Take this Baker’s Dozen of Irresistible invitations to slouch around for at least some of the Twelve Days of Christmas.
We’re almost sure you deserve it.
And if you can’t get to a screen or you need to pretend you’re doing something like work, pop your headphones in and bliss out to the Irresistible Holidays playlist at the end.
Netflix
One Hundred Years of Solitude
The adaptation long thought to be impossible to pull off, is that of Gabriel García Márquez 1967 masterpiece of Spanish-American and universal literature, which was a stepping stone to him receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982, and demi-god status in his home country of Columbia and far beyond. The series is fittingly epic and a second Part of another eight episodes will arrive sometime in 2025/26.
Prime Video
American Fiction
This excellent work won the People’s Choice award when it premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, and landed a bunch of other accolades before landing on streaming. It shines a hilarious and burning light on racism and guilt in society, and the blackwashing that exists in arts organisations and the people that control them. A frustrated novelist, fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes, uses a pen name to write his own outlandish “Black” book and is suddenly swept up in the madness he claims to disdain. It’s also a poignant conversation about family and loss and missed opportunities. It’s been on the platform for a while so catch it while it’s still there.
Stan
Thou Shalt Not Steal
This eight-part series is directed by AACTA Award-winning filmmaker Dylan River, sometimes described as the most exiting young director on the Australian scene. Set in Central and South Australia in the 1980s. Robyn, a young Aboriginal delinquent, escapes from detention and reluctantly teams up with awkward teenager Gidge on a search for the truth behind a mysterious family secret on a perilous journey across the outback.
Netflix
Black Doves
Keira Knightley plays Helen Webb, dedicated mother and wife to the UK Defense Secretary, and, she’s also a bad ass spy for the Black Doves. Knightly brings home the London at Christmas vibe, while managing the death of a secret lover, her spymaster, and numerous attempts on her life, with the help of the assassin best friend we all need.
Apple TV
Slow Horses
Season 4 loops in Hugo Weaving as a baddie, but really there’s no taking your eyes off Gary Oldman’s disgustingly fabulous Jackson Lamb and Kristen Scott- Thomas’ MI6 boss Diana Tavener. Season 5 has apparently wrapped filming, and unusually it’s worth ploughing through the whole thing from the start, so catch up now otherwise it’ll be an even longer mission next Christmas.
Netflix
Kaos
The classic tale of the wranglings and power plays between the Gods Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Persephone and Dionysius, the human and fickle powerbrokers Minos, Ari and the Minotaur, and of course, the ultimate quest for love, the yardstick against which all romantic endeavours are held, Orpheus’ journey to the underworld to rescue Eurydice. Throw in Medusa, the Fates, a bit of Cassandra, plus the magic of its Goldblum- led stellar cast, and you’ll be pressed not to catch teasers for every story ever written.
Binge
The Sympathizer
Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning 2014 debut novel of the same name by the Vietnamese-American professor and novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen, the espionage thriller and cross-culture satire has Robert Downey Jr, Sandra Oh and Australian actor Hoa Xuande showing us the life of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War, and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren’t over.
SBS On Demand
WHAM!: Last Christmas Unwrapped
It’s 40 years since the classic hit was born, and you still can’t go 5 minutes without hearing it, nor would you want to. The group of real- life friends and collaborators that starred in the iconic video regroup in Switzerland, to relive the good old days, the magic of Wham, and of course, the one and only late George ‘Yog’ Michael.
Prime Video
A Very Royal Scandal
Seeing as the Royal Family and Prince Andrew is a story that keeps on giving, watch this excellent 3 part series based on the real-life 2019 interview between Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew over the scandalous accusations he faced regarding his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre. Maitlis herself served as an executive producer.
Stan
Parasite
This film has been rightly sitting on the platform for a while, so they must still be confident that those who haven’t seen it will, and if you’re one of them, you should too. Winner of 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, and the first Korean film to win the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or, Parasite is a dark yet hilarious tale which sees greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
Prime Video
My Old Ass
A hit at Sundance and Sydney and Melbourne International Film Festivals, this coming-of-age story has also been nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards in 2025. An 18th birthday mushroom trip brings free-spirited Elliott face-to-face with her wisecracking 39-year-old self. But when Elliott’s “old ass” starts handing out warnings about what her younger self should and shouldn’t do, Elliott realizes she has to rethink everything about family, love, and what’s becoming a transformative summer. Cracking performances from Maisy Stella and as usual, anything that Aubrey Plaza does is brilliant. If you need any other reasons, Margot Robbie produced.
Apple TV
Disclaimer
A gripping psychological thriller in seven chapters, starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline at the top of their games. Written and directed by lauded filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, the series is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Renée Knight. Acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett) is horrified to realize she the main character in a story that exposes her darkest secrets.
Netflix
Don’t Look Up
If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s only becoming more urgent that you do. The film tells the story of two low-level astronomers, who must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet earth. With only six months until the comet makes impact, managing the 24-hour news cycle and gaining the attention of the social media obsessed public before it’s too late proves shockingly comical. Where on Earth do they get these ideas from???????
Binge
How To Make Gravy
How To Make Gravy is based on Paul Kelly’s iconic song and adapted for the screen by Aria award-winning musician Meg Washington and Nick Waterman. After nearly 30 years of fans celebrating the song, it’s a new jounrney into the lives of Joe and his family, as they prepare to celebrate their first Christmas without him. It’s probably a bit cheesy, but it’s OK, it’s Christmas!
