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Mickey 17, Warner Bros.
Credit score: Mickey 17, Warner Bros.
HBO was, for no less than a few generations, the residence of flicks on cable—nobody else might compete. For some time, it appeared like HBO Max Max HBO Max might properly be the last word streaming vacation spot for film lovers, however the jury is still out.
Even nonetheless, HBO Max maintains a collaboration with TCM, giving it a broad vary of basic American and overseas movies. It is also the first streaming residence for Studio Ghibli and A24, so regardless that the streamer hasn’t been making as many authentic movies because it did a number of years in the past, it nonetheless has a stable assortment of flicks you will not discover anyplace else.
Listed here are 30 of the perfect of HBO Max’s current and/or unique choices.
Mickey 17 (2025)
The newest from Bong Joon Ho (Parasite, Snowpiercer), Mickey 17 did not do terribly properly on the field workplace, however that is not totally the film’s fault. It is a broad however intelligent and well timed satire starring Robert Pattinson as Mickey Barnes, a well-meaning dimwit who indicators on with a spaceship crew on its technique to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Due to his common lack of expertise, he is deemed an Expendable—his reminiscences and DNA are stored on file in order that when he, inevitably, dies (typically in horrific methods), he’ll be reprinted and restored to dwell and work and die once more. Issues get difficult when a brand new Mickey is unintentionally printed earlier than the previous one has died—an enormous taboo amongst spiritual sorts who can deal with one physique/one soul, however panic on the implications of two similar folks strolling round. It is also complicated, and ultimately intriguing, for Mickey’s girlfriend, Nasha (Naomi Ackie). Quickly, each Mickey’s are on the run from just about everybody, together with the brand new colony’s MAGA-esque chief (Mark Ruffalo). You possibly can stream Mickey 17 here.
Pee-Wee As Himself (2025)
Paul Reubens participated in dozens of hours price of interviews for this two-part documentary, directed by filmmaker Matt Price, however from the opening moments, the erstwhile Pee-Wee Herman makes clear that he’s combating the notion of giving up management of his life story to another person. That is a by line within the movie and, as we study, within the performer’s life, as he spent a long time struggling together with his public profile whereas sustaining intense privateness in his private life. Reubens’ posthumous popping out as homosexual is the headline story, however the entire thing supplies an interesting have a look at an artist who it appears we barely knew. You possibly can stream Pee-Wee As Himself here.
The Brutalist (2024)
Brady Corbet’s epic interval drama, which earned 10 Oscar nominations and gained Adrian Brody his second Academy Award for Finest Actor, follows László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor who emigrates to america following the struggle. His course as a refugee follows highs and devastating lows—he is barely capable of finding work at first, regardless of his previous as an achieved Bauhaus-trained architect in Europe. A rich benefactor (Man Pearce) looks like a godsend when he provides László a high-profile venture, however discovers the restrictions of his expertise within the face of American-style antisemitism and boorishness. You possibly can stream The Brutalist here.
Babygirl (2024)
Nicole Kidman stars on this trendy erotic thriller as CEO Romy Mathis, who begins a harmful (i.e. naughty) affair together with her a lot youthful intern (Harris Dickinson). After a gap scene involving some deeply unfulfilling lovemaking together with her husband (we’ll should droop disbelief on the subject of Antonio Banderas as a schlubby, sexually disappointing husband), Romy runs into Samuel (Dickinson), who saves her from a runaway canine earlier than taking her on as his mentor at work. She teaches him about course of automation whereas he teaches her about BDSM, however his horny, dorky attraction quickly provides technique to one thing darker. For all the net chatter (Nicole Kidman on all fours lapping up milk!), the fascinating performances, and the chilly course from Halina Reijn, elevate it above extra pruient erotic thrillers. You possibly can stream Babygirl here.
Bloody Trophy (2025)

Bloody Trophy, HBO Max
Credit score: Bloody Trophy, HBO Max
This documentary, centered on the unlawful rhinoceros horn commerce, will get additional factors for going past poaching in southern Africa to debate the worldwide networks concerned, and by specializing in the activists and veterinarians working to guard and protect the endangered species. The broader story is as terrible as it’s fascinating: webs of smuggling that begin with faux hunts, permitting for quasi-legal exporting of horns to Europe international locations (Poland and the Czech Republic being specific factors of curiosity), and infrequently coordinated by Vietnamese mafia organizations. You possibly can stream Bloody Trophy here.
Grownup Finest Mates (2024)
Katie Corwin and Delaney Buffett co-write and star as a pair of lifelong mates, now of their 30s, who discover their lives getting into very completely different instructions. Delaney (Buffett, who additionally directs) who has little interest in settling down or committing to 1 man, whereas Katie (Corwin) is afraid to inform her hard-partying bestie that she’s getting married. Katie plans a BFF weekend to interrupt the information, solely to see that the journey again to their childhood residence city fall prey to a string of untamed and wacky issues. You possibly can stream Grownup Finest Mates here.
2073 (2024)
Impressed by Chris Marker’s 1962 featurette La Jetée, which itself impressed the function 12 Monkeys, docudrama 2073 considers the state of our world within the current by the framing system of a lady (Samantha Morton) gazing again from the titular yr and meditating on the highway that led to an apocalypse of types. Her reverie considers, through real-life, present, information footage, the rise of recent in style authoritarianism within the modes of Orbán, Trump, Putin, Modi, and Xi, and their alignment with tech bros in such a approach as to speed up a coming local weather disaster. It is not terribly delicate, however neither is the day by day information. You possibly can stream 2073 here.
Move (2024)
A stunning, wordless animated movie that follows a cat by a post-apocalyptic world following a devastating flood. The Latvian import, about discovering mates and looking for residence in unsure instances, gained a well-deserved Finest Animated Image Oscar. It is also, allegedly, very popular with pets—although my canine slept proper by it. You possibly can stream Move here.
Heretic (2024)
Two younger Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) present up on the residence of an enthralling, reclusive man (a deeply creepy Hugh Grant) who invitations them in as a result of, he says, he desires to discover completely different faiths. Which seems to be true—besides that he has concepts that go properly past something his two visitors have of their pamphlets. It quickly turns into clear that they don’t seem to be going to have the ability to go away with out collaborating in Mr. Reed’s video games, and this intelligent, cheeky thriller does not at all times go the place you assume it is going. You possibly can stream Heretic here.
Queer (2024)
Director Luca Guadagnino adopted up his vaguely bisexual tennis film Challengers with this much less delicate (it is within the title) William S. Burroughs adaptation. Daniel Craig performs William Lee (a fictionalized model of Burroughs himself), a drug-addicted American expat residing in Mexico Metropolis in the course of the Fifties. He quickly turns into infatuated with Drew Starkey’s Eugene Allerton, and the 2 take a beautiful journey by Mexico, by ayahuasca, and thru their very own sexualities. You possibly can stream Queer here.
The Parenting (2025)
Rohan (Nik Dodani) and Josh (Brandon Flynn) invite each their units of fogeys to a distant nation rental so that everybody can meet, which feels like loads of horror for this horror-comedy. However wait! There’s extra: A demon conjured from the wifi router enters the physique of Rohan’s dad (Brian Cox), an occasion additional difficult by the arrival of the home’s proprietor (Parker Posey). It is wildly uneven, however there’s loads of enjoyable available. The supporting forged contains Edie Falco, Lisa Kudrow, and Dean Norris. You possibly can stream The Parenting here.
Juror #2 (2024)
Clint Eastwood’s newest (final?) is a high-concept authorized drama that boasts a number of spectacular performances highlighted by his easy directorial model. Nicholas Hoult stars as Justin Kemp, a journalist and recovering alcoholic assigned to jury obligation in Savannah, Georgia. The case includes the loss of life of a lady a yr earlier, presumably killed by the defendant, her boyfriend on the time. However because the case progresses,Kemp slowly comes to understand that he is aware of extra concerning the loss of life than anybody else within the courtroom, and has to discover a technique to work to acquit the defendant with out implicating himself. You possibly can stream Juror #2 here.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
Whereas Godzilla Minus One proved that Japanese filmmakers stay adept at wringing real drama out of tales of the city-destroying kaiju, the American department of the franchise is providing up deft counter-programming. That’s to say, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is each bit as ridiculous as its title suggests, with Godzilla and Kong teaming as much as battle a tribe of Kong’s distant kin—they dwell within the different dimensional Hole Earth and have harnessed the ability of an ice Titan, you see. It is nothing extra, nor much less, than an excellent time with big monsters. You possibly can stream Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire here.
We Dwell in Time (2024)
Director John Crowley had a large crucial success with 2015’s Brooklyn, however 2019’s The Goldfinch was a disappointment in virtually each regard. Nonlinear romantic drama We Dwell in Time, then, appears like a little bit of a return to kind, with Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield displaying spectacular chemistry because the couple on the movie’s heart. The 2 meet when she hits him together with her automobile on the night time he is finalizing his divorce, and the film jumps about of their relationship from the early days, to a tough being pregnant, to a most cancers prognosis, with out ever feeling excessively gimmicky. You possibly can stream We Dwell in Time here.
Entice (2024)
Cooper (Josh Hartnett) is a reasonably cool dad in M. Night time Shyamalan’s newest, taking his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to see a really cool Billie Eilish-ish pop star in live performance. However we quickly study that Cooper can be a infamous serial killer (this isn’t the patented Shyamalan twist, in case you have been fearful about spoilers). The FBI is aware of that “The Butcher” can be on the live performance, even when they do not know precisely who it’s, and the entire thing is a, sure, lure that Cooper should escape. Of such premises are enjoyable thrillers made, and Hartnett has enjoyable with the central function, his efficiency rising more and more tic-y and unhinged at the same time as Cooper tries to verify his daughter will get to benefit from the present. You possibly can stream Entice here.
Caddo Lake (2024)
Whereas we’re as regards to M. Night time Shyamalan, he produced this trippy thriller that spends a giant chunk of its runtime trying like a working-class drama earlier than going full whackadoo in methods finest not spoiled. Eliza Scanlen stars as Ellie, who lives close to the title lake together with her household, and the place it seems that her 8-year-old stepsister has vanished. Dylan O’Brien performs Paris, who works dredging the lake whereas coping with survivor’s guilt and the trauma of his mom’s barely mysterious loss of life. Their tales (and backstories) merge after they uncover that one does not at all times go away the lake the identical as they went in. You possibly can stream Caddo Lake here.
Dune: Half Two (2024)
Denis Villeneuve caught the touchdown on his adaptation of the latter a part of Frank Herbert’s epic novel, a lot in order that Dune zealots are already looking forward to a 3rd movie, adapting the second guide within the collection. The chilly (metaphorically) and cerebral sequel was a crucial in addition to a field workplace success—stunning on each counts, particularly contemplating that the beloved guide was as soon as seen as roughly unadaptable (with the deeply bizarre David Lynch model serving as Exhibit A in help of that assertion). Should you’re taking part in catch-up, HBO Max additionally has the primary Dune, and the fairly glorious spin-off collection (Dune: Prophecy). You possibly can stream Dune: Half Two here.
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Problemista (2024)
Julio Torres (creator of Los Espookys and Fantasmas, additionally obtainable on HBO Max) wrote, produced, directed, and stars on this surreal comedy a few toy designer from El Salvador working in america below a visa that is about to run out. What to do however take a desperation job with quirky, unstable artist Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton)? The extraordinarily offbeat and humane comedy has been incomes raves because it debuted at South by Southwest final yr. RZA, Greta Lee, and Isabella Rossellini additionally star. You possibly can stream Problemista here.
MaXXXine (2024)
The ultimate (for now, anyway) movie in Ti West’s X trilogy as soon as once more stars Mia Goth as fame-obsessed Maxine Minx. Shifting on from grownup movies, Maxine will get a lead function in a horror film, solely to search out herself watched by a leather-clad assailant. This film-industry take-down contains Michelle Monaghan, Kevin Bacon, and Giancarlo Esposito in its stable forged. You possibly can stream MaXXXine here.
The Lord of the Rings: The Conflict of the Rohirrim (2024)
An anime-infused tackle Tolkien’s world, The Conflict of the Rohirrim boats the return of co-writer Philippa Boyens, who helped to write down every of the six earlier LOTR motion pictures. On this animated installment, we’re taken again 200 years earlier than Peter Jackson’s movies, to when the king of Rohan (Brian Cox) unintentionally kills the chief of the neighboring Dunlendings throughout marriage negotiations, kicking off a full-scale struggle. Miranda Otto reprises her function of Éowyn, who narrates. You possibly can stream Conflict of the Rohirrim here.
A Completely different Man (2024)
Although it was all however shut out on the Oscars (getting solely a nomination for Finest Make-up and Hairstyling), A Completely different Man made a number of of 2024’s prime ten lists, and earned Sebastian Stan a Golden Globe (he bought an Oscar nomination for a wholly completely different film, so the erstwhile Winter Soldier had a reasonably good yr). Right here he performs Edward, an actor with neurofibromatosis, a genetic dysfunction that manifests in his physique as a disfiguring facial situation. An experimental process cures him, and Edward assumes a brand new id—which does nothing to tame his deep-rooted insecurities, particularly when he learns of a brand new play that is been written about is life. It is a surprisingly humorous look right into a broken psyche. You possibly can stream A Completely different Man here.
Tremendous/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024)
Alternating between Christopher Reeve’s life earlier than and after the horse using accident that paralyzed him, this heartfelt and coronary heart wrenching documentary follows the Superman actor as he turns into an activist for incapacity rights. Archival footage of Christopher and spouse Dana blends with new interviews with their youngsters, in addition to with actors and politicians who knew and labored with them each. You possibly can stream Tremendous/Man here.
Sing Sing (2024)
A fictional story primarily based on the real-life Rehabilitation By way of the Arts program at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, this Finest Image nominee follows Diving G (Colman Domingo), an inmate who emerges as a star performer within the group. The film celebrates the redemptive energy of artwork and play with an amazing central efficiency from Domingo, who was additionally Oscar-nominated. You possibly can stream Sing Sing here.
Am I OK? (2024)
Actual-life married couple Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne directed this comedy primarily based, loosely, on Allyne’s personal life. Dakota Johnson performs Lucy, a directionless 32-year-old girl in Los Angeles who finds that her unsatisfying romantic life might need one thing to do together with her being aside from straight. She navigates her journey of self-discovery and popping out with the assistance of her finest pal Jane (Home of the Dragon‘s Sonoya Mizuno). You possibly can stream Am I OK? here.
Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
In a world of flicks which can be very rigorously calibrated to be as inoffensive as doable, it is good to see one thing as muscular, frenetic, and uncompromising as Love Lies Bleeding. Kristen Stewart performs small-town fitness center supervisor Lou; she’s the daughter of the native crime boss (Ed Harris), with a sister (Jena Malone) affected by the abuse of her no-good husband (Dave Franco). It is all quietly tolerated till bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian) stops off on the town. She’s ‘roided up and prepared for motion, falling laborious for Lou earlier than the 2 of them get caught up in an act of violence that sends the whole lot spiraling towards a really wild last act. You possibly can stream Love Lies Bleeding here.
Slave Play. Not a Film. A Play. (2024)
A provocative title for a provocative documentary movie, Slave Play. Not a Film. A Play. sees playwright Jeremy O. Harris exploring the artistic course of behind the title work, a play that earned a file variety of Tony nominations, gained none, and that’s equally liked and hated (it is about interracial {couples} having intercourse remedy at an antebellum-era plantation home). The narrative right here is totally non-linear, and the principles of a conventional making-of are out the window, with Harris as a substitute taking a virtually train-of-thought method to analyzing the method of making the play, and in understanding reactions to it. You possibly can stream Slave Play here.
Justice League: Disaster on Infinite Earths – Elements One, Two, and Three (2024)
Whereas the live-action DC slate went out with a whimper (no less than till subsequent yr’s Superman reboot), the animated collection of movies has been chugging alongside extra quietly, but in addition with extra success. This trilogy adapts the altogether greatest story in DC historical past, as heroes from throughout the multiverse are introduced collectively to forestall an antimatter wave that is wiping out whole universes. Darren Criss, Stana Katic, Jensen Ackles, and Matt Bomer are among the many voice forged. You possibly can stream Disaster on Infinite Earths, beginning with Half One, here.
The Entrance Room (2024)
Tailored from a brief story by Susan Hill (The Girl in Black), The Entrance Room will get a good bit of mileage out of its in-law-from-hell premise. Brandy performs Belinda, a pregnant anthropology professor compelled to stop her job by hostile working circumstances. Her deeply bizarre mother-in-law Solange (a scene-stealing Kathryn Hunter) makes Brandy and husband Norman a proposal that would resolve the ensuing monetary issues: if they’re going to handle her in her dying days, she’ll go away them the whole lot. In fact, the psychic spiritual fanatic has little interest in making any of that straightforward. It is extra foolish than scary, however completely entertaining if that is the form of temper you are in. You possibly can stream The Entrance Room here.
Quad Gods (2024)
We spend loads of time fearing new know-how, typically with good purpose, however Quad Gods provides a brighter view: for folks with quadriplegia, for whom spots like soccer are out of the query, esports supply a method of competing and socializing amongst not solely different folks with bodily restrictions, however within the broader world of what is develop into a serious {industry}. Whereas exploring the distinction between day-to-day life for the Quad Gods group and their on-line gaming skills, the documentary is an impressively upbeat have a look at the methods during which know-how can put us all on an analogous taking part in subject. You possibly can stream Quad Gods here.
Elevation (2024)
There’s not a lot new on this Anthony Mackie-lad post-apocalyptic thriller, however Elevation is nonetheless a well-executed motion film that by no means feels dumb. Only a few years earlier than the movie opens, predatory Reapers rose from deep underground and worn out 95% of humanity. Now, single dad Will (Mackie) is compelled to depart his sanctuary to journey to Boulder, Colorado, the closest place he can get air filters to assist together with his son’s lung illness. On the way in which, he is joined, reluctantly, by scientist Nina (Morena Baccarin), whose lab might include a technique to kill the Reapers. You possibly can stream Elevation here.
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