This way, you won’t spend two hours deciding on a movie.
Thanks to last year’s glorious merger with Discovery+, Max now has so much media that you could spend hours scrolling through all the options. But by the time you do that, you’ll probably give up and resign yourself to re-watching Sex and the City again. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with that, but you’d be missing out on several great cinematic experiences, including some of the finest films ever made. Seriously!
While Max is known for having some amazing limited series, especially as of late — The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Mare of Easttown, The Undoing, to name just a few — it’s also a prime destination for movies. (It originated as Home Box Office, after all.) So let us be your guide to the best movies on Max this month, in no particular order. And if you don’t have a Max account already, you’ll be convinced it’s worth the investment after reading this.
The 10 Best Movies on Max Right Now
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (June 1)
If you want to dip your toe into martial arts movies but don’t have experience with the genre, you should start with this elegant, Oscar-winning classic. It’s 19th century China, and the search is on for a missing sword called Green Destiny. The chase for this fabled weapon leads to the House of Yu, where legend and action entwine. Expect gorgeous cinematography, a steamy love story, and plenty of amazing fight scenes.
The Boy and the Heron
Legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki returns with this critically-acclaimed, bittersweet drama about grief, wartime, and childhood. Mahito is a young boy who moves to the countryside after his mother’s death. After arriving, however, a talking heron informs him that his mother is still alive. While searching for her, Mahito stumbles into a magical series of surreal worlds that gradually help him process loss and change.
Civil War
Seeking a thrill? In this tense 2024 drama, a team of military-embedded journalists in dystopian-future America races against time to reach Washington, D.C. Their hope? To interview the president before ruthless rebel factions descend upon the White House.
I Saw the TV Glow (Sept 20)
Sometimes, you’re just in the mood for a psychological horror film set in the suburbs and nothing else will do. This film follows two isolated high school students whose obsession with a favorite TV show leads them to question their reality.
The Dark Knight
You’ve probably already seen Christopher Nolan’s award-winning take on the Batman franchise — but it definitely holds up to a rewatch. Batman, police lieutenant James Gordon, and district attorney Harvey Dent make a pact to dismantle organized crime in Gotham. Their work is derailed by the Joker, a psychotic mastermind who tests how far Batman will go to save the city from chaos.
Boogie Nights
Paul Thomas Anderson takes us back to 1970s Southern California in this period piece about adult films. Eddie (Mark Wahlberg) is an up-and-coming actor who experiences a delirious rise and fall during the raucous disco era. Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, and Heather Graham also star as members of this weird and wild industry.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
A lot of us associate the Harry Potter movies with coziness. So if you feel like cuddling up under a warm blanket with a family-friendly watch, this is the pick for you. Twelve-year-old Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is set to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, he receives a visit from an unwelcome houseguest who tries to get Harry expelled for a mysterious reason that calls back to some spooky Hogwarts history.
The Wolfpack
Max is a veritable treasure trove of life-changing documentaries, many of which you haven’t seen before. Case in point: Indie flick The Wolfpack follows a cohort of real-life brothers who were kept locked inside a small apartment by their distant and abusive father. Upon busting out as young adults, the boys are ready to take on New York City — with the unique dark humor and specific talents gained from too many years watching classic cinema.
Tiny Furniture
You know Lena Dunham from her hit TV show, Girls, but have you ever seen her earlier work? Released in 2010, Tiny Furniture is Dunham’s directoral debut. The story follows a clueless woman named Aura who’s just returned home to New York after college graduation. Aura stumbles through life — she’s unsure what she wants to do with her film degree, her romantic interests don’t seem to like her much, and her only pal in town is a chronically bad friend. But her biggest hurdle? Her relationship with her mother.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (Sept 20)
Not sure what to make of all things Gen Z? This darkly comic horror film simultaneously celebrates and lampoons contemporary 20-somethings in all their glory. Amandla Stenberg, Rachel Sennott, Maria Bakalova, and Pete Davidson star as a group of wealthy kids holed up during a hurricane. But when one of them dies during a party game, the pressure is on to unmask the killer.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Michelle Yeoh won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Evelyn, an unfulfilled housewife who moons over daydreams of what her life might have become. In reality, she’s sick of her eternal optimist husband (Ke Huy Quan), and her disgruntled, rebellious daughter (Stephanie Hsu). But while visiting the IRS office, Evelyn meets a mysterious stranger who reveals that Evelyn’s fate is actually dangerously flexible — and packed with expertly choreographed fight scenes.
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