Because the birthplace of status TV exhibits like The Sopranos and The Wire, HBO—and, by extension, Max (aka the streamer previously referred to as HBO Max)—is finest recognized for its spectacular lineup of unique collection. The community has additionally been upping the ante with feature-length content material that’s the stuff of Oscar goals.
Under is a listing of a few of our favourite movies streaming on Max—from Oscar-winning international movies to dystopian sci-fi classics. In the event you determine you’re in additional of a TV temper, head over to our picks for the finest exhibits on Max. In the event you’re on the lookout for much more suggestions, take a look at our lists of the finest films on Netflix, the finest films on Amazon Prime, and the finest films on Disney+.
We Reside in Time
Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh ignite the display with their chemistry on this romantic tearjerker that follows the couple over the course of a decade, from their meet-not-so-cute (she hits him together with her automobile) to their journey into parenthood and, ultimately, going through the final word curveball that threatens their happily-ever-after. Garfield and Pugh are two of essentially the most acclaimed actors of their technology, and We Reside in Time proves why.
Blue Velvet
Mulholland Drive could also be extensively thought-about David Lynch’s masterpiece, however Blue Velvet isn’t too far behind. Like most of Lynch’s tasks, a common abstract doesn’t actually assist promote the movie: Clear-cut school pupil Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns residence to assist out on the household ironmongery shop after his father has a stroke … and randomly finds a severed ear on the bottom. Whereas the detective assigned to research the incident tells Jeffrey to not focus on the crime, the detective’s teenage daughter (Laura Dern) appears to know as a lot concerning the crime as her dad does and groups up with Jeffrey to be taught extra. Their suspicions ultimately make them Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), a sultry nightclub singer, who appears to have some bizarre kinks (as Jeffrey sees for himself whereas hiding in her residence). As at all times, Lynch’s films are higher skilled than defined. And Blue Velvet, which earned Lynch a Finest Director Oscar nomination, is likely one of the late auteur’s easiest.
Sons of Ecstasy
Phoenix, Arizona, might look like an odd setting for a bitter feud between wannabe kingpins, however that’s precisely the place this documentary takes place. It was there, within the Nineties, that two younger males—Liverpool-born stockbroker Shaun Attwood and New York mafia royalty Gerard Gravano—discovered themselves at violent odds as each tried to turn into the popular provider of ecstasy to native nightclubs and desert raves. For Gravano, son of Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, there’s a legacy to uphold. For Attwood, getting burned out by his day job led to the will to turn into one thing extra. Each males sat down with administrators Elli Hakami and Julian P. Hobbs to inform their very own tales.
Juror #2
Up till now, most of what you’ve heard about Juror #2 is the way it’s considered one of Clint Eastwood’s most completed directorial efforts—and but someway it bought shafted when it got here to its theatrical launch. Now’s your likelihood to see what all of the fuss is about. Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) is a journalist and recovering alcoholic who’s making each effort to keep up his sobriety. That turns into a little bit of a problem when he’s placed on the jury of a high-profile homicide trial … solely to understand that he might have inadvertently performed a component in what occurred. Hoult is unbelievable on this edge-of-your-seat authorized (and moral) drama.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
It has been 37 years since Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice stormed the late ’80s field workplace. Within the many years since, we’ve usually heard rumblings {that a} sequel was within the works. Or is perhaps within the works. Or most positively was within the works. Or may not be within the playing cards in any respect. Properly, in 2024 it lastly occurred, and it was as if Michael Keaton had by no means stepped away from the position in any respect (everlasting life has a manner of doing that to you). This time, nevertheless, Lydia (Winona Ryder) remains to be doing her finest to neglect her rendezvous with the bio-exorcism professional. However when she returns to her childhood residence, it’s her personal badass daughter (Jenna Ortega) who finds a strategy to convey him again into all their lives.
Tremendous/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
James Gunn’s new model of Superman received’t arrive in theaters till July. Within the meantime, audiences have Gunn and his DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran (partly) to thank for bringing this long-overdue documentary concerning the final superhero actor to worldwide audiences. Administrators Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui ship a heartfelt, transferring tribute to Reeve—as an actor, sure, however much more in order an individual who by no means gave up. Alexandra Reeve Givens, Matthew Reeve, and Will Reeve—Reeve’s youngsters—share their very own tales about their dad, giving the challenge one more layer of intimacy. No, you’re crying.
Joker: Folie À Deux
5 years in the past, Joker was a significant awards season contender: The movie, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, earned a complete of 11 Oscar nominations—and went residence with two of them (together with one for Phoenix). Joker: Folie À Deux didn’t comply with the identical path. The sequel, wherein Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck finds love with the equally disturbed Lee Quinzel (Woman Gaga), fizzled on the field workplace and was met with fairly scathing evaluations. Nonetheless: Choose the movie for your self, we are saying. Even in the event you agree with the majority of critics, spending 138 minutes with Phoenix and Gaga taking part in off of one another at their most unhinged is definitely worth the value of admission (which, on this case, is the Max subscription you have already got).
Watchmen: Chapter I
Brandon Vietti (Batman: Beneath the Crimson Hood) directs this progressive animated adaption of Alan Moore’s Hugo Award-winning graphic novel about an investigation into the homicide of Edward Blake—higher referred to as a superhero named the Comic. When the police come up empty by way of suspects, the costumed vigilante Rorschach (Titus Welliver) decides to take the case into his personal arms, and ultimately involves consider that somebody is trying to knock off superheroes. So he enlists the assistance of a bunch of them as a way to put a cease to the killing spree.
MaXXXine
MaXXXine is the third movie in writer-director Ti West’s X trilogy, which started with X and Pearl. It’s set instantly after the occasions of Pearl: Mia Goth’s Maxine Minx is determined to flee her upbringing as a preacher’s daughter and make the transfer from porn to extra mainstream films. She will get her likelihood when she lands the lead in a horror film, The Puritan II. Then her buddies begin getting murdered. In the end, Maxine is pressured to confront the sins of her previous and discover a strategy to obtain the celebrity she so desperately goals of.
Civil Struggle
Within the not-too-distant future, america has reworked into an all-out battlefield between an authoritarian authorities, headed by a third-term president (Nick Offerman), and a stream of secessionist actions that threaten to destroy the nation as we all know it. However a bunch of journalists (led by Kirsten Dunst) is set to doc the downfall of America at any value, in order that they set about heading to the White Home as a way to interview the embattled president. Which is far simpler stated than carried out. Oscar nominee Alex Garland (Ex-Machina) writes and directs this dystopian drama that usually hits uncomfortably near residence.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Furiosa might been dubbed final summer time’s first field workplace “bomb,” however don’t let these dollar-focused headlines deter you from this one. Anya Taylor-Pleasure, who’s undoubtedly probably the most versatile actors working right now, shines within the position of Imperator Furiosa, a badass emancipator who dares to problem gender conventions in a harmful, postapocalyptic world the place (no shock in any respect) males make the principles. Taylor-Pleasure does an admirable job embracing the position that Charlize Theron memorably originated in Mad Max: Fury Street.
Drive My Automotive
Regardless of incomes 4 Oscar nominations in 2022—and successful one for Finest Worldwide Characteristic Movie—it nonetheless feels totally correct to state that Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Automotive stays woefully underseen. Right here’s your likelihood to do your half to repair that. Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) ia a famend theater director nonetheless reeling from the loss of life of his spouse. Ultimately, he makes the choice to start working once more and agrees to a two-month residency to direct a play in Hiroshima, an hour from his residence. So every day, a younger lady (Toko Miura) drives him to and from the theater. All that point spent in a confined area collectively ultimately results in a friendship—one the place Kafuku feels snug sharing the challenges he’s going through along with his new challenge and, ultimately, the reality about the best way wherein his spouse betrayed him. Street films have by no means felt so intimate—or leisurely.
Beetlejuice
Whether or not you’ve already seen Beetlejuice Beetlejuice or are nonetheless ready to stream it (see above), why not take a journey again to 1988, the place the story of the havoc-wreaking “bio-exorcist” (aka Betelgeuse) started. Michael Keaton is at his zany finest because the troublesome spirit employed to assist a lately deceased couple (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) use their ghostly powers to scare away the obnoxious household that has moved into their dream home.
Love Lies Bleeding
English writer-director Rose Glass follows up her BAFTA-nominated Saint Maud with this twisty, hyper-violent love story. It’s 1989 in a rural New Mexico city the place fitness center supervisor Lou (Kristen Stewart) is doing her finest to remain underneath the radar and keep watch over her sister Beth (Jena Malone), who’s in an abusive relationship together with her husband JJ (Dave Franco). However Lou’s life is turned the wrong way up when Jackie (Katy O’Brian), a stunning younger bodybuilder, begins coming to Lou’s fitness center to coach for an upcoming competitors in Las Vegas. The 2 fall in love—after which Lou’s hidden household secrets and techniques come tumbling out of the closet and threaten her life, and the lives of these she cares about.
Faye
“I’m Faye Dunaway. That’s who I’m.” That’s the best way the Oscar winner introduces herself within the trailer for Laurent Bouzereau’s feature-length documentary. However what the movie reveals is that there’s much more to Faye Dunaway than the glamorous picture related to the legendary star of Community. Dunaway opens up in a manner that has not often been seen earlier than, discussing her childhood and household, her struggles with bipolar dysfunction, and the way the characters she has performed proceed to influence her. It’s an interesting portrait of a real Hollywood icon.
Quad Gods
Jess Jacklin’s characteristic documentary follows the fascinating journey of Blake, Prentice, and Richard—three people with quadriplegia who meet in a neuro-rehabilitation lab at Mount Sinai Hospital and launch a plan to create the world’s first all-quadriplegic esports crew. It’s a noble pursuit, however one fraught with challenges as they break down the doorways of ableism. At its coronary heart, Quad Gods is a narrative of friendship, perseverance, and survival.
Am I OK?
Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a thirtysomething residing in Los Angeles, continually failing at relationships and questioning why she doesn’t have the whole lot discovered but. After drunkenly sharing the story of the time she kissed a feminine pal as a teen, she begins to understand that the issue in her love life may not be the lads she’s selecting, however that she’s selecting males in any respect. Former Saturday Night time Reside author Lauren Pomerantz penned the script for the movie primarily based on her personal expertise of popping out in her thirties. Tig Notaro and her spouse Stephanie Allynne do an admirable job as codirectors, treating Lucy’s journey of self-discovery with the respect it deserves—and loads of humor.
MoviePass, MovieCrash
For higher or worse, hundreds of thousands of movie followers will keep in mind 2012 because the yr of MoviePass. For $25 per thirty days, you might mainly stay in a movie show—which was nice for audiences, not so nice for film theaters (which had been already struggling), and ultimately disastrous for the corporate itself. For anybody who nonetheless has their MoviePass, this revealing documentary tells the actual story of all that went incorrect behind the scenes, and shares the story of the unsung heroes who actually did simply wish to create a product that film lovers may embrace. By the best way: In the event you do certainly nonetheless have your unique MoviePass, this doc has made it a worthwhile piece of memorabilia—with some promoting for north of $1,000.
Dune & Dune: Half Two
Since breaking by with the Oscar-nominated Incendies (2010), Denis Villeneuve has continued to show that he’s probably the most gifted filmmakers working right now. As if making a Blade Runner sequel that didn’t suck wasn’t sufficient, Villeneuve then went on to crack the cinematic code on Frank Herbert’s Dune collection—one thing that true visionaries like David Lynch and Alejandro Jodorowsky had tried earlier than him, albeit largely unsuccessfully. Each the 2021 unique movie and its sequel are streaming on Max—as is Lynch’s 1984 adaptation (which has turn into a little bit of a cult basic through the years). The movie follows the destiny of the planet Arrakis—and its provide of melange, a novel spice and essentially the most priceless substance within the universe—which rests within the arms of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the untested son of a strong duke. On the lookout for extra Dune motion? The prequel collection Dune: Prophecy, starring Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, and Mark Sturdy is streaming in full.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
In the event you’re a fan of the absurdly darkish work of Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, Poor Issues, Sorts of Kindness) or are simply discovering the uncomfortable brilliance of Barry Keoghan, The Killing of a Sacred Deer has bought your identify written throughout it. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) is a extremely esteemed surgeon with a loving spouse (Nicole Kidman) and kids whose life is turned the wrong way up after he befriends Martin (Keoghan), a clumsy teen who Steven learns misplaced his father just a few years earlier. What begins as a seeming act of kindness on Steven’s half quickly turns into a very demented model of Sophie’s Selection. As at all times, Lanthimos’ capacity to combine humor with pathos stays unmatched—maybe by no means extra so than right here.
The Zone of Curiosity
In 1943, Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) was the commandant of Auschwitz who spent his days taking part in god with the lives of the focus camp’s harmless prisoners. However what occurred when Höss went residence? That’s the truth Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar-winning movie examines, and the reply is: Not a lot. Höss lives proper subsequent door to the camp, within the so-called Zone of Curiosity, along with his spouse Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) and their 5 youngsters. Inside these 4 partitions, they try to construct a dream life for his or her household—whereas the sound of gunshots, incoming trains, and furnaces being lit are simply part of each day life. Sure, it’s each bit as brutal—and obligatory—because it sounds.
Black Swan
Natalie Portman provides what would possibly very properly find yourself being the defining efficiency of her profession on this darkish dance drama from Darren Aronofsky. Nina Sayers (Portman) is a dancer with the New York Metropolis Ballet whose whole life has been devoted to her artwork, largely because of her overprotective mom (Barbara Hershey), who was additionally a ballerina and pushes her daughter to have the profession she wished for herself. Nina’s life is turned the wrong way up when she lands the lead in a brand new manufacturing of Swan Lake, solely to understand that she’ll be splitting the half with the free-spirited Lily (Mila Kunis) who shortly turns into each the one pal Nina has ever actually had and her most bitter rival. Quickly, she descends right into a dizzying insanity that’s mirrored in Aronofsky’s directorial decisions, which make the viewers really feel each little bit of her feelings.
Good Time
Again in 2020, we named Good Time as one of many most underrated films of the previous 20 years, and completely nonetheless stand by that declare. Thankfully, as Robert Pattinson and the Safdie Brothers have continued to ascertain themselves as a few of the most fascinating actors (Pattinson and Benny Safdie) and administrators (Benny once more and his brother Josh) working right now, extra individuals have found the movie, and much more will, now that it’s on Max. Connie Nikas (Pattinson) is a small-time prison who’s at all times on the lookout for his subsequent massive rating, and sometimes employs his developmentally disabled brother Nick (Safdie) as his accomplice. When a financial institution theft goes incorrect and Nick is nabbed by the police, Connie should combat for his or her survival. Very similar to Uncut Gems, which might later come to outline the Safdies’ fashion, Good Time is a fast-moving, visceral crime thriller that can have you ever on the sting of your seat as Connie works to reunite along with his brother, no matter the price.
Wonka
Timothée Chalamet stars as Willy Wonka on this completely entertaining origin story of Roald Dahl’s quirky chocolatier, directed by Paddington’s Paul King. Whereas it doesn’t hit the identical as Mel Stuart’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Manufacturing unit—actually, who may match Gene Wilder’s somersaulting sweet maker?—it additionally far surpasses Tim Burton’s pretty useless 2005 remake.
Dream State of affairs
Like Forrest Gump’s famed field of goodies, you by no means know what you’re going to get from a Nicolas Cage efficiency. However he’s a one-of-a-kind actor whose roles are likely to fall into considered one of two classes: completely transcendent, or scenery-chewing at its most voracious. Dream State of affairs may be very a lot the previous, and has been heralded as one of many Oscar-winning actor’s finest performances by some critics. Rightfully so. Cage stars as Paul Matthews, an unassuming biology professor who all of the sudden begins showing in strangers’ goals and achieves viral fame on account of it. Like every good Cage efficiency, this one is multifaceted and examines the draw back of sudden fame and what it actually prices.
Dicks: The Musical
A24—the studio recognized for its edgy, award-winning indies like Moonlight and Ex Machina—takes a dive into the musical style with this adaptation of the off-Broadway hit Fucking Similar Twins (and also you thought Dicks: The Musical was a raunchy title). Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp cowrote and costar on this over-the-top musical as two coworkers who uncover that they’re long-lost twin brothers, they usually try to Father or mother Entice their mother and father (performed by Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally). Megan Thee Stallion performs their boss. Anybody offended by an f-bomb—or dozens of them—would possibly wish to give this one a skip.
Barbie
Greta Gerwig is a grasp of respiration new life into previous properties (see: Little Ladies). With Barbie, she has ignited a revolution. Barbie (Margot Robbie) resides her finest life in Barbieland—till in the future, when her completely plastic world, and heels, all of the sudden start to break down. To get her fabulous life again, Barbie should journey to the actual world—properly, Los Angeles—to find out who or what’s inflicting her existential disaster. The movie grossed almost $1.5 billion worldwide, that means you have already seen it. However even in the event you did, it’s completely value a second watch—if solely to lament its many Oscar snubs.
RoboCop
From Complete Recall to Showgirls and again to Fundamental Intuition, director Paul Verhoeven has a observe report virtually unmatched in trendy cinema. RoboCop, his dystopian tackle legislation enforcement, is proof. Set in a bleak imaginative and prescient of Detroit overrun with crime, it follows a cop (Peter Weller) who will get fatally wounded and changed into, sure, a robotic cop, who you would possibly assume is sweet at combating crime, however after all just isn’t. A few of the visible results might look slightly beat up now, however in 1987, they regarded like the longer term. Additionally, if RoboCop leaves you wanting extra, the movie’s two sequels and 2014 reboot—none of which, sadly, had been directed by Verhoeven—are additionally obtainable on Max.
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
Albert Brooks is a comic’s comic. Although he is perhaps finest referred to as the filmmaker behind such celebrated comedies as Defending Your Life, Misplaced in America, Actual Life, and Mom, he’s additionally a superb actor (with an Oscar nomination to show it). Brooks’ longtime pal Rob Reiner directs this charming documentary, which paperwork Brooks’ one-of-a-kind expertise, with a shocking lineup of A-listers—together with David Letterman, Steven Spielberg, Sarah Silverman, Judd Apatow, Chris Rock, Larry David, and Ben Stiller—all able to sing his praises.
Actuality
In 2017, an intelligence report about Russian interference within the 2016 US presidential election was leaked anonymously. One yr later, former NSA translator Actuality Winner (sure, that’s her actual identify) was sentenced to greater than 5 years in jail for the crime—the longest sentence ever obtained by a authorities whistleblower. HBO’s reigning muse, Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The White Lotus), shines on this gripping true story, which performs out principally in actual time because the FBI knocks on the 25-year-old’s door and spends greater than an hour questioning her.
All of the Magnificence and the Bloodshed
Discovering success in a single’s lifetime would possibly look like the dream of each artist, however Nan Goldin has greater ambitions. Although she’s a photographer by commerce, she’s an activist by calling and has lengthy used her digicam to seize painfully intimate moments of America in disaster, together with in depth work targeted on the HIV/AIDS and opioid epidemics. However All of the Magnificence and the Bloodshed reveals the artist in battle: Ought to she enable her work to be showcased in one of many distinguished museums or galleries which have obtained endowments from the Sackler household—the Huge Pharma household that many blame for America’s opioid disaster? It’s a transferring portrait of an artist prepared to danger all of it for her beliefs.
