With theatrical windows getting shorter every year, it’s easy to miss great films while they’re in theaters or just deem that the price is too high, but the film itself is worth the wait. For whatever reason you choose to use Apple TV, there’s no denying it’s one of the more popular online rental stores for all kinds of media, especially with its user-friendly interface and plenty of ways to download including iOS and Apple TV. But with so many films moving through the pipeline of theatrical distribution to Apple TV, it’s easy to get overwhelmed or just cautious of how you’ll spend your $6 on a rental.
We’re here to help provide a bit of guidance on the movies you may have missed that are now available on Apple TV. Since Apple TV basically has loads of movies, a “Best Movies on Apple TV” would basically just be “Best Movies”, so we’re keeping our eye on what’s new to the service. We’ll continue to expand this list and cycle movies in and out as they cease to be “new”, so keep an eye on this space.
Table of Contents
CODA
Director/Writer: Sian Heder
Cast: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, Marlee Matlin, Eugenio Derbez, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Amy Forsyth, Kevin Chapman
CODA stands for children of deaf adults and that’s exactly what Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) is, daughter to Jackie (Marlee Matlin) and Frank (Troy Kotsur) and sister to Leo (Daniel Durant), Ruby is the only hearing member of her culturally deaf family. On top of just trying to get through school, she works for her family’s fishing boat, joining her brother and father out on their boat and helping to translate for her dad when he has to do business. With the surmounting level of pressure of being the voice for her family to the hearing world, she finds an outlet through singing. A passion that she pursues with the potential of going to university in Boston at Berklee. CODA is immensely emotional and heartfelt and is lead by deaf actors. Ruby’s coming-of-age story is sure to tug at the heartstrings of anyone who relates to the surmounting pressure of family obligation battling against personal dreams and desires. — Therese Lacson
Wolfwalkers
Director: Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
Writer: Will Collins, Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
Cast: Honor Kneafsey, Eva Wittaker, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney, Tommy Tiernan, Jon Kenny, John Morton, Maria Doyl Kennedy
Set in 1650s Ireland, Wolfwalkers tells a magical and exciting story about two girls. One, Robyn, is young hunter, and the other is Mebh, a wolfwalker. As a wolfwalker, Mebh’s spirit leaves her body and shapeshifts into the form of a wolf and her own mother’s wolf has been missing, so she guards her mother’s sleeping body while searching for the wolf. When the two girls encounter one another, Robyn is bitten by Mebh who is caught in a trap. But when Robyn frees Mebh the two become fast friends, and since Robyn was bitten, she soon discovers that she’s become a wolfwalker as well. Created by the directors behind The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers is both an inspiring piece of storytelling about a girl finding her voice and also a fantastic work of animation. It is impossible not to be enchanted by the wolfwalker world and wish that when you fall asleep, your spirit will also come alive and turn into a wolf. — Therese Lacson
Watch Wolfwalkers on Apple TV+
Greyhound
Director: Aaron Schneider
Writer: Tom Hanks
Cast: Tom Hanks, Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, Elisabeth Shue, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Karl Glusman, Tom Brittney
Tom Hanks is known for his in-depth World War 2 content and Greyhound is no exception. As commanding officer Ernest Krause of the USS Keeling, codename Greyhound, Hanks is faced with protecting a convoy of ships through the gap in the Atlantic where there is no air cover for battleships. The film is 91 minutes of tense, non-stop battle and strategy to get the convoy of 37 Allied ships to Liverpool safely while under constant attack from U-Boats. This story in the middle of the Battle of the Atlantic is based on a novel from 1955 by C.S. Forester entitled The Good Shepherd. The film was nominated for Best Sound at the 2021 Academy Awards. — Jennifer McHugh
Come From Away
Director: Christopher Ashley
Writer: Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Cast: Petrina Bromley, Jenn Colella, De’Lon Grant, Joel Hatch, Tony LePage, Caesar Samayoa, Q. Smith, Astrid Van Wieren, Emily Walton, Jim Walton, Sharon Wheatley, Paul Whitty
In the aftermath of the attacks on 9/11, 38 planes incoming from Europe were diverted to a small island off the coast of Canada. The small town of Gander was suddenly faced with the challenge of housing, clothing, and feeding 7000 people (and 19 animals) while the world waited to see what would happen next. Based on a true story, the musical premiered on Broadway in 2017. The movie is a filmed performance from March 2020 with an invited audience with members of the original cast of the Broadway Show. It is a moving story with powerful music that shows what can happen when everyone comes together even when they come from far away. — Jennifer McHugh
Watch Come From Away on Apple+
On The Rocks
Director: Sofia Coppola
Writer: Sofia Coppola
Cast: Rashida Jones, Bill Murray, Marlon Wayans.
Sofia Coppola’s 2020 comedy-drama On The Rocks stars Rashida Jones and Bill Murray as Laura and Felix, respectively. Laura is a novelist stuck in an exhausted rut, as she raises her two daughters whilst her husband, Dean (Marlon Wayans), seems to be constantly working. After a few suspicious slips, Laura becomes convinced that Dean is having an affair, and so she enlists the help of her father, Felix. Felix is a silver-tongue, could talk his way out of nay situation, affluent art-dealer, who wasn’t always the most present father to Laura. Together, they embark on a journey of espionage and reconnecting around New York City, and then even Mexico. On The Rocks went fairly under the radar compared to Coppola’s previous works. That is probably to do with the fact it went straight to Apple TV in the middle of a pandemic. It may not have the same charm as Lost in Translation but still, Coppola and Murray go together like coffee and cream and that’s still the case 17 years later. It’s laced with Coppola’s usual witty quips and Bill Murray is still the coolest cat in town (apart from Garfield). — Emma Kiely
Watch On The Rocks on Apple TV+
Boys State
Directors: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss
A bleak yet illuminating look at how our politics have become so corrupted, even in the next generation of leaders, Boys State is a documentary that is at its best when it is a character study of today’s young people. Directed by Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, it is a profile of the various Texas youth who attend a mock government camp. There is Steven Garza, the film’s heart who tries to hold onto his conscience when everyone else is content to manipulate and backstab at a moment’s notice. Key amongst these backstabbers is Ben Feinstein, a politically savvy and cold leader who throws everything out of balance. It is oddly compelling and horrifying, shining a harsh light on the alarming capacity of even young people to become callous political operatives. It is a deeply unnerving experience that does offer some bright spots, though they are few and far between. It is unflinching in capturing all that this strange youth camp and the people who attend it reveal about ourselves. — Chase Hutchinson
Finch
Director: Miguel Sapochnik
Writers: Craig Luck, Ivor Powell
Cast: Tom Hanks, Caleb Landry Jones, Seamus
Have you ever wanted to see a buddy road trip movie with Tom Hanks, a robot, and his dog? Well, the science-fiction film Finch delivers all that with a sense of warmth and care. It isn’t a story that reinvents the wheel by any means, though Hanks as Finch is typically strong and Caleb Landry Jones as the robot Jeff steals every single scene in a remarkably understated performance. The story centers on the trio having to make a long cross-country trip in a post-apocalyptic America that has become basically uninhabitable due to radiation. Finch is ailing but wants to make sure his beloved dog can get to safety as extreme weather events threaten them at nearly every turn. It is sentimental to a fault and a lighter type of film that knows exactly what it is. A final monologue from Hanks towards the end is but the icing on the cake of this sweet little film that gets to its destination largely in one piece. — Chase Hutchinson
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Director/Writer: Joel Coen
Cast: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Corey Hawkins
There are only so many ways you can adapt one of William Shakespeare’s beloved plays, but Joel Coen—in his first solo outing as a director—still manages to surprise viewers with his 2021 retelling of the Scottish Play. The Tragedy of Macbeth is at once cinematic and grounded in its theatrical origins. Shot in stark black and white, Coen uses techniques and staging that will fool you into believing the film is actually a play. There are some directorial choices that will blow your mind; and others that will leave you scratching your head. Well, this is a Coen special, so that’s to be expected. The commanding cast all play their parts well, but none quite have the commanding presence of Denzel Washington. He is so natural as the titular Thane of the film, despite the unnatural dialogue and setting. But the real star is Kathryn Hunter, who has absolutely no right to be as creepy and attention-grabbing as she is. – Monita Mohan
Watch The Tragedy of Macbeth on Apple TV+
The Velvet Underground
Director: Todd Haynes
Producer Brian Eno once said, “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.” While The Velvet Underground only released a handful of albums in the few years the band existed, the impact of the groundbreaking group is incalculable. Yet in his similarly idiosyncratic documentary, simply titled, The Velvet Underground, Todd Haynes takes a stab at trying to show just how integral this band was to the music world. Haynes mostly focuses on the band’s two biggest personalities – Lou Reed and John Cale – The Velvet Underground shows a band that redefined what rock music—and music in general— could be. The Velvet Underground might not have never received the success they deserved when they were around, but Haynes’ The Velvet Underground shows how important and integral the band remains to this day through a unique and unusual documentary fitting of the music. — Ross Bonaime
Watch The Velvet Underground of Apple TV+
Hala
Director/Writer: Minhal Baig
Cast: Geraldine Viswanathan, Jack Kilmer, Gabriel Luna
Coming-of-age stories are an integral part of Hollywood, but for far too long these narratives have centered on the same — or similar — protagonists. With Hala, the focus shifts to Hala Masood (Geraldine Viswanathan) a teenaged Muslim-American girl who tries to balance her immigrant parent’s ideals with her own ambitions and desires. This is a quiet film that exists simply to tell a story. Hala isn’t, and doesn’t try to be, about every South-Asian experience, and yet there is a universality to the intergenerational and domestic crises that the lead character is facing. The supporting cast of characters fill out Hala’s world, helping her along her journey. While the latter half of the film is a mixed bag, the overall story by Minhal Baig will linger on long after the credits roll. – Monita Mohan
The Banker
Director: George Nolfi
Writer: Niceole R. Levy, George Nolfi, David Lewis Smith
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult
The Banker is inspired by the true story of Bernard S. Garrett Sr. (Anthony Mackie), who is considered to be one of the first wealthy African American entrepreneurs and owner of banks in the US. The story is arresting, infuriating and heart-breaking all at once, and deserves more recognition. The film’s release was shrouded by behind-the-scenes revelations, but the film itself is an accomplished platform for its ensemble cast of actors. Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Bernard’s co-investor Joe Morris, bring their A-game to every scene. Their powerhouse double-act is skillfully supported by Nicholas Hoult, who stars as Matt Steiner, the ‘face’ of their company, as well as Nia Long, Bernard’s supportive wife Eunice. The film is not an easy watch, but it’s not a complete downer. If anything, The Banker is a good jumping off point to learn more about forgotten parts of Black history. – Monita Mohan
Cherry
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writer: Angela Russo-Otstot, Jessica Goldberg
Cast: Tom Holland, Clara Bravo, Jack Reynor, Michael Rispoli, Mark Francis, Jeff Wahlberg
Cherry follows titular character Cherry (Tom Holland) through his life, based on the real story of bank robber Nico Walker, who returned from being deployed in Afghanistan with severe PTSD. Becoming addicted to OxyContin, he soon turns to heroin and both he and his girlfriend Emily (Ciara Bravo) become junkies. Struggling to maintain their addiction and pay for the drugs that they are taking, Cherry decides to rob a bank. Cherry is more a cautionary tale than anything else, a product of its time in a post-9/11 America, Tom Holland stars in a role vastly different than his time as Peter Parker. While it’s not a perfect film, Holland shows some promise as a young actor finding his feet in more serious roles and fans of his work should definitely take a look at this movie about addiction (also directed by Marvel directors Anthony and Joe Russo). — Therese Lacson
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