As we all begin to bunker down at home, now's a great time to catch up on some movies you missed, forgot about or couldn't previously find time for.
There's a huge range of films across all genres available at your fingertips, so we encourage you to deep-dive into the dusty menus of your preferred streaming service to see what cinematic treasures you uncover.
To get you started we've highlighted some of the biggest and best releases across all the various platforms.
AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
The Aeronauts
(2019)
Acclaimed for its vertigo-inducing special effects, The Aeronauts is a suspenseful and charming Victorian ballooning adventure. What's more, it's based on a true story, meaning there were real people out there who had real-life ballooning adventures. Yes. This particular ballooning adventure is about two rivals, played by Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, who in 1862 attempted to fly higher than anyone ever flew before.
APPLE TV+
Beastie Boys Story
(2020)
They fought for your right to party, they told y'all it was sabotage and their success was truly intergalactic (planetary). Now the surviving members of rap brats turned rap icons The Beastie Boys tell their story in this upcoming doco by director Spike Jonze. If you miss this you'll need to check your head. Out next month.
DISNEY+
Frozen 2
(2019)
Disney+ has done parents everywhere a solid by adding Frozen 2 to their library three months ahead of schedule. The gang's all back as Elsa goes bush, Anna goes to solve a family mystery while also trying to save Olaf from going to the big Cumulus in the sky and Kristoff goes 80s in a quite brilliant power ballad. Enchanting stuff.
LIGHTBOX
Miss the days of wandering cluelessly between the shelves at the local video shop for hours trying to decide what to watch before forking out some cash to take a movie home for a limited time? Well, Lightbox has you covered with their rental service! Alongside their excellent TV offerings (we're looking at you Better Call Saul and Better Things), they also hire new release films for a mere $6.99, which is at least $2 cheaper than I remember.
Parasite
(2019)
Parasite infected this year's Academy Awards and made history by becoming the first foreign-language film to walk away with the highest honour of Best Picture. The movie itself is a black comedy thriller that explores social themes. This is the film that should claim your first $6.99.
NETFLIX
Spirited Away
(2002)
Netflix's recent deal with Japan's legendary Studio Ghibli was an absolute boss move as it made Spirited Away, one of the greatest movies of all time, readily available. Written and directed by auteur animator Hayao Miyazaki, this Alice in Wonderland-esque story is filled with beautifully haunting imagery and imaginatively striking visuals that captivate and delight, while the story touches on themes of materialistic greed, overcoming difficulties and the power of the spirit. An absolute classic for all ages. If you're not sure where to start with the films of Studio Ghibli, start here.
NEON
John Wick 3: Parabellum
(2019)
The concluding chapter of the best action trilogy of modern times just shot its way on to Neon in a blaze of violently stylish, adrenaline-pumping action. Keanu Reeves is the aggrieved former hitman out for justice after hired goons killed his puppy way back in the first film. The neo-noir action thriller franchise won its reputation on its bone-breakingly inventive fight choreography and bullet-ridden set pieces, so expect this final instalment to go out all guns blazing.
BONUS VIEWING
For the brave of heart and lard of ass, now is the time to take up the challenge of a movie marathon. Across the various services, there's plenty of options ranging from easy, through to difficult before reaching totally insane. But who knows how long we're gonna be asked to stay in our bunkers so why not make the most of it?
Easy
Dig deep into the Netflix archives and you'll discover all of the Indiana Jones movies buried away. These high-spirited and rollicking fun action-adventures are not only one of the action genre's holy grails but they're also family-friendly and a total entertainment blast. Netflix has all four but we can't in good conscience recommend 2008's Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Instead, keep it real with the classic 80s trilogy.
We're not gonna lie, undertaking the Sharknado sextuplet on Neon will test all but the most hardened of movie marathoners - and not just because there are six of the damned things to sit through. Like an actual marathon the going gets tougher the longer you keep going. This is because the movies get steadily and progressively worse. What starts off as campy, trashy fun with 90s Teen Queen Tara Reid and forgotten Beverly Hills 90210 star Ian Ziering running away from a tornado filled with sharks - the most brilliantly stupid premise we've ever heard - the franchise quickly devolves into a gruelling waste of your time. Again, just like an actual marathon. Good luck. You're gonna need it.
If you want to supersize your movie marathon then on Disney+ you'll find 20 - yes, 20! - movies from the blockbuster Marvel Cinematic Universe. Starting with the big-budget beginnings of 2009's Iron Man and concluding with the budget-blowing extravaganza of 2019's Avengers: Endgame you'll need to possess buns of steel and the superpower of sitting for long periods to cross the finish line of the epic, cinematically unprecedented achievement that is The Infinity Saga. And hopefully by then, we'll have the all-clear to leave the house.
FREE SAMPLES?
Seen something here you want to watch but don't want to add more strain to your pay cheque in these uncertain times? No problem! Just take advantage of the sweet loophole known as the free trial. Only one miserly streamer doesn't offer up a time-limited, cost-exempt sampling period, so as long as you set a reminder on your phone to cancel before the end of the trial period, you can binge your way through all their best offerings without spending a penny.
Amazon Prime Video - 30 days free trial
Apple TV+ - Seven-day free trial
Disney+ - Seven-day free trial
Lightbox - One-month free trial
Neon - 14-day free trial
Netflix - No free trial
TVNZ ONDEMAND
It's well worth remembering that you don't need to pay any money at all to fire up some free movies on your telly. As well as having a healthy amount of truly top telly to watch, TVNZ OnDemand also has a pretty decent selection of films on offer.
We're talking Taika Waititi's globe-conquering, family comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople and David Farrier's documentary Tickled, which takes a deep dive into the world of professional ticklers and ticklees before taking an extraordinarily dark turn. Simply sign up and stream away for free.
