We've spent the past 12 days bringing you our 12 Days of Streaming, in which we highlight must-watch movies that are either imminently about to leave your favourite streaming service (or now have), or new arrivals that are simply unmissable and need to go onto your watchlist.
Beyond the classics – and, indeed, future classics, as 10 upcoming movies for 2024 look superb already – there are lots of comings and goings from the best streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+. So take a look through our 12 top picks, which are simply brilliant in their own rights and worthy of your attention...
12. Jan 5th: Maiden
And to finish up our 12 Days of Streaming here's a documentary hidden gem with an ultra-high 98% Rotten Tomatoes score that you must watch before it sails away soon. You don't need to be into sailing (nor sport as a whole) to have a real appreciation for this real-life tale from which everyone can learn something.
Maiden tells the awe-inspiring story of Tracy Edwards, a passionate yacht racer who in the late 1980s assembled the first ever all-woman crew to take on the astounding challenge of the Whitbread Round the World Race. Part of what makes the documentary such a success, though is that it does a terrific job of not just portraying the physical challenges that the crew faces, but also delving into the emotional realities, too.
11. Jan 4th: Ali
Will Smith's turn in this Oscar-nominated sports biopic is stellar viewing, whether you're a boxing fan or not, so catch Ali (and not a fist... or a slap?) before it leaves Netflix this month. Don't sleep on it.
No one could ever really give the man his full impact on screen, but Smith comes close. He seems to embody the man known as "The Greatest" both in the ring and outside of it, with press conferences and interviews that just ooze charm.
10. Jan 3rd: The Terminal
A stone-cold classic starring Tom Hanks is leaving Netflix on 15 January, so catch it if you can... and, no, we're not riffing on Hanks' other great, Catch Me If You Can (as that left the streaming service some time ago), rather the superb The Terminal.
Based on true events, The Terminal follows Victor Navorski, a man from a fictional Eastern European country hoping to visit New York, USA. When his plane touches down at JFK airport, however, it becomes clear he won't be going anywhere. A coup in his homeland leaves Victor in diplomatic limbo, and he's forced to live in the airport.
9. Jan 2nd: Drive
While it's back to work for many, if you swerve that gym time you promised yourself then instead check out this intense Ryan Gosling classic, Drive, which is departing Netflix very soon. You've got until the 4 January, though, so just shy of the weekend's arrival.
Drive is a brilliantly unique movie that combines some amazingly-shot car chases, a burning romance, and some frankly horrible (yet justified) violence. It often goes a long time without dialogue, relying instead on the superb soundtrack. In the approach to Blue Monday, it's the perfect accompaniment.
8. Jan 1st: Saltburn
Welcome to 2024! And welcome to one of the more controversial new movies on our must-watch streaming list: Saltburn. The UK flick has already been shocking audiences, but it's also expected to take the 2024 Oscars by storm.
Saltburn is the second feature film from director and writer Emerald Fennell, who made such a crazy splash with her full-length debut Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan, back in 2020. Like that movie, Saltburn is dark (like full capital letters dark), and goes to some frankly unbelievable places. Watch it, but watch it with caution!
7. Dec 31st: The Gentlemen
What better to watch on New Year's Eve than a British gangster movie? This Cockney criminal caper is a must-watch – and soon you must watch it, as it leaves Netflix this week an' all – from acclaimed director Guy Ritchie. It's almost like a third part to the Lock Stock and Snatch, taking on similar themes and brilliant witty comedy.
Ritchie is well-known for his comedy-infused crime capers and The Gentlemen doesn't disappoint. Fans agree, too, scoring the flick a positive 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes. That's a deserved step above the critics' score of 75% – but that score is no surprise, as it echoes critics' sentiment of Ritchie's other similar movies.
6. Dec 30th: Paranormal Activity
Okay, forget the Christmas cheer (that's pretty much over and done with now anyway, right?), today's entry is a chilling horror classic with 83% on Rotten Tomatoes – but Paranormal Activity also leaves Netflix in just 11 days' time.
Paranormal Activity took the “found footage” genre and brought it kicking and screaming into modernity (for the late 2000s). Its footage comes, ostensibly, from a camera that its starring couple sets up to film their night-time slumber in the hopes of dismissing the idea that they’re in any way haunted. Cue lots of suggestive scares that'll disturb you in am eerie psychological manner...
5. Dec 29th: Bill & Ted
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure was the teen movie that shot Keanu Reeves and co-star Alex Winter to fame, as they play the titular Bill and Ted respectively, two high school nobodies about to flunk their finals – until a mysterious time-travelling phone box (plus Rufus, of course) takes them on a historical-gathering mission.
It's almost hard to believe this movie was released in the late 1980s (1989 to be exact), so you can anticipate all the retro looks, plus various calamities and hilarities along the way (so typically associated with this era of movie-making). If you've never seen it, Bill & Ted depart Amazon Prime Video on 1 January, so best be quick!
4. Dec 28th: No Country For Old Men
Some of the biggest movies of all time missed out on Best Picture wins at the Oscars. It takes a rare feat of cinematic perfection to win such a hallowed award, but No Country For Old Men picked up the gong back in 2008 (along with three others for Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay).
But it's not 2008 any more, and as we knock on the proverbial door of 2024, The Cohen Brothers' masterpiece is slated to depart Netflix. Indeed, you've only got until 1 January to watch this brooding, brilliant flick. Critics agree, too, awarding an epic 93% Rotten Tomatoes score.
3. Dec 27th: Labyrinth
There are cult favourites, and there are movies whose popularity has skyrocketed so consistently since their release that to call them cult feels outdated – Labyrinth, first released in 1986, is one of the latter. It's also leaving Netflix on the first day of 2024, so you'll need to get in there quick if you want to re-watch the magic of this movie.
It's a dazzling and downright weird fantasy straight from the mind of The Muppets master Jim Henson. It's also from that pedigree of ostensibly family-friendly films that nonetheless contain a fair few creepy or unnerving moments – some of them more detectable for older viewers, and others still plenty scary for young’uns. We say that as a good thing, mind – too many kids’ movies now are over-saccharine...
2. Dec 26th: The Bank Job
Jason 'The Stath' Statham stars in this brilliantly, er, Stathish action movie, The Bank Job, which first hit our screens back in 2008. It was critically well received, landing a solid 80% on Rotten Tomatoes – and it's departing Netflix on 1st January.
There is some real talent behind this flick, too, with the creators of Porridge and Aufwiedersehn Pet, Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement, taking up the writing reins. In front of the camera, Statham is joined by other stellar talent, from the likes of Saffron Burrows, Daniel Mays and David Suchet (plus a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo from a certain Mick Jagger).
1. Dec 25th: Bridget Jones's trilogy
Renee Zellweger stunned audiences with her English accent playing Bridget Jones in the 2001 original, Bridget Jones's Diary, based on the classic novel by Helen Fielding.
The sequels, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), and Bridget Jones's Baby (2016), may not have been Oscar-nominated like the original, but Zellweger continues to bring the comedy thick and fast.
If you're a fan of the Bridget Jones trilogy then you'd best act fast, as all three movies will exit Netflix before 2024, so don't let the clock strike midnight on New Year's Eve 2023 without having watched these classics.
6. Dec 30th: Paranormal Activity
Forget the Christmas cheer, today's entry is a chilling horror classic with 83% on Rotten Tomatoes – but it also leaves Netflix next week...
