaigner. A complex man is vividly drawn.
Jack Seale
The Greatest Beer Run Ever
- Drama
- Action
- 2022
- Peter Farrelly
- 126 mins
- 12A
Summary:
Chickie (Zac Efron) wants to support his friends fighting in Vietnam by doing something wild-personally bringing them American beer. What starts as a well-meaning journey quickly changes Chickie's life and perspective. Based on a true story.
How to watchWhy watch The Greatest Beer Run Ever?:
Zac Efron stars in this refreshing comedy adventure based on a true story. In 1968, former merchant seaman John “Chickie” Donohue decides to deliver beers to his soldier friends out in Vietnam as a show of solidarity. There, he encounters a seen-it-all photojournalist (Russell Crowe) and discovers the very real nightmare the young rookies face. In his first movie since the Oscar-winning Green Book, director Peter Farrelly delivers a warm tribute to friendship, while a dynamic Efron spearheads a tremendous cast that includes Bill Murray as a New York bartender.
James Mottram
Sidney
- Documentary and factual
- News and current affairs
- 2022
- Reginald Hudlin
- 111 mins
- 12A
Summary:
From producer Oprah Winfrey, this revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier - iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Barbra Streisand, and more.
How to watchWhy watch Sidney?:
In 1964, Bahamas-raised Sidney Poitier became the first black actor to win an Academy Award, breaking the “black ceiling” and inspiring others to follow. Not bad for a boy born in 1927 to poor Miami farmers. He would become Hollywood’s biggest box-office star in 1967 and moved behind the camera to direct the smash-hit comedy Stir Crazy.
But as this frank, cheery and broad-ranging documentary underlines, Poitier’s legacy extended farther than his film work. Among the contributors assembled, Spike Lee credits him as a key figure in the struggle for civil rights and in later life he became a diplomat on the world stage.
Andrew Collins
Cha Cha Real Smooth
- Comedy
- Romance
- 2022
- Cooper Raiff
- 107 mins
- 15
Summary:
Andrew moves back to New Jersey after college graduation to live with his mother, stepfather Greg and younger brother David. He lands a side hustle as a party host at bat mitzvahs for his brother's classmates and meets "crazy mom" Domino, whose daughter Lola is autistic.
How to watchWhy watch Cha Cha Real Smooth?:
With its optimistic view of humanity and light handling of deeper themes, this comedy drama is a touching charmer. Cooper Raiff, who also writes and directs, plays the recently graduated Andrew. With no plan for what direction to take forward, he has moved back home. A potential, if odd, job avenue opens up when he takes his little brother to a bar mitzvah where Andrew's knack at getting the kids on the dance floor sees a queue of parents book him for similar parties. This means he repeatedly encounters engaged mum Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). Andrew finds an immediate connection with both, becoming a babysitter for Lola as it seems Domino might be also starting to fall for his charms.
Amber Wilkinson
CODA
- Comedy
- Musical
- 2021
- Sian Heder
- 112 mins
- 12A
Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Ruby Rossi is a CODA, a child of deaf adults, and the only hearing member of a family of fishermen in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Music teacher Bernardo Villalobos recognises Ruby's raw talent and encourages her to pursue a scholarship to Berklee College of Music.
How to watchWhy watch CODA?:
It was something of a surprise when CODA was named Best Picture at the 2022 Oscars – and it marked a huge win for Apple, especially given its competitor Netflix is still waiting for its first big prize. The film itself is a relatively low-key feel-good affair, telling the story of Ruby – a hearing child of deaf adults who helps with her family fishing business while also hoping to follow her passions as a singer.
Based on the French film The Belier Family, CODA features some great performances – with Emilia Jones and Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur especially standing out – and includes several well-executed emotional moments, which make it worth a watch even if it isn't the most accomplished Best Picture winner of all time.
The Tragedy of Macbeth
- Romance
- Thriller
- 2021
- Joel Coen
- 105 mins
- 15
Summary:
Impatient to realise the witches' prophecy that he will be anointed Thane of Cawdor and then "king hereafter", Lord Macbeth and his wife murder King Duncan and frame the royal chamberlains. Rightful heirs Malcolm and Donalbain flee, fearful they may be next. Shakespearean adaptation starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand
How to watchWhy watch The Tragedy of Macbeth?:
Numerous filmmakers – from Orson Welles and Akira Kurosawa to Roman Polanski and Justin Kurzel – have tried their hand at adapting The Scottish Play for the big screen over the years, and Joel Coen, in his first film as a solo director, was the latest to have a go. The result is a black and white epic that for the most part succeeds, even if it doesn't quite reach the heights of some of the aforementioned efforts.
Across the board, the performances are of a very high standard – Denzel Washington is terrific in the title role and Kathryn Hunter is especially sensational as The Witches – and Coen consistently stages the action with wit and invention. The Oscar-nominated cinematography from Bruno Delbonnel, meanwhile, is frequently sublime – and several haunting images will live in your head for some time afterwards.
Wolfwalkers
- Drama
- Animation
- 2020
- Tomm Moore
- 100 mins
- PG
Summary:
A young apprentice hunter and her father journey to Ireland to help wipe out the last wolf pack, but everything changes when she befriends a free-spirited girl from a mysterious tribe rumoured to transform into wolves by night. Animated adventure, with the voices of Honor Kneafsey and Sean Bean
How to watchWhy watch Wolfwalkers?:
Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon have delivered several of the best animated films of the last decade – including The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea – and this 2020 release was another major triumph. It follows the story of Robyn, a young girl who makes a surprising and life-changing friend after she travels with her father to hunt the last wolf pack.
Combining beautiful animation, a brilliant story and a terrific voice cast that includes Sean Bean and Tommy Tiernan, Wolfwalkers is a bewitching and captivating film that feels timeless and profound – told with an extremely rich sense of imagination.
On the Rocks
- Comedy
- Romance
- 2020
- Sofia Coppola
- 97 mins
- 12A
Summary:
Faced with sudden doubts about her marriage and suspecting her husband of having an affair, a young New York mother teams up with her boisterous playboy father to tail her husband through New York. Comedy drama, starring Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, Marlon Wayans and Jessica Henwick
How to watchWhy watch On the Rocks?:
Directed by Sofia Coppola, On the Rocks stars Bill Murray (Ghostbusters) and Rashida Jones (The Office) as father-daughter duo Felix and Laura, who begin to suspect Laura's husband Dean (Marlon Wayans) of being unfaithful. With the help of her longtime playboy father, Laura starts to look into whether her suspicions are correct and as a result, builds a stronger relationship with Felix.
Featuring electric chemistry between its two leads, On the Rocks is a charming comedy-drama which may not stand-out among Coppola's other titles like Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette, but is still an enjoyable watch nonetheless.
Greyhound
- Thriller
- War
- 2020
- Aaron Schneider
- 91 mins
- 12
Summary:
During World War Two, an inexperienced U.S. Navy commander must lead a convoy being stalked by a German submarine wolf pack. Action based on real events, starring Tom Hanks, Elisabeth Shue, Stephen Graham, Matt Helm and Craig Tate
How to watchWhy watch Greyhound?:
You've seen Tom Hanks as a captain of a hijacked ship and now he's donning the sailing cap once again to play a US Navy commander in Greyhound – Apple TV+'s war film set in the early 1940's. Based on C.S. Forester's novel The Good Shepherd, Hanks stars as Commander Ernest Krause, a captain in charge of a merchant ship convoy when it's attacked by submarines in the Battle of the Atlantic in 1942.
Unable to premiere in cinemas due to the pandemic, Greyhound became one of the biggest films to debut on Apple TV+ last year and with the likes of Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Tom Brittney and Devin Druid rounding out the cast of this war drama, the 90-minute flick is easily up there with the best of 2020 also.
Hala
- Drama
- 2019
- Minhal Baig
- 94 mins
- 15
Summary:
Muslim teenager Hala disocvers herself as her family comes apart at the seams. Coming-of-age drama, starring Geraldine ViswanathanJack KilmerGabriel Luna
How to watchWhy watch Hala?:
While Hala somehow flew under the radar of many film-lovers when it was released in 2019, Minhal Baig's powerful drama is an insightful take on teenage self-discovery with a terrific performance from rising star Geraldine Viswanathan.
The Blockers star plays the titular Hala Masood, a 17-year-old Pakistani American Muslim girl who struggles to pursue her love of skateboarding whilst dealing with the values of her family and her mother in particular. When she develops a crush on Jesse (Jack Kilmer), a boy at her school, Hala finds herself torn between pleasing her family, who are planning an arranged marriage, and her own wishes.
Cherry
- Romance
- War
- 2021
- Joe Russo (1)
- 142 mins
- 18
Summary:
Cherry (Tom Holland) drops out of college to enrol at the local Armed Forces Career Centre. Serving as an army medic in Iraq, Cherry witnesses the unvarnished horrors of conflict and returns home with undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prescription drugs and heroin temporarily keep him on an even keel but when his finances become dangerously depleted, the haggard veteran turns to bank robbery to fund his addiction.
How to watchWhy watch Cherry?:
Tom Holland returns to his dramatic roots in Cherry, an Apple original crime drama from Avengers directors Anthony and Joseph Russo. Based on Nico Walker's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, Cherry stars Holland as a student who enlists in the army to get over a recent breakup and develops PTSD after watching a friend die on duty.
Following Cherry as he becomes addicted to OxyContin and begins to lead a life of crime, the drama is a harrowing look at life for many Americans who return from active duty with horrifying trauma.
Palmer
- Drama
- 2021
- Fisher Stevens
- 111 mins
- 15
Summary:
When a man returns to Louisiana after twelve years in prison, he finds himself responsible for a seven year-old boy from a troubled home. Drama, starring Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple, Alisha Wainwright, Ryder Allen, June Squibb and Lance E. Nichols
How to watchWhy watch Palmer?:
Justin Timberlake is back on the big screen in Palmer, a drama from actor and director Fisher Stevens. The Social Network star plays the titular Eddie Palmer, a former high school footballer who has just finished his 12-year prison sentence for theft and attempted murder, and is living with his grandmother (June Squibb) when he takes up a job as a school janitor.
As Palmer tries to piece his life back together post-prison, he forms a friendship with his young neighbour Sam, whose troubled home life threatens to disrupt his education. With Ted Lasso's Juno Temple and True Detective's J.D. Evermore putting in impressive performances, Palmer is a touching drama which navigates themes of family and friendship with skill.
The Banker
- Drama
- 2020
- George Nolfi
- 121 mins
- 12
Summary:
In the 1960s, two entrepreneurs hatch a business plan to hire a working-class white man to pose as head of their business empire, whilst they fight for housing integration and equal access to the American Dream; inspired by true events. Drama, starring Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult and Nia Long
How to watchWhy watch The Banker?:
Starring The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Anthony Mackie and the cinematic legend that is Samuel L. Jackson, The Banker tells the story of Bernard Garrett, who in 1954 wants to get into real estate but struggles due to the racist attitudes of the time. When he meets Joe Morris (Jackson), a wealthy club owner, the two convince a white man to pose as the front of the company in meetings to gain sales.
With Nicholas Hoult, Nia Long, Colm Meaney, Taylor Black and Paul Ben-Victor rounding out the cast, The Banker is a period drama held up by the impressive performances from its stars.
Billie Eilish: the World's a Little Blurry
- Documentary and factual
- Musical
- 2021
- RJ Cutler
- 140 mins
- 15
Summary:
A close-up look at the singer-songwriters journey, including navigating life on the road, on stage, and at home, while creating her debut album. Biopic documentary, starring Billie Eilish
How to watchWhy watch Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry?:
Arguably one of the biggest pop artists to enter the mainstream over the last three years, Billie Eilish quickly became a household name when her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go shot to the top of the charts. If you've ever wondered what went on behind the scenes of her meteoric rise to fame, then Apple documentary Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry now needs to be your next watch.
Starting from the release of Eilish's song Ocean Eyes and following the 19-year-old as she records her album and meets her idols like Justin Bieber, the documentary is an insightful and enlightening look at the teen's songwriting process, giving fans access to never-before-seen footage of behind-the-scenes moments from the star's life and career.
The Elephant Queen
- Documentary and factual
- Family
- 2018
- Mark Deeble
- 96 mins
- PG
Summary:
Athena is a mother who will do everything in her power to protect her herd when they are forced to leave their waterhole. This epic journey, narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor, takes audiences across the African savannah, and into the heart of an elephant family. A tale of love, loss and coming home.
How to watchWhy watch The Elephant Queen?:
If you can't get enough of nature documentaries, then it's worth checking out The Elephant Queen – Apple TV+'s film which follows a 50-year-old elephant as she tries to care for her children.
Narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor, The Elephant Queen looks at the life of Athena, the matriarch of a herd of elephants in a bucolic area known as The Kingdom. When a drought hits The Kingdom, the herd are forced to leave and travel 200 miles to the next waterhole. A beautifully directed documentary, The Elephant Queen is tense, heartwarming and stressful at times as viewers begin to fall in love with the film's subjects.