HBO Max may be one of the newest platforms to enter the streaming world, but already it’s one of the best. Not only does the service offer a ton of exclusive content related to its hit properties — like Game of Thrones, The Wire, and The Sopranos — it also has a ton of fantastic films strengthening its online catalog.
Thanks to HBO’s partnerships with standout companies and networks like TCM, Studio Ghibli, and DC, the service has an absolutely stacked selection of films you’re able to choose from.
Whether you’re in the mood for a classic black and white monster movie from the ‘30s, a beloved anime film from Hayao Miyazaki, or a recent blockbuster from this past summer, there’s no end to the number of great films you’re able to choose from.
From universally praised films like The Big Chill and City Slickers to celebrated modern films like Insidious and (500) Days of Summer, here are some of the best films you can find currently streaming on HBO Max.
Updated: April 5.
Horror: Insidious
The late 2000s and early 2010s was a great time to be a horror fan. Between found footage movies like Paranormal Activity and haunted house/demonic possession films like The Conjuring and Insidious, there was almost no better decade for horror releases than ten years ago.
When their young son (Ty Simpkins) falls into a coma after a mysterious incident in their attic, a couple (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) learn that his spirit is actually in a nightmarish dimension, with demons vying for control of his body.
Many fans might find the final act a tad disappointing, but most of the scares delivered in Insidious’ first half is enough to make your hair stand up straight. The budding atmospheric horror and feeling of suspense James Wan builds throughout most of the film is incredible, establishing Wan as the successor to past genre maestros like Wes Craven or John Carpenter.
Romance: (500) Days of Summer
The 2000s had no shortage of memorably strong romantic comedies, (500) Days of Summer being foremost among them. Like the best rom coms, (500) Days of Summer presents both a melancholic and ultimately hopeful outlook on romances and relationships in general, side by side with other genre classics like Annie Hall or La La Land.
Shortly after his girlfriend Summer (Zooey Deschanel) breaks up with him, aspiring architect Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) reflects on the ups and downs of their relationship, as well as his own aspirations for the future.
Few movies have as realistic a depiction of relationships as (500) Days of Summer. From Tom’s eyes, we wallow in self-pity, wondering why romances we feel so passionately about don’t always turn out the way we want them to. But in the end, we accept that our memories of loved ones aren’t always as picturesque as they were, and relationships between certain people sometimes just aren’t meant to be (as heartbreaking as that fact is).
Comedy: City Slickers
It’s hard to determine which face belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of 1980s comedy, but most people would feel Billy Crystal earned a spot on that prestigious monument. Coming off the heels of ‘80s staples like When Harry Met Sally…, Crystal entered the new decade with the well-liked film, City Slickers.
Constantly looking for escape, three best friends (Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, and Bruno Kirby) volunteer for a two-week cattle drive from New Mexico to Colorado, hoping the trip will help them reevaluate their lives.
Adding in some extremely personal issues related to age, responsibility, and midlife crises, City Slickers is a frequently hilarious movie that has tremendous fun playing with the conventions and tropes of the Western genre. Crystal, Stern, and Kirby all maintain some stellar chemistry together, with the legendary Jack Palance featured in a delightful supporting role.
Drama: The Big Chill
The 1980s was the peak of the teen movie, with Fast Times at Ridgemont High earning rave reviews from critics and John Hughes releasing coming-of-age dramas on an almost yearly basis. To be sure, there may not be any teenagers found in 1983’s The Big Chill, but Lawrence Kasdan’s touching dramedy offers an excellent counterpoint to the proliferation of teen comedies of its era.
Learning that one of their best friends has taken his own life, a group of former college friends meet up at his funeral, reminiscing about old times and what their lives have become now.
The Big Chill can best be described as a spiritual sequel to the teen movies that came before it. (What if the cameras kept rolling on the characters of Animal House, American Graffiti, or Fast Times, zooming ahead twenty years into their future? Would they be happy and fulfilled, or would they feel a tremendous longing for the simpler days of their youth?) These are the questions posed in The Big Chill, a stunningly well-done look at growing up and maintaining a loose connection to your past.
Crime: Dog Day Afternoon
In the mid 1970s, Al Pacino was at the height of his career, starring in several fantastic crime movies like The Godfather, Serpico, and The Godfather Part II. Following his career-making success as Michael Corleone, Pacino starred in 1975’s biographical crime film, Dog Day Afternoon, starring opposite his Godfather co-star, John Cazale.
After what was supposed to be a routine heist goes wrong, two thieves (Pacino and Cazale) are soon trapped inside a Brooklyn bank, holding several people hostage as police surround the premises.
The genius of Dog Day Afternoon is that, like the Safdies’ recent Good Time, you know the bank robbers are only biding their time, waiting for the inevitable. Trying and failing to search for ways to escape, they move through each stage of grief in the ongoing siege, from nervousness and anxiety to a false sense of security that they’ll make it out okay.
Thriller: Blood Simple
Big things usually have humble beginnings, with the talented Coen brothers being no different. In 1984, the future directors of The Big Lebowski, Fargo, and No Country for Old Men spearheaded their first film, the neo-noir thriller, Blood Simple.
Discovering that his wife (Frances McDormand) is cheating on him with his employee (John Getz), a Texas bar owner (Dan Hedaya) hires a sleazy private investigator (M. Emmet Walsh) to murder them both as revenge.
Sharing more than a few characteristics with No Country for Old Men, Blood Simple starts with a fairly simple plot, catapulting itself through rapid twists and shocking turns. The telltale signs of a Coen brothers’ film are all there — the colorful names, the random violence, the continuous miscommunication and misunderstandings between main characters — the entire film existing as an impressive early work from these two industrious filmmakers.
Sports: The Bad News Bears
The Bad News Bears isn’t as widely recognized in the sports comedy genre as Caddyshack, Happy Gilmore, or Kingpin, but it absolutely should be. Dripping with wickedly off-kilter humor throughout, it’s a gem of ‘70s comedy, bolstered by what might be Walter Mathau’s greatest performance.
Morris Buttermaker (Mathau) is an alcoholic ex-minor league baseball player offered a chance to coach a little league team — a misfit band of his town’s worst youth players.
It’s impossible to measure the influence of The Bad News Bears, a movie that certainly informed the plot and humor of later sports comedies like Major League, The Mighty Ducks, and Dodgeball. Unapologetically rowdy and crowd-pleasingly funny, it's a timeless classic in its respective genre.
Sci-Fi: Colossal
An underrated sci-fi comedy of epic proportions, Colossal has been accurately described as a cross between Godzilla and Lost in Translation. Focusing on existential issues, such as dissatisfaction in relationships and career goals, it's a thoughtful, and original dark comedy with some deep messages buried beneath the surface.
Battling substance abuse and depression, a New England writer (Anne Hathaway) learns that her movements somehow match those of a giant monster attacking Seoul.
The brilliance of Colossal is not only due to its clever innovation of the kaiju film, but its complete focus on Hathaway’s character. Taking time to build up the possibility of a relationship between Hathaway and either Dan Stevens or Jason Sudeikis’s characters, the movie instead makes a sharp right, doubling down on the inner psyche of Hathaway’s troubled heroine.
Classic: Black Orpheus
One of the finest films to ever come out of Brazil, Black Orpheus is a modern retelling of the Greek legend, Orpheus, set against the backdrop of Rio de Janeiro’s opulent Carnival of Brazil.
As they prepare for the annual Carnaval, a fun-loving trolley driver (Breno Mello) meets and falls in love with a mysterious young woman on the run (Marpessa Dawn), who believes a masked figure from her past is stalking her.
A luminous take on the myth of Orpheus, Black Orpheus has a dreamlike atmosphere that becomes increasingly ethereal as time goes on. The natural landscape of Rio makes for some wondrous cinematography, with the central romance between Mello and Dawn’s characters tender, heartfelt, and as tragic as the love between Orpheus and Eurydice in the legend.
Underrated: Innerspace
With the exception of Gremlins, director Joe Dante has nothing but underrated cult classics attached to his name. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about B-horror movies like Piranha or The Howling or comedy sci-fi movies like Small Soldiers or Innerspace; chances are, whenever you hit play on a Dante film, you’re in for an incredibly good time.
Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid) is an experienced Navy pilot who takes part in an experimental procedure that shrinks him down to microscopic size. After his lab is assaulted by a rival tech company, though, Tuck is unexpectedly injected inside the body of a nervous hypochondriac (Martin Short).
With an uncharacteristically larger budget at his disposal, Dante manages to go above and beyond in his comedic spoof of Fantastic Voyage. The humor that forms the backbone of the script brilliantly plays to the strengths of its lead actors, most especially Short’s perpetually addled grocery store clerk.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
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