What to watch on Netflix, Foxtel Now, Stan, SBS and iTunes this week

With the horses all back in their stables and Christmas still more than a month away, here are some great (and one not-so-great) films to stream this week.

A sci-fi classic in super high definition, and a couple of festive season films should be enough to help you recover from the Spring Racing Carnival. And if Christmas doesn’t ring your bells, then Keanu Reeves in a courtroom thriller or a comedy about three girls planning to lose their virginity might be just what you need to take your mind off how much money you lost on the horses.

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2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (G)

THE FIVE-STAR CLASSIC WITH A FRESH NEW LOOK

*****

ITUNES

Gary Lockwood and Keir Dullea in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Just in time for 2001’s 50th birthday, iTunes becomes the first streaming service to present this landmark work of science fiction in the visually pristine 4K format (just double-check your TV or monitor can handle 4K before you take the plunge, OK?). This regular on most best-film-of-all-time lists hasn’t dated all that badly. Although its projections for a future of interplanetary travel and exploration are yet to land in the relevant ballpark (geez, when was the last time we even bothered going to the moon?), 2001’s depiction of man’s uneasy relationship with technology is more eerily on the money than ever before. Director Stanley Kubrick’s amazing marriage of music and images — seen at its absolute best in the space ballet of the capsule docking to the strains of Strauss’ Blue Danube waltz — points to what we can achieve as a species when we put our minds to it. Conversely, one of the most indecipherable endings ever committed to celluloid reminds us there are some things we will never comprehend, no matter how hard we try.

BLOCKERS (MA15+)

THE ONE THAT WORKS BLUE, GETS BIG LAUGHS

***1/2

NETFLIX

Gideon Adlon, Kathryn Newton and Geraldine Viswanathan in a scene from Blockers.

What gives Blockers a consistent, winning ability to amuse is both a refreshing new take on the teen sex comedy, and its obvious accessibility. The three BFFs (Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon, Geraldine Viswanathan) making a pact to lose their virginity on prom night are sensible, smart and female. Throughout movie history, that job has traditionally gone to males with low IQs and high libidos. Meanwhile, the three parents (Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz) making it their business to lose their mind represent just about every adult with a teenage daughter in their family. OK, so it ain’t Shakespeare by any stretch. However, when the gags get on a roll, Blockers is as funny as any mainstream comedy released in the past few years. (As an added bonus, it is also slightly cleverer than its trailer is letting on, too.) There are some out-there sequences that do earn the movie its MA15+ rating, but nothing an endearingly game cast can’t ultimately sell to doubters with ease.

THE RAILWAY MAN (MA15+)

THE ONE THAT’S TOUGH GOING, BUT IS ALWAYS GOING SOMEWHERE

****

SBS ON DEMAND

A scene from the film, The Railway Man.

Based on a true story, this very underrated Australian drama was unfairly overlooked upon original release a few years back. Decades after the cessation of hostilities in World War II, British returned serviceman Eric Lomax (Colin Firth) discovers the whereabouts of the Japanese soldier who brutally tortured him on a daily basis. With the support of a loving wife, this haunted survivor travels halfway around the world, with every intention of killing the man who almost killed him. Eric Lomax chronicled his remarkable personal odyssey in a moving and confronting memoir, and this gripping film adaptation does not hold back on detailing the horrifying ordeal he endured. Co-stars Nicole Kidman.

THE WHOLE TRUTH (M)

THE ONE WHERE KEANU MAY WOO YOU

***

FOXTEL NOW, STAN

Keanu Reeves in a scene from The Whole Truth.

We all know by now that Keanu Reeves isn’t suddenly going to up his acting skills and become another Daniel Day-Lewis. However, in this current post-John Wick phase of his career, Keanu is giving off a little gravitas (and the odd sly aside at his own expense) that was never evident before. He makes a great fit for the lead role in this solid courtroom drama, playing a cynical lawyer not so thrilled to be defending a snotty rich kid in a murder case that looks a certain lock for the prosecution. However, once the legal eagle starts finding tiny holes in the testimony of witnesses, a tunnel to an unlikely victory could be opening up.

FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL (M)

THE ONE WHERE THE CAST GIVES THEIR ALL

**1/2

FOXTEL NOW

Annette Bening as Gloria Grahame in Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool.

What we have here is a slogging stoush between two lead performers giving their all, and source material giving them sod-all in return. This is the true story of Gloria Grahame, a former Hollywood star who saw out her twilight years in England. Keeping her terminal condition a closely guarded secret, Grahame (played with inviting conviction by Annette Bening) instead remains capriciously devoted to reviving her expired career. Meanwhile, her young lover (Jamie Bell, also excellent), steels himself for a painful last goodbye. Thankfully, Bening and Bell seem to know more about their respective characters (and their unusual supportive bond) than those at the creative controls of this middling movie.

THE POLAR EXPRESS (G)

THE ONE THAT REMINDS US XMAS AIN’T TOO FAR AWAY

****1/2

FOXTEL NOW

A scene form the computer generated live action and animation film The Polar Express.

A great family movie that always delivers the “compliments of the season” is now back in rotation on all Foxtel services. Starring the many “likenesses” of Tom Hanks, The Polar Express is an emotionally arresting and visually striking animated adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg’s award-winning 1985 picture book for children. A small boy having trouble believing in Santa Claus is invited on a train ride to the North Pole to experience the true spirit of Christmas. There is something indescribably unworldly about this picture, and not just because of the pioneering use of motion-capture technology.

FRED CLAUS (PG)

THE ONE THAT HAS US WISHING XMAS IS CALLED OFF

*

FOXTEL NOW

Vince Vaughn in Fred Clause.

A lame Christmas comedy sends Santa’s suss older brother, a Chicago conman named Fred (Vince Vaughn), to wreak some havoc on the North Pole assembly line. Despite a great ensemble cast (which includes Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey and Rachel Weisz), this is one gift best left unwrapped.