2024 is set to be another excellent year for movies. After the SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023 disrupted the film industry for several months, Hollywood is back on track producing, writing and releasing highly anticipated new titles.

Several blockbusters were rescheduled with 2024 release dates such as Denis Villeneuve’s science-fiction epic Dune: Part Two, as well as Luca Guadagnino’s tennis drama, Challengers. However, film fans won’t have to wait too much longer to return to Arrakis as the sequel to the 2021 box office triumph Dune (which grossed $400 million on a $165m budget) lands in cinemas in March.

Franchises are set to dominate cinema screens once more, after Marvel secured two of the top ten most popular movies in the UK in 2023, alongside reboots and sequels such as The Little Mermaid and Avatar: The Way of the Water. Tina Fey’s timeless teen comedy Mean Girls has been reimagined as a movie musical, after the 2004 cult classic has already spawned a sequel and a stage musical. Meanwhile, Marvel is set to introduce a new superhero in Madame Web, while Ryan Reynolds will finally reunite with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in Deadpool 3 and Lady Gaga will debut in DC’s Joker: Folie a Deux.

Among the sequels and spin-offs are standalone adaptations and original pictures such as Matthew Vaughn’s espionage thriller Argylle and Yorgos Lanthimos girl-Frankenstein tale, Poor Things, which won the Golden Lion when it premiered at Venice International Film Festival in 2023.

There’s also a handful of long-awaited sequels on the horizon such as Twisters, a follow up to the storm chasers movie, Twister, which was the second highest grossing film of 1996 after garnering $495m at the box office. Another box office success from 2000, Gladiator, has a sequel arriving in cinemas with a whole new cast who are set to take on the mantle of the epic historical drama that Ridley Scott began.

Family friendly titles such as Kung Fu Panda 4, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Inside Out 2 will offer some entertainment for all ages, while horror fans will rejoice with the return of Smile 2, A Quiet Place: Day One and Parasite director Bong Joon-ho’s new movie, Mickey 17.

In time for the 30 year anniversary of the original The Lion King, Disney is also releasing a spin-off live action sequel at the end of the year titled Mufasa: The Lion King. 2024 is rounded out by movies such as Transformers One, Nosferatu, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Love Lies Bleeding.

With so much to look forward to, here are the most anticipated movies of 2024 ordered by their upcoming release date.

The original version of this article was written by Jess Bacon and published in 2024.

Since truly breaking out in 2011 with the first of his many standout performances as Loki Laufeyson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tom Hiddleston has established himself as one of the most beloved British actors of his generation. The RADA trained star has been at the forefront of some of the biggest films and TV shows of the last decade and has demonstrated his range of talents across a variety of genres, mediums and characters in the process.

With Hiddleston currently reprising one of his early defining roles with season 2 of The Night Manager and Avengers: Doomsday, in which Loki is set to reappear, coming later in the year, it feels like a good time to check back in on the actor’s finest work—which we’ve arranged here in ascending order. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find out where to stream them on platforms like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

I Saw the Light (2016)

I Saw the Light was the movie that saw the Westminster-born actor cast as Hank Williams, a famously folksy, salt-of-the-earth American singer—a choice that didn't go down well at the time with Williams' fans and even his own grandson. Nevertheless, if you’re a fan of Hiddlestone you might appreciate seeing him try to tackle a role like this—in some ways, it's not dissimilar to what Joaquin Phoenix achieved (albeit more successfully) with Johnny Cash in Walk the Line. 

The slightly middling movie probably deserved the mixed reviews, but credit to Hiddlestone for taking a swing at it and even singing the songs. 

Crimson Peak (2015) 

From his early days in the industry, Hiddlestone proved himself adept at holding the screen in large canvas movies and quickly became a go-to actor for some of the biggest name directors. This was certainly evident when Guillermo del Toro offered him the role of Thomas Sharpe in Crimson Peak, a riveting gothic horror that fans of Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow or Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden will definitely appreciate. 

The movie is a classic haunted house tale, with Mia Wasikowska as the writerly heroine and Hiddlestone as the tragic antihero—a man whose loyalty to his scheming sister (a typically wonderful Jessica Chastain) may prove to be his undoing.

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Directed by the relative indie newcomer Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Kong: Skull Island never quite got the recognition it deserved at the time of release, despite being warmly reviewed by some critics. This is a solid adventure yarn that takes its cues less from previous Kong films than from movies like Apocalypse Now—so if you like that kind of journey into madness trope, as seen more recently in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, you should definitely check it out. 

In a clear nod to the Heart of Darkness writer, Hiddlestone’s character is even named Conrad—except that here the man is not a writer but a former SAS captain who joins an expedition to the titular island in 1973. You can probably guess what they find there.

High-Rise (2016)

Alongside some memorable smaller roles, such as in Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, Hiddlestone has been at the helm of a number of independent films. Among the best was High-Rise, an adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s satirical dystopian novel about a luxury apartment complex—and if you’re a fan of other Ballard inspired work, like Crash, or appreciate the speculative science fiction of movies like Snowpiercer or Children of Men, this might be the one for you. 

Directed by Ben Wheatley, a red hot filmmaker at the time who has gone a bit off the boil in more recent years, the movie stars Hiddlestone as Robert Laing, a physicist who moves into the titular tower block just as its oppressive social order begins to fall apart.

The Life of Chuck (2025)

When The Life of Chuck won the TIFF audience award back in 2024, it looked like a certain bet for last year’s Oscars. Weirdly enough, that never came to pass, with the movie having to wait almost 12 months to be released. No matter: after finally arriving in cinemas and now on streaming, it has been charming audiences ever since—not least as it promises the opportunity to see Hiddlestone dance.

Based on one of Steven King’s more heartfelt stories, it’s a movie that takes place in reverse—beginning with a worrisome teacher (played by Chewitel Ejiofar) in a sequence. that seems to resemble the end of the world, and only introducing Hiddlestone’s Chuck midway through the second act. It would be wrong to give anything else away but suffice to say, if you’re partial to the sentimentality of a good Robert Zemeckis movies (like the recent Here or even Forrest Gump), there's a good chance you'll warm to it. If not, prepare to cringe. 

The Deep Blue Sea (2011)

One of Hiddlestone’s early career highlights was starring opposite Rachel Weisz in the legendary British filmmaker Terrence Davies’ The Deep Blue Sea—and if you’re a fan of the director’s later movies, like Sunset Song or A Quiet Passion, this one’s a real beauty. 

Based on Terrence Rattigan’s play and set in 1950, the story mostly takes place in a single apartment, where Weisz’s Hester Collyer, the wife of a judge (played by Simon Russell Beale), has a romantic affair with Hiddlestone’s Freddie Paige, a young RAF pilot struggling with PTSD from his experiences in WWII. 

Unrelated (2008) & Archipelago (2010)

After everything that’s happened since, it’s incredible that Hiddlestone’s first two feature film roles, in Joanna Hogg’s Unrelated and Archipelago, remain two of his very best. These were also the movies that really made Hogg’s name as a filmmaker, so if you appreciated her more recent movie, The Souvenir (and its fascinating sequel), I highly recommend going back to check these two out.

It’s especially interesting to see how Hogg uses the actor’s unconventional sex appeal. In Unrelated, the story focuses on a woman who’s joined an old school friend and her family on holiday—with Hiddlestone playing the friend’s new step-son, a character who soon becomes a problematic object of desire for the protagonist. For Archipelago, Hogg cast Hiddlestone in the lead role—again playing a young man on a family holiday whose pent up desires seem liable to burst out. 

Only Lover Left Alive (2013)

One of Hiddlestone’s all-time coolest roles came in the Palme d’Or nominated movie, Only Lovers Left Alive. Directed by independent cinema legend Jim Jarmusch and co-starring the great Tilda Swinton (another of Hogg's frequent collaborators), Only Lovers is a vampire movie told through Jarmusch’s unique storytelling style—so if you’re a fan of the director’s other work, like Paterson or Broken Flowers, you will definitely be into it. 

The story focuses on two vampires (Hiddlestone and Swinton) as they reminisce about meeting everyone from Lord Byron to Oscar Wilde and Jimi Hendrix. Conflict arises when a younger vampire, played by Mia Wasikowska, appears on the scene.

The Night Manager (2016)

On the small screen, Hiddleston’s roles have been equally as eclectic and captivating. He’s popped up in period TV films and series such as Return to Cranford and played William Shakespeare’s party-boy Prince Hal in The Hollow Crown’s “Henry IV Part I” and “Part II”. None have done more for Hiddleston’s popularity and career than the BBC’s BAFTA-award winning adaptation of John le Carre’s novel The Night Manager—an espionage-inflected thriller (costarring Hugh Laurie) that fans of le Carre’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or the more recent Slow Horses will love.

Having been mentioned as a future James Bond for years, The Night Manager gave audiences a thrilling taste of what that might have looked like—another reason to watch for any Bond fans out there. The performance also landed him an Emmy nomination and secured him the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a miniseries, marking an early highpoint in his career. Then, just this year, he returned with a second season which has been welcomed by fans and critics with open arms.

Loki (2011-)

As we’ve mentioned across this piece, Hiddleston’s career has had a bit of everything. Whether or not you're a comicbook movie fan, however, there's no denying that his role as Loki in the MCU is the one he's be most remembered for. Back in 2011, playing the God of Mischief for the first time, the young actor was the standout of Kenneth Branagh’s Thor—providing the film with a mish-mash of Shakespearian antagonists (like Iago) that the experienced theatre director certainly knew his way around—and quickly became a fan-favourite.

Loki continued to cause chaos as the villain in 2012’s The Avengers before reprising his role for what was intended to be the last time in the Thor: The Dark World. That plan changed, however, after early screenings of the film, during which audiences refused to believe that Loki’s death was anything more than another of his magical deceptions. Marvel boss Kevin Feige then added a post-credit scene that confirmed Loki was still alive, setting up his return in Thor: Ragnarok and his blockbuster appearances in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

With so many iterations of Loki to choose from, it’s difficult to choose Hiddleston’s best single performance. Personally, I like Hiddleston when he plays the character at his most villainous and conniving (as in the first Avengers movie), but hats off to him for fleshing the character out in the Disney+ spin-off series, Loki. That two season show has set up what should be an emotional reunion with Thor in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. As always, we will have to wait and see.

In this guide you can find out where to watch the best Michael Mann movies online, if you're streaming from the United Kingdom. We've got you covered with the latest steaming offers on services such as BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Prime Video and many more. We'll also show you if there are any Michael Mann movies streaming legally for free today.

The characters in Michael Mann movies are always driven – almost literally so, in the case of Mann’s Ferrari, which casts Adam Driver as Italian car mogul Enzo Ferrari. More often, Mann is fascinated by people – more specifically, let’s face it, by men – who are obsessed, battle-hardened pros, doing the thing they were put on Earth to excel at, even if they could wind up dead or in jail if they don’t stop. The results have been some of the most thrilling movies of the past five decades.

What are the best Michael Mann movies?

You know a film-maker is good when their debut sets out their core vision in its purest form, and Mann’s pared-down 1981 picture, Thief, does just that. James Caan is a Chicago safebreaker who, typically for a Mann anti-hero, is on the edge of escaping from a world he both loves and hates. As Caan’s character plans one last heist but is beset by cheats and rotters at every turn, Mann creates his signature world: a menacing, rain-lashed city, a shimmering score by Tangerine Dream, and electric tension.

Mann refined all that in 1986’s Manhunter, which is a good shout for the best screen version of Hannibal Lecter, even though the Brian Cox take on author Thomas Harris’s cannibalistic killer isn’t all that prominent. The movie tracks criminal profiler Will Graham (William Petersen), whose work involves getting inside the mind of a killer, at the risk of losing his own; the smothering sense of dread is masterfully layered by a director finding his best form.

Our vote for the number one Michael Mann film, though, goes to his biggest, boldest, most Michael Mann-ish film: Heat, which was big news in 1995 because it featured Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in the same movie, but is even better than its casting suggests. Paying equal respect to the professionalism of both Pacino’s cop and De Niro’s crime boss, it has nuanced characters and destructive action, Los Angeles looking more knackered and desperate than any previous Mann cityscape, and dialogue that’s very nearly overcooked, but not quite. The De Niro/Pacino face-off does not disappoint, either - it’s a true modern epic.

Mann continued his obsession with bad men roving around diseased urban sprawls with the sensational Collateral, featuring perhaps Tom Cruise’s most malevolent role as an assassin who ropes in Jamie Foxx’s taxi driver to help with a series of tricky jobs, and Miami Vice, which reboots the TV show where Mann’s career started but is nowhere near as cheesy as the source material.

Then there are the films that deviate from the template: gloriously, in the case of deadly serious whistleblower drama The Insider, somewhat less serious Nazi monster romp The Keep, and sweeping historical drama The Last of the Mohicans, which superficially at least is nothing like your average Mann movie. Even his less successful outings, like the oddly muted boxing biopic Ali and the actually a bit underrated cyberthriller flop Blackhat, are bursting with cinematic craft and alluringly single-minded characters who, because they are all dead set on achieving their goal, act as mirrors to the director himself: when Michael Mann makes a movie, he means it.

Where can I watch Michael Mann movies online?

This guide shows you every way you can legally watch Michael Mann movies on streaming services in the United Kingdom. Browse through the entire list of Michael Mann's best movies and see which of them are available on your services today.

This article has been updated by Rory O'Connor.

Association football might be growing fast in America, but Hollywood has yet to make a great 'soccer' film to rival the numerous blockbusters built around baseball and American football. Even without much help from the US, however, cinema has still produced plenty of fine football stories over the years—that is, the “football” where the ball is round and, for the most part, stays on the ground. 

The beautiful game has played a role in everything from Looking for Eric, Ken Loach’s kitchen sink social realist gem, to the underrated Aardman comedy, Early Man—which utilised the game as a metaphor for teamwork and community spirit, albeit with a story set in the Stone Age.

In this guide, you’ll find out where to watch the best football movies of all time. Read on to discover more about our top ten, which I’ve listed below in ascending order, and use the guide below to browse through the complete list and to see which ones are available on streaming services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video, or for free on the BBC iPlayer.

Mike Basset: England Manager (2001)

As the home of football, the UK naturally leads the way when it comes to telling stories about the game. In the 2001 cult classic Mike Bassett: England Manager, Ricky Tomlinson’s turn as a lower-league coach who inexplicably gets the England job is a timeless celebration of the eccentric bunglers who still seem to flourish in the sport to this day. 

This is naturally one that will appeal to fans of The Royle Family, on which Tomlinson starred for four unforgettable seasons, but even if you’re only familiar with British comedies like The Office, you’ll still find plenty to enjoy. 

When Saturday Comes (1996)

British football movies, like many other kinds of sports movies, love to live out fantasies of football success. In When Saturday Comes, Sean Bean plays a Sheffield factory worker who wants to play for Sheffield United, but in order to do so he’ll have to overcome a problematic relationship with alcohol. 

Released in 1996, When Saturday Comes has the kind of vibe that fans of Northern British humour (like in The Full Monty) will love. It also has the great Pete Postlewaite—so, if you’re a fan of his work in movies like In the Name of the Father, this one should be up your alley. 

Escape to Victory (1981)

Football itself is tricky to capture on film, even in movies where real footballers appear—although, the less said about the Goal! franchise, the better. One exception to the role is Escape to Victory, an outlandish tale about Second World War POWs who play a match against the Germans.

It’s even strange writing out the cast list, but this movie really does feature Bobby Moore, Pelé and half of the 1981 Ipswich Town squad alongside Hollywood legends Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone. Think of it like a fever dream version of The Great Escape meets Rocky.

Saipan (2025)

The most recent film to make the cut is Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D'Sa’s Saipan, a film that reimagines the showdown between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy that led to Keane packing his bags before the 2002 World Cup even started. If you were around when that happened, you’ll get a kick out of seeing a piece of relatively recent sports history given the cinematic treatment—D’Sa and Layburn do a great job of capturing the time period as well as the sweaty, claustrophobic atmosphere of that notoriously mismanaged training camp. 

The film also boasts a wonderful performance by Éanna Hardwicke (Normal People) as the fiery Corkonian and Manchester United captain. Opposite him, Steve Coogan (The Trip) does a convincing impression of McCarthy, even if the film chooses not to show him in a particularly flattering light. 

Next Goal Wins (2023)

Movies about football don’t, however, need to feature big actors or football stars. Indeed, if cinema is about ordinary people’s dreams, and so is football, it’s no wonder the two go together so well from time to time. 

One recent movie that captured this wonderfully was Next Goal Wins, a joyous 2014 documentary that Taika Waititi wasn’t quite able to capture in his 2024 feature adaptation. The film tells the story of the Western Samoa football team as they attempt to restore some pride (either by earning a point or scoring a goal) in their World Cup qualifiers, after losing 31-0 to Australia in 2001. If you like underdog sports movies like Cool Runnings, you’ll love it. 

Looking for Eric (2009)

With Looking for Eric, Ken Loach managed to convince Eric Cantona to play an imaginary version of himself as a way of lightening a tale about working-class struggles. The film stars Steve Evets as a post office worker who starts to overcome a bad bout of depression when the former Manchester United legend starts to visit him like an imaginary friend.

Decked out in his full 1995 Sharp-era kit, the outspoken Cantona gives an endearing performance, reliving his great goals and passing on some pearls of wisdom in the process. It’s a unique meeting between one of the most philosophical footballers and, in Loach (who more recently made The Old Oak and I, Daniel Blake), one of the great humanists of cinema. 

Diego Maradona (2019)

As Next Goal Winner showed, football is a happy hunting ground for documentary makers. The finest example in recent years was Asif Kapadia’s Diego Maradona, a vivid journey through the rollercoaster life of perhaps the best player of all time that focuses in on his tumultuous time at Napoli—when he led them to two Scudetti while getting a little too close for comfort with the local Camorra crime bosses.If you’ve seen Kapadia’s documentaries on Amy Winehouse and Ayrton Senna, you’ll know the kind of vibe to expect—ie. Incredible footage you’ve probably never seen before—the player’s gladiatorial introduction at the Stadio San Paolo (a stadium which has since taken his name) stands out—and an admirable lack of reliance on narration or talking heads.

The Damned United (2009)

The film in third place in our list, The Damned United, takes top-level soccer a lot more seriously than most of the others—in fact, it’s probably the closest we’ve come to a great football drama. The film, which was directed by future Oscar winner Tom Hooper, tells the story of Brian Clough’s tumultuous and short lived spell as Leeds United manager.

The movie was written by Peter Morgan, who went on to create The Crown—and if you liked that show’s dramatic timbre, you’ll probably like this film just as much. Michael Sheen, in particular, is brilliant as Brian Clough, and even though the movie takes some liberties with the real story, it captures the emotional intensity of one of the sport’s most charismatic figures.

Bend it Like Beckham (2002)

Away from the upper echelons of the game, football and football films can be a way into a story about regular people’s lives. One of the best examples of this is Bend It like Beckham , a film that used women’s football to tell a delightful coming-of-age story.

Released a year before Pirates of the Caribbean and Love Actually, this was one of Keira Knightley’s breakout roles—so, if you’re a fan of the actress and enjoy British comedies like East is East, this is one you’ll want to check out. 

Gregory’s Girl (1981)

For our pick of the best football movie ever, the beautiful game provides the background to the all too relatable agonies and occasional victories of teen romance. The movie, of course, is Gregory’s Girl: the story of a boy named Gregory (John Gordon Sinclair) whose desires to play football to a high level and date any girl he fancies are shown to be equally unlikely.

The drama kicks into motion when a girl named Dorothy (Dee Hepburn) joins the team, leading to a series of unpredictable situations that are never less than charming. Released in 1981, it’s now considered a low key classic of Scottish cinema—so, if you’re a fan of The Angels’ Share or Local Hero, you’ll probably be a fan.

The original version of this article was written by Jess Bacon and published on 12 December 2024.

The streaming services might churn them out on a regular basis these days, but the UK film industry is renowned for having produced some of the greatest and most enduring Christmas movies of all time. From family favourites such as 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol to contemporary classics like Richard Curtis’ 2003 romantic comedy, Love Actually, to animations that younger viewers will adore, this list of the ‘12 British Movies of Christmas' has something for each generation to enjoy.

The following list, which I've arranged in ascending order, contains 12 British Christmas classics to keep you warm and cozy over the festive season. Read on to discover more, and use the guide below to find out where to watch them on platforms like BBC iPlayer, AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

Last Christmas (2019)

In more recent years, a few films were added to the canon of festive British films, and one of the most successful was Last Christmas. This is a movie in which Game of Thrones breakout Emilia Clarke stars as a woman who meets a tall, dark stranger, named Tom, while working as an elf in a Christmas shop.

This is a movie that works with the classic Christmas theme of learning to appreciate what you have (think Scrooged, It’s a Wonderful Life)—and if you can handle a little schmaltz and appreciate the music of Wham!, you might really like it. 

The Snowman and the Snowdog (2012)

On the 30th anniversary of The Snowman (more on that one shortly), Channel 4 released a sequel titled The Snowman and the Snowdog. This  short film works a bit like a legacy sequel, using many of the same narrative beats as the enchanting original, so if you’re a fan of that classic and appreciate other hand-drawn animations (like 2019’s Klaus), this might be the one for you.

Raymond Briggs, the creator of the original, wasn’t brought on board for this one, but he did give his blessing. When it aired on Christmas Eve in 2012, six million people tuned in.

Your Christmas or Mine? (2022)

Your Christmas or Mine? is a festive rom-com about a couple from different backgrounds who end up spending Christmas in each other’s family homes. One is from a wealthier background, the other is more working class, so if you appreciate some light, fish-out-of-water comedy with  low-key social themes (The Holiday and The Family Stone come to mind), this might be the one for you.

The movie features Sex Education star Asa Butterfield alongside Cora Kirk in the lead roles.  

A Boy Called Christmas (2021)

A Boy Called Christmas works a bit like a superhero origin story for Santa Claus—so if you like Christmas movies that go into that kind of lore (Klaus again comes to mind, but also Robert Zemeckis’ Polar Express). this might be one you'll really enjoy. 

The movie, which was directed by Gil Kenan (who worked on both Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), boasts some stunning visuals as well as a stacked cast—Toby Jones, Sally Hawkins and the late, great Maggie Smith all appear.

Boxing Day (2021)

Written and directed by, and also starring Aml Ameen, Boxing Day is one of the most personal movies on this list as it deals with the specific theme of returning home from abroad and introducing a new partner to the family. 

Ameen’s story also takes place in London’s British-Caribbean community, giving it both the vibrancy and charm of a culture-clash comedy as well as all the warmth and reliable beats of the best British Christmas movies. If you appreciated the recent British rom com, Rye Lane and are a fan of The Family Stone, this is one you'll want to see.

Arthur Christmas (2011)

Coming from the animation geniuses at Aardman studios, Arthur Christmas is a joyful and festive family film that fans of movies like Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Foul and Chicken Run will flock to.

The story follows Santa’s youngest and clumsiest son, Arthur (voiced by James McAvoy), as he attempts to deliver a present to a young girl who Santa managed to miss on Christmas Eve. As you might expect, not everything goes to plan. 

Scrooge (1970)

The most durable Christmas story of them all, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, has been turned into countless movies over the years. One of the first to nail it was Ronald Neame’s 1970 musical, Scrooge —a movie that will be particularly pleasing for fans of more classic festive movies, like It’s a Wonderful Life or Meet Me in St Louis. 

The film is a fine retelling of Dickens’s fable, with the great Albert Finney in the lead role and Alec Guinness as the ghost of Jacob Marley.  Finney's performance even earned him a nomination at the Golden Globes.

Nativity! (2009)

Viewers of a certain age looking to take a nostalgic trip back to their childhood can do so with Nativity!, a musical comedy starring the great Martin Freeman as a primary school teacher who attempts to put on an ambitious nativity play. Imagine a cross between Love Actually and School of Rock and you’ll have some idea of what to expect with this one.

The film is a charming farce that features some delightful performances from the younger actors. It has since been followed by three sequels, but the original remains the best. 

The Snowman (1984)

For viewers of another vintage, the most nostalgic option would be Channel 4’s 1982 animation The Snowman, which was named one of UKTV Gold’s Greatest TV Christmas Moments of all time. The gorgeous and delicate hand-drawn movie is the kind that fans of classic Disney movies will love.

Adapted from Raymond Briggs’s 1978 picture book, the film has enchanted audiences for decades with its sketchbook-style animation and stunning orchestral score, performed by the London Sinfonia. With no dialogue, the story is instead told through actions, pictures and the timeless central song, We’re Walking in the Air. Over the years, the film has been rereleased with new introductions, including one by the late rock legend David Bowie, who finds a copy of the book in his attic. 

Love Actually (2003)

In 2003, Richard Curtis practically reinvented the genre with Love Actually, a movie full of great actors, interweaving plot-lines, and slightly problematic power dynamics. If you’re willing to forgive that last one, it’s also an enduring delight—especially if you’re a fan of Curtis’ writing on movies like Four Weddings and Notting Hill.

Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth all feature, but Emma Thompson’s performance is the one that sticks with you. It will also definitely make you cry.

The Holiday (2006)

Cameron Diaz in a cottage in England. Kate Winslet in sunny L.A., Jude Law looking dashing in knitwear: indeed, there are many reasons to enjoy The Holiday, a festive favourite from the great Nancy Meyers—and if you appreciate Meyers' work on movies like It’s Complicated and Something’s Gotta Give, you’re gonna love it.

The drama is kicked into motion when Winslet’s frazzled writer and Diaz’s workaholic Hollywood producer swap houses, switch countries and find love along the way. 

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

 Personally, the top spot for Best British Christmas movie will always be The Muppet Christmas Carol, a wonderful retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that boasts laughs, songs, great performances, genuine emotion and, well, Muppets! This is one for fans of the very best Christmas movies—especially heartfelt classics like It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street.

Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, of course,  star alongside Michael Caine, who gives a touching performance as Ebenezer Scrooge. The movie was probably intended to be a children’s film, but it remains a title that adults of all ages, including myself, come back to every December. It’s an annual tradition as vital as wrapping presents or getting a tree.

“Reacher’s back,” said the poster for the second season of Reacher on Prime Video, the slogan writ large across Alan Ritchson’s colossal, rippling torso, photographed from behind. It was a brilliant bit of marketing because, with one silhouette and two words, it captured why this action crime thriller is so addictive: yes, it’s about a massive bloke who obliterates everyone he gets into a fight with, but it has a sneaky, self-deprecating sense of humour that makes it unique.

There is nobody quite like Jack Reacher, the hero of Lee Child’s bestselling novels, who has been so completely embodied - and what a body it is - by Ritchson. But there are plenty of other TV shows that have flashes of the Reacher magic.

Season one of Reacher is all about small southern American towns rotted by violent crime, while the second run visits the grubby gamblers’ paradise of Atlantic City - both are locations where Raylan Givens, the cocky marshal in Justified, would thrive. Like Reacher, you trust Givens to emerge from encounters with the baddest of bad guys with all his teeth intact and his smile wider than ever. Reacher also drifts from town to town, reluctantly running into trouble wherever he goes, like The Mandalorian without Baby Yoda and the spaceship.

And, like Mando, our man Jack is unbeatable in hand-to-hand combat. The first episode of Reacher announced itself as a juicy fight show with an unforgettable beat-down in a prison shower, the sort of bone-snapping scrap we haven’t seen on TV since the glory days of Banshee - another show where a lawman, albeit a bogus one, takes on local criminals, one by one.

In Reacher, though, the smalltime criminals always lead to a big conspiracy, and there is no shortage of great shows where tough Americans bring down a nefarious plot all on their lonesome. The Old Man is a strong one, with Jeff Bridges as the former secret agent who is still lethal in his old age. Another underrated spy thriller is The Night Agent, where Gabriel Basso is one good man fighting his way out of a series of impossible predicaments, caused by bad actors at the top of the political food chain. In Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, John Krasinski is a senior CIA man, but it doesn’t stop him needing to use bullets and fists to bring the villains down. The first two of those, at least, share Reacher’s powder-dry wit.

For more hard-boiled US crime, you should try Bosch: Legacy, an excellent detective drama set on the streets of Los Angeles. But a lot of Reacher’s power and poise comes from him being an ex-military man: to find that vibe again, watch Shooter (Ryan Phillippe as an ex-sniper framed as an assassin) or The Terminal List (Chris Pratt as a Navy Seal avenging the murder of his family).

It may be that only Alan Ritchson will do. If so, the closest you’ll get to Reacher is probably the superhero saga Titans, where he’s a vigilante in Lycra. Ritchson has bulked up a lot since then, though - Reacher’s muscles would never fit in the costume.

This article has been updated by Rory O'Connor.

Which version of Hugh Grant is your favourite? The British actor used to be the rakish, plummy king of romantic comedy but, as he’s got a little older, he’s become more adventurous with his film roles. Our Hugh can now pop up on the big screen playing anything from a con artist in Dungeons and Dragons: Honour among Thieves and a cannibal in Cloud Atlas to Daniel Craig’s apron-wearing other half in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

Grant has also been testing the water with some genre roles of late, including a compelling central performance in the 2024 film Heretic and even playing an Oompa-Loompa in Paul King’s Wonka, which starred Timothée Chalamet as the flamboyant chocolatier. In truth, we could easily have stretched this to a top 20, but for now, here are our 10 favourite Hugh Grant movies—which are listed below in ascending order. Read on to discover more and use the guide to find out where to stream them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere. 

Two Weeks Notice (2002)

When Grant was at the peak of his fame, many people tried to dismiss him as just a pretty face and a cut-glass accent, but underneath that flustered exterior there has always been a seriously gifted comic performer. You can see it in his work in American romantic comedies, where even if the movie isn’t the best, Grant is always terrific in his role.

Nine Months (with Julianne Moore) and Music & Lyrics (with Drew Barrymore), weren’t too bad at all, but Two Weeks Notice (co-starring Sandra Bullock) was the pick of the bunch from that era of Hollywood roles. The story follows Bullock’s idealistic lawyer as she comes into the orbit of Grant’s billionaire real estate mogul. You can guess what happens next.

Love Actually (2003)

So what if almost every romantic relationship was built on a dubious power dynamic, Love Actually has lodged itself into the national psyche and is now as much an inescapable part of the festive season as crying to the John Lewis advert or fighting with your siblings.

Grant can certainly take some of the credit for that. Playing a Blair-like British Prime Minister, the actor brings an adorable eccentricity to the role and even finds time to be wonderfully rude to his American colleagues when necessary. If you appreciate festive British movies, like Last Christmas or The Holiday, this will be right up your street.

Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001)

For the dark side of Hugh Grant, let’s call them The Blundering Dreamboat Years, there are the two original Bridget Jones movies, where he’s considerably less lovable and more of a rogue, and his return to the franchise in the charming Mad About the Boy.

The movies are based on Helen Fielding’s best selling novels, which drew inspiration from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice—so, if you’re a fan of modern reimaginings of Austen’s work (like Clueless or Fire Island), you’ll probably be into it.

Bitter Moon (1992)

And speaking of Grant’s dark side, nothing in his back catalogue is as freaky as this 1992 movie about a pair of conservative newlyweds (played by Grant and Kristen Scott Thomas) who wind up embroiled in the sordid past of a French couple they meet on a cruise ship.

This is an offbeat classic from a subgenre of movies that came out at that time that centered on couples vacations gone wrong. If you’re a fan of The Comfort of Strangers (Paul Schrader’s adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel) or the Harrison Ford movie, Frantic, you’ll certainly be into this one, too. 

Sense & Sensibility (1995)

Back in the 1990s, when he was fresh of face and floppy of hair, Grant was a reliable presence in the best period dramas of the era, with pivotal supporting roles in the Merchant Ivory classic, The Remains of the Day, and the brilliant Emma Thompson version of Sense & Sensibility, which was directed by the great Ang Lee.

Even though I’m a bigger fan of Remains, I’ve chosen the S&S here as Grant has a more consequential role—he plays Edward Ferrars, one of the main romantic leads. Thompson is also wonderful in both movies, but given that she won an Oscar for her screenplay for this one (alongside a nomination for best actress), it feels like the right choice for any fan of Grant and Thompson’s many collaborations.

Maurice (1987)

And while we’re on the topic of Merchant-Ivory productions, we can’t forget Grant’s startling breakthrough in the 1987 film Maurice, which won James Ivory the Silver Lion in Venice just a few months after going to the Oscars for the first time with A Room With a View—where he was nominated as Best Director.

That Maurice failed to gain the same attention from the academy probably says more about how Hollywood viewed lgbtq+ stories at that time. Regardless, the film was obviously ahead of its time and is now considered an early classic of queer cinema—up there with My Own Private Idaho and My Beautiful Laundrette. Set in the 1910s, the story follows two school friends who fall in love while attending Cambridge before going on to live closeted lives. 

About a Boy (2002)

About a Boy is naturally a great watch for anyone who loves seeing Grant in sad sack mode (like in Notting Hill), but it’s also a must-see for fans of Nicolas Hoult. The actor is better known these days for playing roles like Beast in the X-Men movies, Lex Luthor in Superman and a War Boy in Mad Max: Fury Road, but if you’re interested in seeing if he had the chops at 12 years of age, look no further. 

Based on Nick Hornby’s best-seller, the film follows a middle aged man who lives comfortably but listlessly off the royalties on a one-hit-wonder Christmas song that his father wrote—and that basically haunts him every year when December comes around. Looking to charm a woman, he becomes a kind of father figure to her friend’s son (Hoult). You already know what happens next. 

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

For all he’s achieved over the years, Grant’s best-known and best-loved performances will forever be in the run of rom-com hits written by Richard Curtis that started with Four Weddings and a Funeral, where Grant heads up a gang of British friends who are constantly pulling on their best suits, piling into cars, and attending other people’s lavish weddings. 

With Grant’s halting, awkward effort to woo Andie McDowell at its heart, the film encapsulated his special brand of stuttering English charm and made him a superstar. The actor and writer went on to work together on Notting Hill and Love, Actually, but this early collaboration has its own unique and very ‘90s energy—if you’re into films like The Crying Game or The Full Monty, you’ll recognize the vibe.

Notting Hill (1999)

Some Curtis fans might disagree with Notting Hill coming above Four Weddings, but that earlier film was more of an ensemble piece. In Hill, Grant is front and center—a boy standing in front of an audience, asking us to watch.

This timeless, delightful romance sees Grant play a humble but posh and extremely attractive bookseller who has an unlikely liaison with a Hollywood A-lister, played by Julia Roberts in full megawatt moviestar mode—that time when her smile seemed liable to blot out the sun. The scene in which they wake up together in bed, playing around in the sheets, is rom-com cinema at its finest.

Paddington 2 (2017)

There’s no pretty woman for Grant to win over in the movie that’s our pick as the best he has ever appeared in, even if Four Weddings and Notting Hill will probably always be the favourite for some of his fans. We’re talking, of course, about the pure joy that is Paddington 2. 

For Paul King’s film (which has already cemented its status as a family classic), Grant is the villain of the story, a flamboyant thief and failed actor named Phoenix Buchanan. If you saw the film at the cinema and left as soon as the credits started rolling, you probably missed out on Grant showing a whole new side of himself in an uproarious closing song-and-dance number—all the more reason give it a rewatch. 

This article has been updated by Rory O'Connor.

Roald Dahl, the British writer behind such classics as Matilda and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, is widely regarded as one of the most influential children’s authors of all time. Even three decades after his death, Dahl’s darkly comic and whimsical style continues to fascinate filmmakers who in turn continue to reimagine his best sellers for new generations of audiences. 

With the recent arrival of Timothée Chalamat’s Wonka, an Anne Hathaway-led adaptation of The Witches, and Tim Minchin’s musical interpretation of Matilda, and with an animated adaptation of The Twits set for release this month, Dahl’s stories are having a major big-screen revival—so what better time to round up the best of them? We’ve ranked them here in ascending order; read on to discover more and use the guide below to find out where to stream them on platforms like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere. 

Roald Dahl’s The Witches (2020)

In 2020, between his thematically mirrored duet of Welcome to Marwen and Pinocchio, the ever curious Robert Zemeckis took on the daunting task of reimagining The Witches. The result, I think many would agree, was not particularly successful—but if you happen to be a Bob Z completist or fancy seeing Anne Hathaway sink her teeth into such a theatrically villainous role, it’s well worth checking out. 

The main issue, which tends to crop up with some of the more recent adaptations on this list, is that Zemickis decided not to go as hard as the original with regards to the scarier aspects of the book—which of course are the parts that make Dahl’s children’s stories so special. 

The BFG (2016)

Given Zemeckis’s decades-long working relationship with Steven Spielberg, it’s surprising he didn’t take heed of the issues that held his old mentor’s adaptation of The BFG back. Again, the supposedly kid-friendly approach becomes an issue in Spielberg’s live-action reimagining, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with Mark Rylance’s performance in the big, friendly, starring role.

This is one for the Spielberg enthusiasts, of course, but especially if you liked Rylance’s other collaborations with him in Ready Player One and Bridge of Spies.

Wonka (2023)

Wonka is a lively, family-friendly musical from the beloved British director, Paul King—so if you’re a fan of King’s Paddington trilogy, this might be the Dahl movie for you.

This is the third and most recent incarnation of the character and works as a kind of origin story for the young chocolatier. It also features a delightful lead performance from Tomothée Chalamet amongst a host of British faves, including Olivia Colman and Hugh Grant (who of course plays an Oompa-Loompa).

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Burton’s live-action take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory offers all the little gothic twists that fans of the director tend to love—and if you’re a fan of Burton’s more recent, family-friendly movies (like Alice in Wonderland or Dumbo), you’ll most likely vibe with this one.

Like almost every Burton movie from that period, Charlie starred Johnny Depp—with the actor giving a typically darker and more surreal take on the chocolatier. 

Revolting Rhymes (2016)

In 2016, Dahl’s eclectic short stories book, Revolting Rhymes, was adapted by the BBC into an animated show featuring five of the book’s rhymes. The resulting two-part special was warmly received by critics and even picked up a nomination for Best Animated Short at the Academy Awards.

Revolting Rhymes was produced by Magic Light Pictures, so if you’re a fan of that studio’s other works (like The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom) you’ll probably really like it. It also features a wonderful voice cast including Dominic West as The Wolf and Gemma Chan as Snow White. 

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (2022)

Another recent re-imagining came from the musician Tim Minchen, who, with the help of the RSC, reimagined Dahl’s Matilda as a stage musical in 2011. After the shows great success on the West End and Broadway, it was eventually adapted into a movie in 2022—and if you’re a fan of the stage-musical energy of movies like Wonka or The Greatest Showman, you’ll probably be into this one. 

The cast is led by the Irish actress Alisha Weir and features greats like Stephen Graham and Emma Thompson in supporting roles. 

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More (2023)

Over the years, Dahl’s stories have been adapted by a number of acclaimed auteurs, perhaps none quite as symbiotically as the great Wes Anderson. The director of Moonrise Kingdom and Asteroid City’s most recent Dahl work was the 2023 anthology movie, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More—and if you appreciate Wed at his most whimsical, you’ll probably love it.

Made as a direct-to-streaming project for Netflix, the foursome of medium length movies (the first of which won the director an Academy Award) feature a host of wonderful performances, including from Wes newcomers like Benedict Cumberbatch, Riz Ahmed and Richard Ayoade.

Danny the Champion of the World (1989)

It’s amazing just how many wonderful actors have appeared in Dahl adaptations over the years; not least Jeremy Irons and Robbie Coltrane, who both give wonderful performances in Danny, the Champion of the World—and if you like Coltrane’s iconic portrayal of Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, you’ll probably love seeing him in a villainous (and very Dahl-coded) role here. 

The story is set in the 1950s, focusing on a father and son (played by Irons and his actual son, Samuel), and a wealthy man who wants to buy their land (Coltrane).

James and the Giant Peach (1996)

Fans of deliciously strange animation will love this 1996 adaptation of James and the Giant Peach—especially if you like the stop-frame style of its director, Henry Selick, the legendary animator behind Coraline and Nightmare Before Christmas. 

The story follows a young boy who sees his parents killed by a Rhinoceros, who dreams of running away from his evil aunts and seeing the Empire State Building, and who will eventually use a giant peach and a flock of seagulls to do so. All extremely Dahl vibes. 

The BFG (1989)

The greatest ever 2D animated Dahl adaptation is The BFG, a low key children’s classic made direct for TV by Brian Cosgrove in 1989—and if you’re a fan of Cosgrove’s other work from that period (like Danger Mouse or Count Duckula), or enjoy the similar, storybook style of The Snowman, you’ll probably appreciate it. 

Like the Spielberg adaptation, the story follows a young boy who meets the titular friendly giant and joins him on a trip to Buckingham palace.

The Witches (1990)

The Witches is one of those incredible children’s movies that for some reason happened to be made by a maverick filmmaker—so if you enjoy director Nicolas Roeg’s other classics, like Don’t Look Now and Performance, and don’t mind subjecting the kids to something a little on the scary side, you definitely need to see it!

As someone who grew up with this movie and hasn’t seen it in years, I can confirm that many of its spookier moments stay with you. I can thank Anjelica Huston’s performance for some of this but a lot of the credit should go to the incredible Jim Hensen puppet design.

Matilda (1996)

Directed by and starring Danny Devito alongside the great ‘90s child star Mara Wilson, it’s incredible that Matilda was a bit of a box office bomb upon release. Not to worry, the movie went on to earn back its money (and then some) and is now rightly considered a children’s classic—and if you liked Wilson’s breakout performances in Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34th Street, you’ll definitely appreciate it. 

The story follows the eponymous character, a gifted young girl who uses her telekinetic abilities to get back at her mean parents and the even meaner headmistress of her school.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Wes Anderson’s first Dahl adaptation, Fantastic Mr. Fox, is perhaps the greatest Dahl adaptation so far this Century—and if you liked Wes’ Isle of Dogs or the meticulous stop motion animation of movies like Corpse Bride, you’ll love it.

The story focuses on a showdown between a family of foxes and a local chicken farmer. George Clooney leads the voice with Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman and, of course, Bill Murray amongst the star studded supporting roles.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

 It’s interesting that the earliest (and best) adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—in fact, the best adaptation of any Dahl story—was turned into a screenplay by the author himself. In 1971, Dahl transformed his best-selling book into the immortal family film, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, fronted by Gene Wilder in what has become an iconic role—and if you’re a fan of Wilder’s unpredictable performances in movies like The Producers and Blazing Saddles, you’ll want to see him cook here.

With its memorable songs and timeless moments, this is a straight up classic of that era, similar in tone to movies like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang—but for my money, it’s the best of the lot. 

It was inevitable that 2023 would be an outstanding year for TV with the return of Emmy-award winning shows such as Succession and Ted Lasso. This year gave us plenty of series to binge for big laughs, lots of tears, or an escape into a fictional world. As 2023 comes to a close, JustWatch has crunched the numbers to find the most popular TV series on streaming services throughout the year.

2023 started strong with HBO’s adaptation of the acclaimed video game, The Last of Us, which topped this year’s streaming charts. With a huge audience of new and pre-existing fans, this gripping dystopian horror became the most popular TV series of the year and already has a second season on the horizon.

Netflix debuted Tim Burton’s Addams Family spin-off Wednesday in late 2022, opening to worldwide success that led to a viral TikTok dance, and even broke the streamer’s records to become the most viewed series (in English) on the platform. The Netflix original series landed at #5 on the streaming charts. Netflix also released the fourth and final season of its award-winning drama, Top Boy, as well as the mind-boggling mystery series, Manifest.

Many of us also handled the heat of the kitchen in the second season of The Bear, bringing back Chicago’s favourite sandwich shop. Another favourite from Disney+ is Tom Hiddleston’s return as the God of Mischief in the second season on Loki, which debuted back in October. Other family favourite franchises also found success on the streamer, including Star Wars with the third instalment of The Mandalorian.

Several contemporary cult classic TV shows also came to a close this year, as the final season of HBO’s family business drama Succession aired with some shocking surprises. Apple TV+ also said farewell (for now it seems) to its greatest asset, Ted Lasso, as AFC Richmond returned for its third and final season of the Emmy-award winning comedy. In between the bittersweet goodbyes, viewers indulged in copious amounts of animated sitcom South Park for some light relief.

We found the top 10 titles using the JustWatch popularity score, which considers a host of activities such as clicking on a streaming offer, which titles were added to watchlists, and which titles were marked as ‘seen’. You can find the top 10 below, including streaming offers so you can catch up with the most popular series of the year.

It has been an incredible year for film in 2023. Despite the turbulence in Hollywood during the SAG-AFTRA strike, the industry has firmly found its feet after the coronavirus pandemic. From family franchises to breath-taking animation, movie musicals and gore-filled horrors, cinema has soared higher, further and faster to make sure there has been something for everyone.

While Barbie broke the box-office, established franchises released some of the most popular films of the year in the UK such as the live action remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Pixar’s Elemental and another action-packed instalment in John Wick: Chapter 4.

However, JustWatch found that the top film of 2023 was Marvel’s final outing for the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. James Gunn’s epic threequel was the most popular film according to our UK user. This was calculated using JustWatch’s popularity score, which includes user activity such as clicks on streaming offers, adding a title to a watchlist or marking it as ‘seen’.

Disney+ was home to half of the most popular films of the year, including James Cameron’s long-awaited return to Pandora in Avatar: The Way of Water. Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also made the top ten, after its release in cinemas back in February.

The fan-favourite board game adapted to the big-screen in Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves also made the elite list. The Chris Pine-led film resonated with audiences as it captured the friendship and camaraderie found at the heart of the game, and its players. Alongside this, families sought out Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, while adults gorged on raucous comedies and horror in M3GAN and Cocaine Bear.

Here’s the 10 most popular films of the year and where to stream them from the United Kingdom.

An earlier version of this article was published in May 2024 by Jess Bacon.

Aardman Animations has been entertaining audiences for over six decades with their acclaimed and award-winning stop motion films. Founded by Peter Lord and David Sproxton in 1972, Aardman started out making 5-minute shorts for UK broadcasters such as the BBC before Creature Comforts, a collection of shorts for Channel 4, won Nick Park an academy-award. The landmark series matched zoo animals with real human voices, making it seem as if the animals were commenting on their own living conditions. What began as an experimental series of stories laid the foundations for Aardman to become the billion-dollar studio it is today.

Despite the extensive time it takes to film a stop-motion feature (one project can take anywhere from 18 months to six years), Aardman has established a noteworthy filmography that has always subverted the norm in imaginative and witty ways. With the recent Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl marking Aardman’s long-awaited return to its most cherished characters, it feels like a good time to round up every Aardman animation movie. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find out where to stream them on platforms like BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

Chicken Run (2000)

In 2000, Aardman began to extended their 5 to 30-minute productions into full length features with Chicken Run, a quick-witted movie that offered a perfect blend of Aardman's humour and classic prison movie tropes—imagine Wallace & Gromit meets The Great Escape and you’ll know what you’re in for.

The story follows a flock of cooped-up chickens as they attempt to break out of their farm. It also boasts a typically star-studded voice cast, including Mel Gibson (pre-meltdown, of course) and Julia Sawalha. After the movie’s commercial and critical success, Chicken Run soon became the highest grossing stop-motion film of all time. 

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

Several years later, Wensleydale-loving Wallace and his intelligent dog Gromit took to the big-screen for the first time in Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit, another perfect example of the Aardman brand. It's a movie that tends to delight younger audiences while offering riffs on classic Hollywood (there are gags here that reference everything from King Kong to The Exorcist) for older viewers to enjoy. 

On top of taking in a whopping 200M at the box office, Were-Rabbit won Aardman the Academy Award for best animated feature, beating out Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride and Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle in the process.

Flushed Away (2006)

Flushed Away is another Aardman project for younger viewers that also has plenty of references for older members of the audience to enjoy—this time courtesy of 007 and specifically the gizmos of the Brosnan years, like Goldeneye. Just be warned, this is the first Aardman movie that was made with computer animation, so don’t go in expecting the stop-motion detail of their best-known work. 

The plot, a classic hero’s quest, centres on Roddy: a rat living in an upper class flat in Kensington who ends up in the underground rat city of Ratropolis and must find a way to stop the evil Toad before he flushes its inhabitants out. Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet and Ian McKellen top the impressive voice cast.

Arthur Christmas (2011)

If you liked how Flushed Away took an ordinary character and put them into extraordinary situations, you’ll probably be just as enamoured with Aardman’s first festive movie, Arthur Christmas—another of the studio’s computer animated projects, but similarly one that blends movie references (Bond again, of course, but also Mission: Impossible) with humour that the whole family can enjoy. 

Boasting a voice cast of British legends, including James McAvoy, Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton, the movie centres on Arthur, Santa’s clumsiest son, as he attempts to deliver a present on Christmas eve.

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012)

Set around 1837, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! is the first Aardman movie to play with historical humour—so if you like the idea of having the absurdist vibes of Monty Python or Our Flag Means Death in a classic Aardman stop motion, this might be the one for you.

The goofy plot follows Pirate Captain (yes, that’s the correct name), a pirate captain who believes he have a chance of winning the Pirate of the Year award. Hugh Grant and David Tennant lead the typically star-studded voice cast.

Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)

It took 20 years after his first appearance, in A Close Shave, but everyone’s favourite wooly hero finally got the big screen treatment in 2015’s Shaun the Sheep Movie—an Aardman classic for younger audiences that, thanks to having no dialogue, is also packed with delightful references to Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and other deadpan classics of the silent era.  

The plot takes Shaun on an adventure from Mossy Bottom Farm to the city, where he gets lost and has to find his farmer and his flock.

Early Man (2018)

Having poked fun at everything from spy movies to festive favourites, Aardman finally tackled the sport movie genre with Early Man —and if you like the idea of seeing an Aardman animation that riffs on everything from Gladiator to Rocky, this could be the one for you. 

The plot follows a caveman who ends up in the Bronze City. While there, he challenges his rulers to a game of football to win back his home. Eddie Redmayne and Maisie Williams lead the voice cast.

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019)

Four years after his first big screen outing, Shaun was back in A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon—and naturally, if you are a fan of the first one you’ll be happy (and probably not surprised) to hear that the pros at Aardman didn’t phone it in for the sequel. 

As the delightfully goofy title suggests, this one has slightly more epic ambitions than its predecessor—with a friendly alien visitor plotline that allows the filmmakers to reference everything from ET to Close Encounters. If you like that era of Spielberg you’ll probably have a lot of fun with this one. 

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)

More recently, Aardman teamed up with Netflix for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, delivering a long awaited sequel to their 2002 smash-hit with a film for the whole family to enjoy—and naturally, if you liked part one but felt it could be better without Mel Gibson, this is one for you.  

The movie begins with Rocky and Ginger living happily in a safe haven for chickens—that is, until their daughter Molly runs away and gets trapped in a poultry processing plant. The story plays on some dystopian themes, so if you like movies like Nineteen Eighty-Four or The Matrix, you’ll find pletny to enjoy in the references here.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)

For their most recent feature length project, Aardman returned to their most beloved duo with Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl—a movie that reintroduced the characters’ arch nemesis, Feathers McGraw. Given all the callbacks, this is one that long-time Aardman fans will adore.

The story focuses on Norbot, a robot Wallace invents to help with the gardening. Of course, Feathers reprograms it to help him commit his dastardly crimes. As always when Feathers is involved, this allows for plenty of delightful references to film noir.

As it turns out, there is a secret formula for living longer. It all starts with the food we put in our bodies. 

The fascinating discovery of ‘Blue Zones’ made by Dan Buettner has led to a new curiosity of what it means to be healthy. Dan Buettner is a National Geographic Fellow, author and producer who has done extensive research into what causes humans to live longer. If you’ve watched ‘Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones’ and are eager to learn more about our bodies, and their relationships to the food we eat, here are some other documentaries that you might like.

Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food

This 2023 documentary film explores the hidden pathogens in our everyday food that make 48 million Americans sick every year. In a world where profit is more important than ethics, the documentary asserts that your primary assumption about chicken that you buy in the supermarket should be that it contains bacteria such as salmonella. Although this documentary is focused specifically on the United States, it shares some stark realities about the food industry that make more sobering viewing.

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Anthony Bourdain was one of the most influential chefs of our generation. With a passion for travel and culture, he wrote a number of bestselling books and produced food and travel shows such as A Cook’s Tour and Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Bourdain’s work explored international cuisines and how they influenced different cultures and traditions around the world. While the focus of Parts Unknown is a little different than the Blue Zones documentary, Bourdain’s love for food and culture leaps off the screen.

Down to Earth with Zac Efron

Zac Efron travels around the world to find new perspectives on age-old problems. Focused on food, water and energy, he speaks with experts in different fields who all have unique ideas on how to live well. There are two seasons of this documentary series, both with eight episodes each. Season one explores a different location every episode including Iceland, London, Lima and Costa Rica. Season two focuses exclusively on Australia, with episodes focused on the Great Barrier Reef, Regenerative Agriculture and Aboriginal Voices.

How To Live to 100

English journalist and Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow leads this documentary series. In ‘How to Live to 100’, Snow explores the lifestyles of people that live to 100 years of age. Following a similar vein to the Netflix Blue Zones documentary series, Snow visits the Greek island of Ikaria, and speaks with senior citizens in Japan.

What the Health

From the creators of Cowspiracy, What the Health is a documentary that uncovers the hidden secrets about the pharmaceutical and health industries. In a world where chronic conditions are exponentially on the rise, the health industry is profiting on every illness. Andersen shares information about how to prevent and even reverse chronic disease. It begs the question - if this information has the ability to save lives, then why isn’t it being shared more openly?

Some of the greatest films in the history of cinema are capable of making us feel both great pain and great joy all at once. Celine Song’s superb romantic drama Past Lives does just that, succeeding in capturing feelings of longing alongside the bittersweet gratitude for a moment of profound connection with another human being.

If your heart needs another dose of melancholic joy after seeing Past Lives, make sure you check out the brilliant films below. Each film shares a kinship in some way with Past Lives, and is guaranteed to leave you feeling tender, heartbroken, and alive.

The ‘Before’ Trilogy

One of the most obvious entries is the Before trilogy by acclaimed director Richard Linklater. Filmed over the course of 18 years, the trilogy starts with Before Sunrise (1995), followed by Before Sunset (2004), and concludes with Before Midnight (2013). The films tell the story of Céline (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke), who first meet on a train going from Budapest to Vienna and wind up spending the whole night walking, talking, and falling in love. The films centre completely around the dialogue between Céline and Jesse as they share their innermost vulnerabilities, hopes, and desires, and — similar to Past Lives — the films succeed at being both deeply relatable and captivating all at once.

In the Mood for Love

Legendary Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai’s beautifully devastating romantic drama In the Mood for Love continues to be one of the most devastating descriptions of longing ever committed to film. Set in British Hong Kong in the 1960s, In the Mood for Love tells the story of journalist Chow Mo-wan and secretary Su Li-zhen, who form a connection after suspecting their partners are having an affair together. As their bond subtly begins to grow and transform, the two must decide if they will conform to societal morals or try to break free. As with Past Lives, In the Mood for Love is able to convey deep longing and internal turmoil, as well as the beauty of finding connection.

Call Me By Your Name

This exhilarating story of love and learning touches on all the subtler aspects of a great coming-of-age film, and succeeds in conveying both the beauty and pain of first love. Director Luca Guadagnino directs the story of a summer in 1983 in northern Italy, where the moody and reclusive 17-year-old Elio is spending the season with his mother and archeology professor father. When his father’s research assistant, a 24-year-old graduate student named Oliver, comes to stay, Elio finds himself both drawn to and wary of the new addition. As the push and pull dynamic buds into something more, Call Me by Your Name reveals itself to be both a heart wrenching romance and a universal lesson in self-compassion.

When Harry Met Sally

Known as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) romantic comedies of all time, When Harry Met Sally continues to earn its status through a mixture of typical rom-com tropes and more realistic elements like right timing and personal growth. When Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) first meet, they can barely stand each other, and part ways as soon as they finish the car journey from Chicago to New York City. They go years without seeing one another until they reconnect by chance. Only after several more years are they in a place to foster first a close friendship, before finally progressing to a real relationship. While When Harry Met Sally is a rom-com and Past Lives is a romantic drama, the films both share a dedication to understanding how the passage of time affects our most precious relationships, and allows them to progress in different and unexpected ways.

Atonement

This utter heartbreaker starring Kiera Knightly and James McAvoy takes a spot on this list for its depictions of unrequited love and missed opportunities. The film is based on Ian McEwan’s book of the same name, and takes place between World Wars in 1935. The film tells the story of Briony Tallis, a 13-year-old growing up in a large estate owned by her wealthy family. Due to her jealousy and confusion over her older sister Cecilia’s budding relationship with Robbie, the housekeeper’s son, Briony plays a key role in Robbie’s conviction for a crime of which he was innocent — a move that irrevocably changes the course of their love forever. Although Atonement is far more devastating in tone than Past Lives, the persistent question of ‘what if?' pervades both storylines.

Check out the complete list below, along with streaming information on where to watch them.