What games to play, what to stream and what to watch at the movies in January 2021

It's the start of a new year, and across the entertainment front that brings many new and exciting possibilities for the year ahead.

Here are just the best things to get thrilled about in January 2021.

Wandavision (Disney+, January 15)

Marvel Studios presents “WandaVision,” a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In this series, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) – two super-powered beings living idealised suburban lives – begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. The new series is directed by Matt Shakman.

Hitman III (All formats, January 21)

Agent 47 is back - and more murderous than before.

HITMAN 3 puts you in full control of Agent 47’s deadly abilities, his razor-sharp instincts and his entire arsenal of weapons and tools that you can use to master the art of assassination. 

Get to grips with the new camera that can open locks and analyse your performance with the return of post-mission Playstyles that are awarded based on how you complete missions.

The Dry (At the movies, January 1)

The mystery thriller set in an Australian small town is easily one of the most compelling movies set down for a while.

Eric Bana plays Aaron Falk who returns to his hometown of Kiewarra after the apparent murder suicide of friend Luke Hadler and his family, he finds old wounds reopened after he's asked to look into the case by family.

The Dry's drama and its central mystery are more than enough to keep you engaged over its 2 hour run time.

Promising Young Woman (At the movies, January 7)

Promising Young Woman will have you squirming in your seat - both with unease and with glee that films as bold as this can still be made.

Destined for discourse on gender politics and rape culture, the film stars An Education's Carey Mulligan as Cassie, a woman who seemingly goes out every night, gets blind drunk and waits for a "decent guy" to help her home. Only each "decent guy" turns out to be as predatory as the rest.

And to say more about this searingly good film is to spoil what writer/ director Emerald Fennell has committed to screen.

Do yourself a favour, and go see it - it's one of the year's best.

The Silence (Acorn TV, January 11)

This socially charged thriller follows 18-year-old Amelia played by deaf actress and writer Genevieve Barr (Been So Long, Liar) as she adapts to life with her new cochlear implant.

A 4 part mini-series that premiered back in 2010 on the BBC, the show promises tension, and was hailed as one of the best dramas by the Daily Express.

Star Trek: Lower Decks (Amazon Prime, January 22)

Humour based on Star Trek? Yep, it's no joke as this hilarious animated series was developed by Emmy Award-winner Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites)

Star Trek: Lower Decks focuses on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in 2380. 

Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi have to keep up with their duties and their social lives, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies. 

American Gods Series 3 (Amazon Prime, January 11)

In the third season, Ricky Whittle's Shadow angrily pushes this apparent destiny away, and settles in the idyllic snowy town of Lakeside, Wisconsin — to make his own path, guided by the gods of his black ancestors, the Orishas. 

But he’ll soon discover that this town's still waters run deep, and dark, and bloody, and that you don’t get to simply reject being a god. The only choice — and a choice you have to make — is what kind of god you’re going to be.

One Night In Miami (Amazon Prime, January 16)

One Night In Miami, is a fictional account of one incredible night where four icons, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown, gather to celebrate one of the biggest upsets in boxing and discuss their roles in the civil right movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s

Good Lord Bird (Neon, January 20)

Told from the point of view of Onion, a newly freed teenager who joins abolitionist John Brown on a holy crusade to end slavery and finds himself part of the famous 1859 raid at Harpers Ferry,  the Limited Event Series is an adventure equal parts absurd and  tragic, spotlighting the ever-changing racial, religious and gender  roles that make up the American identity. 

Starring: Ethan Hawke (Boyhood), Daveed Diggs (Snowpiercer),  and Joshua Caleb Johnson (It’s Just A Gun). 

Dinosaurs! (Disney+, January 29)

Meet the Sinclairs -- the funniest family in 60 million years! They're just your average family with one BIG difference. 

They're dinosaurs, living the good life in sixty million and three B.C. Daddy Earl, his wife Fran, their kids Robbie, Charlene, and the Baby, and feisty Grandma Ethyl bring a hilarious Jurassic twist to daily life.