| Cult of Mac

Two years on: The very best of Apple TV+

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Apple TV+ offers up some real gems.
Apple TV+ offers up some real gems.
Original photo: Paolo Chiabrando/Unsplash CC

When Apple TV+ launched on November 1, 2019, Cupertino had its sights set on creating a serious Netflix rival. Two year on, it may not have conquered the world like fellow streaming newcomer Disney+ did. But Apple TV+ continues to deliver a stream of top-notch shows — and some must-see movies.

With dozens of series and more than 20 feature films, where should you start? Here’s our guide to the best shows and movies on Apple TV+, in no particular order.

Apple TV+ scores 2 Oscar noms as streaming dominates

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Apple TV+ enters the world of auteur animation with new animated film Wolfwalkers.
Wolfwalkers was one of the Apple movies to get a nomination.
Image: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ has picked up its first ever Oscar nominations — although it still looks like a bit of an underachievement for the Cupertino tech company.

With Academy Award noms now announced, Apple has picked up two: Best Animated Feature Film for Wolfwalkers and Sound Design for Greyhound. The results will be announced April 25.

Billie Eilish doc attracts coveted young viewers to Apple TV+

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New documentary
Sounds like the Billie Eilish doc brought a coveted crowd to Cupertino's streaming service.
Photo: Apple TV+

How do you get the kids to tune into your underachieving streaming service? Buy a documentary about one of the hottest young singer/songwriters in the world.

That’s what Apple TV+ did when it snapped up the rights to new doc Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry — and the strategy apparently worked. As per usual, Cupertino won’t reveal the actual number of people who watched the film since its premiere last week. However, an insider report says the music doc brought a ton of new, young viewers to Apple TV+.

Apple TV+ could pivot to place the focus on movies

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“Greyhound” is a hit, which may inspire many more Apple TV+ movies.
“Set course for more movies!” Greyhound may have inspired a new strategy for Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Tom Hanks’ WWII flick Greyhound is the biggest hit Apple has enjoyed so far. And it’s reportedly made the company serious about blockbuster Apple TV+ movies for the first time.

The iPhone maker is supposedly considering debuting a movie each month on its streaming service. And several of those are expected to be blockbusters.

Tom Hanks’ Greyhound sails into Apple TV+’s strongest opening weekend ever

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‘Greyhound’ will be Apple’s first summer bLockbuster.
Instead of theaters, Tom Hanks’ WWII movie Greyhound debuted on Apple TV+... where it did very well.
Photo: Apple

Tom Hanks’ feature film about World War II brought in the largest opening-weekend audience Apple TV+ has netted so far. Even better for Apple, Greyhound reportedly brought plenty of fresh customers to its still-new streaming video service.

It’s App Store trivia time! [Cult of Mac Magazine 357]

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Time to bone up on your App Store trivia.
Time to bone up on your App Store trivia.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Today, the App Store is a part of every iPhone owner’s life — but it almost didn’t happen. Get the story behind that near-miss, plus some other fascinating App Store factoids, in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

It’s free, and it also packs the latest Apple news and how-tos. Plus, this week we’ve got reviews of three new Apple TV+ offerings, including Tom Hanks’ World War II movie, Greyhound.

Download it now and enjoy it on your favorite iOS device. (Or use the links below to read in your browser.)

Tom Hanks dives deep into Greyhound‘s thrilling sea battles

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‘Greyhound’ launches on Apple TV+ on July 10.
Tom Hanks gives us an inside look at the naval action shown in his new Apple TV+ film, Greyhound.
Photo: Apple

Tom Hanks wrote and stars in Greyhound, a feature film about World War II debuting Friday on Apple TV+. In a new video, the beloved actor talks about the real-life story it depicts: the challenges of Allied ships crossing the Atlantic infested with Nazi submarines.

Watch Hanks’ inside look at his upcoming film now:

Tom Hanks says Apple TV+ ‘saved the day’ by snapping up Greyhound

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Tom Hanks saves Apple TV+ threw Greyhound a lifeline.
Tom Hanks thanks Apple TV+ for throwing his new World War II movie a lifeline.
Photo: The Today Show

Tom Hanks said Tuesday that Apple TV+ “saved the day” by releasing his new World War II movie during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the actor couldn’t say enough good things about Apple when he hit The Today Show to promo Greyhound, which debuts on Apple TV+ this Friday.

All the happy talk came a day after Hanks made headlines for calling Greyhound’s upcoming streaming debut an “absolute heartbreak.”