like the place of birth of prestigious television programs such as The sopranos and The wireHBO and by extension hbo max—is best known for its impressive lineup of original series. But the network has also been upping the ante with feature-length content, as evidenced by the anticipated arrival of some top Oscar contenders in late 2022. However, because HBO Max isn’t (yet) a production powerhouse, Like, say, Netflix, hundreds of great movies come and go from the streaming service every month. So if you see something you want to see, don’t let him stand in line for also long.
Below is a list of some of our favorite movies streaming on HBO Max, from virtually new awards to auteur classics you’ll see at the top of any “Best Movies of All Time” list. If you decide you’re more in the TV mood, head over to our picks for the Best TV Series on HBO Max. If you’re looking for more recommendations, check out our lists of best movies on netflixhe best movies on amazon primeand the best movies on disney+.
The host
More than a decade before the South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho made history at the Oscars with 2019 Parasite, he trained his unique narrative sensibilities to imagine what would happen if the Han River was polluted with formaldehyde and suddenly inhabited by a giant sea monster with a taste for humans. While that’s the general idea, the story, like much of Bong’s work, is really about family. Well, a dysfunctional family (the director’s favorite) and what they must go through to stick together and stay alive as the monster wreaks havoc on their town.
No country for old men
Although Joel and Ethan Coen have earned more than a dozen Oscar nominations throughout their storied and mostly shared careers, No country for old men it’s the only movie of theirs that actually won. but won four of them, including Best Picture, Best Direction and Best Adapted Screenplay. So it doesn’t seem like hyperbole to say that his version of the Cormac McCarthy novel, starring Javier Bardem as a raging psycho with a terrible haircut and Josh Brolin as the well-meaning Texan who inadvertently crosses his path and kills him. mad, it’s a movie. masterpiece.
The Banshees of Inisherin
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson: reuniting after playwright-turned-filmmaker Martin McDonagh in bruges (2008) – Plays lifelong best friends who have an unexpected falling out when Gleeson’s Colm suddenly decides to cut Farrell’s Pádraic out of his life. When Pádraic searches for an explanation as to why, Colm starts cutting much more. McDonagh is a virtuoso of absurd comedy and The Banshees of Inisherin it could be his masterpiece. Though it left empty-handed at the Oscars, the film was deservedly nominated for a total of nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and nominations for Farrell, Gleeson, Barry Keoghan, and Kerry Condon. (Farrell’s day will come.)
Elvis
“This is not a nostalgia show,” says Austin Butler, as the King, in Elvis. “We’re going to do something different.” Butler might as well have been talking about the movie itself, which is certainly not your typical Presley biopic. On the other hand, in the hands of director Baz Luhrmann, would you expect anything different? Told from the deathbed perspective of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley’s (gloomy) longtime manager, Luhrmann removes the so often seen musical deity angle to paint a much more vulnerable picture of Presley. Of course, he does it all with the same frenetic energy, wild rhythm, and exaggerated style that have become hallmarks of Luhrmann’s work.
empire of light
At your summary level, empire of light is a historical romance set in the 1980s about an upset film director (Olivia Colman) who falls for a new hire (Micheal Ward) and manages to find a little happiness at a time of political unrest in the UK. But the film, directed by Sam Mendes, is also a labor of love and partly autobiographical. At its core, it’s really an appreciation of cinema and the connections we can find with people in the dark, both literally and figuratively. Although far from a perfect film, Colman’s masterful performance is worth the price of admission alone, and she once again proves why she is one of today’s most in-demand actresses.
The menu
A small group of privileged foodies (including Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) travel to an island in the middle of nowhere to be placed at the culinary mercy of world-famous chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) and pay top dollar. for the privilege. But during the dinner service in which The menu takes place, Slowik has plans that go beyond an eight-course tasting menu. It’s probably best to go in knowing as little as possible about where this weird little black comedy horror movie is going, but keep in mind that it’s not pretty at all.
Barbarian
Whether anyone realizes it or not, collaborative consumption has forced many people to continually trust strangers (think: Uber drivers) without a second thought. from writer-director Zach Cregger Barbarian may make you reconsider. When Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives at her Airbnb, she discovers that the place has already been rented. Good thing the guy (Bill Skarsgård) staying there seems so sweet, soft-spoken and accommodating.
ingrid goes west
If season 2 of the white lotus makes you search for more Aubrey Plaza content, ingrid goes west it will scratch that itch. While it was a hit at Sundance in 2017 and garnered an Independent Spirit Award the following year for Best First Feature, the film has flown under the radar ever since. Ingrid Thorburn (Plaza) is a lifelong outsider whose only real connection to the world is through Instagram, which is where she discovers Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen), a social media influencer living a life seemingly # perfect in Los Angeles. After the death of her mother, and with nothing to lose, Ingrid moves to Los Angeles with a deranged plan to befriend Taylor in real life. The film’s mix of dark comedy, brutal honesty, and sometimes disturbing demeanor is a perfect match for Plaza’s singular talent.
Michael Clayton
George Clooney plays a little against type as a former prosecutor turned “fixer” for a high-powered Manhattan law firm who spends his days cleaning up dirty deeds on his colleagues and clients. All while he fights his own demons. But when his close friend and colleague Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) experiences an apparent break with reality during a high-profile class action lawsuit, Clayton must try to clean up the mess. and getting to the bottom of what exactly caused Arthur’s strange behavior in the first place, including being a bit overzealous bread love.
All the president’s men
Political paranoia and general disillusionment with the world were two key themes of nearly every film to emerge from the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s, and writer-director Alan J. Pakula (klute, parallax view) was a true master of the trade. Still All the president’s men hit almost uncomfortably close to home for many viewers at the time, as it recounted Carl Bernstein’s (Dustin Hoffman) and Bob Woodward’s (Robert Redford) investigation of the Watergate scandal in precise and fascinating detail. That the film was written, shot, edited, and released nearly 20 months after Richard Nixon’s resignation is impressive even by today’s standards.
The dark knight
First things first: All three of Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies are currently on HBO Max, and watching them all back to back is certainly a way to spend an evening. But if you opt to watch just one, the second movie in the series is the best. Although Christian Bale’s Caped Crusader gets top billing, it’s Heath Ledger’s now-iconic performance as The Joker that makes The dark knight the most binge-watchable Batman movie (even beyond Nolan’s entries). Although Ledger tragically passed away six months before the film’s release, he posthumously won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his villainous role, in which he managed to strike the perfect balance between dark humor and outright lunacy.
Good boys
In his 1990 review of Good boys, Roger Ebert stated “There has never been a better film about organized crime, not even The Godfatheralthough the two works are not really comparable.” It was a bold statement, to be sure, but prescient. More than 30 years later, it’s safe to say that no gangster movie has come even close to matching Martin Scorsese’s retelling of the life of mobster-turned-rat Henry Hill (Ray Liotta). Yeah, chances are you’ve seen it before and can recite several scenes word for word. Which is all the more reason to rewatch what may well be Scorsese’s best film.
Hereditary
Ari Aster caused a sensation, and a memorable explosion, with his directorial debut, taking psychological terror to new heights. Annie Graham (Toni Collette) is a miniatures artist living a seemingly happy life with her psychiatrist husband, hers (Gabriel Byrne) and her two teenage sons, Peter (Alex Wolff) and Charlie (Milly Shapiro). . But any sense of normalcy disappears almost immediately after the death of Annie’s mother, with whom she had a challenging relationship. Is Annie crazy? Is her husband a terrible psychiatrist? Peter is a terrible person? Why does Charlie make that clicking noise? What’s that in the back seat of the car? These are all valid questions answered by Aster, whose deft directing style has made him an instant Hollywood icon.
Citizen Kane
Can In fact call yourself a “movie buff” if you’ve never seen Citizen Kane? Probably not. So it’s nice that HBO Max is giving viewers that opportunity, even if they already know who (or what) Rosebud is. Orson Welles was just 23 years old when the life of media mogul William Randolph Hearst was fictionalized and he wrote, directed, produced and starred in what almost instantly became one of the greatest movies ever made.