The Greatest Motion pictures on HBO Max Proper Now (March 2024)

One other streaming service means one other huge library of titles to sift by to seek out what you wish to watch. HBO Max is the streaming service from WarnerMedia, internet hosting not simply titles from the pay cable channel HBO, however a bevy of movies from the Warner Bros. library and different studios. There’s a fantastic collection of classics, pretty new releases, quirky indies, and sure, superhero motion pictures. The studio behind The Darkish Knight and Man of Metal has a strong variety of DC movies out there to stream. However in the event you’re daunted by all the nice motion pictures on HBO Max to select from, we’ve obtained your again. Under, we’ve put collectively a curated listing of the very best motion pictures on HBO Max. Movies that will likely be nicely value your time, with our writers making the case for why every movie is particular.

So take a look at our listing of the very best motion pictures on HBO Max streaming beneath. And for extra suggestions, take a look at our listing of the greatest exhibits on HBO, greatest drama motion pictures on HBO, and greatest horror motion pictures on HBO.

Editor’s notice: This text was up to date March 1st to incorporate Judas and the Black Messiah.

Judas and the Black Messiah

Rotten Tomatoes: 97% | IMDb: 7.4/10

Directed by Shaka King, Judas and the Black Messiah is a robust movie. Impressed by a real story, it shines a lightweight on an vital a part of American historical past. This biographical crime drama co-stars Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton, chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Social gathering, and LaKeith Stanfield as William O’Neal, a reluctant FBI informant tasked with infiltrating the celebration in late-Sixties Chicago. Judas and the Black Messiah additionally options Jesse Plemons and Dominique Fishback.

Judas and the Black Messiah not solely earned a handful of Oscar nominations for the movie, however Kaluuya gained the Academy Award for Greatest Supporting Actor, competing towards co-star Stanfield. Whereas the appearing, soundtrack, and manufacturing are really stellar, the cruel realities of revolution uncovered within the movie are triumphant and transferring. – Yael Tygiel

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8 1/2

Rotten Tomatoes: 97% | IMDb: 8.0/10

Directed by Federico Fellini, who co-wrote the movie with Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, and Brunello Rondi, 8 1/2 delightfully blends comedy, drama, and avant-garde surrealism. An Italian movie about film making, 8 1/2 focuses on a annoyed filmmaker making an attempt to direct his epic sci-fi film. Starring Marcello Mastroianni because the harried director who finds himself withdrawing into his personal thoughts, electing to dwell in reminiscences and fantasies quite than actuality, 8 1/2 imaginatively explores the artistic thoughts in sincere and dream-like methods.

A basic movie that makes use of intelligent sensible results to discover dreamscapes, 8 1/2 gorgeously touches sensuality, the plight of artists, and each inside and exterior stress when pursuing greatness. 8 1/2 has earned awards and important reward, however the movie’s respect from fashionable visionaries like Guillermo del Toro is an endorsement by itself. – Yael Tygiel

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Bicycle Thieves

Rotten Tomatoes: 99% | IMDb: 8.3/10

Vittorio De Sica directs Bicycle Thieves, an Italian neorealist movie starring Lamberto Maggiorani as a determined father in post-World Warfare II Rome. Bicycle Thieves co-stars Enzo Staiola as the person’s plucky son, who joins him on his journey to get well his stolen bicycle, a necessity for employment and to maintain his household afloat. Author Cesare Zavattini tailored Luigi Bartolini’s novel for the display screen, permitting for grounded performances and torrid emotional turmoil to be showcased above all else.

With a miserable setting and heavy plot, Bicycle Thieves is, at its core, a robust movie about desperation and resilience, expressed by a heart-wrenching story. Though set in a specific time and place, it’s devastatingly relatable no matter historical past and site. – Yael Tygiel

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The 400 Blows

Rotten Tomatoes: 99% | IMDb: 8.1/10

Serving because the directorial debut of François Truffaut, who co-wrote the movie with Marcel Moussy, The 400 Blows is a French coming-of-age drama a couple of rebellious pre-teen boy in Paris who turns to petty crime and delinquency when uncared for. Starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, and Claire Maurier, The 400 Blows is taken into account a defining movie of French New Wave filmmaking.

Whereas many movies discover adolescence and coming-of-age tales are a dime a dozen, The 400 Blows fantastically and sympathetically affords a uncooked perspective at a transitional time interval with an sincere reflection on the typically heartbreaking realities of rising up. – Yael Tygiel

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Stalker

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 8.1/10

A mesmerizing sci-fi masterpiece from director Andrei Tarkovsky, Stalker was written by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky and primarily based on their trippy 1972 novel Roadside Picnic. The movie stars Aleksandr Kajdanovsky because the unlawful information journeying throughout a postapocalyptic panorama the place the legal guidelines of physics appear irrelevant, bringing a author (Anatoliy Solonitsyn) and scientist (Nikolay Grinko) to a legendary place believed to grant needs.

Stalker explores quite a lot of existential themes by haunting scenes and gorgeous pictures, which slowly attract audiences to dive into complicated philosophical conundrums. With a singular method to narrative, sound design, and humanity, Stalker’s affect expands past cinema by inspiring the evolution of the annual pageant often called Burning Man. – Yael Tygiel

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Wages of Concern

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 8.2/10

Wages of Concern is an intense existential thriller from director Henri-Georges Clouzot. Tailored from Georges Arnaud’s 1950 novel and starring Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter van Eyck, and Véra Clouzot, Wages of Concern follows 4 European males in a South American jungle who’re employed by an American oil firm to move nitroglycerine. Via gritty pictures and spine-tingling prolonged suspense sequences, Wages of Concern consists of numerous scenes that may depart viewers holding their breath.

Wages of Concern continues to captivate audiences, notably with its stability of biting satire and heart-pumping depth. It comes as no shock that Netflix is at present within the strategy of remaking the French film. – Yael Tygiel

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Stagecoach

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 7.8/10

Thought-about John Wayne’s legendary breakout position, Stagecoach is an thrilling Western that follows a gaggle of strangers touring by way of stagecoach by Apache territory. Based mostly on Ernest Haycox’s quick story The Stage to Lordsburg, Stagecoach was directed by John Ford (The Grapes of Wrath) and options an ensemble forged alongside Wayne, together with Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, and John Carradine (The Ten Commandments).

Incomes two Academy Awards in addition to a slew extra nominations, Stagecoach has been tailored for radio, in addition to remade fairly just a few occasions. Though a enjoyable trip, the historic inaccuracies and blatant prejudices portrayed within the film, notably pertaining to indigenous cultures, are simple and shouldn’t be neglected. – Yael Tygiel

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Tokyo Story

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 8.1/10

Yasujirō Ozu’s Tokyo Story is a beautiful drama that follows a retired couple on their journey to go to their grown kids within the Japanese capital. Starring Chishū Ryū and Chieko Higashiyama, Tokyo Story is a gradual burn because it cleverly weaves a narrative by dialogue, with many key scenes not being proven on display screen. Highlighted by a singular use of digicam angles, Tokyo Story leans into the generational story with a wealthy emotional complexity.

Whereas the technical facet of Tokyo Story is charming, the true draw is the generational story, specializing in themes of Westernization. Whereas this movie is particularly a couple of conventional Japanese household as they get well from World Warfare II, these kinds of shifts inside societies are relatable to a mess of cultures round globe. – Yael Tygiel

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Battleship Potemkin

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 7.9/10

Battleship Potemkin is a very distinctive movie from writer-director Sergei Eisenstein. A silent movie that unfolds over 5 individually titled acts, Battleship Potemkin focuses on the 1905 naval mutiny of an Imperial Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet’s battleship. Battleship Potemkin incorporates a assortment of non-actors, together with Aleksandr Antonov,Vladimir Barksy, and Grigori Aleksandrov, as Eisenstein opted for particular appears to be like and vibes over identifiable film stars.

Bringing historical past to the display screen, Battleship Potemkin cleverly shares the grotesque realities of revolution, leading to simply over an hour of cinematic brilliance. Through the years, Battleship Potemkin has been praised for its intelligent montage modifying strategies, which earned the movie a spot throughout the prime ranks of many “greatest movies” lists. – Yael Tygiel

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Pulp Fiction

Rotten Tomatoes: 92% | IMDb: 8.9/10

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Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantino, follows a number of interconnected storylines. One follows Vincent Vega (John Travolta), a hitman within the make use of of gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). His encounters with Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman), Marsellus’s spouse, lead to a sequence of intense and unpredictable occasions. One other narrative thread focuses on Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega as they perform their assignments. The final one facilities on Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) and his determination to defy Marsellus Wallace’s orders, which units off a sequence response of occasions that intertwine with the opposite characters.

Pulp Fiction is a landmark neo-noir crime movie that gained widespread approval for its distinctive narrative construction and impactful storytelling. Virtually 30 years later, it stays a cultural touchstone and a testomony to Tarantino’s affect on up to date filmmaking. Moreover, the dialogue is razor-sharp, the performances are flawless, and the twists constantly ship surprises. Notably, iconic dance strikes function the movie’s signature, enduring the take a look at of time. The movie was additionally crafted as a satirical commentary on the themes of contingency and redemption, foundational components typically discovered in additional conventionally typical Hollywood productions. As full of life as it’s gripping, Pulp Fiction is an exhilarating mix of popular culture and pulp, and it undeniably stands out as one of many best motion pictures of the Nineteen Nineties. – Jessie Nguyen

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Eighth Grade

Rotten Tomatoes: 99% | IMDb: 7.4/10

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Directed and written by Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade follows Kayla (Elsie Fisher), an adolescent navigating the challenges of center college, grappling with nervousness whereas striving for social acceptance within the closing week of eighth grade. To manage, she creates video blogs providing motivational recommendation, however her fixation on social media strains her relationship together with her in any other case supportive father (Josh Hamilton), who wishes to be an energetic presence in her life as her sole guardian.

In his directorial debut, Eighth Grade is Burnham’s meticulously crafted ode to the tumultuous and bewildering center college years, providing reassurance to these experiencing it that issues will finally get higher. Eighth Grade can also be a kind of uncommon motion pictures that, regardless of its subjective individuality, appeals to each adolescent and grownup audiences by educating common life classes that everybody should expertise and grasp with the intention to change into an grownup. As well as, viewers really expertise Kayla’s awkwardness, embarrassment, and cringe-worthy nature as she and different schoolchildren try to seem older than they really are, demonstrating Fisher’s true expertise and the potential impression of their future. Moreover, Burnham’s comedy expertise comes by, as his comedic timing each eases the strain and warmly welcomes the viewers to the plot. – Jessie Nguyen

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Room

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% | IMDb: 8.1/10

Based mostly on Emma Donoghue‘s 2010 novel of the identical identify, Room is directed by Lenny Abrahamson and tailored for the display screen by Donoghue. The film follows Ma, performed by Brie Larson, a younger lady who has endured seven years of captivity, throughout which her five-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) was born. Their escape lastly grants the boy his first expertise of the skin world.

Room presents each the best and lowest sides of humanity inside a charming narrative that delves into the boundless resilience of the human spirit, even within the face of essentially the most daunting challenges. On this examination of loneliness, identification, and the phantasm of safety, Larson showcases her most weak state and likewise shows the peak of her expertise. She was then awarded an Oscar for Greatest Actress in a Main Position for the portrayal. Jacob Tremblay’s efficiency can also be distinctive, indicating his potential to change into a distinguished star sooner or later. Moreover, director Lenny Abrahamson and cinematographer Danny Cohen, in collaboration with Donoghue’s screenplay, current a distressing story by the lens of essentially the most harmless perspective, leading to a very distinctive cinematic expertise. Relatively than avoiding the cruel realities, Room confronts them immediately and unflinchingly. – Jessie Nguyen

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The Satan Wears Prada

Rotten Tomatoes: 75% | IMDb: 6.9/10

Based mostly on Lauren Weisberger‘s 2003 novel of the identical identify, The Satan Wears Prada follows Andy (Anne Hathaway), a current school graduate with bold goals. When she secures a job on the famend Runway journal, she turns into the assistant to the formidable editor, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). Andy then embarks on a difficult journey, questioning her skill to endure her demanding position as Miranda’s assistant with out getting burned.

It is a uncommon movie that not solely matches however surpasses the standard of its supply materials. Viewers proceed to ponder the film’s priceless classes lengthy after the laughter has pale, as these classes are well-founded, enduring, and assuredly conveyed by the proficient actors who carry real depth to the fabric. The Satan Wears Prada continues to be a frontrunner in folks’s minds on the subject of essentially the most trendy movies. Nonetheless, it goes past that, providing a charming and sometimes comedic peek into the high-speed and alluring realm of excessive trend. It additionally offers viewers with a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes operations of a prestigious trend journal. Moreover, the characters, particularly the formidable Miranda Priestly, have achieved icon standing in well-liked tradition, solidifying the movie’s place as a basic. Streep’s efficiency additionally earned her one other Oscar nomination, additional recognizing her excellent portrayal. – Jessie Nguyen

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Seven Samurai

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 8.6/10

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Set in 1586 Japan, Seven Samurai focuses on farmers in a small mountain village who make a determined plea to rogue samurai to assist them defend themselves from a cruel gang of bandits that steadily terrorizes them. Unable to pay for defense, the farmers are aided by a veteran warrior who, together with simply six different ronin, prepare the farmers to withstand the bandits and struggle alongside them.

At 207 minutes, the interval epic is a defining masterpiece from legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa and is an iconic spotlight of Japan’s samurai cinema. Its engrossing story works in its broad strokes as a heroic motion journey, however nestled inside are insightful observations on cultural divides that thrive amid Kurosawa’s meticulous pacing. Additionally enhanced by some placing appearing performances and gorgeous fight sequences, Seven Samurai stays one of the crucial influential movies ever made and one of the crucial awe-inspiring motion pictures of all time. – Ryan Heffernan

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The Conjuring

Rotten Tomatoes: 86% | IMDb: 7.5/10

Learn Our Assessment On prime of being considered one of my favourite motion pictures typically, The Conjuring is definitely considered one of my favourite horror motion pictures of all time (beat solely by its sequel). What offers The Conjuring franchise an edge is that every installment is predicated on the very actual case information of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Performed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, Ed and Lorraine function as brokers of the church as they assist households and people escape the grip of demonic possession. In The Conjuring, the couple is approached by a younger mom whose household has discovered themselves the goal of an evil spirit linked to the nation dwelling they simply moved into.

What really units The Conjuring aside for me is just not the scare issue — although director James Wan definitely doesn’t pull any punches in that regard — it’s the energy of the characters and their relationships, which is baked into the script by Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes. The Conjuring works so nicely as a result of, at its coronary heart, it’s a narrative about love. Ed and Lorraine are pushed, at first, by their love for one another, however their love for serving to folks is available in at an in depth second. In the meantime, Lili Taylor’s Carolyn Perron is pushed by the love for her household, and even when a demonic spirit intends to make use of that towards her, it’s love that finally saves the day. In case you’re new to horror or simply searching for a heart-pounding thriller with a coronary heart of gold, take a look at The Conjuring. – Samantha Coley, Information Editor

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I, Tonya

Rotten Tomatoes: 90% | IMDb: 7.5/10

Learn Our Assessment Led by the unimaginable Margot Robbie in considered one of her greatest roles thus far, I, Tonya is predicated on American determine skater Tonya Harding and, by doubtlessly unreliable retellings of her life due to Harding and her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly’s interviews, depicts the notorious 1994 assault on her rival Nancy Kerrigan. Regardless of having been on the prime of her sport for many of her profession, which included breaking information and competing on the Olympics, Tonya was at all times judged primarily based on her “irregular” determine skating look. Because the plot unfolds, Tonya’s wrestle in life is emphasised, resulting in an outburst heard not simply all over the world of determine skating however the world solely.

A merely gorgeous set of lead performances is matched by a nuanced script from Steven Rogers in a film that rightfully gained each public and important acclaim. Pulling no punches in diving deep into the psyche of a deeply flawed however at all times bold lady, director Craig Gillespie neatly captures the delicate influences that will have led to the notorious incident. Regardless of being a movie a couple of lady many people could really feel we can’t relate to, I, Tonya is deeply relatable with a narrative that excels by holding a contemplative mirror as much as its viewers. – Jake Hodges

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Shiva Child

Rotten Tomatoes: 97% | IMDb: 7.1/10

Written and directed by Emma Seligman, in her characteristic debut no much less, Shiva Child facilities on the lifetime of Danielle (Rachel Sennott); specifically, one fateful week during which she and her household attend a shiva (Jewish week of mourning). To her shock, the attendees on the occasion appear to be a who’s who of Danielle’s life, together with everybody from her ex-girlfriend Maya (Molly Gordon), her sugar daddy Max (Danny Deferrari), and his spouse Kim (Dianna Agron). All hell breaks unfastened as Danielle is pushed to the sting attempting to place out everybody else’s fires, though it’s maybe her life that’s at present ablaze essentially the most.

Based mostly on her quick movie of the identical identify, Emma Seligman does a powerful job translating this story right into a characteristic, with the witty comedic type of the dialogue by no means overshadowing the nuanced evaluation of each the Jewish religion and bisexuality. Because the plot spirals into absurdity, an unnerving sense of claustrophobia creeps up on you, with Seligman clearly impressed by strategies utilized in psychological horror movies. Delightfully crafty and terrifically carried out, Shiva Child is a biting story that may dwell lengthy within the minds of its viewers. – Jake Hodges

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Avatar: The Manner of Water

Rotten Tomatoes: 76% | IMDb: 7.6/10

Learn Our Assessment A sequel to the field workplace smash hit from 2009, Avatar: The Manner of Water picks up the story of Jake Scully (Sam Worthington) just a few years on from the defeat of the RDA, with him and his new household now dwelling fortunately on Pandora. Nonetheless, happiness was by no means meant to final, because the villainous RDA has been plotting one other try to say Pandora. With an invasion afoot, Jake and others type a guerrilla group to try to fend off the pending assault and restore peace to their land.

As at all times, Avatar: The Manner of Water is, above all, a visible masterpiece. Among the finest at constructing awe-inspiring worlds inside his movies, James Cameron produces presumably his greatest aesthetic profession work thus far alongside cinematographer Russell Carpenter. With the unique Avatar incomes itself tens of millions of followers (and {dollars}), Cameron made positive to make use of an analogous method that labored so nicely within the first movie in The Manner of Water, offering viewers with a reminder of simply why this sequel’s predecessor was such a common success. – Jake Hodges

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Being Mary Tyler Moore

Rotten Tomatoes: 97% | IMDb: 7.5/10

Learn Our Assessment Actress, producer, social advocate, and all-round performer Mary Tyler Moore is the topic of this documentary from director James Adolphus. Utilizing footage of her skilled work in addition to interviews with family members, Being Mary Tyler Moore takes a deep dive into an enormously profitable profession of each leisure and activism and appears at what could have been her largest influences.

All through her 80 years of life, Mary Tyler Moore was an actress on the very prime of her sport, successful seven Primetime Emmys and three Golden Globe Awards. Nonetheless, as this documentary discusses, it was her work throughout the development of feminism that might solidify her legacy. Shifting and highly effective, Being Mary Tyler Moore actually seems like a behind-the-curtain have a look at the lifetime of an interesting lady, with this award-winning movie not merely documenting her life but additionally paying homage to it each generously and pretty. – Jake Hodges

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Parasite

Rotten Tomatoes: 99% | IMDb: 8.5/10

Learn Our Assessment The primary foreign-language movie to win a Greatest Image Academy Award, Bong Joon Ho’s genre-bending Parasite follows the working-class Kim household as they slowly infiltrate the lives of the middle-class Park household as workers at their rich fashionable dwelling. Break up into two tonal halves typically playfully known as ‘pre and post-doorbell,’ simply because the Kim household feels they’ve lastly gotten away with their plan to steal this lavish life-style, a darkish twist hidden deep in the home will flip the lives of each households the wrong way up.

A moody, thrilling examination of a discriminatory class system oozes out of Parasite, with every scene layered with attractive and nuanced subtext. Because the plot begins to develop, a brooding sense of unease lingers behind some genuinely hilarious moments of darkish comedy, till instantly the whole lot adjustments inside each the narrative and tone of the film. In its second half, Parasite spirals right into a twisted horror movie with all of the suspense and shock one may count on from the likes of Ari Aster. A devilishly crafty twist provides one more thought-provoking layer to this winding evaluation of recent society, all culminating in a closing act that may maintain you holding your breath for a dangerously lengthy however cinematically unforgettable time. – Jake Hodges

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