Is that a grain of sand in your eye? It could be, if you pop on Dune: Part 2, which is now streaming on Max. Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and half of Hollywood is on our list of the best movies on Max, and it might be the best dang thing you watch all year. Also new to our list is A24’s The Iron Claw, which stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson in a true story about the professional wrestling Von Erich brothers, who rose quickly to fame and fell even harder due to tragedy. 

Max also has a lot of other stuff, including a new, steady stream of A24 movies like recent Oscar-winner The Zone of Interest, Nic Cage’s surreal Dream Scenario, and Alex Garland’s Men. Max may be all about quantity, but there’s plenty of quality here as well. And our list of the best movies to watch on Max has a good quantity of good quality films.

A note about how this list was made: In the interest of keeping it relevant, we’re emphasizing movies recently added to HBO/Max and new releases, but we’ve also made sure to add other movies we think you’ll want to know about. We’ll be updating it regularly.

Last updated May 24; newer additions are at the top.

For fans of: Wrasslin’, brotherhood, unrelenting tragedies

Year: 2023
Director: Sean Durkin
Stars: Zac Efron, Harris Dickinson, Jeremy Allen White, Lily James, Stanley Simons
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 73

The uniquely tragic true story of the Von Erich family comes to life in this film directed by Sean Durkin, chronicling their efforts to make it in the cutthroat world of professional wrestling in the 1980s. The three brothers are played by a trio of It boys — Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson — with Holt McCallany and Maura Tierney as their parents. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]         

For fans of: Sci-fi epics, various shades of beige

Year: 2024
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken
Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 79

Respectfully, Dune: Part One was basically a really long, really beautiful trailer for Dune: Part Two, which makes Part Two all the more thrilling. The Denis Villeneuve-directed film finds Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) joining forces with the Fremen people (which includes his love interest, Zendaya‘s Chani, and his hype man, Javier Bardem‘s Stilgar), who live on the desert planet Arrakis, to wage war against the ruthless House Harkonnen (which includes Stellan Skarsgård‘s Baron and Austin Butler‘s Feyd-Rautha). –Allison Picurro [Trailer]     

More on HBO and Max:

For fans of: Surreal horror, twists

Year: 2022
Director: Alex Garland
Stars: Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear
Genre: Horror, thriller
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 65

Before he gave us his vision of a new American civil war in, uh, Civil War, writer/director Alex Garland‘s weirdest and most divisive movie was 2022’s Men. This surrealist film focuses on a traumatized woman, played by Jessie Buckley, who watches her estranged husband kill himself, and then later visits a small English village where every man she meets is played by Rory Kinnear — pretty disturbing. And the final moments of the movie offer some of the wildest visuals we’ve ever seen. Some might say that Garland bit off more than he can chew with this one, but, honestly, that’s what makes it interesting. [Trailer]           

For fans of: International films, twisted history

Year: 2023
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Stars: Christian Friedel, Sandra Hüller
Genre: Drama, History
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 92

The winner for Best International Feature and nominee for Best Picture at the 2024 Oscars was noticeably absent from streaming before the ceremony in early March, but now it’s here for everyone to enjoy at home. OK, maybe “enjoy” is not the right word here. The film takes an interesting approach to one of humankind’s worst atrocities — the Holocaust — and looks at it from the viewpoint of Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, and his family as they live next door to the death they order but go about their lives with striking mundanity. Director Jonathan Glazer‘s film highlights the way we turn a blind eye to tragedy, and is stunningly effective at doing so. [Trailer]

For fans of: A24 films, Nic Cage, weird stuff

Year: 2023
Director: Kristoffer Borgli
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Diane Gelula, Jessica Clement, Michael Cera
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 74

Ever dream of Nicolas Cage? Everyone in the A24 film Dream Scenario has. Cage stars as a professor who somehow becomes the star of everyone’s nighttime subconscious mental parties, turning him into an overnight pop culture sensation. But when the dreams become nightmares, the attitude toward him changes. Sound weird? Good, because it is. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Timothée Chalamet, Willy Wonka, whimsy

Year: 2023
Director: Paul King
Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant, Keegan-Michael Key
Genre: Musical, Comedy, Drama
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 66

Wonka, which is set during the very beginning of the chocolatier’s career, has a very different vibe from the fairly cynical original movie, adopting the more whimsical feel of director Paul King’s Paddington movies. That makes a lot of sense from a human nature standpoint — young folks tend to be more idealistic, and then they gradually gain cynicism as they get older and gain a greater appreciation for how terrible the world is. Seeing this more innocent version of Wonka was nice. –Phil Owen [Trailer]

For fans of: Powerful musicals, fantastic performances

Year: 2023
Director: Blitz Bazawule
Stars: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henderson, Danielle Brooks, Corey Hawkins, Colman Domingo, H.E.R., and Halle Bailey
Genre: Musical, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 72

Blitz Bazawule directs this adaptation of the stage musical of the same name (which is itself an adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel, which was previously adapted by Steven Spielberg), following a woman’s journey to reunite with her sister and her children after being forcibly separated from them years earlier. A trio of powerhouse performances from Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, and Taraji P. Henson bring the film to vivid life. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]    

More streaming recommendations:

For fans of: The color pink, women, “Push” by Matchbox Twenty

Year: 2023
Director: Greta Gerwig
Stars: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 80

Greta Gerwig‘s satirical comedy about gender roles and plastic dolls finally comes home to streaming after accumulating $1.44 billion from the worldwide box office. By now, you know what it’s about and you know who’s in it, and if you somehow still haven’t watched it, let me be the latest person to convince you to join the rest of us. It’s outstanding. –Tim Surette [Trailer]    

For fans of: Entrepreneurship, Chinese history, documentaries that teach you something new but may also make you cry

Year: 2023
Director: Nick Hooker
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: TBD

Michael Chow is a restaurateur, an artist, an actor. The documentary aka Mr. Chow explores all these sides of the British Chinese entrepreneur, as well as the personal tragedies and historical events that shaped him. While most know Chow by the restaurant chain he launched across the U.S. and in London, few may be familiar with his relationship with his father, Zhou Xinfang — a trailblazing Beijing Opera grand master — and his lonely but colorful past before opening the first Mr. Chow. The film, which includes interviews from Chow’s family and friends, paints a searing portrait of a man determined to build a unique legacy marked by imagination and freedom. –Kat Moon [Trailer]    

For fans of: Brainy nature docs with a hint of political divide, coastal town life

Year: 2023
Director: Ivy Meeropol
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 70

This thoughtful documentary on how a single fatal shark attack in a Cape Cod town left its residents puzzled about how to tackle the problem of a growing number of great white sharks looks at the issue from several potential solutions, from controlling the seal population to staying out of the water to confronting climate change. But what really jumps out is the notion of how involved humans should be with nature, which obviously makes big philosophical waves. —Tim Surette [Trailer]    

Avatar: The Way of Water

For fans of: Being wet, sequels that skip the numbers, unobtanium

Year: 2022
Director: James Cameron
Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 67

James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel to one of the most successful (box office-wise) movies of all time delivered another titanic success (box office-wise). You were supposed to see this sci-fi fantasy movie in the theaters, but now you can watch it picture-in-picture on your phone while you scroll Reddit. —Tim Surette [Trailer]    

For fans of: Whistleblowers, Sydney Sweeney, terrifying displays of power

Year: 2023
Director: Tina Satter
Stars: Sydney Sweeney, Josh Hamilton, John Way, Marchánt Davis, Benny Elledge
Genre: Drama
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 84

Sydney Sweeney plays former NSA translator and whistleblower Reality Winner, who leaked an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 election. The film is an adaptation of Tina Satter’s acclaimed play, which takes place on the day of Winner’s arrest and pulls all of its dialogue from a transcript of her FBI interrogation. —Allison Picurro [Trailer]    

For fans of: The mysteries of the Greek system, unnerving conformity

Year: 2023
Director: Rachel Fleit
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: n/a

I’ll never fully understand the allure of the Greek system at our institutions of higher learning, and this documentary film from filmmaker Rachel Fleit only confirms the toxic environment of fraternities and sororities. But Bama Rush, inspired by the explosion of interest in Rush Week at the University of Alabama thanks to going viral on TikTok in 2021, follows four young women as they go after their social dream of joining the college’s exclusive sororities and explain why it’s so important to them. It’s not always a convincing argument, but it’s always fascinating as it looks at social status, social media, and the absurd pressures young women face today. —Tim Surette [Trailer]    

For fans of: Glam!

Year: 2022
Director: Brett Morgen
Stars: David Bowie
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 83

This documentary film from Brett Morgen (The Kid Stays in the Picture) is described as a “cinematic odyssey” that looks at the life of glam rock icon David Bowie, which, given the subject, is a perfect fit. A flurry of images, animations, and impressionism, Moonage Daydrem rises to the top of films about Bowie. —Tim Surette [Trailer]    

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

For fans of: Political documentaries, fighting authoritarian regimes

Year: 2022
Director: Laura Poitras
Stars: Nan Goldin
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 90

A nominee for Best Documentary at the 2023 Oscars, this affecting film allows the legendary artist and activist Nan Goldin to tell her story. Through a series of intimate interviews and carefully constructed slideshows, she revisits the death of her sister, the years she spent in New York City LGBTQ subcultures, and explains how she eventually made it her mission to hold the Sackler family accountable for the opioid crisis. It’s not just one of the best documentaries of 2022; it’s one of the best films of last year, period. —Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Political documentaries, fighting authoritarian regimes

Year: 2022
Director: Daniel Roher
Stars: Alexei Navalny
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 82

Vladimir Putin’s greatest threat is Alexei Navalny, one of the few politicians and activists in Russia to publicly oppose the Russian government. As a man rallying others against Putin’s totalitarian regime, he’s been blacklisted by the state-controlled media and arrested by sham courts, but that’s the easy part of what is considered the most dangerous job in the world. In 2020, Navalny was poisoned by a lab-created nerve agent and nearly died. He and his supporters pointed fingers at the Kremlin, who denied any participation. This award-winning documentary (including Best Documentary at the 2023 Academy Awards), which was released before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, looks at Navalny and the poisoning, and the challenges of fighting Putin. –Tim Surette [Trailer]     

For fans of: Cinema!

Year: 2022
Director: Sam Mendes
Stars: Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Colin Firth, Toby Jones
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 54

Empire of Light is yet another addition to 2022’s most popular film genre: movies about the power of movies. (Nope, The Fabelmans, and Babylon are a few more examples of that trend.) Set in the ’80s, Sam Mendes‘ Oscar-nominated film stars Olivia Colman as a cinema worker struggling with her mental health as she strikes up a fledgling romance with her new coworker (Micheal Ward). The real star of the show is the great Roger Deakins‘ cinematography, though. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]    

For fans of: Heartwarming stories, birds

Year: 2022
Director: Shaunak Sen
Genre: Documentary
Rating: n/a
Metacritic score: 87

A nominee for Best Documentary Feature at this year’s Academy Awards, All That Breathes is a touching film about two brothers in New Delhi who run a bird hospital. When black kites, a bird of prey essential to the city’s ecosystem, start falling out of the polluted skies, the siblings make it their mission to rescue and treat them. The Oscars were right about this one: It’s easily one of the best documentaries of the year. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Gawking, guerilla media, extreme politics

Year: 2022
Director: Andrew Callaghan
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Metacritic score: n/a

Viral YouTube guerilla journalist Andrew Callaghan continues his deep, embedded dive into far-right and far-left politics in this documentary film examining the genesis of the January 6 Capitol riots. Callaghan gets access to some big names (Alex Jones, Proud Boys bigwig Henry Tarrio), but it’s his time spent with some of the regular out-there true believers — like the elementary schooler who was taught that some people in the government are reptilian humanoids — that really stands out. Unlike other web journalists of his ilk, Callaghan isn’t trying to be the star, he’s just trying to show perspective. And what he shows us is shocking, hilarious, frightening, and depressing. –Tim Surette [Trailer]    

For fans of: Eating the rich

Year: 2022
Director: Mark Mylod
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, John Leguizamo, Judith Light
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Comedy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 71

Succession director Mark Mylod makes his feature directorial debut with this darkly comedic thriller that satirizes foodie culture. Set during one fateful night at a remote, ultra-exclusive restaurant run by a celebrity chef (Ralph Fiennes), his high-end diners begin to realize that the menu he’s planned for them has some sinister secrets baked into it. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Miniature ponies, friend divorces

Year: 2022
Director: Martin McDonagh
Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 87

One of the best films of 2022, The Banshees of Inisherin takes place on a gloomy Irish island that begins to fall apart when two guys who live there — played by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson — stop being friends. It’s not a mutual break-up: Farrell’s Pádraic is a simple man whose main sources of joy involve hanging out with his miniature pony and drinking beer in the afternoons with Gleeson’s Colm. But Colm comes to the decision that he’s running out of time to waste in life and doesn’t want to spend it with someone he deems a lost cause. Pádraic is baffled and devastated, and the film escalates to gory heights when Colm makes it clear what he’s willing to do in order to get Pádraic to leave him alone. It’s a tragic and darkly funny look at the way relationships and perspectives change as people age, set against the backdrop of the Irish Civil War. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: U.S. history, famous people

Year: 2022
Director: David O. Russell
Stars: Christian Bale, John David Washington, Margot Robbie, Taylor Swift, Robert De Niro, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Michael Shannon, Mike Myers, Rami Malek, Timothy Olyphant, Zoe Saldana
Genre: Drama, History, Comedy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 48

Christian Bale, John David Washington, and Margot Robbie star in David O. Russell‘s historical film set in the 1930s about three friends who become suspects in a murder and, in the process, unwittingly get involved in a bizarre political conspiracy. It’s one of those movies where everything’s moving fast, absolutely every character is played by someone super famous (Taylor Swift herself is in it), and the tone vacillates between screwball comedy and sincere period piece. It received middling reviews and lost a lot of money upon its theatrical release, but now you can watch and make up your mind for yourself. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: The Stepford Wives, Harry Styles

Year: 2022
Director: Olivia Wilde
Stars: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 48

Florence Pugh and Harry Styles star in this thriller about a young couple living in a classic, idealized 1950s suburban community. The wives stay home while the husbands disappear to work on a mysterious project, and it’s not until Alice (Pugh) starts asking questions that she realizes there’s something much darker going on under the surface. Look, the reality is that Don’t Worry Darling is slightly less entertaining than the circus of its press tour, but superb performances from Pugh and Chris Pine are not to be missed. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Haunted houses, twists, the Justin Longaissance

Year: 2022
Director: Zach Cregger
Stars: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long, Matthew Patrick Davis
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 78

Barbarian did something clever by releasing something of a bait and switch trailer, which makes itself out to be a standard story about a woman (Georgina Campbell) spending the night in the same house as a crazy man (Bill Skarsgård, one of the best at playing crazy men) who lures her down into a creepy basement after they get double-booked at the same Airbnb. And that is what it’s about at first, sort of, before quickly revealing that it’s about something else entirely, which I won’t spoil here. It might stealthily be one of the best horror movies of the year. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

38 at the Garden 

For fans of: The NBA, remembering Linsanity

Year: 2022
Director: Frank Chi
Genre: Documentary
Rating: n/a
Metacritic score: n/a

Taiwanese American Harvard-educated hooper Jeremy Lin went from warming the end of the New York Knicks’ bench to global superstardom in a matter of days when he was finally given a chance to play regular minutes in the NBA in early 2012. It’s one of the greatest sports stories ever, and the subject of this short — 38 minutes — documentary that interviews Lin, former NBA players, and famous talking heads about his impact on the sport, culture, and the Asian American community. I could have watched another hour of this and would have loved to have seen more details and footage from his glory season, but sadly, the documentary ends as quickly as Linsanity did. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: The King, the excessive cinematic stylings of Baz Luhrmann

Year: 2022
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Stars: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge
Genre: Drama, Musical
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 64

Whether you count yourself as a fan of his or not, culture is better when Baz Luhrmann gets to go wild and make a big-budget spectacle. His latest is the Elvis Presley biopic Elvis, a disorienting ’50s-themed carnival ride condensed into a two-and-a-half-hour movie. Here, a star is born in Austin Butler as Presley, joined by a gonzo Tom Hanks as Presley’s mustache-twirling cartoon villain of a manager Tom Parker. But how am I supposed to criticize or care when Luhrmann, in all of his galaxy-brained ingenuity, decided to score a scene with a mash-up of “Viva Las Vegas” and Britney Spears’ “Toxic”? What’s going on in Elvis is bigger than all of us. You might as well give yourself over to it. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

We Met in Virtual Reality

For fans of: The power of the internet

Year: 2022
Director: Joe Hunting
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 77

This documentary about online communities on the virtual reality platform VRChat — and filmed exclusively within VRChat — starts off wild, with dozens of people and their bizarre avatars having a blast goofing off. But as the film focuses on individual stories — a couple who fell in love, an ASL teacher, and more — the real poignancy of these virtual spaces shines through for an extremely touching film about belonging, the future of social norms, and how technology shapes us. This one hits hard, and it’s wonderful. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: The original Father of the Bride

Year: 2022
Director: Gary Alazraki
Stars: Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Adria Arjona
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 65

This is not the 1991 Steve Martin movie, but it does follow a similar plot. 2022’s Father of the Bride focuses on a Cuban-American family, and centers on a father, played by Andy Garcia, who has to come to terms with the fact that his daughter is getting married. You know the formula, but to give credit where it’s due, this new version adds just enough of its own cultural perspective to make it not seem like a carbon copy. –Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

The Janes

For fans of: The power of women, timely issues

Year: 2022
Director: Emma Pildes and Tia Lessin
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 83

Emma Pildes and Tia Lessin’s documentary follows a group of women in the pre-Roe v. Wade era who bravely built an underground network that helped provide access to safe abortions for people with unwanted pregnancies. It was an organization formed in direct opposition to state legislation that banned abortions, and the sobering relevance of that can’t be overstated. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]     

For fans of: Beloved comedians, looking at old comedy bits through a modern lens

Year: 2022
Director: Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio
Stars: George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Chris Rock, Patton Oswalt, Stephen Colbert, Bill Burr
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 86

This documentary is kind of like a long version of one of those “George Carlin predicted this!” Facebook posts your uncle is always circulating, but in a good, well-crafted way. Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio‘s film looks at the life of one of the most influential comedians of all time with the goal of re-examining his jokes for our current era. It’s filled with famous talking heads from the world of comedy (Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert, and more) who discuss their hero at length, and uses other funny people like Gillian Jacobs and Megan Stalter to read fan letters and diary entries. Both parts clock in at an intimidating four hours, but it’s an interesting spin on the traditional famous person documentary format. –Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

For fans of: Questioning reality, incredible/hilarious action set pieces, learning about the origins of redpilling

Year: 1999, 2003, 2004, 2021
Director: Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Laurence Fishburne
Genre: Sci-Fi
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 73, 62, 47, 63

Ever heard of it? All the way back in 1999, the Wachowskis gave us The Matrix, a movie about reality being different than the reality we all think we’re living in, and now all these years later, Reddit users have turned “redpilling” into a whole men’s rights activism thing. How the world has changed! Despite all that, these movies still rule (even an OK Matrix movie is still a ton of fun to watch), with excellently choreographed fight scenes, and all of them are devoid of all the annoying quippy humor every action movie made today has. The polarizing fourth film, The Matrix Resurrections, is very, very different from the first three, but its strangeness and the fact that it exists at all make it a must-watch. –Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

For fans of: Bad detective work, riddles, Nirvana

Year: 2022
Director: Matt Reeves
Stars: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, John Turturro, Andy Serkis
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Crime
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 72

There seem to be two general reactions to The Batman: Either you think it’s the greatest Batman movie of all time, or you’re totally ambivalent about it. But you’ll never know until you watch it! Here, Robert Pattinson dons the big black cape and a whole Hot Topic’s worth of black eye makeup to play Bruce Wayne’s alter ego. The film follows Batman’s hunt for a killer with the peculiar quirk of leaving a trail of cryptic riddles in his wake, uncovering dark secrets about Gotham’s history of corruption along the way. Doing an incredible approximation of a New Yawk accent and wearing about 200 layers of prosthetics that rendered him wholly unrecognizable, Colin Farrell steals this movie with his performance as The Penguin, and we’ll soon get to see how he holds his own now that HBO Max went ahead and gave him his own spin-off series. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Tony Hawk’s Twitter account, skateboarding

Year: 2022
Director: Sam Jones
Stars: Tony Hawk
Genre: Biography, Sport, Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 74

Tony Hawk, the godfather of skateboarding and getting misrecognized in public, gets a documentary detailing the ups, downs, frontside grinds, and McTwists of his life. The film is at its best when it’s examining Hawk’s irrepressible drive to figure out a trick — his attempts at landing a 900 give Until the Wheels Fall Off its meaning and heart — and the cost of that drive in his personal life, but the basic recounts of his achievements as a young pro, which take up a good chunk of the first half, are mostly filler. The more interesting stuff happens when friends, family, and former enemies all explain why Tony is a skategod. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Triumphant sports stories, Venus and Serena

Year: 2021
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Stars: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Jon Bernthal, Tony Goldwyn
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 76

Will Smith won a Best Actor Oscar in this biopic of Richard Williams, father of tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams. He portrays Richard with careful intensity in his dedication to shaping his young daughters’ commitment to the sport, doing everything in his power and going to audacious lengths to help push them forward. King Richard goes beyond the confines of a typical movie like this with its dedication to crafting some spectacular tennis scenes, as well as scene-stealing supporting performances from Saniyya Sidney as Venus; Aunjanue Ellis as the sisters’ mother, Brandy Price; and Jon Bernthal as Venus’ coach. Plus, Beyoncé wrote a power ballad for it. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Sand, cinematography, remakes worth a darn

Year: 2021
Director: Denis Villenueve
Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac
Genre: Drama, Science-Fiction
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 74

Denis Villenueve’s new take on Frank Herbert’s science-fiction novel (and David Lynch’s “classic” 1984 version) is a stunning film, despite all the browns. The hard sci-fi story follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a young royal, as his family is thrust into battle for a planet that is the only source for the most valuable substance in the universe, spice. But you are just watching for the giants worms, right? Dune is back on HBO Max for good after a simultaneous release in theaters and on HBO Max and a 90-day break from HBO Max to boost those box office numbers. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Oscar films, tenderness, slow burns

Year: 2021
Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Stars: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura
Genre: Drama
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 91

Adapted from a Haruki Murakami short story, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi‘s Oscar-nominated film follows an aging, widowed actor (Hidetoshi Nishijima) who takes a job directing a stage adaptation of Uncle Vanya. He strikes up a curious bond with the young woman (Toko Miura) tasked with chauffeuring him back and forth, and begins to process his grief for his wife through their conversations. Its runtime clocks in at three hours total, but every hauntingly beautiful minute is worth it. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Hitchcock for today’s age, staying inside, pandemic paranoia

Year: 2021
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: Zoë Kravitz
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 78

Zoë Kravitz plays an agoraphobe who works for a tech company with its own digital personal assistant. Her job is to listen to users’ failed requests and improve the gadget’s artificial intelligence, but when she thinks she hears a murder in one of the recordings, she inadvertently gets involved in the crime. It’s a thriller in the vein of Rear Window, but better than it should be thanks to Kravitz and the eye of director Steven Soderbergh. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: High school, trauma bonding, indie film

Year: 2021
Director: Megan Park
Stars: Jenna Ortega, Maddie Ziegler
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 84

This indie follows two high school girls — played by Jenna Ortega and Maddie Ziegler — who strike up a bond after surviving a school shooting. The movie is more of an empathetic look at their responses to it than it is about the actual tragedy, which is a refreshing change of pace from movies like this, which typically try to turn their characters into inspiring symbols of resilience. The Fallout is more interested in exploring how these kids get through the day after witnessing something unthinkable. Shailene Woodley and Julie Bowen co-star. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Re-do movies, blood, antiheroes

Year: 2021
Director: James Gunn
Stars: Idris Elba, John Cena, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman
Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 72

Not to be confused with 2016’s Suicide Squad (there’s no “the” in that one, get it?), James Gunn directs this irreverent superhero movie about a team of villains who are recruited by the government to go to a remote island and destroy an evil starfish. With a cast that includes Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, and Viola Davis and over-the-top violence that fits the franchise, it’s a big improvement from the first Suicide Squad movie. Once you’re done watching it, you can check out HBO Max’s spin-off series Peacemaker, which centers on Cena’s character. –Tim Surette [Trailer] 

For fans of: Gorgeous animation, enchanting stories

Year: 2002
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Stars: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Animation
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 96

One of the coolest things about HBO Max is that it’s home to the Studio Ghibli collection, putting Hayao Miyazaki’s greatest films in one place. Spirited Away is probably his most famous one, having won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It came out in 2001, and all these years later, it remains a stunningly animated, wholly moving film, following a little girl named Chihiro whose parents are turned into pigs by a witch, forcing her to enter the witch’s treacherous, mysterious world as she tries to find a way to free her parents. It’s an absolutely magical experience, and the perfect gateway to Miyazaki’s work. –Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

For fans of: Acts of fan service, superhero team-ups, long movies made longer

Year: 2021
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Jared Leto, Jason Momoa
Genre: Drama, Action
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 54

What else is there to say about Zack Snyder’s Justice League? Much like the original 2017 non-Snyder cut, this Justice League follows a team of superheroes, comprised of Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher), as they attempt to save the world from a powerful supervillain, but this version has new scenes and world-building elements that Joss Whedon’s version did not. It’s also much longer, clocking in at just over four hours. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: The wholesome art of kids’ TV, Elmo and friends

Year: 2021
Director: Marilyn Agrelo
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 82

I can’t think of a more wholesome time than watching a documentary about how Sesame Street came to be. Back in the ’60s, a group of geniuses had the radical idea to make kids’ programming educational, which of course ended up becoming one of the most successful and influential TV series of all time. It’s fun to see people like Jim Henson and Frank Oz when they were young and totally uncertain about the gamble they were making on this show about friendly puppets. –Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

For fans of: Epic fantasies, friendship, dangerous jewelry

Year: 2001, 2002, 2003
Director: Peter Jackson
Stars: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 92, 87, 94

If HBO Max only had the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy I would still confidently call it the best streaming service out there. Luckily, it has a lot more stuff than that (clearly), but that doesn’t make it any less exciting that LOTR fans can watch the full versions of Peter Jackson’s sprawling, visually stunning adventure series whenever we want. Even if you haven’t seen them, you’re probably familiar with the general plot: Frodo (Elijah Wood), a hobbit, goes on a quest to destroy the extraordinarily powerful One Ring and the dark lord who made it. Each extended installment clocks in at well over three hours, but HBO Max also has the regular theatrical cuts (which, admittedly, are all about three hours) if you’re more of a casual fan. There’s no wrong way to watch LOTR. –Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

For fans of: Movies that feel like fever dreams

Year: 2021
Director: James Wan
Stars: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 51

HBO Max has a big selection of horror movies that includes things like The Shining and the Conjuring series, but I’m choosing to highlight James Wan’s frankly batty Malignant to represent them all. It’s an audacious, wholly original thrill ride about a woman (Annabelle Wallis) who keeps having visions of people being killed, only to realize the murders are actually happening in real life. I won’t spoil anything, but when she eventually learns who the murderer is, it results in one of the wildest horror-action showcases you’ll likely ever see. Malignant is a cult classic in the making, and it deserves our respect. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]