In the mood for a movie? From classics to comedy, we’ve got you covered. Browse our top streaming picks below.
Rocky 1-6
(Sporting drama, M, 630 mins total)
★★★★
How do you explain the indelible mark the Rocky movies have made on the Hollywood landscape?
The creator and star of the franchise, Sylvester Stallone, nailed it when he suggested the movies weren’t really about the boxing. The films are knockouts because they’re not so much about the science of trading blows, but having a swing at life when you’re surrounded by doubters.
Bad Moms
(Comedy, MA15+, 100 mins)
★★
Bad Moms looks exactly like the type of light and fluffy, so-bad-it’s-good comedy we need for a Friday night in with the girls. But we’re sorry to say it falls a long way short.
The premise is funny: fed up with useless husbands, their careers and overbearing PTA yummy mummies, Amy (Mila Kunis), Carla (Kathryn Hahn) and Kiki (Kristen Bell) kick their domestic duties to the kerb and embrace being bad mums. Sadly the whole thing feels half-baked and a bit ‘been there, done that’. Steer clear if cringeworthy jokes about unflattering bras and not being good at Zumba don’t do it for you.
Garden State
(Drama, MA15+, 100 mins)
★★★★★
For a long time, Zach Braff was known as “that guy from Scrubs”. But in 2004, he made Garden State, an indie film he wrote, starred in and directed.
The movie seemed to sound the arrival of a new Zach Braff. It follows the story of Andrew Largeman (Zach), who returns to his home town in New Jersey – the Garden State – for his mother’s funeral.
His homecoming isn’t exactly triumphant. In fact, it’s more tragic, as Andrew struggles to reconnect with his old home. The silver lining is Sam (Natalie Portman), a curious young woman and compulsive liar who captures Andrew’s heart.
Michael Clayton
(Thriller, MA15+, 120 mins)
★★★★
Oscar-winner George Clooney is at his best in this legal thriller. George plays Michael Clayton, a silver-tongued “fixer” for a big New York law firm. Michael is good at his job, likeable and always in demand. So he’s pretty surprised when his car is blown up and it becomes clear someone is trying to kill him.
So begins a cat-and-mouse game as he tries to uncover who wants to bump him off. With no-one to trust and everything to lose, this is a top-shelf thriller with an all-star cast.
How To Be Single
(Comedy, M, 110 mins)
★★★★
After breaking up with her college boyfriend, Alice (Dakota Johnson, above) moves to New York.
There, she soon befriends Robin (Rebel Wilson, above right), a quirky Aussie party girl who teaches Alice how to navigate single life. What ensues between the new pals often verges on cliché, but it’s surprisingly fun. The real star of the film is Leslie Mann as Meg, Alice’s single, career-driven sister.
Meg’s struggle to decide between having a baby and her successful career as a doctor is both heartwarming and hilarious.
Sandy Wexler
(Comedy, M, 131 mins)
★★★
Let’s be honest: a good Adam Sandler film is few and far between these days. But could his latest flick, Sandy Wexler, be the turnaround point for the actor? Set in ’90s Los Angeles, Adam stars as a hapless talent manager who falls in love with one of his clients, Courtney Clarke (Jennifer Hudson).
Their roller-coaster love story is played out over a decade as her career skyrockets.
