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Spotify users look forward to their Wrapped all year long. And for those who could hardly wait, don't fret: Spotify Wrapped 2024 is finally here. The long-awaited feature dropped today, Wednesday, Dec. 4.

What is Spotify Wrapped?

Started in 2016, Spotify Wrapped is exactly what it sounds like: your year in Spotify, neatly wrapped up in a colorful — and uniquely shareable — interactive experience.

Spotify combs through your data and tells you your top artists, songs, albums, and more. For instance, you might find out you were in the Top 1 percent of Selena Gomez listeners. Spotify also creates a playlist of your Top 100 songs of the year.

SEE ALSO: Spotify Wrapped 2024 arrives: 5 new features to check out Tweet may have been deleted When was Spotify Wrapped released in 2024?

Wrapped dropped Wednesday, Dec. 4. Spotify likes to keep the date under wraps while, of course, dropping hints to get everyone excited.

But things in 2024 ended up pretty much matching last year, exactly. In 2023, it came out the Wednesday after Thanksgiving...which is exactly when it came out in 2024.

Tweet may have been deleted How to view your Spotify Wrapped

It's pretty simple to look at your Wrapped. All you have to do is open the app on your phone and click on the correct "Wrapped" icon. Typically speaking, it'll be a little button across a hard-to-miss banner. You can also go to the Wrapped section of the Spotify website.

And, of course, once you do view your Wrapped there's only one thing to do: share it with the internet, as has become obligatory.

For the second year, Taylor Swift is the most-streamed artist on Spotify. The music streaming platform revealed its annual Wrapped campaign on Wednesday (Dec. 4), and with it came a Swiftstorm of data on 2024's most-streamed artists and songs.

SEE ALSO: Spotify Wrapped 2024 is here: How to get yours

She may be Billboard's No. 2 pop star of the 21st century, but with more than 26.6 billion streams globally, Swift is Spotify’s 2024 Global Top Artist. And that has to count for something.

Spotify Wrapped is in its Swiftie era

To celebrate Swift's dominance on the platform, Spotify is adding a gold Wrapped badge to Swift’s Spotify profile — the first-ever distinction of its kind. But that's not all: Swifties can enjoy the fun, too, with an on-platform Easter egg experience. When listening to Swift's music on Spotify, listeners will see custom mini-animations tailored to the eras of her discography, like a flurry of animated sparkles for Fearless (Taylor’s Version), seagulls for 1989 (Taylor's Version), and pink hearts for Lover.

And, of course, there are even Wrapped-branded friendship bracelets you can share exclusively on Snapchat via an AR lens.

Spotify's Most-Streamed Artists Globally:

Following Swift, The Weeknd was the second most-streamed global artist of the year; his song "One Of The Girls (with JENNIE, Lily Rose Depp)" from the ill-fated HBO series The Idol was a huge streaming hit with over 1.4 billion streams. Among the Top 5 are Bad Bunny, Drake, and Billie Eilish, whose 2024 release HIT ME HARD AND SOFT was the second most-streamed album globally — right behind...Taylor Swift.

1. Taylor Swift

2. The Weeknd

3. Bad Bunny

4. Drake

5. Billie Eilish

6. Travis Scott

7. Peso Pluma

8. Kanye West

9. Ariana Grande 

10. Feid

Spotify's Most-Streamed Songs Globally:

As for 2024's most-streamed songs globally, it should be no surprise that Sabrina Carpenter's summer smash "Espresso" scored the top spot. It's been streamed over 1.6 billion times on Spotify, and it had the entire internet singing, "That's that me espresso"

1. “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter

2. “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone

3. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish

4. “Gata Only” by FloyyMenor, Cris Mj 

5. “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims 

6. “End of Beginning” by Djo

7. “Too Sweet” by Hozier

8. “One Of The Girls (with JENNIE, Lily-Rose Depp)” by The Weeknd 

9. “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift

10. “Die With A Smile” by Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga

Spotify's Most-Streamed Albums Globally:

Swift and Carpenter weren't the only women who dominated Spotify Wrapped this year. Looking at the list of most-streamed albums globally, 2024 was a standout year for women. In fact, the Top 8 albums of the year were all released by women.

1. THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY by Taylor Swift 

2. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish 

3. Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter 

4. MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO by KAROL G

5. eternal sunshine by Ariana Grande 

6. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

7. SOS by SZA

8. Lover by Taylor Swift 

9. Fireworks & Rollerblades by Benson Boone

10. Starboy by The Weeknd 

And if you're wondering where 2024's breakout pop star Chappell Roan is, she appears on both the most-streamed songs in the U.S. and most-streamed albums in the U.S. lists, which you can check out in full below.

Spotify's Most-Streamed Songs in the U.S.:

1. “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter

2. “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar

3. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey 

4. “I Had Some Help (Feat. Morgan Wallen)” by Post Malone 

5. “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” by Tommy Richman

6. “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan

7. “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone

8. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish

9. “I Remember Everything (feat. Kacey Musgraves)” by Zach Bryan 

10. “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan

Spotify's Most-Streamed Albums in the U.S.:

1. THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY by Taylor Swift 

2. One Thing At A Time by Morgan Wallen

3. Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter 

4. Stick Season by Noah Kahan

5. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan 

6. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish 

7. SOS by SZA

8. Dangerous: The Double Album by Morgan Wallen

9. Zach Bryan by Zach Bryan 

10. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

And that's a wrap on this year's Spotify Wrapped. Now for the important question: What do your top songs say about you?

After much anticipation, Spotify Wrapped dropped this morning, and there's a new feature for 2024: Your Wrapped AI Podcast, a three-minute-long (ish) podcast episode (powered by Google NotebookLM) in which two AI hosts walk you through your year in music. It starts with an oddly unsettling, "Hey there, music lovers," before delving into your top artist, music evolution, and more.

If you're having trouble finding your Wrapped AI Podcast, follow these easy steps.

Total Time

• 1 minute

What You Need

• A Spotify account

Step 1: Start at your Spotify home page and clicked "Wrapped," located at the top of the screen.

You'll see a row of buttons at the top of your screen. On the top left, you'll see your profile photo. To the right of that, you'll see "All," followed by "Wrapped." Click "Wrapped."

Credit: Spotify

Step 2: Click on "Your Wrapped AI Podcast."

This brings you to all of your 2024 Wrapped content, including your personalized playlists and the data Spotify has collected for you. Click on "Your Wrapped AI Podcast."

Credit: Spotify

Step 3: Tap on the "play" button to listen to your Wrapped AI Podcast.

The following screen should read: "Your Wrapped AI podcast is ready. For the first time ever, 2 AI hosts dive into your year in music. Built with Google's NotebookLM."

Credit: Spotify

Step 4: Optional: Tap the "share" button to send it to a friend.

The share button looks like a square or rectangular box with an arrow pointing upwards. Once you click on that, you can share your Wrapped AI Podcast with your friends.

Credit: Spotify

"With this personalized Audio Overview, fans can dive deeper into their year's top songs, artists, and genres, delivered using generative AI by two dynamic hosts," Spotify said in a press release. "This feature will be available in English for eligible Free and Premium users for a limited time across the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and Sweden."

So you better hurry up and listen to your Wrapped AI Podcast before it disappears.

Last year, Spotify unveiled the ability to listen to audiobooks on the app. According to data from Spotify Wrapped 2024, its users flocked to the faeries.

As part of its annual Wrapped feature, Spotify revealed the top-performing audiobook genres in the U.S. were sci-fi and fantasy, followed by romance, fiction and literature, mystery and thriller, and, finally, biography and memoir. And not just any sci-fi and fantasy books either: of the Top 10 audiobooks in the U.S., four are romantasy novels — with Sarah J. Maas, the author of the TikTok famous A Court of Thorns and Roses series, holding three of the most listened-to audiobooks in the U.S. on Spotify in 2024. As such, she earned the inaugural title of Spotify Wrapped 2024's global top author.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, also a romantasy book, was the ninth most listened to audiobook in the U.S. this year. Similarly — and yes, I mean similarly, and I will die on this hill — The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien landed in the sixth slot.

SEE ALSO: The 15 best fiction books of 2024, according to BookTok

Here are the full Top 10 lists. As you can see, they're quite similar.

Spotify's top audiobooks in the U.S.:

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

2. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

3. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

4. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

5. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

6. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

7. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

8. Icebreaker: A Novel by Hannah Grace

9. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

10. Funny Story by Emily Henry

Spotify's top audiobooks globally:

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

2. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

3. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

4. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

5. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

6. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

7. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

8. A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One by George R. R. Martin

9. Icebreaker: A Novel by Hannah Grace

10. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

2024: The year of the romantasy genre

There is, of course, a beautiful gendered breakdown of these titles. The Top 3 audiobooks in Premium listened to by men in the U.S. were The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, and A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. If you look closely, you'll see that those are all male authors — and the only male authors on the list of Top 10 audiobooks.

You might not want to see The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene turned into a film (some might say it was already made), but many of these books are lined up for the screen.

"As reflected in this year’s top lists, we’ve seen both new releases and back catalog titles from key authors of every genre garner new audiences on Spotify," Spotify's press release reads. "And in 2024, more than before, we saw a rise in book-to-screen adaptations into various media formats." In fact, 66 percent of Spotify's Top 100 audiobooks in the U.S. in 2024 will be or have already been adapted for the screen.

There's not much personalized data in this year's Wrapped for audiobook listeners, but authors get their own Wrapped, showing off everything from their top titles to rating and listener habits.

If all this data tells us anything, it's that 2024 was the year of Sarah J. Maas and romantasy. What does 2025 have in store?

'Tis the season of colorful graphics, embarrassing stats, and personalized data stories! That's right — Spotify Wrapped has finally landed on your Spotify app. The 2024 edition is chock-full of new features, from a Wrapped AI Podcast that editorializes your year in music to the moods and emotions that captured "Your Music Evolution."

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Spotify Wrapped 2024

The much-anticipated annual event offers fans a glimpse into their most-played tracks, artists, and genres, wrapped in vibrant visuals and shareable stats. It's a nostalgic trip through the soundtrack of your year, and it even boasts stats from the podcasts and audiobooks you listened to.

In 2024, it’s not just about what you heard — it’s about how music shaped your story. Here's what that means for this year's Spotify Wrapped and all the fun surprises you can expect.

Your Music Evolution Credit: Spotify

Listen, we all go through phases. Sometimes you want to be a brat and other times you're an "Otaku Hot Girl." Spotify knows your listening habits can be mercurial, so they're introducing "Your Music Evolution" with this year's Wrapped.

This new data story reveals the musical phases that defined your year. You'll receive up to three musical phases for 2024. For example, I started the year in my "Light Academia Soft Piano Classical" era, but by spring, I re-emerged as a "Roller Skating Pop" princess. (What can I say? The pop girlies were releasing bangers.) And I'm ending the year in my "Hallyu Catwalk K-pop" phase, which sounds right.

Your Music Evolution will also be available in playlist form, found in the Wrapped feed on Home in the Spotify app. Tracks within the playlist include both your go-to favorites and algorithmic picks related to your musical phases throughout the year.

Your Longest Listening Streak

Every superfan wears their "Top Listeners" stat with pride. (The stat reveals the percentile of listeners you're in for your favorite artist. I'm in the top 3 percent of Stray Kids listeners worldwide — what about you?) This year, Spotify is taking it one step further with your "Longest Listening Streak," capturing your journey with the most-played artist in your Top 5.

Your Spotify Wrapped AI Podcast Credit: Spotify

The biggest new feature of this year's Wrapped is the launch of your Spotify Wrapped AI Podcast. Built with Google’s NotebookLM, this personalized pod tells the story of your year in music with colorful commentary from two AI hosts who attempt to make sense of your top songs, artists, and genres.

Per Spotify, this unique feature will be available in English for eligible Free and Premium users for a limited time across the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and Sweden.

Top Audiobooks of 2024 Credit: Spotify

Last year, Spotify gave its Premium users 15 hours of free audiobook listening time per month. Now, with over 300,000 titles in its catalog, Spotify is becoming a destination for avid readers — er, listeners. So it only makes sense that this year's Wrapped data would include the Top Audiobooks of 2024.

SEE ALSO: The 15 best fiction books of 2024, according to BookTok

While there isn't any personalized data on your top audiobooks of the year, there is a separate editorial hub for the year in audiobooks on the app and desktop. Spotify's inaugural top author globally is Sarah J. Maas, whose A Court of Thorns and Roses series went mega-viral across social platforms this year. As such, A Court of Thorns and Roses was also the most-streamed audiobook of 2024. Coming in second and third are The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien and I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, respectively. Rounding out the Top 5 is A Court of Mist and Fury by Maas at No. 4, and It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover at No. 5.

Authors will also have access to their own Spotify Wrapped for Authors hub, which will show insightful data on the listening habits of their readers.

You can share your Wrapped directly on your FYP Credit: Spotify

Big news for those who like publicly posting their Wrapped results across all social platforms: You can now share your Wrapped directly on TikTok.

Apple's rumored new HomePod, with a built-in smart display, is coming a lot later than originally anticipated.

This is according to Apple sleuth Ming-Chi Kuo, who claims that the device's release has been postponed to the third quarter of 2025.

SEE ALSO: Apple HomePod (2023) review: Big sound for Apple fans

Originally, Kuo claims, the HomePod was supposed to arrive in 2024, but was delayed to the first quarter of 2025, and was now further pushed back until after Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, which typically takes place in June.

The delay is "mainly due to software development," Kuo said.

Featured Video For You Unboxing the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air

The new HomePod will reportedly be a huge upgrade compared to the current model, which came out in 2023. Kuo claims it will feature a six to seven-inch display, Apple's A18 chip, and support for Apple Intelligence. It will also be repositioned more as a smart home accessory than a pure speaker.

One interesting feature that the new HomePod will have is the ability to display the feed from Apple's upcoming smart home IP camera, which Kuo previously said is arriving sometime in 2026.

According to previous reports, Apple also plans to expand its smart home lineup with a smart display with a robotic arm, and (perhaps) a cheaper variant down the line.

General Motors and other foreign automakers are selling fewer cars and losing lots of money in China, where domestic electric and hybrid cars have taken off.

Cameo is making room for more than celebrity greetings, expanding its personalised messaging service to let anyone sign up to make custom videos for money.

Announced in a blog post on Tuesday, the platform has officially launched its CameoX initiative, which began a pilot program last May as a "strategic decision to allow just about anyone with a passion for engaging with fans to join the Cameo community."

Cameo has made millions through its celebrity video message offerings, seeing actors, athletes, musicians, influencers, multiple disgraced U.S. Congressmen, and racist far-right British politicians personalise greetings for varying rates — it was a particularly lucrative move for celebs during the COVID-19 pandemic and the SAG-AFTRA strike. In 2021, Cameo was valued at $1 billion. But celebrities have since reportedly left the platform in droves, for reasons including but not limited to pro-Russia propagandists tricking celebrities into spreading misinformation. Plus, Cameo had a run-in with the Federal Trade Commission for violating celebrity endorsement disclosures this year, which was not cheap.

SEE ALSO: Matt Gaetz joins Cameo like disgraced congressman before him

So, Cameo is pivoting to embrace more avenues of content creation and monetisation. Now, anyone can join Cameo through the company's revamped onboarding process, which no longer focuses on Cameo team outreach or follower thresholds.

"We realized we had missed out on thousands of talented individuals who could have made meaningful contributions to the marketplace,” said Cameo CEO Steven Galanis in a press statement.

"We missed SAG-AFTRA actors who had applied before landing breakout roles in hit Netflix shows. We missed emerging artists before releasing chart-topping singles. We missed creators before their viral moments on TikTok. And we missed pro athletes who applied while in college, prior to NIL rule changes that allowed them to monetize their talent. With CameoX, those days are over."

Featured Video For You Unboxing the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air

The company says CameoX has already been successful, seeing 31,000 "self-enrolled creators" sign up since the pilot began in May 2023. The company is pitching the platform as "an alternative earning stream for talent" for creators, including those who might already have a following on other sites like Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok — and who might have previously applied to join Cameo but were not allowed in. Now, Cameo says the onboarding process has been made easier for people to pass the test.

"Historically, talent could join the marketplace in three ways: 1) through outreach from the Cameo team, 2) via referral from another talent or talent manager, or 3) by applying directly. In the past three years alone, Cameo received over 100,000 applications from talent who did not meet the marketplace’s thresholds," reads the post.

"The issue: Cameo was missing a new wave of emerging creators who could benefit from the platform but weren’t allowed on. CameoX removes those barriers and allows talent to become part of the Cameo family in a matter of minutes...This change in policy is more in line with models like Twitch and YouTube, where anyone can join for free and begin to monetize their personas instantly."

Creators wanting to join CameoX can do so through the app or the website and complete an identity verification process. Cameo celebrities set their own prices, so creators will be able to do the same; creators get 75 percent of the booking price and can use the earnings calculator to see what numbers they're looking at.

Seth Meyers appeared on The Late Show recently and followed in the footsteps of Billie Eilish, Nicolas Cage, and Michelle Obama when he took Stephen Colbert's always-crytpic "Questionert".

In the clip above the Late Night host answers questions on everything from his favourite sandwich ("chicken parm") to his least favourite smell ("chlorine pool").

Cue plenty of bickering mixed in with a few touching moments.

Max said it would happen, but now we know when, exactly: the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned HBO streaming service is about to start its password sharing crackdown next week.

This is according to CEO JB Perrette (via TheWrap), who announced the news at a conference hosted by Wells Fargo on Tuesday.

"We will kick off literally in about a week, some very early, gentle messaging," he told press.

Not only will said messaging be "gentle," it will also start happening only to people whom the company deems to be in the "higher tier of usage."

SEE ALSO: The 20 best TV shows streaming on Max

Perrette also admitted that figuring out who's sharing their passwords, and who's only using their account outside their home on a vacation, isn't easy, which is why the company will start gradually until it can figure out. But when it does, the filters will get "tighter and tighter."

That phase can apparently be expected in the second half of 2025 and into 2026.

We don't mind the careful approach, especially when it comes to weeding out actual password sharing from fair usage (I'm looking at you Netflix, and your constant prompts to log in again).

To get your mind off all this unpleasant password sharing crackdown business, Perretti also spilled the beans on launch dates for some upcoming HBO shows. For example, the third season of The White Lotus is about to kick off in February; The Last of Us Season 2 will premiere in the spring of 2025, and the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (a Game of Thrones prequel) will launch in 2025. Finally, Euphoria Season 3 is coming a little later than anticipated: sometime in 2026.

VPNs are useful security tools that can protect your identity and data, bypass online restrictions to access extra content, and much more. If this is all very new to you, you've probably got a lot of questions. Don't worry, because we can help.

We've done all the hard work for you and thoroughly researched these services to provide the information that matters to you. Here's everything you need to know about VPNs.

What is a VPN?

VPNs (or Virtual Private Networks) provide important protection for your data and identity when you're online. They offer this online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network that hides your real IP address (digital location). This means that all of your activity is untraceable and secure.

Basically, you can think about VPNs as encrypted tunnels through which all of your online traffic passes through. Nobody can see into the tunnel, and everything inside the tunnel is protected against online threats like viruses, hackers, and malware.

Do you need a VPN?

Any sort of activity on an unsecured WiFi network leaves your private information and browsing habits exposed to the world, unless you're using a VPN. There's no need to panic, because whether you're sending important emails, doing some online shopping, or paying essential bills, VPNs make sure that everything remains private and anonymous.

SEE ALSO: The best VPNs for your iPhone

First and foremost, VPNs are designed to provide online security, but there is another reason that millions of people use these services: streaming more content from around the world. By hiding your real IP address and connecting you to a server in another location, you can trick your favourite streaming services into thinking that you are based in a different country. This means that you can watch all of the shows and films from global libraries, like all the extra content on U.S. Netflix. This is the quickest and easiest way of boosting your content options, without the need to rely on a dodgy stream.

What should you consider before subscribing to a VPN?

There are plenty of things that you should consider when it comes to VPNs, but we don't have all day. Instead of listing off every feature offered by the best VPNs, we have highlighted a selection of the most important things to think about.

Before you make any sort of decision, you should look out for connection speed, server network, number of logins, and more important features:

• Bandwidth — There are some VPNs out there that place monthly caps on network bandwidth, meaning you can only download a certain amount of data. You should avoid these services, unless you're on a free trial. If you're paying for a VPN, you should be able to download and upload as much as you want.

• Connection speed — Using a VPN is going to produce a drop in your connection speed, but you shouldn't accept a significant drop that is going to result in buffering. Be sure to select a VPN that doesn't negatively impact your connection speed to the point that you can't watch a film or download a file without frustration.

• Encryption — There are different levels of encryption, and whilst it's important to take note of the grade provided by your VPN, the best options will all offer powerful protection for your data. You are likely to come across terms like "military-grade" and "enterprise-grade," which just means that you can rely on it to do its job.

• Number of connections — Some VPNs let you connect an unlimited number of devices with the same account. Others limit you to just a single device. You should look out for a service that offers multiple simultaneous connections, so you can stay protected on all your devices at the same time.

• Server network — The very best VPNs provide access to literally thousands of geographically diverse servers. It's useful if a VPN has a lot of servers in key locations, because you should always be able to find a stable and speedy connection for streaming, shopping, or browsing anonymously. It's not a straightforward case of more is better, but it's always good to have options.

• Privacy policy — It's worth paying special attention to the data-handling, storage, and usage practices of the VPN you are planning on using. These practices should be laid out in a privacy policy, and if they aren't clear, it's best to avoid. Most VPNs require access to your IP address, online transactions, and browsing history, plus your personal details when you sign up. If privacy is the objective, it's absolutely essential that your VPN is not going to store these details. If it does, the whole thing is kind of pointless.

There are other things to consider, like price and subscription plans, but these features are a good place to start.

Should you use free VPNs?

There are plenty of free versions of popular VPNs, plus free trials of VPNs with full access to everything you get with a premium plan. So why would you ever pay for a VPN?

As with most things in life, you get what you pay for with VPNs. There tends to always be a catch with free versions, and it's normally in the form of limited data usage. If you're just an occasional user, these plans will work fine. But if you're going to be streaming or downloading, this isn't going to work. Free trials are a little bit different: they come with everything you get in a paid plan, but obviously they don't tend to last very long. Trials are great for testing out a service before committing, but this isn't a long-term solution.

What we're saying is that the best option for streaming securely and accessing the online world without restrictions is with a paid subscription to a VPN. To gain access to advanced security features without limitations on usage, you need to pay up. The best VPNs are generally the most expensive, but there are plenty of cheap plans out there, especially if you're willing to commit to a lengthy contract.

What is the best VPN?

There are a lot of VPN providers out there all offering different sets of features, with different pricing structures. We recommend taking some time to carefully access your options, and decide on what you really need from a VPN. Once you have established your priorities, you can check out this definitive list of the best VPNs this month.

We have tracked down everything on offer and lined up a selection of the very best VPNs for streaming, shopping, and everything else. We have tried to find something for everyone and every budget, and you can find popular services like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and CyberGhost VPN in this list. All you need to do is weigh up these options against your own set of priorities, and then pick a favourite from the bunch.

These are the best VPNs in 2024.

SAVE $1,700: As of Dec. 4, Samsung 77-inch S84D 4K OLED Smart Tizen TV is available for $1,599.99 at Best Buy. That’s $1,700 off its $3,299.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 77-inch S84D OLED TV $1,599.99 at Best Buy
$3,299.99 Save $1,700.00 Shop Now

I'm constantly looking for the best TV deals for readers, but premium TVs don't go on sale like this every day. Samsung's 77-inch S84D OLED TV, part of its 2024 lineup, is a high-performance display designed to bring users lifelike visuals and immersive sound. Best Buy's current deal knocks a jaw-dropping $1,700 off the original price, making this flagship model a much more accessible $1,599.99. This TV is usually $3,299.99, so you can see why I'm saying this is a big deal.

So, what makes this TV worth your attention (and investment)? It starts with OLED technology, which delivers perfect blacks, whites, and over a billion Pantone-validated colors. Pantone basically boils down to colors and images being lifelike, giving games, movies, and more a realistic presentation. Every pixel is self-illuminated, ensuring unmatched contrast and detail. This produces a vibrant image without burning out your retinas with brightness.

SEE ALSO: Ready to upgrade your smartphone? Grab the Samsung Galaxy A15 for less than $200

Samsung's Motion Xcelerator Turbo is a win for gamers and sports fans, providing smooth, blur-free motion. Paired with Real Depth Enhancer, which adjusts foreground contrast for a more three-dimensional image, it makes for some interesting results beyond being just a gimmick feature.

The S84D doesn't just look good — it sounds incredible, too. With Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound Lite, you'll experience dynamic, 3D surround sound that follows the movement on screen. Pair this with Bluetooth bookshelf speakers like PSB Speakers AM5, and you'll have a wireless sound setup that speaks for itself.

Samsung's Tizen OS also covers buyers' streaming needs. You'll have access to apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video, plus the ability to game, work out, or explore Samsung's Smart Hub. AI-powered 4K upscaling ensures even older content looks sharp and clear on this enormous screen.

At 77 inches, this TV is built for cinematic experiences in your living room. Its slim bezel design keeps the focus on the picture. At the same time, EyeComfort Mode intelligently adjusts blue light for a more comfortable viewing experience during late-night marathons. And it just looks like it's mounted to a wall, and that's enough for many buyers.

A $1,700 discount on a TV of this caliber is rare. If you've been waiting to upgrade your home theater or gaming setup, now's the time. Deals like this are usually super limited, although this bad boy has no expiration date. Play it safe and swipe one before the price shoots back up.

Mining your own Spotify data is like accessing a musical window into your soul. What genre do you listen to the most? How obscure are your favorite artists? And, wait, you listened to "Alone" by Heart how many times!?

We've scoured the corners of the internet and collected our 13 favorite websites that analyze your Spotify data. So if you're the type of person who spends your days counting down to Spotify Wrapped or who regularly analyzes your listening habits to understand yourself better, you'll love these clever tools.

SEE ALSO: Got your Spotify Wrapped? Treat it like a shopping list.

A heads up that each of these websites requires you to log in to your Spotify and grant the website access to your Spotify data, and we've included directions at the bottom for how to remove each site's access once you've tried them out.

1. Stats for Spotify

Stats for Spotify is a classic Spotify data analyzer. It shows you your top tracks, artists, and genres organized by the previous four weeks, last six months, and all time. It also shows how your top tracks, artists, and genres have changed since the last time you used Stats for Spotify.

2. How Bad is Your Spotify

How Bad is Your Spotify is an AI tool that judges your music taste. It gained popularity in December 2020 for its snarky roasts of users' listening habits.

Don't judge me. Credit: Screenshot: How Bad Is Your Spotify 3. Instafest

Instafest generates a personalized music festival lineup of your most-listened artists on Spotify. The more you listen to an artist the larger their name will appear on your lineup. It was created by USC student Anshay Saboo. You can choose a festival based on your top artists from the past month, the past six months, or of all time. You can also switch up the aesthetics of the graphic, which is stylized to look like a festival poster. So, who are your headlining acts?

Who wouldn't buy a ticket. Credit: Screenshot: Instafest 4. Icebergify (aka the Spotify Iceberg)

Icebergify grabs the top 50 artists of your short-term, medium-term, and long-term listening trends and organizes them by their popularity or obscurity. If the artist is super popular (think Beyonce), they'll be at the tippy-top. But if you listen to a lot of Antichrist Siege Machine, they'll be closer to the bottom. The tool may also pull in musicians you haven't listened to in a few months, and if you don't listen to any artists in a certain level of popularity, the level will show up blank.

Three very brave staffers at Mashable (Christianna Silva, Crystal Bell, Tim Marcin) share their iceberg results. Credit: Credit: Screenshot / Icebergify / Christianna Silva, Crystal Bell, Tim Marcin 5. Obscurify

Like Icebergify, Obscurify tells you how obscure the music you listen to is compared to other Obscurify users. It'll also show you your top five obscure artists and will rate your music's happiness, danceability, and energy compared to other users.

6. Spotify Pie

"Bake your monthly genre pie" with this website created by UCLA student Darren Huang. Spotify Pie analyzes your Spotify listening and organizes it into a highly sharable pie chart of all the genres you've listened to in the last month. Below the chart, the website reveals your most-listened-to genres and your top artists of the month, too.

Credit: Spotify Pie Credit: Spotify Pie 7. Volt.fm

Volt.fm is a great tool for the music lovers who like to know all their stats. You can see your top artists, songs, and albums but also more nuanced data like number of players, most active hours for listening, and number of plays.

8. Discover Quickly

Discover Quickly sorts your playlists, top songs, and top artists by different criteria, like popularity and danceability. It also lists all of Spotify's wildly specific genres like "deep metalcore," "acid house," and "charred death." The tool will make you a playlist of that genre or can generate a playlist of songs of a random genre.

9. MusicScape

MusicScape generates a landscape based on the tracks you've recently listened to, taking their mood, mode, energy, and key into consideration to create something unique to your sonic palette.

What does your musicScape look like? Credit: Screenshot: musicscape 10. MusicTaste.Space

MusicTaste.Space is fun because it allows you to compare your listening with another Spotify user. Just send a friend the link on the homepage and it will show you all the overlap between your top songs and top artists.

11. Receiptify

Receiptify transforms your favorite songs into a cute little receipt of your musical taste. Choose your top tracks of the last month, last six months, or of all time.

Receiptify gives you an Insta Story ready list of your top songs. Credit: Screenshot: Receiptify 12. How NPRcore Are You

How NPRcore Are You analyzes how closely your music taste aligns with NPR music. Pick a time period and this tool will tell you what percent NPRcore you are or which of your top tracks and artists are most NPRcore.

13. Moodify

Moodify makes AI-generated playlists based on the mood of the song you're currently listening to.

How to unlink your Spotify

After you've had your fun poking around your data, you can easily unlink your account from each site by going to Spotify app settings and selecting "Remove Access."

SAVE $130: As of Dec. 4, Samsung 32-inch UJ59 4K UHD monitor is on sale for $209 at Amazon, saving you $130 off its $339.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung UJ59 4K Monitor $209.00 at Amazon
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I love finding solid deals on budget gaming gear. The Samsung UJ59 delivers as a great 4K monitor option for your gaming rig and consoles. It has had $130 slashed off its list price, down from $339.99 to $209. Just those facts alone make this an awesome deal, but is it a replacement for your existing monitor setup? It won't touch a premium gaming monitor, but it's a rock-hard starting point. Looking for something that performs well at 4K resolutions for a very reasonable price? Read on.

Despite its conservative appearance and thin bezels with a lack of RGB, the 4K 60Hz panel does the job. 4K means four times the resolution of full HD, which is detailed enough for demanding games, editing photos, and watching 4K content from 4K Blu-rays and top-tier streaming services. Over a billion shades of color are packed into this bad boy. Who can argue with a sub-$210 monitor with specs like those?

SEE ALSO: Ready to upgrade your smartphone? Grab the Samsung Galaxy A15 for less than $200

Gamers note that this monitor is equipped with AMD FreeSync, which reduces image tearing and stuttering by synchronizing the refresh rate with your graphics card. Its Low Input Lag Mode minimizes delay. Game Mode optimizes contrast in darker scenes, giving you the edge in fast-paced gameplay. With 8.3 million pixels on a widescreen 4K display, it's a dream for immersive gaming experiences.

Are you running an AMD graphics card? Samsung UJ59 has AMD Freesync built in, too. This ensures your graphics card outputs the same refresh rate as your monitor to eliminate screen tearing, so no dollar-store Tetris effects ruin gameplay. There's also a low input lag mode, minimizing controller or keyboard and mouse delays from a button press to the action appearing on-screen.

Multitaskers will love the Picture-by-Picture (PBP) mode, which lets you connect two devices simultaneously while maintaining their original quality. The Picture-in-Picture (PIP) mode allows resizing and repositioning of a secondary source, making it perfect for those needing to reference multiple inputs simultaneously.

Samsung's UHD upscaling technology further sweetens the deal, enhancing SD, HD, and Full HD content to near 4K quality. While you won't see old films and TV shows magically displaying as they've been filmed in 4K, it will give you the clearest and balanced image possible.

You don't need a telescope to admire the majesty of our planetary neighborhood.

Planets like Jupiter and Venus reflect bounties of light from the sun — and unlike stars, the vivid planets don't twinkle. These beacons are among the brightest objects in the sky, and December 2024 provides excellent viewing opportunities (when the fickle clouds behave, that is).

"This month, Venus dazzles as the 'Evening Star,' Jupiter reaches its brightest for the year, and the Geminid meteor shower peaks under challenging moonlit skies," NASA wrote online.

SEE ALSO: Is Mercury in retrograde? Yes, but there's a catch. How to see Venus

Venus is the third brightest celestial object in the night sky (behind the sun and moon). The hellish planet isn't just Earth's closest planetary neighbor. It's permanently covered in thick 12-mile-high clouds, which reflect lots of sunlight. You can't miss it.

"Venus is hard to miss in the southwest after sunset – it's that dazzling bright 'Evening Star,'" NASA explained.

Venus' evolving position in the night sky in December 2024. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

Although a rocky world about the same size of Earth, Venus is still wildly different. Suffocated and heated by greenhouse gases, its surface reaches pizza oven-like temperatures of some 870 degrees Fahrenheit (465 degrees Celsius). Meanwhile, the surface pressure, at some 90 times greater than on Earth, is crushing.

How to see Jupiter

Jupiter, a gas giant planet containing over twice the mass of all other planets in our solar system combined, will also be a brilliant presence. Jupiter reaches its peak brightness of the year in December, and is visible all night.

"You’ll find it rising in the east-northeast as darkness falls, among the stars of the constellation Taurus," NASA said.

Jupiter contains a whopping 95 known moons, including the fascinating world Europa, which harbors an icy ocean beneath its cracked shell. With binoculars or a telescope, you can often spot Jupiter's four largest moons.

How to see Mars

The red desert planet, though it lacks the profoundly reflective atmospheres of Venus and Jupiter, "will also be putting on its own show," NASA noted.

As Mars draws closer to Earth, it will double in brightness in December.

"Early in the month, it rises about four hours after dark, but by New Year’s Eve, it’s rising just about 90 minutes after sunset — always shining with its distinctive reddish hue. And on Dec. 17, you’ll find the Red Planet super close to the Moon, which will be just two days past its full phase," the space agency explained.

Other notable skywatching events

- The Winter Triangle: The vivid stars Sirius (the brightest night time star), Procyon, and the red supergiant Betelgeuse form a prominent equilateral triangle throughout winter. Betelgeuse is the red shoulder of the constellation Orion.

- Geminid meteor shower: This typically great meteor shower peaks in the early morning of Dec. 14, but many of the shooting stars will be washed out by a full moon. "Still, the Geminids are known for bright meteors, and it’s common to spot their shooting stars up to a week before the peak," NASA said.

- Winter Solstice: The longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on Dec. 21. Welcome, officially, to winter.

TL;DR: Through Dec. 8, get 15 CompTIA prep courses for $39.97 — under $3 each.  

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New year, new career? It might be easier than you think. If you’ve been wanting to switch jobs for a while but felt like you’d have to go back to school to make some decent money, you should consider working in IT. There are positions for almost all types of people, and most don’t require a degree. How? 

People get certified instead. Study up, pass the certification exam, and start a new career. This bundle of CompTIA training courses covers 15 different areas so you can find out what interests you, and it’s on sale for Cyber Week at $39.97 (reg. $585) through Dec. 8 — that’s an all-time low price.

Explore your future career path

While you can find CompTIA study guides on the official website, you'll spend hundreds more than you would with this bundle. Plus, if you aren’t sure what interests you yet, this package lets you explore at a more affordable price.

The CompTIA A+ and Fundamentals+ are what you call entry-level certifications. They’ll qualify you for jobs like IT help desk technician, where you’ll help people figure out why their computer isn’t working — you might already have a knack for that. 

Those certifications also qualify you for these more complex ones: 

• CompTIA Network+: Setting up and troubleshooting networks.

• CompTIA Project+: Coordinating IT projects by managing timelines, resources, and communication.

• CompTIA PenTest+: Running tests to identify vulnerabilities in systems and recommending fixes.

• Security+: Implementing security measures to protect data from unauthorized access.

This is just a small taste of what you might be doing day-to-day in 2025 if you take the leap today.

Start an IT career with this Cyber Week deal on CompTIA prep for just $39.97 (reg. $585) until Dec. 8 at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon is needed to get this price.

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TL;DR: Through December 8, save 45% on this bug and camera finder with our Cyber Week sale.

Holiday travel often means cozying up in unfamiliar places…ever slept in a small-town motel? But this year’s spooky social media stories might leave you wide awake. If you haven’t heard, some people are putting hidden cameras in Airbnbs and hotel rooms.

Please don’t cancel your plans or bunk with your in-laws because this hidden camera detector can help you sweep and secure the space. With our Cyber Week sale, peace of mind is only $32.97 (reg. $59.99).

Discover ultimate peace of mind while traveling

This gadget is something James Bond would use to sweep a hotel room for bugs. Except now, it’s your turn. It looks scary and intimidating, but it’s simple to use.

Before you even unpack your bags, because you don’t know how long you’ll be staying, sweep the room:

1. Switch the power on and increase the sensitivity to pick up devices from far away.

2. Move around the room, getting closer to things like lamps, frames, mirrors, and smoke detectors.

3. If the bug detector makes any noise or vibrations, lower the sensitivity to narrow down a more precise location.

4. If there’s no activity, your room or Airbnb is clear.

You’ll probably find nothing, but you’ll sleep better knowing for sure — especially if you plan on devouring an entire chocolate cake and don’t want anyone to know about it.

Pick up one of these hotel room scanners for $32.97 (reg. $59.99) during Cyber Week. The sale ends December 8 at 11:59 p.m. PT and no coupon is needed.

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TL;DR: Through Dec. 8, save 35% on this tablet and laptop docking station with our Cyber Week sale.

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Tired of juggling dongles and chargers? Pick up this stand that’s also a docking station for your USB-C laptop or tablet for better connectivity and ergonomics for just $44.97 through Dec. 8.

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• Connect to an external display via HDMI, transfer files with 3 USB 3.0 ports, access memory cards with SD/microSD slots, enjoy audio with the 3.5mm jack, and fast-charge with the 100W PD port.

• Adjust the tablet holder up to 180 degrees and the stand up to 70 degrees for ergonomic comfort and optimal viewing.

• Fold the aluminum alloy stand for easy storage and transport, perfect for working on the go.

Declutter your workspace with this Cyber Week deal: $44.97 for the docking stand until Dec. 8 at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon is needed for this price drop.

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What are the best new movies on Netflix? With the streaming service offering a wide array of comedies, action movies, thrillers, and more, it can be difficult to choose what to watch. Sure, Netflix aims to promote their latest releases to grab your attention. But just because it's new doesn't mean it's worth your time.

Fret not. We've done the hard part for you. Below, you'll find the very best Netflix original films of 2024, now streaming. Whether you want something heartwarming, mind-bending, pulse-racing, funny-bone-tickling, or gut-wrenching, we've got you covered with the top tier of Netflix's new dramas, docs, true crime, animated movies, action-adventures, and more.

22. How to Rob a Bank

Netflix's true crime section is so vast that it can be difficult to pluck the treasures from the trash. For every Amanda Knox, there's a bunch of unsavory options. Thankfully, Amanda Knox producer Stephen Robert Morse teamed with Class Action Park director Seth Porges for this curious bank robber bio-doc, How to Rob a Bank.

Brought to life with animated reenactments, news footage, home movies, and a slew of interviews, the film unfurls the stranger-than-fiction story of a bank robber known to the police as "Hollywood." This was because he had a penchant for modeling his crimes after movies (Point Break chief among them) and used prosthetic makeup to successfully disguise his face. But who was the man behind the mystique? Talking with the cops who tracked him and the family and friends who loved him, How to Rob a Bank explores that complicated question with unsettling results. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

How to watch: How to Rob a Bank is now streaming on Netflix.

21. Damsel

She's a damsel. She's in distress. She can handle this. Have a nice day. Millie Bobby Brown gives one of her strongest performances to date in Damsel, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's film about a princess named Elodie who's yeeted into a dragon's lair by her extremely fresh prince husband (Nick Robinson) on their wedding day. But what seems like quite a flippant premise actually ends up being a kick-ass survival film.

There are plenty of surprises as Elodie scrambles to escape the cave using only her dress for equipment, before solving the mystery of why the hell she was thrown in there in the first place. Robin Wright and Angela Bassett are impeccable as the cold Queen Isabelle and Elodie's loving stepmother, Lady Bayford, respectively. As Belen Edwards wrote in her review, "Yes, Damsel isn't like most other fairy tales. But with its blend of dark fantasy and themes of self-empowerment, it makes for a gripping story that's great fun to experience." — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

How to watch: Damsel is now streaming on Netflix.

20. Spaceman

When Adam Sandler teams up with Netflix, the results are often willfully stupid comedies like Hubie Halloween, The Do-Over, and the infamously repugnant Western The Ridiculous 6. But the Sandman's been on a roll recently, with the sweet coming-of-age comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, which stars his real-life daughters; the charming animated musical Leo; and this bizarre and bittersweet sci-fi drama about a sad astronaut and a giant space spider voiced by Paul Dano.

Directed by Johan Renck and written by Colby Day, Spaceman (which is based on Jaroslav Kalfar's novel Spaceman of Bohemia) stars Sandler as Czech astronaut Jakub Prochazka, who is six months deep on a solo mission. Back on Earth, his pregnant wife (Maestro's Carey Mulligan) is seriously considering dumping his oft-space-trekking butt. Enter Hanus, a giant, talking space spider who loves the hum of a toilet, the taste of Nutella, and giving life advice to his "skinny human" friend. Spaceman is as unexpected as it is surreal and strangely enchanting. — K.P.

How to watch: Spaceman is now streaming on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: The best sci-fi movies on Netflix to escape reality 19. Emilia Pérez

French filmmaker Jacques Audiard has previously wowed critics with dramas like Rust and Bone, A Prophet, and The Sisters Brothers. Now, he traverses daring new terrain with a musical with a telenovela plotline. Its story begins with a cartel boss (transgender telenovela star Karla Sofía Gascón), who is looking to leave a life of crime behind and become the woman she's always believed she could be. This means transitioning through medical procedures, faking her death, and changing her name to Emilia Pérez. However, the film that bears her name also weaves in the dramatic journeys of the women around her, including her oft-stressed lawyer (Zoe Saldaña), the wife she leaves behind (Selena Gomez), and her new love interest (Adriana Paz). Passionate and provocative, it's a musical that dances to its own beat.

In his Mashable review out of Cannes, Siddhant Adlakha wrote, "The Spanish-language Cannes title not only won Audiard the Jury Prize — the festival's third most prestigious accolade — but it was also awarded the Best Actress trophy to not one but four of its central performances, each of which brings a unique thoughtfulness and passion to the screen... Above all else, the film's four leading ladies are perfectly attuned to Audiard's volatile mixture of operatic emotion and naturalistic cinematic influence. The result is a dazzling, dramatic high-wire act that's always fun to watch, and is frequently invigorating, too."* — K.P.

Starring: Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz

How to watch: Emilia Pérez is now streaming on Netflix.

18. The Greatest Night in Pop

Travel back to 1985, when some of the biggest names in music — Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Willie Nelson, Bette Midler, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, and more — came together for a charity single in hopes of making a better world.

Centering on interviews with the artists and technicians who made the charity single "We Are the World," this delightful doc is full of flashy anecdotes, zinging one-liners, and even some heartache. (You deserved better, Sheila E.!) While plenty of interviewees offer fun and insights, Lionel Richie, who also produced the doc, proves the MVP, providing not only plenty of context, but also some stellar impressions of Michael Jackson and his exotic pets.* — K.P.

How to watch: The Greatest Night in Pop is now streaming on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: The 35 best documentaries on Netflix 17. The Union

Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry team up for an action-comedy that is surprisingly charming! He's a Boston everyman who works construction by day and by night hooks up with local hotties (including his former seventh-grade English teacher). She's a globe-trekking secret agent — and his high school girlfriend — who shows up at their old dive bar out of the blue to invite him in on a secret mission. Together, they're working for The Union.

Explosive espionage action blends with rom-com chemistry as Wahlberg and Berry delve into car chases, gun fights, and plenty of bouncy banter. J.K. Simmons brings gruff bravado, while Evil's Mike Colter delivers breathtaking swagger. Full of thrills, fun, and verve, The Union is a great pick for movie night at home. — K.P.

How to watch: The Union is now streaming on Netflix.

16. Orion and the Dark

Charlie Kaufman, the brilliantly twisted mind behind movies like Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and I'm Thinking of Ending Things, tried his hand at family-friendly fare in 2024 with Orion and the Dark.

Centering on a fearful 11-year-old boy (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), this adaptation of Emma Yarlett's children's book follows Orion on an adventure way past bedtime, when the Dark he feared comes out of hiding to introduce himself. Together, they travel the world with the creatures of night and learn what wonders can come from confronting what scares you. An animated adventure about the anxieties of children and their grown-ups, Orion and the Dark is a winsome and weird wonder for all ages. But maybe don't watch it right before bed. It's not nightmare fuel, but it's so surreal it could toy with your dreams! — K.P.

How to watch: Orion and the Dark is now streaming on Netflix.

15. Maria

"'Come with me,' said the diva, and there was really no need to ask where." Angelia Jolie gives an exquisite performance as prima donna assoluta Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín's latest biopic, another of the Spencer director's introspective, finely focused films about a famous, publicly scrutinised woman.

Wandering the gilded halls of her Parisian apartment in magnificent outfits and dropping erudite one-liners on her staff, we find the iconic opera singer retreated from public life, with her health in steep decline, mere days before her death at 53. Through a series of surreal chapters, Maria reflects on her life of audience adulation, esteemed opera career, suppressed trauma, and complicated love affairs — while her beloved butler and housekeeper watch her lose touch with reality. "What is real and what is not real is my business," she quips.

Both a complex ode to a true diva and a fleeting overview of Callas' seemingly glittering life in opera, Maria is indeed a film about music, bursting with music, with Larraín wielding silence as a brutal reminder of loss for his proud protagonist. And while lip-synching is an art form that's gone either way for music biopic stars, Jolie makes you feel every one of Callas' notes. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

How to watch: Maria will be in select cinemas on Nov. 27 before streaming on Netflix on Dec. 11.

14. Joy

If you don't know about the beginnings of IVF, and what a landmark moment this was, you need to see Joy. Set in the late '60s and early '70s (with all the detailed costumes and intricate set details that go with it), Ben Taylor's excellent debut directorial feature follows the British scientists who pioneered in vitro fertilization. The core cast — Thomasin McKenzie as nurse/embryologist Jean Purdy, James Norton as scientist Robert Edwards, Bill Nighy as surgeon Patrick Steptoe, and Tanya Moodie as operating theatre supervisor Muriel Harris — give brilliant performances as the persevering medical professionals who successfully worked toward the birth of Louise Joy Brown, the first baby born through IVF, on July 25, 1978.

The film not only explores the groundbreaking scientific innovation of this group, but also sees them facing battles on all fronts, within their crucial, difficult research, among their peers, and with the public — church, state, you name it, they're up against it. Joy makes plenty of room to humanize and reflect on the bravery and sustained hope of the self-named "Ovum Club," the courageous women who trialled early forms of IVF with the group, and includes beautiful, moving, deeply personal conversations around infertility as a medical issue under immense social pressure. — S.C.

How to watch: Joy is streaming on Netflix Nov. 22.

13. Ultraman: Rising

Forget Iron Man and Superman, and get ready for the epic adventures of Ultraman! The Japanese sci-fi hero has been the subject of TV shows, movies, and comic books dating back to 1966. But even if you're not up on all that, don't worry, because Ultraman: Rising is a terrific entry point for those new to the franchise.

Directed by Shannon Tindle, Ultraman: Rising is a vivid, animated action-comedy that centers on pro-baseball player Kenji "Ken" Sato (voiced by Days of Our Lives' star Christopher Sean) as he takes on the mantle of Ultraman. This means not only donning the signature masked, metal super suit and growing to massive size to battle kaijus, but also keeping his identity secret from the press — including keen-eyed reporter Ami Wakita (Julia Harriman). This balance becomes even more precarious when Ken accidentally adopts a baby kaiju, who is as adorable as she is catastrophically destructive. (So, basically your average toddler, but giant, with laser vision!) Packed to the brim with humor, heart, action, and parent-child bonding, Ultraman: Rising is the feel-good superhero 2024 needed. — K.P.

How to watch: Ultraman: Rising is now streaming on Netflix.

12. The Platform 2

Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia's sequel takes us back to the nightmarish world of the original: A vertical prison with a table of food that travels slowly from the top to the bottom, with the prisoners at the top eating well — and the ones at the bottom starving to death.

"The original's nightmarishly simple concept was so compelling I wanted to see more from that world, but I also worried about what a sequel could say or show that the first movie hadn't," I wrote in my Mashable review. "I'm happy to report my fears weren't necessary. The Platform 2 is a powerful continuation of the bad dream that began with Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia's 2019 movie, building upon its brutalist universe while changing the rules just enough to send a new message."

Oh, and if you get to the end and you're scratching your head a bit, we have an explainer here. — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor

How to watch: The Platform 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

11. Daughters

This heartfelt documentary from directors Angela Patton and Natalie Rae explores the father-daughter relationships between four young Black girls and their incarcerated dads. More specifically, Daughters shows both sides of this bond as they prepare for a daddy-daughter dance, which is held within prison facilities to aid fathers in nurturing their connection even while incarcerated. At this lovely event, the girls will wear finery and their fathers don suits, and all get to share a dance and make treasured memories.

In Mashable's review, critic Monica Castillo cheered, "Daughters is easily one of the best documentaries you'll see all year. It's enlightening, it's moving, and it's stunning to watch. Patton and Rae focus on the experience of four little girls to illustrate such a specific loss that's often overlooked in conversations about the criminal justice system. The documentary leaves you with more to think about, some tears to dry, and perhaps the feeling you should call your dad to tell him you love him." — K.P.

How to watch: Daughters is now streaming on Netflix.

10. Power

This brand-new doc from Oscar-nominated writer/director Yance Ford (Strong Island) examines the history of policing in the United States, from its roots in frontier militias, slave patrols, and strike-breaking to the symbiotic relationship of modern policing and the military, the murder of George Floyd, and Biden's "fund the police" speech. Ford's deft directorial hand, extensive archival footage, and voice-over asking viewers to be curious — if not downright skeptical about who the police serve and protect — makes this vital viewing. The scholarly interviews are grounded by time spent with Minneapolis Police Inspector Charlie Adams, who comes across as thoughtful and deeply empathetic. 

While it's not a particularly easy watch, Ford is especially considered about how this may affect viewers. (Watching footage of a person being murdered is, despite what social media may have you think, not your responsibility, and it is traumatizing.) As he told Netflix, "We chose to obscure the George Floyd murder in a way that completely blots out Mr. Floyd on the ground, but also as a result, highlights the officer and the two people who were demanding that he check Mr. Floyd’s pulse. In that way, one of the things that we achieved was this focus on who was complicit in Mr. Floyd’s murder and who had power to intervene but chose not to." It's this sort of brilliance in filmmaking and editing (kudos to co-writer/editor Ian Olds) that makes Power unmissable. — Jenni Miller, Contributing Writer

How to watch: Power is now streaming on Netflix.

9. It's What's Inside

One of the most mind-bending movies of 2024 begins with a slasher setup: Years after a dramatic falling-out, a gaggle of college friends reunite on the eve of one of their crew's wedding to reconnect and party hard. But rather than a masked killer in their midst, the mayhem device in this clever thriller from writer/director Greg Jardin is a party game that offers players the power to swap bodies. Dare to give it a go?

Slipping into the skin of lovers, frenemies, and rivals, these twentysomethings flirt, fight, and deceive until a deadly turn raises the stakes. And every step of this movie is gleefully twisted. In his Mashable review, Siddhant Adlakha raved, "Wielding devilishly enjoyable visual language, it provides winking hints of catharsis that make even its most audacious, galaxy-brained genre swerves feel like a couple's therapy session atop the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster. It's a frenetic and fascinating film that can't be missed." — K.P.

How to watch: It's What's Inside is now streaming on Netflix.

8. The Kitchen

Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya's film The Kitchen is more than a sci-fi drama set in near-future London; it's a sharp commentary on privatization and oppression, police brutality, and the power of community resistance. It's also Kaluuya's directorial debut, and a hell of a watch.

Protagonists Izi (Top Boy star Kane Robinson) and Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman) live within the titular neighborhood known as The Kitchen, the last remaining bastion of independent housing in London. Plagued by brutal police raids and skint resources, the community is constantly under threat. It's a brilliantly shot, superbly acted, and all-too-real cautionary tale. — S.C.

How to watch: The Kitchen is now streaming on Netflix.

7. The Imaginary

Director Yoshiyuki Momose, who had a hand in such Studio Ghibli classics as Spirited Away and Porco Rosso, offers a fresh tale of adventure with this animated darling.

The Imaginary centers on Rudger, a blonde boy who is the devoted imaginary friend to a mischievous little girl named Amanda. Together, they can get up to all kinds of extraordinary adventures. But when a strange man begins poking around, seeking to steal Rudger away, the boy will have to rely on his newfound community of "imaginaries" to get back to Amanda and save her from emotions so big they could swallow her whole. Featuring voice work from Louie Rudge-Buchanan, Evie Kiszel, Hayley Atwell, Sky Katz, Jeremy Swift, Kal Penn, LeVar Burton, and many more, this Netflix original is as full of charm as it is astounding visuals. — K.P.

How to watch: The Imaginary is now streaming on Netflix.

6. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Coming back onto the scene 30 years after Beverly Hills Cop III flopped, this fourth installment of the comedic crime-solving adventures of Detroit police officer Axel Foley has no right to be as good as it is. Not only did screenwriters Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten have to manage how public opinion has shifted when it comes to cops who play by their own rules, but also how to approach Axel's wise-cracking sense of humor that traditionally put just about everyone in its crosshairs. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F manages both in a way that gives fresh life to the character without casting aside the fans who loved his wild ways.

As I wrote in my rave review, "Eddie Murphy is as good as ever as Axel Foley." Plus, he's got his old friends, like John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot back and in action. It's an absolute blast to see all these energies colliding, and yet there's room for newcomers, like the dynamic Taylour Paige and the ever-solid Joseph Gordon-Levitt, both of whom prove to be compelling foils to the ever-quipping Murphy. "In the end, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F isn't just a great sequel, or an awesome action-comedy; it might just be the most entertaining movie of the year." — K.P.

How to watch: Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is now streaming on Netflix.

5. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

World of Warcraft provides an eye-opening look into a deceased gamer's online life in the documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin. The film introduces us to 25-year-old Mats Steen, who died in 2014 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Before he passed away, he spent much of his time gaming, leading his parents to believe that he led a solitary life. But when condolences and fond memories start pouring in from his fellow World of Warcraft players, they realize Mats was a key part of a vibrant community. 

SEE ALSO: 'The Remarkable Life of Ibelin' review: An equally remarkable doc about a 'World of Warcraft' player's inner life

Director Benjamin Ree brings Mats' time in WoW to life using animated recreations, showing how Mats, playing as his character Ibelin, fostered friendships in the game. Members of his role-playing guild also reveal the various ways in which he touched their lives. The result is a moving memorial to Mats that will certainly leave you teary, as well as a broader gesture to the power of online spaces and the digital ties that bind. — B.E.

How to watch: The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is now streaming on Netflix.

4. Rebel Ridge

Director Jeremy Saulnier serves up one of 2024's best thrillers with Rebel Ridge, an unforgettable look at corruption in small-town America featuring a star-making turn from Aaron Pierre (The Underground Railroad).

SEE ALSO: 'Rebel Ridge' review: Aaron Pierre and Jeremy Saulnier's cop corruption thriller will floor you

Pierre plays ex-Marine Terry, who's heading into the small town of Shelby Springs to post bail for his cousin. However, when cops pull him over and seize all his bail money, Terry's forced to take matters into his own hands. His quest to save his cousin leads him down a rabbit hole of town-wide corruption, all stemming from the deeply maddening practice of civil asset forfeiture. The ensuing stand-off between Terry and the cops is a tour de force of perfectly calibrated tension, courtesy of Saulnier. And while there isn't as much action as the film's trailer may have you believe, the buildup to every brawl — plus Pierre's commanding performance — gives each punch that much more weight. As I wrote in my review, Rebel Ridge "checks all the boxes any thriller aficionado could possibly want, and then some." — B.E.

How to watch: Rebel Ridge is now streaming on Netflix.

3. Hit Man

Richard Linklater and Glen Powell reunite for Hit Man, a rom-com that is killer in all senses of the word.

Powell plays Gary Johnson, a college professor whose side gig as an undercover hit man leads to an unexpected meet-cute with would-be client Madison (Andor's Adria Arjona). The pair's connection (and electrifying chemistry) sparks a delightful game of false identities, reinvention, and twisted love that toggles between hilarious, thrilling, and sexy at a moment's notice. Oh, who am I kidding; sometimes it's all three at once!* — B.E.

How to watch: Hit Man is now streaming on Netflix.

2. His Three Daughters

One of Mashable's favorites out of TIFF 2023, His Three Daughters centers on a trio of sisters struggling to cope as their elderly father enters his final days of at-home hospice care. Stuck together in a cozy but emotionally claustrophobic New York City apartment, they face sibling rivalry, philosophical differences, and heated emotions.

Each member of writer/director Azazel Jacobs' cast is stellar. And as I wrote in my review, "His Three Daughters is a simple but elegant drama that grapples with the ugliness of grief and comes out with as happy an ending as a shattering death might bring. It's chaotic, charismatic, and ultimately cathartic." Don't pass it up.* — K.P.

How to watch: His Three Daughters is now streaming on Netflix. 

1. Will & Harper

Since their early days at Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell and Harper Steele have had a strong connection when it comes to comedy. This would flourish as they made movies together, including the sublime Lifetime movie parody A Deadly Adoption, the absolutely epic musical comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, and now their most personal of all, Will & Harper. Helmed by Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar director Josh Greenbaum, this documentary follows the two longtime friends and colleagues on a road trip across America, as they navigate what their friendship means now that Harper has come out as a trans woman.

While her devoted pal is by her side at visits to dive bars, pro basketball games, and a surly Texas steakhouse, not all of the Americans they run across are so welcoming. Through this vulnerable and wonderfully vibrant film, this dynamic duo offers plenty of jokes, but also a thoughtful exploration of what it means to be trans in America in this moment. In Mashable's review out of TIFF, I declared, "Will & Harper is a resoundingly joyful and moving documentary, resplendent in its openness. It's their love story, and it's glorious." — K.P.

How to watch: Will & Harper is now streaming on Netflix.

* denotes that this blurb appeared in a previous Mashable list.

SAVE $150: As of Dec. 4, the Samsung 55-inch DU6900 Crystal UHD 4K Smart Tizen TV is available for $279.99 at Best Buy. That's $150 off its original price of $429.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 55-Inch Class DU6900 Series $279.99 at Best Buy
$429.99 Save $150.00 Shop Now

The Samsung DU6900 features a Crystal Processor 4K, which delivers solid clarity and vibrant colors that most TVs at this price point won't touch. Thanks to its 4K upscaling technology, even non-4K content gets a noticeable boost in quality. Features like Mega Contrast and HDR ensure every scene is rich with detail, although don't expect those old episodes of Dallas to jump out of the screen. It'll look at its best, but this TV is a good deal built with decent specs, not magic.

Samsung's Motion Xcelerator reduces lag and blur, making fast-paced action look smooth and natural. Need a decent gaming TV but money is tight? This is a solid option, with the same going for movies, TV, and sports. Sound snobs will love the Object Tracking Sound Lite feature, putting out a surround sound experience that matches the movement on-screen. Pair it with a Samsung Q-series or S-series soundbar for an even more immersive audio setup using Q-Symphony. Or better yet, grab yourself a solid pair of PSB Alpha iQ wireless bookshelf speakers for a crisp audio experience without the wires.

SEE ALSO: Ready to upgrade your smartphone? Grab the Samsung Galaxy A15 for less than $200

Streaming your favorite shows and movies is a breeze with Samsung's Tizen OS, which provides quick access to apps like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Samsung TV Plus. The latter offers free live TV content with just a WiFi connection, so you can dive into live sports, news, or popular shows without needing a cable subscription.

At just $279.99, this Samsung TV offers excellent value for its price. It's a no-nonsense deal where you get what you pay for, and that's a lot packed into a budget TV that does it all. Deals like this are usually limited, so if you want one, snap one up while it's on offer.