Apple TV produces fewer feature films than several of its competitors —it’s making a bigger name for itself in television these days—but it’s still a destination for quality cinephile fare. The first streamer to win a Best Picture Oscar, its stable of projects includes big-name directors (Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott), A-list actors (Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Robert De Niro), and buzzy documentaries. Like every platform, there are a few clunkers, but there are more hidden gems than many subscribers are likely aware of. Here are our picks (in alphabetical order) for the Apple TV films you should stream right now:
CODA
Cast: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin
An emotional coming-of-age story about a 17-year-old girl (Jones) who is the only hearing member of her Deaf family—CODA stands for Children of Deaf Adults—and must choose between pursuing a career in music or helping keep the family fishing business afloat. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2022, becoming the first movie to feature a predominantly Deaf cast (and to be distributed by a streaming service) to do so.
Come From Away
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
A pro-shot of the Tony-winning Broadway production, Come From Away is based on the true story of the approximately 7,000 airline passengers who were stranded in Gander, Newfoundland when 38 flights were grounded on September 11, 2001. One of the more underrated films in Apple’s catalog, it’s a heartwarming story of community, kindness, and hope in a time of uncertainty and fear. (And the songs are great, too.)
Eternity
Cast: Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Barry Primus, Betty Buckley
A high-concept rom-com about love after death, this movie is an A24 joint through and through complimentary). Set in a world where you have a week to choose your afterlife when you die—and let’s be real, Wine World does sound like Paradise—the story follows Joan (Olsen) who must make an impossible choice about which of two former loves to spend eternity with. Both her first husband (Turner), who died young, and the man she ended up spending her life with (Teller) are valid options for different reasons, and the film’s kooky afterlife setup is charming.
F1: The Movie
Cast: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, Tobias Menzies
Apple TV does a popcorn-style blockbuster with Joseph Kosinski’s visually impressive racing drama, which sees a washed-up veteran of the sport (Pitt) get a second chance at the big leagues by joining a struggling team and mentoring a talented young upstart (Idris). Familiar character tropes and plot beats abound (not to mention some seriously overaggressive marketing), but the immersive race sequences are genuinely thrilling and a reason to watch in their own right.
Greyhound
Cast: Tom Hanks, Elisabeth Shue, Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Tom Brittney
A peak Dad Movie that clocks in at a brisk, no-nonsense 90 minutes, this historical drama about the Battle Of The Atlantic stars Hanks as U.S. Navy commander Ernest Krause, who leads an Allied convoy of ships across the dangerous North Atlantic while hunted by German U-boats. Character development is at a premium, but the story’s tactical elements are tense and fascinating to watch unfold. And at this point, we’d all probably watch Hanks lead us anywhere.
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Cast: Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone
Gladstone made history as the first Native American woman to be nominated for Best Actress in this crime drama about the 1920s murders of several Osage Nation members after oil was discovered on their tribal land. Based on David Grann’s 2017 book Killers Of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI and directed by Martin Scorsese, it’s a film that manages to be both ambitious in scope and intimate in spirit.
Napoleon (Director’s Cut)
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Rupert Everett, Ben Miles, Tahir Rahim, Paul Rhys, Catherine Walker, Mark Bonnar
While Ridley Scott’s lavish, action-packed historical epic is perhaps not the most technically accurate recounting of the events of Napoleon Bonaparte’s life—and we just won’t talk about Phoenix’s American accent—it’s a surprisingly entertaining ride. The scale of the battles is impressive, and Vanessa Kirby steals the show as Josephine. The director’s cut adds nearly an hour of footage, including more character context and backstory for the French empress.
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Cast: Michael J. Fox
This excellent documentary from David Guggenheim mixes present-day interviews with Fox and archival clips of his previous performances to chart his rise to stardom and struggles with Parkinson’s Disease. Disarmingly forthright and poignant, the film lets the actor speak largely for himself about the highs and lows of his life, and the result is a surprisingly optimistic tale of perseverance and grace. Fox’s warm spirit shines throughout.
The Tragedy Of Macbeth
Cast: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Harry Melling, Kathryn Hunter, Bertie Carvel
A gorgeously shot, black-and-white adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, this is Macbeth as meditation on ambition through the lens of horror. Director Joel Coen’s inspired use of contrasting light and shadows, minimalist sets, and supernaturally monstrous imagery is striking throughout, and while Washington and McDormand are a bit older than tradition dictates when it comes to the play’s central couple, the casting choice adds a desperate urgency to their choices that many other versions lack.
Wolfwalkers
Cast: Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Tommy Tiernan
The third in a trio of Celtic-inspired films from the studio Cartoon Saloon that includes The Book Of Kells and Song Of The Sea, Wolfwalkers is the kind of children’s animated film that skews more Studio Ghibli than Pixar. Set in 1650s Ireland, the film follows a young English girl who meets a tribe whose members transform into wolves at night. Beautiful to look at and full of imagery from Celtic folklore and myth, it wrestles with themes of nature, colonization, and friendship. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2021.
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