David Farnor | On 23, Dec 2016

2016 is almost over – and not one day too soon. Unless, of course, you’re currently racing through Westworld, bingeing on Sons of Anarchy or streaming Jordskott. If so, make sure you don’t wait too long after Christmas to finish them, because they’re just some of the TV titles departing Sky Box Sets this new year.

For Sky Cinema customers, New Year’s Eve is a cause for celebration, but also sadness, as Damien Chazelle’s masterpiece, Whiplash, bids farewell.

This holiday season is your last chance to stream the following on Sky and NOW:

Movies

Whiplash – 31st December

A music student determined to be the best drummer of all time (Miles Teller) is pushed to his limits by a sadistic teacher (J.K. Simmons). The result is a riveting drama that has the toe-tapping style of jazz and the exhilarating thrill of an action movie.

The Conversation – 31st December

Surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) values his personal privacy and anonymity above all else. When he and partner Stan (John Cazale) are hired by a mysterious client known only as ‘the director’ (Robert Duvall) to follow a young couple, Harry deduces that the woman, Mary, is the director’s wife, and the man an employee with whom she is conducting an affair. Harry becomes convinced that the director intends to murder the pair and, haunted by guilt from a previous assignment where the information he provided resulted in loss of human life, sets out to prevent the killing himself. The result is gripping piece of 1970s paranoia with an intense, low-key turn from a never-better Gene Hackman.

Minority Report – 31st December

Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise team up once again for this underrated sci-fi. Based on Philip K Dick’s novel and with scene-stealing supporting turns from Samantha Morton and Colin Farrell, this dark depiction of a fascist future, in which criminals are arrested before they commit crimes, is wonderfully convincing – and chillingly prescient. The thrilling action and smart script are a bonus.

Full Metal Jacket – 31st December

After a seven-year hiatus from the screen, Stanley Kubrick return to make this blistering Vietnam war film, which charts the psychological fallout of a harrowing bootcamp preparing US soldiers for combat.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – 31st December

If Stranger Things got you feeling nostalgic for Spielberg’s films of old, don’t miss the chance to re-watch this favourite from your childhood.

Coming to America – 31st December

The great John Landis directs this romantic comedy based on a story by Eddie Murphy, which sees the crown prince of a fictional African nation come to the US in the hope of finding a wife.

Cool Hand Luke – 31st December

Paul Newman has rarely been more iconic than in Stuart Rosenberg’s egg-scellent prison drama.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – 2nd January

After The Force Awakens and Rogue One, there’s never been a better time to explore the outer rims of George Lucas’ on-screen saga. The Clone Wars, and Rebels (also leaving on the same day), are strong additions to the canon.

 

Other films leaving Sky Cinema and NOW in December 2016 / January 2016:

24th December
American Heist

25th December
I Origins

Boxing Day
Ocean’s Twelve
Seventh Son

27th December
Dumb and Dumber
Enemy of the State
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning

28th December
Unfinished Business

29th December
The Gambler (2014)
The Rock

30th December
Cruel Intentions
Freddy vs. Jason

31st December
13 Sins
Ali
Appaloosa
Baby’s Day Out
Black Rain
Breakdown
Burying The Ex
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle
Christmas with the Kranks
Daddy Day Care
Death Wish
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo
Ever After: A Cinderella Story
Fairytale: Story Of The Seven Dwarves
Honour
Hook
Introducing Sky Cinema
Jack-Jack Attack
Kiss the Girls
Lake Placid
Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs Bizarro League
Let Us Prey
Mamma Mia!
Mean Machine
Miss Meadows
Monte Carlo or Bust
Night Falls on Manhattan
One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing
Pluto and the Gopher
Rosemary’s Baby
Sex Ed
Superfast!
The Bad News Bears (1976)
The Hurricane
The Interview
The NeverEnding Story
The Rocketeer
The Untouchables
The Wedding Singer
The Witches
Urban Cowboy
Young Sherlock Holmes
Zoolander

6th January
Jerry Maguire

7th January
Old Dogs

12th January
Ice Princess
Mulan II

 

TV Box Sets

Inside No 9 Season 1 – 31st December

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s anthology of strange stories treads the line between comedy and horror with unwavering precision. The result is some of the best British TV of recent years. Only have time for one episode? Check out the incredible second part, a hilarious farce that unfolds in near-silence.

Psychoville Halloween Special – 31st December

Before Inside No 9 came this other strange tale from the two League of Gentlemen veterans – and, in this one-hour anthology special, forms a perfectly spooky companion piece.

Monty Python’s Best Bits Season 1 – 31st December

There’s never a bad time to watch the highlights of the UK’s greatest ever sketch troupe – and if that’s not enough, you can also catch their own personal selections and comments with Monty Python’s Personal Best, also departing Sky and NOW on the same day.

Jordskott Season 1 – 31st December

Set deep in the ancient forests of Sweden, this Nordic drama combines familiar Scandi crime beats with a hint of fairytale lore to create a compelling 10-part box set. Seven years after the disappearance of her daughter Josefine, police investigator Eva Thörnblad is still trying to cope with the grief of her loss. Even though her daughter was said to have drowned, Eva knows in her heart that someone had taken her child on that fatal day by the Silverhöjd lake. So when a young boy goes missing in the same forest of Silverhöjd, Eva returns to delve into the dark mystery that haunts her. As she is drawn into the investigation she learns that that there is a much deeper and darker force in operation but how far is she willing to go to protect the one she loves?

Sons of Anarchy Season 1 to 7 – 31st December

Kurt Sutter’s manly male drama is one of the most intense shows of recent years – don’t miss the chance to ride out with the SAMCRO bikers one last time.

House Season 1 to 8 – 3rd January

Hugh Laurie plays an abrasive, intelligent doctor with a knack for solving obscure medical conditions and falling out with as many people as possible. Amusing, dramatic, scientific. What more do you need?

Westworld Season 1 – 5th January

HBO’s sci-fi epic, inspired by the 1970s Michael Crichton movie, is one of 2016’s biggest and best series, blending western action and intelligent storytelling with questions of philosophy, identity and human consciousness. Stunning, must-see stuff.

 

Other TV box sets leaving Sky Cinema and NOW in December 2016 / January 2016:

23rd December
The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes Season 1

24th December
Russell Howard & Mum: USA Road Trip Season 1
Comedy Central At The Comedy Store Season 4

26th December
Wuthering Heights (ITV)

27th December
Daniel Barenboim Plays Mozart

28th December
Catfish: The TV Show Season 5
DCI Banks Season 4
Gold Divers Season 5

29th December
Insecure Season 1

30th December
Braquo Season 1 to 3
Inside The Actors Studio Season 1
Outcast Season 1

31st December
Bridget and Eamon Season 1
Marley’s Ghosts Season 1
Monty Python’s Personal Best Season 1
Geordie Shore Seasons 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
House Of Lies Season 5
South Park Season 17 and 18
A League Of Their Own Season 10
Bedlam Season 1
Benidorm Season 8
Discovering: Genesis Season 1
Doctor Finlay Season 1 5o 4
Dr Zhivago Season 1
Grantchester Season 1
Home Fires Season 1
Houdini and Doyle Season 1
A Moody Family Season 1
The Interviews Season 2

1st January
Brotherhood Season 1
Deal With It Season 2
Fameless Prankers Season 1
Mistresses Season 1 to 3
Seann Walsh World Season 1

2nd January
Atlanta Season 1

5th January
Lip Sync Battle Season 2

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