Best new movies and TV series on Stan: January 2024

Each month, lots of new films and TV shows are added to Stan‘s library. Critic Claire White surveys the month’s selections and picks for titles most worth watching. For the full list of everything arriving on the platform, scroll down.

Top Picks: TV

The Tourist: Season 2 (January 2)

Poor, sexy, mysterious Jamie Dornan: plonked in the middle of nowhere in the Aussie outback, his character gradually revealed badass charms in season one of Stan Original The Tourist. This time around, Dornan and local talent Danielle Macdonald head to his native Ireland to try and piece the poor bugger’s past together. He’s quickly kidnapped, of course, leaving Macdonald’s salt-of-the-earth Australian cop to save him.

I Love That For You: Season 1 (January 19)

SNL comic Vanessa Bayer tackles her own childhood struggle with leukaemia for this dark TV satire: playing a perma-smiley shopping channel host, Bayer lies about a new illness in order to excel at her job. The bad news? This show has already been cancelled by its original US network, meaning this sole batch of bleakly hilarious episodes are all we’ll get of Bayer in a rare leading role. She’s always hilarious as a neurotic side character, so we’ll definitely be tuning in to see more.

Top Picks: Movies + Specials

Shayda (January 11)

The Opening Night Premiere pick at 2023’s Melbourne International Film Festival, Shayda is a startling and heartstring-tugging tale of a mother’s determination and love. It’s the directorial debut of filmmaker Noora Niasari, with star Zar Amir Ebrahimi raking in acclaim for the titular lead role. If you’ve been craving exceptional, sensitive new Aussie drama, this one’ll get ya right in the gut, following an immigrant mum trying to escape domestic abuse over the course of the Iranian new year.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (January 15)

I sobbed like a baby the first time I saw Celine Sciamma’s lesbian period romance in cinemas. Feeling emboldened, I gave it another watch once it was available on DVD, thinking that knowing the plot and oh-so-romantic ending would harden me up…nope. Litres of tears all over again. Will you join the crybaby club, when you check out the film on Stan? If you have a thing for silent, stolen glances, Sapphic yearning, and ingenious composition, I’ll be right there wailin’ with ya.

Ennio: The Maestro (January 23)

Before his passing in 2020, Ennio Morricone defined the sound of countless directors, epic films, and even entire genres—you can’t think “spaghetti western” without hearing Morricone’s “wahh-wahh-wahhhhhh” in your head. The best way to dive headfirst into his illustrious career is by checking out this hagiographic doco, which takes its sweet time telling the great composer’s life story. At 156 minutes, there’s time to luxuriate in practically every iconic Morricone melody.

All titles arriving on Stan in January

January 1

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World
Grizzly Man
The Fast And The Furious
2 Fast 2 Furious
The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift
Fast & Furious
Fast Five
Fast & Furious 6
Fast & Furious 7
The Fate Of The Furious
Peppa Pig: Seasons 1-4