Cinematic perfection is something that all filmmakers aim to achieve, but it's not something that's easily attained.
In fact, achieving a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score for a movie is an incredibly rare feat. At the time of writing, only 450 films have achieved cinematic Valhalla with a positive review from all sources. That's still a few too many to tackle over the holidays so we've whittled it down to 5 movies that are just the thing to curl up under a blanket in front of the TV.
1. Toy Story
This 1995 Pixar classic is the studio's first movie, and arguably its best. I don't want to live in a world without Buzz, Woody Mr Potato Head, Rex and the gang. Interestingly both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 have 100% on Rotten Tomatoes but for continuity's sake, we've plumped for the first movie.
As the name suggests Toy Story is about toys that come to life. There's so much heart and humour here that even the coldest winter day is warmed right up. Start humming the first few bars of "You've Got a Friend in Me" and watch everyone join in. If you've got little ones who haven't seen Toy Story, you need to boot up Disney+ and show them right now.
2. The Terminator
Everyone loves an action flick over the holidays. Even though he stars in (in my opinion) the best Christmas movie of all time, Jingle All the Way, it is another Arnold Schwarzenegger film that boasts a perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating, and that's not because Skynet went back and hacked it.
1984's The Terminator is an iconic bit of sci-fi that is still relevant today, with a Netflix show incoming. Some of the later movies may be a bit sketchy but there's nothing to fault with James Cameron's original.
For the uninitiated, Arnie plays the titular cyborg, a ruthless robot killer sent from the machine-led future to hunt down Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) who will one day give birth to the leader of the human resistance. It's almost a slasher-style film but this is a perfect popcorn flick that has spawned countless iconic lines.
Stream The Terminator on MGM (requires Amazon Prime Video) in the UK, or on Max in the US.
3. The Ladykillers
A golden oldie from all the way back in 1955. It was remade in 2004 of course by the Coen brothers (and starring Tom Hanks), but the original has almost twice the Rotten Tomatoes score (54% vs 100%) so is still very much the definitive version.
Starring the likes of Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers and Frankie Howerd, The Ladykillers is a black comedy and farce of the highest order. A gang of hapless criminals rent a room in old widower Mrs Wilberforce's house, under the guise of a string quartet. After a heist, she stumbles upon their ill-gotten gains. Reluctantly it is decided by the crooks that she has to be offed. But no one wants to kill a little old lady.
Stream The Ladykillers on ITVx (UK) or Freevee in the US.
4. Before Sunrise
The first in what might be the most romantic trilogy of movies ever, Before Sunrise comes from the legendary director Richard Linklater who you might know from the likes of Boyhood and Dazed and Confused.
Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy have unbeatable chemistry as a pair of strangers who meet travelling through Europe. The two spend a night just walking and talking around Vienna, ruminating on life and 'what-ifs?' in that way young lovers do.
This is the perfect movie to watch with your special someone and an exhibition in screenwriting.
Before Sunrise is available to rent on Sky Store (UK) or Apple TV+ (UK/US).
5. Pinocchio
And finally, we have a bit of classic Disney magic. While Guillermo Del Toro's creepy 2022 remake is also highly rated (with 96% on Rotten Tomatoes), the 1940 original is far more appropriate for holiday viewing.
We all know the story of Pinocchio, the puppet who came to life, but why not spend some more time with him, Jiminy Cricket and Gepetto? It's one of the finest animated movies of all time and is available on Disney+.
