The 29 Best Movies on Max (aka HBO Max) Right Now (November 2024)

Because the birthplace of status TV exhibits like The Sopranos and The Wire, HBO—and, by extension, Max (aka the streamer formerly known as HBO Max)—is finest identified for its spectacular lineup of authentic collection. The community has additionally been upping the ante with feature-length content material that’s the stuff of Oscar goals. Nonetheless, as a result of Max isn’t (but) a manufacturing powerhouse like, say, Netflix, tons of of nice films come and go every month. So in the event you see one thing you need to watch, don’t let it linger in your queue for too lengthy.

Beneath is a listing of a few of our favourite movies streaming on Max—from iconic Westerns to latest Oscar nominees you’ll see close to the highest of any Greatest Motion pictures of the Yr record. For those who determine you’re in additional of a TV temper, head over to our picks for the best shows on Max. For those who’re in search of much more suggestions, take a look at our lists of the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best movies on Disney+.

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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 probability when she lands the lead in a horror film, The Puritan II. Then her mates begin getting murdered. Finally, Maxine is compelled to confront the sins of her previous and discover a technique to obtain the celebrity she so desperately goals of.

A Nightmare on Elm Road

Earlier than Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) was a wise-cracking horror film caricature, he was a downright terrifying villain. Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) is a seemingly regular teen who immediately finds herself tormented by nightmares of a person with knives for fingers. Oddly, she learns that her finest buddy Tina (Amanda Wyss) and boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp) are being haunted by the identical man in their very own goals. So she does what any rational teen would do: consumes as a lot espresso and caffeine capsules as she will be able to to make sure that she doesn’t go to sleep. However when her finest buddy is brutally murdered, Nancy decides that the one technique to make it cease is to set a lure to drag this bogeyman out of her goals and into the actual world. Which, on second thought, might not have been one of the best thought. Whereas the franchise (which now consists of 9 movies) took on a sillier tone in later outings, Wes Craven’s authentic entry—which is celebrating its fortieth birthday this 12 months—nonetheless holds up as a genuinely creepy story of the hazard that may discover us after we’re at our most susceptible.

Civil Battle

Within the not-too-distant future, the USA 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 gaggle of journalists (led by Kirsten Dunst) are decided 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 way simpler mentioned than finished. Oscar nominee Alex Garland (Ex-Machina) writes and directs this dystopian drama that usually hits uncomfortably close to home.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Furiosa might been dubbed the summer’s first box office “bomb” when it arrived in theaters in Could, however don’t let these dollar-focused headlines deter you from this one. Anya Taylor-Pleasure, who’s undoubtedly one of the vital versatile actors working at this time, shines within the function 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 foundations. Taylor-Pleasure does an admirable job embracing the function that Charlize Theron memorably originated in Mad Max: Fury Highway (which can be streaming on Max).

Drive My Automotive

Regardless of incomes 4 Oscar nominations in 2022—and successful one for Greatest Worldwide Characteristic Movie—it nonetheless feels totally correct to state that Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Automotive stays woefully underseen. Right here’s your probability to do your half to repair that. Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) ia a famend theater director nonetheless reeling from the demise of his spouse. Finally, 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 house. 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 comfy sharing the challenges he’s going through along with his new undertaking and, ultimately, the reality about the way in which through which his spouse betrayed him. Highway films have by no means felt so intimate—or leisurely.

Beetlejuice

Almost two months after its launch, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Tim Burton’s long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel, continues to be delivering on the field workplace. So 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 just 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 gymnasium supervisor Lou (Kristen Stewart) is doing her finest to remain beneath the radar and regulate her sister Beth (Jena Malone), who’s in an abusive relationship along with her husband JJ (Dave Franco). However Lou’s life is turned the other way up when Jackie (Katy O’Brian), a stunning younger bodybuilder, begins coming to Lou’s gymnasium 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 way in which the star 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 Oscar-winning star of Community. Dunaway opens up in a means 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 affect 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 staff. 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.

Babe

Speaking animals. Does one want any extra convincing? Babe is the heartwarming story of an lovable piglet who aspires to be a sheepdog—a lot to the delight of Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell, who obtained an Oscar nod for the function), a farmer and Babe’s caretaker. However Babe is greater than only a cute household film; it’s cowritten and produced by George Miller (sure, the identical George Miller of Mad Max fame), who brings an grownup sensibility to the story. The movie gained an Oscar for Greatest Visible Results and obtained six different nominations—together with a nod for Greatest Image.

Am I OK?

Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a thirtysomething residing in Los Angeles, consistently failing at relationships and questioning why she doesn’t have every little thing found out but. After drunkenly sharing the story of the time she kissed a feminine buddy as a teen, she begins to appreciate that the issue in her love life may not be the boys she’s selecting, however that she’s selecting males in any respect. Former Saturday Evening Reside author Lauren Pomerantz penned the script for the movie based mostly 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 bear in mind 2012 because the 12 months of MoviePass. For $25 per thirty days, you can 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 improper behind the scenes, and shares the story of the unsung heroes who actually did simply need to create a product that film lovers may embrace. By the way in which: For those who do certainly nonetheless have your authentic MoviePass, this doc has made it a worthwhile piece of memorabilia—with some selling for north of $1,000.

Dune & Dune: Half Two

Since breaking by means of with the Oscar-nominated Incendies (2010), Denis Villeneuve has continued to show that he’s one of the vital gifted filmmakers working at this time. 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 authentic movie and its sequel are streaming on Max—as is Lynch’s 1984 adaptation (which has develop into a little bit of a cult traditional over time). The movie follows the destiny of the planet Arrakis—and its provide of melange, a singular spice and probably the most priceless substance within the universe—which rests within the fingers of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the untested son of a robust duke.

Cease Making Sense

Forty years in the past, Oscar-winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme and the Speaking Heads revolutionized the rockumentary format with Cease Making Sense. The 1984 live performance movie was shot over the course of 4 performances at Los Angeles’ iconic Pantages Theatre, and made independently on a funds of simply over $1 million, which David Byrne and firm raised on their very own. What makes it so memorable (along with Byrne’s iconic oversize swimsuit) is the simplicity with which it’s shot, permitting the band’s creativity to take middle stage and lead audiences on an unforgettable journey that feels as very like a chunk of efficiency artwork because it does an easy live performance.

Mad Max

It’s very doubtless that even writer-director George Miller didn’t know what he was igniting with Mad Max. Mel Gibson stars as Max Rockatansky, a form of police officer (in dystopian dramas, authorities aren’t so clearly outlined) who’s searching for revenge from a biker gang after the brutal homicide of his spouse and little one. Within the 45 years since, the movie has morphed right into a full-on, five-film franchise with one other one in improvement. You’ll be able to watch the entire launched movies— together with 1981’s The Highway Warrior, 1985’s Past Thunderdome, and 2015’s Fury Highway—on Max now, too.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

For those who’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 obtained your title written throughout it. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) is a extremely esteemed surgeon with a loving spouse (Nicole Kidman) and youngsters whose life is turned the other way up after he befriends Martin (Keoghan), a clumsy teen who Steven learns misplaced his father a number of years earlier. What begins as a seeming act of kindness on Steven’s half quickly turns into a really demented model of Sophie’s Alternative. As all the time, Lanthimos’ capability 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 enjoying god with the lives of the focus camp’s harmless prisoners. However what occurred when Höss went house? 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 attempt 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 needed—because it sounds.

Black Swan

Natalie Portman gave what would possibly very effectively 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 total life has been devoted to her artwork, largely as a consequence of her overprotective mom (Barbara Hershey), who was additionally a ballerina and pushes her daughter to have the profession she needed for herself. Nina’s life is turned the other way up when she lands the lead in a brand new manufacturing of Swan Lake, solely to appreciate that she’ll be splitting the half with the free-spirited Lily (Mila Kunis) who rapidly turns into each the one buddy 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 movies of the past 20 years, and completely nonetheless stand by that declare. Fortuitously, as Robert Pattinson and the Safdie Brothers have continued to determine themselves as a few of the most fascinating actors (Pattinson and Benny Safdie) and administrators (Benny once more and his brother Josh) working at this time, extra folks have found the movie, and much more will, now that it’s on Max. Connie Nikas (Pattinson) is a small-time felony who’s all the time in search of his subsequent massive rating, and usually employs his developmentally disabled brother Nick (Safdie) as his companion. When a financial institution theft goes improper 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 (and can be now streaming on Max), Good Time is a fast-moving, visceral crime thriller that may have you ever on the sting of your seat as Connie works to reunite along with his brother, no matter the associated fee.

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 Situation

Like Forrest Gump’s famed field of sweets, 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 inclined to fall into considered one of two classes: completely transcendent, or scenery-chewing at its most voracious. Dream Scenario could 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 immediately begins showing in strangers’ goals and achieves viral fame on account of it. Like all 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 identified for its edgy, award-winning indies like Moonlight and Ex Machina (that are each streaming on Max)—takes a dive into the musical style with this adaptation of the off-Broadway hit Fucking Equivalent 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 Lure 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 need to give this one a skip.

Barbie

Greta Gerwig is a grasp of respiration new life into previous properties (see: Little Girls). 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, immediately start to break down. To get her fabulous life again, Barbie should journey to the actual world—effectively, Los Angeles—to find out who or what’s inflicting her existential disaster. The movie grossed almost $1.5 billion worldwide, which means you’ve got 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 Primary Intuition, director Paul Verhoeven has a monitor document nearly unmatched in fashionable cinema. RoboCop, his dystopian tackle regulation 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 became, sure, a robotic cop, who you would possibly assume is nice at combating crime, however in fact isn’t. A number of the visible results might look somewhat beat up now, however in 1987, they seemed 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 out there on Max.

Albert Brooks: Defending My Life

Albert Brooks is a comic’s comic. Although he could be finest referred to as the filmmaker behind such celebrated comedies as Defending Your Life, Misplaced in America, Actual Life, and Mom, he’s additionally an excellent 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 12 months later, former NSA translator Actuality Winner (sure, that’s her actual title) 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 largely in actual time because the FBI knocks on the 25-year-old’s door and spends greater than an hour questioning her.

Parasite

Even in the event you don’t care about awards, the truth that Parasite is the primary—and nonetheless solely—non-English-language film to win a Greatest Image Oscar ought to inform you one thing in regards to the universality of its themes. The Kims, a household struggling to make ends meet, set their scheming sights on the Parks, a well-to-do household with loads of issues of their very own, but in addition loads of cash to muffle their dysfunction. Not less than for a time. Simply while you assume you understand how class warfare is enjoying out on this black comedy, it modifications course to achieve an surprising conclusion. As all the time, Bong Joon-ho is aware of simply lead his viewers down one path, solely to open a trapdoor into one other.

All of the Magnificence and the Bloodshed

Discovering success in a single’s lifetime would possibly appear to be the dream of each artist, however Nan Goldin has larger ambitions. Although she’s a photographer by commerce, she’s an activist by calling and has lengthy used her digital camera to seize painfully intimate moments of America in disaster, together with in depth work centered on the HIV/AIDS and opioid epidemics. However All of the Magnificence and the Bloodshed reveals the artist in battle: Ought to she permit her work to be showcased in one of many outstanding 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 shifting portrait of an artist keen to danger all of it for her beliefs.

The Darkish Knight

First issues first: All three of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films are at the moment on Max, and binge-watching all of them in a row is actually one technique to spend a night. However in the event you’re opting to look at only one, the second movie within the collection is the one to beat. Although Christian Bale’s Caped Crusader will get high billing, it’s Heath Ledger’s now-iconic efficiency because the Joker that makes The Darkish Knight probably the most compulsively watchable Batman film (even past Nolan’s entries). Although Ledger tragically handed away six months earlier than the movie’s launch, he posthumously gained a Greatest Supporting Actor Oscar for his villainous flip, through which he managed to search out the proper steadiness between darkish humor and outright madness.