10 of the year's best films now available to stream
Clockwise: Parallel Mothers, An Cailín Ciúin, The Batman
Colm Bairéad’s intimate and deeply moving Irish-language drama is winning fans throughout the world and has made the Oscars shortlist in advance of the January nominations. It tells the story of Cáit (Catherine Clinch), a young girl from a dysfunctional family who experiences a formative summer with relatives.
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson lead a pitch-perfect cast in Martin McDonagh’s period drama. Filmed on location on Inish Mór and Achill, it centres on two friends whose dynamic is upended when one suddenly decides to end the friendship. After landing eight nominations at the Golden Globes - including for Farrell, Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan - the film has emerged as a frontrunner for next spring’s Oscars.
Penelope Cruz is terrific in this drama from Pedro Almodovar, one of the Spanish filmmaker’s very best. She plays one of two pregnant women who form a bond when they share a birthing suite in a maternity hospital, with remarkable implications for them both. The film is bookended by a moving reference to the Spanish civil war.
Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz lead an excellent cast in Matt Reeves’ film which gives the comic-book adaptation a creative edginess. The standalone refreshingly sheds origins storytelling for a Gotham tale centred around a corrupt mob in the city. Featuring universally strong performances, stunning visuals and cinematography from Greig Fraser (who also brought us Dune) it’s easily the best comic-book tale of the year.
A tender and moving tale about a humanoid robot, Yang is ‘adopted’ by a couple (Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith) as a brother to their young daughter. When he malfunctions, the distraught family resort to desperate tactics to bring him back to life. Like the best sci-fi movies, After Yang contemplates what it means to be human.
Tom Cruise was the cinematic success story of the summer and one of the most popular films of the year. It sees Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell now working as a senior test pilot after thirty years of service in the navy. Faced with a specialised mission which presents the greatest challenges of his career, he joins forces with Rooster, the son of his beloved ally and friend Goose. It leads to an airborne mission that will require the ultimate levels of skill and sacrifice from his team.
Shot in Ring, Co Waterford, this quirky and lovely Irish-language drama tells the story of a grieving widow who’s missing her recently deceased husband. When a stray dog crosses her path and refuses to leave, he sits on her late husband’s favourite chair and shares his love for steak dinners and GAA. Could something very strange and wonderful be happening?
Rian Johnson’s murder mystery tale Knives Out proved to be an enormous hit with audiences and has led to Glass Onion, the first of an expected new series of movies. Daniel Craig returns as the offbeat and mysterious detective Benoit Blanc, who this time is tasked with a new whodunit. The setting is a lavish home on a Greek island, where a group of friends are gathering at the home of their billionaire host. The high achievers include a scientist, a fashion designer and a former model. But when one of the guests’ bodies in found, everyone’s a suspect. Ed Norton, Dave Bautista and Kate Hudson go along for the adventure.
Two siblings who run a ranch in California make a startling discovery in the third film from writer-director Jordan Peele (Get Out). Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer run a ranch that has provided horses for the movie business. But one night an unexplained sighting in the distance threatens to upend their lives. Again Peele blends some shocking moments of violence with dark humour in his latest.
Austin Butler gives a charismatic and convincing take on the king of rock ’n’ roll in Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann’s biopic. The man behind The Great Gatsby brings his trademark flamboyant storytelling to the movie, which focuses on his complicated relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). Butler performs many of the songs himself and nails The King’s mannerisms and dance moves.
