Our best movies on HBO Max list has been updated for the month of July, and it features 50 titles that include everything from Martin Scorsese classics, sci-fi blockbusters, nightmare-inducing horror movies, and cinematic gems from the early days of Hollywood. There are even a few superheroes and anime titles in the mix, so basically, something for everyone on the streaming service. Together with our list of the best movies on Max, you’ll find a handy link to each title you can stream on Max, so you can start watching right away or save some for later. Your call. No pressure.
So let’s get into it. Here are the 50 best movies on HBO Max right now:
Last updated on August 27, 2024.
1. Avatar: The Way of Water
Year: 2022
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 193 minutes
Director: James Cameron
Trailer: Watch here
In this sequel to the groundbreaking smash hit, Avatar, director James Cameron once again delivers a stunning visual experience on the alien world of Pandora. Set 16 years later, The Way of Water catches up with Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) who are now parents to a sizable family of biological and adopted children. After being forced to move to a new region of Pandora, the family encounters an ancient threat that puts them on the path to war with the humans, who have not ceased their efforts to strip the planet of its resources.
2. Parasite
Year: 2019
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, and Jang Hye-jin
Genre:Thriller, Mystery, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 132 minutes
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Trailer: Watch here
Winner of just about any major award you can name, Bong’s twisting drama features a poor family that infiltrates a wealthy one by pushing out their staff and replacing them until they’re living a borrowed high life. Superbly acted and brilliantly devised, it’s a darkly entertaining story as much about deception as it is about the gigantic, un-jumpable gap between the Haves and Have Nots. You’d expect nothing less from the visionary behind Snowpiercer. As a bonus, this prestige Best Picture winner also doubles as a ram-don recipe.
3. Barbie
Year: 2023
Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 114 minutes
Director: Greta Gerwig
Trailer: Watch here
The summer blockbuster that launched a worldwide shortage of the color pink is streaming on Max with plenty of BTS extras for fans who want more Barbie, more Ken, and more musical numbers. Margot Robbie plays the blonde icon on a journey of self-discovery who realizes life in the real world is not so fantastic while Ryan Gosling plays her underappreciated sidekick, pining for her affections in his Mojo Dojo Casa House of sadness. Watch the theatrical version, Greta Gerwig’s commentary, the signed edition, or all three.
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey
Year: 1968
Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure
Rating: G
Runtime: 145 minutes
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Trailer: Watch here
Before Star Wars exploded the sci-fi genre on the big screen, there was Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey. The 1968 film, based on the Arthur C. Clarke novel, tells the tale of a monolith found buried on the moon and its mysterious connections to humanity’s past, present, and future. After unlocking a secret message from the monolith, astronauts David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood) set off on a mission guided by the powerful and ominous computer system known as HAL-9000. As HAL begins to malfunction, the mission goes dangerously awry and the search for answers to humanity’s greatest questions becomes entangled in a battle with a seemingly rogue intelligence.
5. Uncut Gems
Year: 2019
Starring: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Indina Menzel
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 135 minutes
Director: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Trailer: Watch here
This adventurous mindf*ck starring Adam Sandler finally landed on Max, and our only advice before watching this criminally-good romp is this: prepare yourself for a wild, over-the-top ride. Sandler gives one of his best performances, and the Safdie Brothers prove they’ve got a knack for crafting thrillers textured with grit and a realness that just can’t be beaten.
6. Batman
Year: 1989
Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy & Sci-FI
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 127 minutes
Director: Tim Burton
Trailer: Watch here
After previously collaborating on Beetlejuice, director Tim Burton tapped Michael Keaton as an unlikely choice to play the lead in this Batman movie, a gothic new take on the Caped Crusader who was best known at the time for the campy Adam West TV series from the ’60s. Burton’s casting choice proved to be dynamite as well as his choice for The Joker: Jack Nicholson, who delivered one of his most iconic performances in the now-classic film. Every superhero movie has been chasing the high (and box office success) of Burton’s Batman ever since. This is the one that started it all.
7. Dune: Part Two
Year: 2024
Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 166 minutes
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Trailer: Watch here
Director Denis Villeneuve did the impossoble with the epic follow-up to his critically-praised 2021 adaptation: he made a sequel that improved upon its predecessor in every way. Chalamet sports even more confidence this time around, playing Paul Atreides as a would-be messiah hell-bent on revenge who sacrifices everything to sit the throne while Rebecca Ferguson plays his scheming mother, Lady Jessica, who cleverly maneuvers her son into becoming a diety for an oppressed people desperate for hope. But the true standouts are Zendaya, who’s given much more to do as Chani, Paul’s lover and a leader of the Fremen, and Austin Butler, who gives a chilling turn as Feyd-Rautha, a rival would-be emperor.
8. The Green Knight
Year: 2021
Starring: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Barry Keoghan
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: R
Runtime: 130 minutes
Director: David Lowery
Trailer: Watch here
A twisted, hauntingly beautiful take on Arthurian legend, David Lowery’s The Green Knight gives Dev Patel an axe, a talking fox, and a date with death as he plays Gawain, a young knight in search of glory. After taking the head of the mysterious Green Knight, he’s forced to fulfill a bargain that sees him traipsing across England, fending off thieves and sinister lords so that he can face his destiny.
9. Spirited Away
Year: 2001
Starring: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Jason Marsden
Genre: Anime, Fantasy, Mystery
Rating: PG
Runtime: 122 minutes
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Trailer: Watch here
In this delightful Academy Award-winning masterpiece from Studio Ghibli and beloved Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki, young Chihiro (Daveigh Chase) is separated from her parents by the powerful sorceress Yubaba (Suzanne Pleshette). Trapped inside a seemingly abandoned amusement park in the secret world of Kami, Chihiro must slave away for Yubaba alongside an assortment of supernatural beings. Using her wits and cunning, Chihiro concocts a plan to rescue her parents from the spell that’s turned them into pigs and return to the human world. Released in 2001, Spirited Away helped spark a worldwide obsession with Miyazaki’s films thanks to its captivating story, unforgettable characters, and signature animation style.
10. Good Will Hunting
Year: 1997
Starring: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Stellan Skarsgård, Minnie Driver
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 127 minutes
Director: Gus Van Sant
Trailer: Watch here
In this Oscar-winning film written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Damon stars as Will Hunting, a mathematical genius working as a janitor at MIT. When Will’s potential is discovered by a professor (Stellan Skarsgård), he works to get the troubled youth out of trouble with the law by pairing him with therapist Sean Maguire played by Robin Williams in one of the beloved actors’ most iconic roles. Look for Affleck to pop up as Will’s childhood pal, mirroring the two writer/actors own Boston-based friendship.
11. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Year: 2011
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer
Genre: Crime, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 158 minutes
Director: David Fincher
Trailer: Watch here
Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara star in this muted crime thriller from David Fincher based on a best-selling series of books. Mara plays a gifted young hacker with a dark past who teams up with Craig’s journalist to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy woman from a prominent family 40 years earlier.
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Year: 2001
Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen
Genre: Action, Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 178 minutes
Director: Peter Jackson
Trailer: Watch here
This is where it all started. Before The Fellowship of the Ring stormed into theaters, The Lord of the Rings were just some musty old books for nerds. That perception quickly changed when director Peter Jackson delivered the mother of all fantasy epics and turned LOTR into the blockbuster franchise it is today. Often considered the best film of the series, The Fellowship of the Ring welcomed audiences into the world of Middle-Earth as stunning visuals and a captivating cast set the stage for an all-consuming war between good and evil. In the midst of the conflict, a quest unfolds that will test the strength and friendship of two tiny unlikely heroes.
Also, Viggo Mortensen owns in this movie. Just rules from start to finish.
13. Midsommar
Year: 2019
Cast: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Rating: R
Runtime: 148 minutes
Director: Ari Aster
Trailer: Watch here
Nauseating. Disturbing. A total mindf*ck. These are all ways one could describe Ari Aster’s sophomore genre outing that gleefully embraces the very worst of humanity. It’s a horror story, sure, but it’s a relationship drama at its core, flavored with pagan rituals, brutal killings, unsettling imagery, and all-consuming grief. Florence Pugh gives a career-defining performance as Dani, a young woman reeling from a terrible familial tragedy who accompanies her distant, disinterested boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) and his college bros to a small Swedish village to celebrate the summer solstice. When unsettling things begin to happen to their group, Dani must make a choice that might not leave everyone breathing.
14. The Dark Knight
Year: 2008
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman
Genre: Action, Crime
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 152 minutes
Director: Christopher Nolan
Trailer: Watch here
It’s nearly impossible to overstate the influence Christopher Nolan’s follow-up Batman film has had on superhero movies. For better (and often, for worse) his somber, sobering, hyper-realistic take on the cowled vigilante is a formula DC has been chasing for over a decade. From the stunning set design to the awe-inspiring stunt sequences, the villainous turns of Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart, the troubled righteousness of Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne, and the anarchic chaos caused by a storyline that doubles as a Faustian mirror for our own societal shortcomings, every element of this movie is firing on all cylinders.
15. Love Lies Bleeding
Year: 2024
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris
Genre: Crime, Action
Rating: R
Runtime: 104 minutes
Director: Rose Glass
Trailer: Watch here
Kristen Stewart playing a tortured gym manager drenched in blood. A buff as hell Katy O’Brian playing a love-struck bodybuilder pulled into a twisted family dynamic. Ed Harris playing a menacing crime boss whose concept of fatherhood is severely twisted. This deadly romance thriller is the definition of “a vibe” and it’s propped up by some terrific performances by O’ Brian and Stewart, who play a more modern Bonnie & Clyde.
16. Evil Dead
Year: 2013
Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 91 minutes
Director: Fede Alvarez
Trailer: Watch here
Mistakes are generally made by characters during horror movies, but one of the most predictable stumbles imaginable takes place after a character decides that it’s a great deal to open the Book of the Dead. Jane Levy, however, is never a casting mistake, and she is absolutely stellar as drug-addicted Mia, who experiences Hell on Earth without a single soul willing to believe her. Also, best chainsaw scene in the whole franchise? Maybe.
17. Joker
Year: 2019
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro
Genre: Drama, Crime
Rating: R
Runtime: 121 minutes
Director: Todd Phillips
Trailer: Watch here
The Hangover director Todd Phillips delivered a surprising home run with an intense character study on an infamous Batman villain. While the Dark Knight is nowhere to be found in this movie, the film tracks Arthur Fleck, a disturbed comedian, as he descends into madness and becomes the Joker. More Taxi Driver than Batman Begins, the gritty crime drama takes several cues from Martin Scorsese as Joaquin Phoenix delivers a brutal and unrelenting Oscar-winning performance. Robert De Niro also makes an appearance to really lock in those Scorsese vibes and set Joker apart from the comic book genre.
18. Dune (2021)
Year: 2021
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Zendaya
Genre: Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 155 minutes
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Trailer: Watch here
After delivering stunning sci-fi films like Arrival and Blade Runner: 2049, visionary director Denis Villeneuve took an ambitious stab at the mother of all sci-fi series, Dune. Starring Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the first Dune tackles the opening salvo of the sprawling epic by capturing the early beginnings of Paul’s messianic journey on the desert planet Arrakis. Featuring a fully stacked cast as the members of House Atreides, Dune delivers a jarringly beautiful and photorealistic experience as Villeneuve brings his signature visual style to a story that George Lucas would heavily mine for his own little sci-fi adventure. With a sequel already en route, Dune sets the stage for a wild intergalactic clash featuring massive sandworms, levitating space emperors, and Zendaya. Gotta have Zendaya.
19. Lost In Translation
Year: 2003
Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 102 minutes
Director: Sofia Coppola
Trailer: Watch here
Bill Murray plays a fading movie star who befriends a jaded philosophy grad (Scarlett Johansson) in this understated Sofia Coppola Oscar-winner. Murray’s Bob is in the midst of a mid-life crisis, watching his marriage fail as he takes a lucrative advertising opp in Tokyo. Johansson’s Charlotte is questioning her own marriage as her photographer husbands brings her along on a work trip. The pair meet in the hotel bar and share cultural experiences with one another as they contemplate their respective futures, forming an intense friendship neither expected.
20. The Social Network
Year: 2010
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 120 minutes
Director: David Fincher
Trailer: Watch here
It’s hard not to watch this Aaron Sorkin-penned, David Fincher-directed masterpiece and have your viewing experience colored by Facebook, and founder Mark Zuckerberg’s, many political misdealings. Jesse Eisenberg plays the boy genius, an outcast whose brainchild is the product of a bad breakup and sexism. He partners with Andrew Garfield’s business-minded Eduardo Saverin and the two create the famous social networking site before Zuckerberg outs his friend and alienates himself. The story isn’t new but watching it play out is still thrilling, mostly because Eisenberg is just so damn good at being a dick.
21. I, Tonya
Year: 2017
Cast: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Julianne Nicholson, Bobby Cannavale, and Allison Janney
Genre: Biopic, Dark Comedy, Mockumentary
Rating: R
Runtime: 120 minutes
Director: Craig Gillespie
Trailer: Watch here
Everyone who was alive in the 1990s knows the story of Tonya Harding. The skating, the kneecapping, the busted laces. Except we’re all wrong. Gillespie’s biopic of the controversial figure skater is a mash-up of different tones and styles that all weave together pristinely to form a hugely entertaining, emotionally devastating portrait of a real human being instead of a tabloid punchline. That doesn’t mean she’s an angel, and Robbie certainly doesn’t play her as one, but at least we get three dimensions (alongside a goofy conspiracy perpetrated by hilarious morons).
22. The Devil Wears Prada
Year: 2006
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 109 minutes
Director: David Frankel
Trailer: Watch here
Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway face off in this dramedy that dives stilettos first into the cutthroat world of high fashion editorials. Hathaway plays Andy, a very serious-minded journalist in New York City who has absolutely no time for frivolous concerns like dressing well and appearing presentable in public. She lands an assistant job at a Vogue-like magazine hoping it’ll help her make connections, quickly realizing her ruthless boss, Miranda Priestly (Streep) can, and very well might, break her. Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, they all give memorable supporting turns but the draw here is Street and her meme-able Anna Wintour impersonation
23. Wanted
Year: 2008
Starring: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman
Genre: Action
Rating: R
Runtime: 110 minutes
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Trailer: Watch here
James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman star in this mind-bending action-thriller that follows a secret fraternity of assassins controlling the world from the shadows. McAvoy plays Wesley, a nobody working a cubicle job who discovers his father was part of this elite group and that he possesses the same abilities that made his dear-old-dad one of the best killers in the game. Freeman lords over the fraternity, handing out kill slips to its members while Jolie plays Fox, a mysterious assassin who trains Wesley to take down a former member of the order gone rogue. There are a few surprises we won’t spoil here, but it’s the slo-mo action sequences that really earn this flick a place on this list.
24. Beetlejuice
Year: 1988
Starring: Michael Keaton, Wynona Rider, Geena Davis
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Rating: PG
Runtime: 92 minutes
Director: Tim Burton
Trailer: Watch Here
Tim Burton pairs his recognizable cinematic style with the unhinged charisma of Michael Keaton for this 80s “horror” movie that’s tame enough to enjoy with the entire family. Keaton plays the black-and-white-striped spiritual sh*t-stirrer, hired to help a couple of ghosts retake their home. Insane, otherworldly hijinks ensue, the funniest being a dinner scene with Catherine O’Hara.
25. Zola
Year: 2020
Starring: Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Rating: R
Runtime: 86 minutes
Director: Janicza Bravo
Trailer: Watch here
Based on the wildest Twitter thread the internet has ever seen, this darkly comedic crime drama is equal parts disturbing and hilarious — all thanks to the performances of its main leads, Taylour Paige and Riley Keough. While Paige plays the titular Zola, a street-smart exotic dancer on a mission to make some money in Florida, Keough plays her new friend Stefani, an unhinged sex worker who hopes to rope Zola into her schemes.
26. Melancholia
Year: 2011
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Alexander Skarsgard
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Rating: R
Runtime: 135 minutes
Director: Lars Von Trier
Trailer: Watch here
Merging high art and science fiction, director Lars Von Trier found inspiration for his story after suffering a depressive episode. Focused on two sisters with a strained relationship, they must now face the reality of a rogue planet set to collide with Earth. It premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where Kristen Dunst was given the Best Actress Award, and the following year the British Film Institute named it one of the greatest films of all time — a rare honor for any film made in the 21st century.
27. Deadpool
Year: 2016
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein
Genre: Action, Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
Director: Tim Miller
Trailer: Watch here
Ryan Reynolds and director Tim Reynolds found a new way to explore the superhero universe with this foul-mouthed entry that follows a professional assassin and mercenary who gets a bit of a bad break – first with a terminal illness, then with some government experimenting gone wrong. Reynolds plays the titular anti-hero, a wise-cracking opportunist dealt a pretty ugly hand who ends up saving the day … kind of. Even if you’re suffering from a case of superhero fatigue, the big swings this movie takes makes strapping into a spandex suit again worth it.
28. The Iron Claw
Year: 2023
Starring: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Lily James
Genre: Sport, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 132 minutes
Director: Sean Durkin
Trailer: Watch here
This sports biopic felw under the radar during awards season, failing to net any nominations for its stellar cast. A real shame because the film is a masterpiece in how to build a character drama infused with enough action to keep things interesting. Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simons plays the Von Erich brothers, a group of beefed-up athletes determined to put wrestling on the map in the early 80s. They’re pushed by an abusive father and driven by their own demons, a lethal combination that leads to success in the ring, and tragedy outside of it.
29. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Year: 2008
Starring: Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, Paul Rudd
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 111 minutes
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Trailer: Watch here
Terrible breakups are a universal experience and Jason Segel manages to tap into the deep yet hilarious insecurity that plagues us all in the aftermath. When he’s dumped by his movie star girlfriend, Peter goes on vacation to forget his sorrows (and also cry a lot). Along the way, he discovers a little self-worth, a new lease on life, and love — even as he embarrasses himself by stalking his ex and performing bizarre puppet musical numbers.
30. The Killing Of A Sacred Deer
Year: 2017
Starring: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 121 minutes
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Trailer: Watch here
The concept of cosmic justice is what fuels most of the dread-inducing action in this tense thriller starring Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Barry Keoghan. Pulling from Greek mythos, Lanthimos tells the story of Dr. Steven Murphy (Farrell), a cardiovascular surgeon living a somewhat sterile, though, by all appearances happy, life with his wife (Kidman) and two children. When he strikes up a friendship with a fatherless young man named Martin (Keoghan), his comfortable existence is upended.
31. Legally Blonde
Year: 2001
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair, Luke Wilson
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 96 minutes
Director: Robert Luketic
Trailer: Watch here
A subversive early aughts laugh-riot that manages to smash patriarchal stereotypes by way of a blonde bimbo infiltrating an Ivy League institution to prove her worth to an ex-boyfriend, only to excel in a male-dominated profession thanks to her feminine street smarts? What, like it’s hard?
32. The Other Guys
Year: 2010
Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg
Genre: Action, Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 107 minutes
Director: Adam McKay
Trailer: Watch here
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg make a surprisingly perfect comedic duo and the two draw on their Grumpy Old Men-like chemistry for this buddy cop action flick about two mismatched NYPD officers who uncover a plot by a multinational corporation to steal millions from the city’s police retirement fund. Wahlberg plays the brawns, a quick-tempered detective forced to babysit Ferrell’s mild-mannered accountant after he accidentally shot Derek Jeter during the World Series. That right there should tell you all you need to know about this film.
33. Priscilla
Year: 2023
Cast: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi
Genre: Biographical, Music
Rating: R
Runtime: 113 minutes
Director: Sofia Coppola
Trailer: Watch here
Sofia Coppola set out to give us the origin story of a legend that focused less on the myth and more on the casualties left in the wakeof building one. The result, a bittersweet ode to girlhood dressed in the iconoclast of Priscilla Presley — sky-high bump, winged eye, and vintage 60s fashion included. Cailee Spaeny plays the young woman before she adopted the last name of the world’s most-desired rockstar, when she was just a teenager enamored with the lore of Elvis (a convincing Jacob Elordi) and unceremoniously thrust into his all-too-public life. Their love story is swoonworthy and problematic in equal measure, something Coppola never shies away from, showing Priscilla’s growth from naive girl to an independent woman fed up with being made in her husband’s image.
34. Silver Linings Playbook
Year: 2012
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 122 minutes
Director: David O. Russell
Trailer: Watch here
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence star in this drama that’s equal parts rom-com and a harrowing look at mental illness. Cooper plays Pat Solitano, a former high school teacher who recently completed a stint at a mental institution. Things aren’t going well for Pat, he’s moved back in with his overbearing parents (a wickedly-funny Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver), his now ex-wife cheated on him, he doesn’t get along with his therapist, and he’s operating under the delusion that if he gets fit and gets his sh*t together, he can get his wife back. Lawrence plays Tiffany, a young woman with problems of her own. She’s depressed after the death of her husband and prefers sex with strangers to drown the pain. The two strike up a friendship that pushes both to their mental and emotional limits. It’s a messy, complicated love story that makes for a nice change of pace if sappy-sweet rom-coms just aren’t doing it for you.
35. Man of Steel
Year: 2013
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 143 minutes
Director: Zack Snyder
Trailer: Watch here
While Henry Cavill’s time as Superman may be over, his superhero debut in Man of Steel showcases why DC Comics fans are still clinging to hope that the actor could reprise his role as the classic Kryptonian. Taking the more grounded, realistic approach seen in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, Man of Steel delivers a more aggressive take on the classic hero as director Zack Snyder goes heavy on the bombastic action sequences to deliver a Kal-El who’s more brawler than Christopher Reeves and Brandon Routh’s prior takes on the character. This is a Superman who throws down and will do whatever it takes to protect his new world from Michael Shannon’s menacing General Zod.
36. The Zone Of Interest
Year: 2023
Starring: Christian Friedel, Sandra Huller
Genre: History, War
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 105 minutes
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Trailer: Watch here
This controversy-courting Oscar winner targets the Holocaust from a wholly new angle — by zooming in on the mundane lives of some of its most monstrous masterminds.Friedel plays Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoss, a cruelly apathetic man while Huller plays his wife Hedwig. The two try to build an idyllic life right next to the concentration camp her husband oversees and Glazer mines that jarring contrast for all its worth over the course of an hour and some change.
37. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Year: 2014
Starring: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell
Genre: Fantasy & Sci-Fi, Action
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 131 minutes
Director: Matt Reeves
Trailer: Watch here
In this sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Matt Reeves takes the reins of the reboot franchise and turns it into a modern cinema masterpiece. Set 10 years after the Simian Flu wiped out most of humanity, Caeser (Andy Serkis) is faced with a difficult decision to trust a nearby settlement of humans, which could cost him the trust of his burgeoning ape society. Caesar’s choice will soon have drastic repercussions for man and ape alike as both sides struggle to stave off war, resulting in a showdown that will determine the fate of the planet.
38. Black Swan
Year: 2010
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Trailer: Watch here
Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis star in this psychological thriller about a talented ballerina who begins to unravel when she lands the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” Portman plays Nina, a disciplined dancer whose hard work pays off when she’s cast as the Swan Queen by her demanding choreographer but her mind quickly deteriorates under the pressure of the spotlight as another ballerina, Lilly (Kunis ) comes for her crown.
39. It Comes At Night
Year: 2017
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Riley Keough
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 91 minutes
Director: Trey Edward Shults
Trailer: Watch here
After an unknown illness has wiped out most of civilization, a number of threats — both seen and unseen — come for a family held up in their home out in the wilderness. It’s a subtle, nightmarish tale that stars Joel Edgerton and Christopher Abbot as two patriarchs intent on keeping their families safe, no matter the cost.
40. Twister
Year: 1996
Starring: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Genre: Action, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 113 minutes
Director: Jan De Bont
Trailer: Watch here
Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt go tornado chasin in this totally 90s action flick with a premise that’s so outrageous, it can’t not work. The pair play almost-divorced former co-workers who team up one last time to launch a DIY machine into the funnel of the most destructive storm to hit the midwest in years and end up fixing every problem that led to their break-up. It’s a freaking blast.
41. Judas and the Black Messiah
Year: 2021
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Aston Sanders, and Martin Sheen
Genre:Biopic, Crime Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 126 minutes
Director: Shaka King
Trailer: Watch here
Based on the real-life assassination of Illinois Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton, King’s explosive biopic is a fierce two-hander where Kaluuya plays the torrential orator and organizer while Stanfield plays the petty criminal dragooned into being an informant for the FBI. The twin narratives follow Hampton’s rise in popularity, his founding of the Rainbow Coalition, and his romantic personal life as well as William O’Neal’s harried and reluctant work for the FBI to keep tabs on Hampton, and, eventually, assassinate him. A hit at Sundance and 5-time Oscar nominee, it’s a stunning artistic achievement and vitally important history.
42. Princess Mononoke
Year: 1997
Starring: Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Minnie Driver
Genre: Anime, Action, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 133 minutes
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Trailer: Watch here
Before Spirited Away made audiences fall in love with Studio Ghibli, there was Princess Mononoke, the stirring action epic from famed Japanese animation director Hiyao Miyasaki. Boasting an all-star voice cast for the English translation, the anime film follows a cursed warrior as he stumbles across a girl raised by wolves. Struggling to defended her forest home from the people of Iron Town, Princess Mononoke unveils an epic clash of nature versus mankind with all the artistic splendor that Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli have to offer.
43. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Year: 2024
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth
Genre: Action, post-apocaplyptic
Rating: R
Runtime: 188 minutes
Director: George Miller
Trailer: Watch here
This prequel series didn’t strike gold at the box office, although the film itself is a tour de force by a badass Anya Taylor-Joy (as young Furiosa attempting to return home amid the Wasteland) and an absolutely giddy Chris Hemsworth as Immortal Joe.
44. Good Time
Year: 2017
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 102 minutes
Director: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Trailer: Watch here
This gritty crime drama from the Safdie brothers transforms star Robert Pattinson into a bleach-blonde sh*t-stirrer from Queens desperate to break his developmentally disabled brother out of prison. Pattinson plays Connie, a street hustler and bank robber with grand plans to escape his urban neighborhood while Benny Safdie plays his brother Nick, who gets roped into his schemes. When Nick is sent to Ryker’s Island for a job gone wrong, Connie goes on a downward spiral to get him back. Pattinson’s manic energy carries this thing and there are plenty of police run-ins, shootouts, and heists (however botched) to keep the adrenaline pumping.
45. Sinister
Year: 2012
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 110 minutes
Director: Scott Derrickson
Trailer: Watch here
Ethan Hawke’s horror-movie era hit peak spooky in this film that might make it difficult to walk past open windows at night. Additionally, mysterious projectors and movies that suddenly appear in attics are also nightmare fuel. Then again, not many people would knowingly move into a house where horrific murders took place and expect things to go well.
46. Godzilla Vs. Kong
Year: 2021
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 113 minutes
Director: Adam Wingard
Trailer: Watch here
Godzilla vs. Kong is the ultimate Monsterverse movie, an action-packed clash of two sci-fi titans that’s equal parts ridiculous and mesmerizing. The storyline is fairly simple: humans are trying to rid the planet of city-destroying giant beasts and they’re using the centuries-old feud between an oversized gorilla and an atomic-breathing lizard to do it. But don’t focus on that, focus on the colossal fight scenes between two perpetually grumpy sentient behemoths wielding shipping containers like baseball bats. It’s the best.
47. The Suicide Squad
Year: 2021
Starring: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman
Genre: Action, Superhero
Rating: R
Runtime: 132 minutes
Director: James Gunn
Trailer: Watch here
In The Suicide Squad, writer/director James Gunn puts his spin on the supervillain team introduced to movie audiences in 2017’s Suicide Squad. Part sequel, part reboot, the film brings back Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn while introducing new characters like John Cena’s Peacemaker, who went on to star in a breakout spinoff series. In the madcap sequel that channels Gunn’s energy from the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Task Force X is once again hauled out of prison and forced to complete an impossible mission or have their heads exploded. Literally. There are bombs in their brains. Gunn’s take on the classic supervillain squad was so well-received that he’s now in charge of DC Studios.
48. American Sniper
Year: 2014
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller
Genre: Action, war, biopic
Rating: R
Runtime: 133 minutes
Director: Clint Eastwood
Trailer: Watch here
Bradley Cooper steps into the shoes of hauntingly accurate Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle, both on the battlefield and during his not-so-easy return home following four tours of duty. The action is brutal and cutting, and the emotions hit equally hard in this portrait of a military legend.
49. The Witch
Year: 2015
Starring: Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 92 minutes
Director: Robert Eggers
Trailer: Watch here
In what would be the first of their many collabs, Robert Eggers and Anya Taylor-Joy team up for this thrilling period piece filled with Satanic ghosts, dead babies, and plenty of horror tropes. Joy plays Thomasin, a young woman whose family is cast out of their Puritan community. They build a new home on the edge of a dark forest and begin suffering through strange occurrences — missing children, dead goats, and violent hallucinations. Thomasin’s connection to the malevolent spirit plaguing her family only deepens when a witch sets her sights on her.
50. Am I OK?
Year: 2022
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 86 minutes
Director: Tig Notaro
Trailer: Watch here
An under-the-radar comedy starring Dakota Johnson, this Tig Notaro-directed flick is the perfect millennial hang-out movie. All the elements are there: philosophical musings on the futility of life, shitty blind dates, a Queer epiphany, and a lifelong friendship put in jeopardy by one twenty-something’s quest to “find herself.” Enjoy.
