If you’re putting your feet up this weekend and fancy a movie (or a few) to watch, then some great flicks have been added to the big streamers.
Among the highlights on Netflix, BBC iPlayer and others are an “incredible” Matt Damon classic, as well as a recent British hit from Wuthering Heights director Emerald Fennell.
Here’s five of the best to add to your watchlists, plus a few more to keep an eye out for.
Best movie new to Netflix this week
Searching: Taking a screenlife format – where nearly the whole movie takes place on a computer or phone screen – Searching follows a father (John Cho) as he delves into his daughter’s laptop after she goes missing, and desperately tries to find clues to her whereabouts.
Also starring Debra Messing and Michelle La, the film comes from director and co-writer Aneesh Chaganty, and earned a near-perfect 92% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“If you like suspense movies, innovation, and John Cho you do not want to miss the movie,” wrote But Why Tho?, while Keith & the Movies called it “a riveting thriller with interesting things to say about the online lives we live”.
Also new to Netflix this week: Spider-Man, The People vs Larry Flynt, The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), Top Secret!
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Best movie new to Prime Video this week
Good Will Hunting: This classic from 1997 stars Matt Damon as a genius but troubled mathematician whose talents are discovered by a professor. When he is arrested for attacking a cop, he agrees to a leniency deal to get therapy, which forces him to confront his past.
Described as “incredible” and “moving” by one fan on IMDb, Good Will Hunting was an awards hit, winning Damon and Ben Affleck an Original Screenplay Oscar, as well as a Best Supporting Actor gong for Robin Williams.
Stellan Skarsgård and Minnie Driver also star in the movie from director Gus Van Sant.
Also new to Prime Video this week: Scary Movie, Licorice Pizza, The Usual Suspects, Fargo, Gladiator, Women Talking, Twister
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Best movie new to BBC iPlayer this week
Saltburn: Containing iconic moments such as that bathwater scene and Barry Keoghan’s dance that leaves little to the imagination, Saltburn was much talked-about when it was released in 2023.
The movie from Wuthering Heights’ Emerald Fennell sees Keoghan play an Oxford student who becomes obsessed with one of his peers (Jacob Elordi), and is invited to stay at his aristocratic state over the summer – though events start to take an increasingly dark turn.
The film was called a “delightfully lavish and wicked affair” by Shade Studios, and “a thing of grotesque beauty and sublime wit” by Killer Movie Reviews.
Also new to BBC iPlayer this week: Bones and All, The Notebook, Just Mercy, Till
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Best movie new to ITVX this week
Top Gun: Tom Cruise’s first outing as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell is regarded as a classic of the 1980s and was called a “star-studded, stimulating spree” by Loud and Clear Reviews.
The movie follows his hotshot pilot as he trains at the Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School – though his reckless attitude puts him at odds with other pilots.
Also starring Kelly McGillis and the late Val Kilmer, the movie later spawned hit 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick, which saw Cruise return to the role.
Also new to ITVX this week: Catch Me If You Can, Star Trek Beyond
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Best movie new to Channel 4 this week
Censor: This 2021 British horror follows a film censor who is dealing with the past disappearance of her sister. However, when she’s given a disturbing film to review that has echoes of her childhood memories, she starts to unravel.
The Virtues’ Niamh Algar stars in this movie from director and co-writer Prano Bailey-Bond, which has an impressive 89% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
iNews said Censor combines “satire, horror and social commentary” in an “ingenious and revelatory film”.
Also new to Channel 4 this week: Our Kind of Traitor, Cocaine Bear, Slow West, High-Rise
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ as a sub-editor.