Movies

As we herald the arrival of 2025, Netflix UK subscribers can brace themselves for one of the most nerve-racking thrillers of the previous decade, now streaming without any additional cost.With the festive period behind us and the annual marathon of Yuletide flicks concluded, cinema enthusiasts are scouring for top-tier streaming content to captivate them through these lengthy winter nights.Your search ends with Netflix, as the streaming giant ushers in an extensive selection of fresh titles to kick-start the year.Whether it's Denzel Washington's masterful performance in the heist caper Inside Man or Austin Butler's Oscar-nominated portrayal of the King of Rock'n'Roll in 2022's biographical epic Elvis, viewers are spoilt for choice for their next movie night indulgence.Yet, those craving...

We’ve all heard of Saving Private Ryan and The Great Escape, but occasionally, some hidden gems from World War 2 movies that we might not be so familiar with pop up on TV.Today on BBC Two there’s a couple starting with The Heroes of Telemark at 4:15pm.This British war film stars Kirk Douglas in the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during the Second World War.The movie is based on Skis Against the Atom, the memories of Knut Haukelid, a Norwegian resistance solider played by Richard Harris.Meanwhile, there’s a 2014 World War 2 film on at twenty minutes past midnight.The late night film, which will presumably be on BBC iPlayer afterwards if you don’t wan’t to stay up that late, is The Monuments Men.George Clooney writes, directs, produces, and stars in this World War 2 flic...

Apple TV is set to launch a "genius" new initiative this weekend, with customers lauding the announcement.The streaming platform, which offers a range of original content, will be free to stream globally on the first weekend of the year (from Friday, Jan. 3, to Sunday, Jan. 5), on any device where the service is accessible.All that's required is an Apple ID and password to sign in for the complimentary two-day weekend promotional period. The initiative has been applauded by the public, with many suggesting it's a sure-fire hit for top-notch television and film.Some have hailed it as "the most cleve thing" a streaming service has done in years as everyone gears up for an exciting weekend.Numerous recommendations from Apple TV subscribers have since been shared on social media, with Twitt...

Following on from his Oscar-winning success in Gladiator, Russell Crowe returned with another period-set action masterpiece.Back in 2003, the Aussie starred in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, adapted from three Patrick O’Brian novels.Set during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, the film follows Crowe as Royal Navy Captain Jack Aubrey opposite Paul Bettany’s ship surgeon Dr Stephen Maturin.The story sees the HMS Surprise ordered to hunt down and capture a French ship off the coast of South America.Shot on replica vessels in water tanks located at Baja Studios, Mexicos, the film was also captured on the Galápagos Islands.Critically acclaimed upon release 22 years ago, the movie was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Peter We...

This week marks the 79th anniversary of the release of 1945’s They Were Expendable, a film set during the Battle of the Philippines which took place just a couple of years prior.The film’s cinematic debut was pushed back to late December 1945 since the Japanese had surrendered earlier that year.Yet despite good reviews, there was a low turnout at the box office with John Wayne later noting: “People had seen eight million war stories by the time the picture came out, and they were tired of them.”It’s well known that Duke didn’t manage to serve in World War 2 and so was constantly insulted by director John Ford on set.The filmmaker had commanded a naval photographic unit as a Captain and considered his star a coward for staying home.Yet despite good reviews, there was a low turnout at the...

Sean Connery and Michael Caine’s 1975 classic The Man Who Would Be King has many shocking stories from behind the scenes.Based on the Rudyard Kipling classic, the film saw the two stars play rogue ex-soldiers in the British Army during the late 19th century when one is mistaken for a god and made king.Director John Huston had attempted to make the movie in the 1950s, hoping to cast Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart as the leads, but the latter died before it could be made.The filmmaker also considered the likes of Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole.When Robert Redford and Paul Newman’s names were suggested, they recommended Connery and Caine.The pair soon signed on, although the James Bond star threatened to abandon the film when the producers almost dismissed ...

Groundhog Day is a comedy classic and a fan theory about Bill Murray’s comedy classic has proven to be very popular on Reddit. The movie never explained why Phil Connors was trapped in a time loop, living the same day over and over. But what if it was the ever-annoying Ned Ryerson who cursed him, because he was the devil?Reddit user SuperConductiveRabbi writes: “When Phil first encounters Ned he insults him. Immediately after the insult Phil steps into a puddle, and Ned remarks, ‘Well-ha-ha! Watch out for that first step, it's a doozy!’ The ‘first step’ Ned refers to [is] literally the first step Phil takes after being placed into the time loop, and Ned is laughing at the irony that Phil's first step was so unpleasant. It's a cruel irony that only Ned is able to enjoy.”The theorist cont...

John Wayne and John Ford collaborated on some of the Hollywood Golden Age’s best-loved Westerns, from She Wore a Yellow Ribbon to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.Perhaps their most famous was 1956’s The Searchers, which saw Duke play a Civil War veteran spending years searching for his abducted niece, played by Natalie Wood.Still a student in high school at the time, Wayne and co-star Jeffrey Hunter had to pick her up and take her to set on several occasions.The Searchers was shot in Ford’s favoured Monument Valley, part of the Navajo territory on the Arizona/Utah state line, temperatures during filming could reach heights of 49°C (120°F).The director was brilliant and eccentric, chewing through the corners of a dozen handkerchiefs while smoking a pipe each day. He also discouraged cha...

Peter O’Toole very nearly didn’t play Lawrence of Arabia. Originally, Marlon Brando was wanted by director Sir David Lean and producer Sam Spiegel, with the latter having won Oscars alongside the star for 1954’s On the Waterfront. However, the Hollywood legend turned it down for the shooting in Tahiti with better pay on Mutiny on the Bounty, saying: "I'll be damned if I'll spend two years of my life on some f***ing camel!"The second choice for TE Lawrence, the World War 1 hero renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire, was the virtually unknown Albert Finney. Despite extensive screen tests, he refused to sign up for a seven-year contract, so they went for his drama school classmate O’Toole instead – even though he was considerably taller than the historical fig...

The new year will bring brand new releases to theatres worldwide and there are plenty of movies to choose from in 2025.Express Online have collated a round up of the biggest film releases set to take audiences by storm and certainly keep you entertained.Whether you're looking for musicals, to superheroes, or animation we have got you covered with the must sees of the year.While by no means exhaustive, here is a collection of some of the biggest movies to look out for in 2025.Michael The Michael Jackson biopic will hit theatres in the new year, with the King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson portraying the late superstar. The 26 year old, son of Jermaine Jackson, said on Twitter that he was “humbled and honored” to bring his uncle’s story to life.The movie, titled “Michael,” is being made w...