The 50 best movies on Max
From recent Oscar winners to classic blasts from the past, here are the best cinematic offerings on the prestige streamer.
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures (2); 20th Century Fox
Margot Robbie in 'Barbie'; Fantasia Barrino in 'The Color Purple'; Leonardo DiCaprio in 'The Revenant'R.I.P. local video stores and the intimidating film nerds manning the counter, debating the merits of Kurosawa while side-eying your ninth rental of Happy Gilmore. R.I.P. "Be kind, rewind." And R.I.P. most of all to those towering shelves stuffed with DVD and VHS cases, adorned with scribbled staff suggestion cards conveying intense YOU NEED TO SEE THIS!!! energy in 100 Sharpied words or less. Because as convenient as streaming is, the human aspect of video stores is something we sorely miss. This leads us to… Max!
Hear us out.
More than any other streamer, Max really does remind us of ye olde video store days. And while streaming will never replace the real thing (if you live in Baltimore or L.A., support your locals!), at least you can enjoy our own "staff suggestions" — the 50 best Max films to stream right now broken up by vibe categories (no rewinding necessary).
Do you like being scared?
Hereditary (2018)
A psycho-thriller horror film directed by Ari Aster and produced by A24, Hereditary is all about family, but this content is not suitable for everyone at the dinner table. After Annie (Toni Collette) suffers the loss of her mother, she discovers the dead never really leave us — even when we desperately want them to. Thematically centered around the unknown horrors lurking within one’s gene pool, Collette is “scary good,” according to EW’s critic. Offering up a performance that is “raw, almost feral,” Collette invites us into her brain as she processes her mother's death, experiences an implosion within her immediate family, and questions her own sanity. A genre geek’s paradise, with references to — and vibes reminiscent of — classics like Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, and The Shining, our critic writes that “Hereditary doesn’t reinvent horror cinema so much as polish the cobwebs off of its classics, strip them for parts, and refashion them into something that feels terrifyingly fresh and new.” —Ilana Gordon
Where to watch Hereditary: Max
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, Gabriel Byrne
Related content: Chris Evans raving about Toni Collette in Hereditary to Toni Collette is all of us
House (1977)
Only after you've seen this completely unhinged Japanese cult masterpiece can you appreciate the humor in Max's description: "A schoolgirl spends her summer vacation in a haunted house." Um, sure? Here's the real deal: Way back in 1977, director Nobuhiko Obayashi created a comedy/experimental art film/horror film based on the ideas of his, yes, 12-year-old daughter. That sounds cute, until you've seen the film, which features a demonic cat, a killer piano, and plenty of evil spirits. It's another experience we can thank the Criterion Collection for (and Max, which has many CC gems streaming). —Debby Wolfinsohn
Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Cast: Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Ai Matubara, Kumiko Oba, Mieko Sato, Eriko Tanaka, Masayo Miyako, Yōko Minamida
Related content: The 20 best haunted house films of all time
Malignant (2021)
We love a good twist, which is why the less we say about this bloody good horror flick from James Wan (the devious mind behind Saw, among other films) the better. Because there's a twist in here — and it's a doozy. Malignant in a spoiler-free nutshell? Annabelle Wallis (Annabelle, Peaky Blinders) stars as a woman named Madison who sees dead people (she has murder vision, you could say). And if you love to be scared (and surprised), quit reading — and start watching. —D.W.
Director: James Wan
Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White
Related content: Why James Wan's Malignant was too sick for the Oscars
We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021)
How about a nice hot bowl of creepypasta? Dad jokes aside, it takes a brave soul to venture down the internet rabbit hole presented here, full of all the unnerving, unsettling vibes. This low-budget coming-of-age tale — focused on the blurry line between our real lives and our online ones — stars newcomer Anna Cobb as Casey, a teenager whose descent into a "game" leads to some serious trouble. Viewers' reactions to the film were polarizing, to say the least. Yes, with a 91% positive critics score facing off against a 27% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the only correct conclusion is to see it for yourself and decide. —D.W.
Where to watch We're All Going to the World's Fair: Max
Director: Jane Schoenbrun
Cast: Anna Cobb, Michael J. Rogers
Related content: The best horror movies streaming on Shudder
Film school (on your couch)
The 400 Blows (1959)
François Truffaut's autobiographical classic, beautifully shot in rich black and white on the streets of Paris, looks as modern and vibrant today as it did when it was made. Credited as one of the crown jewels of the French New Wave film movement, the story follows 12-year-old Antoine (played by Jean-Pierre Leaud, resembling a young Jake Gyllenhaal), as he floats from his rough home experience to a strict classroom to a life of juvenile crime. Each moment is more interesting than the next thanks to the shaggy, sensitive, stunning visuals — the spinning carnival Gravitron ride, the claustrophobic faces of his stressed parents, the way Antoine guzzles a bottle of milk in an alley — which are guaranteed to grab you. We won't spoil the ending by telling you what the iconic final shot is except to say it's devastatingly perfect and perfectly devastating, just like the film itself. —D.W.
Where to watch The 400 Blows: Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Francis Truffaut
Cast: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, Claire Maurier
Related content: The 50 greatest directors and their best movies
Beau Travail (1999)
This basically wordless film from director Claire Denis — who adapts Herman Melville's Billy Budd to be in a French Foreign Legion outpost in Africa — tells the story of an officer (the incredible Denis Lavant) and his relationship (a.k.a. power struggle) with a new recruit (Grégoire Colin). As EW's critic writes about the film, "Her visual style is hypnotic, rapturous, and she makes barren landscapes look gorgeous, hard men look vulnerable." What's more, the ending is a stunner. It features one of the most haunting, beautiful, and bizarre dance scenes (a Denis Lavant solo) in modern cinema, encapsulating joy, confusion, release, and regret, set to, yes, Corona's "The Rhythm of the Night." —D.W.
Where to watch Beau Travail: Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Claire Denis
Cast: Denis Lavant, Michel Subor
Related content: Robert Pattinson stars in Clarie Denis' High Life trailer
Down by Law (1986)
Though Max boasts a good deal of the Jim Jarmusch collection, from the stunning Stranger Than Paradise to the globe-trotting Night on Earth to the genre-rocking Ghost Dog, nothing beats the darkly comic hero's journey of Down by Law. Featuring flawless performances by John Lurie, Tom Waits, and Roberto Benigni, this film is like a master class in atmosphere and off-kilter humor. Shot in lush black and white on the streets of New Orleans (and literally in the surrounding swamps), Down by Law possesses a relaxed magic, and the intro alone is worth the price of admission (Waits' "Jockey Full of Bourbon" plays as we travel through NOLA). Watching this is an experience, like the best films are. —D.W.
Where to watch Down by Law: Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Cast: Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Ellen Barkin
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Mikey and Nicky (1976)
Elaine May was that Hollywood rarity: an acclaimed comedian and writer turned director with a singular, eccentric vision — who also happened to be a woman. This brings us to her film Mikey and Nicky, a darkly comic tale of friendship and toxic masculinity starring John Cassavetes as a paranoid mobster and Peter Falk as his lifelong best friend. With a powerfully raw script and a gritty aesthetic, the film captured two men at the end of their grubby ropes. Wild tales from the set abound, including May's habit of letting the camera run for hours (to capture the impromptu moments), which ended up with more footage than Gone With the Wind. She also hid the film in her garage so that the studio couldn't seize it and mangle it with edits (which they did, eventually, leading to box office failure). Eventually, Mikey and Nicky got the happy ending it deserved, including a 1986 recut, a Criterion release, and near-universal critical acclaim. —D.W.
Where to watch Mikey and Nicky: Max
Director: Elaine May
Cast: Peter Falk, John Cassavetes, Ned Beatty
Related content: Elaine May to direct PBS documentary about her comedy partner Mike Nichols
Seven Samurai (1954)
If you need a little push to check out Akira Kurosawa's three-hour masterpiece, consider this: It's George Lucas' favorite film (see also: Arthur Penn, Sam Peckinpah, Sergio Leone, and John Woo). Considered by many to be the finest action film ever made, Seven Samurai displays Kurosawa's unmatched command of emotional and cinematic power, using both bravura editing and daring experimental filming techniques. As our writer notes at the time of the Criterion release, Kurosawa wrote the book on how modern movie violence is portrayed, "from its character-driven setup to the glorious chaos of the rain-soaked climax." In other words, if you like films, you owe it to yourself to check out this one. —D.W.
Where to watch Seven Samurai: Max
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Inaba, Daisuke Katō, Seiji Miyaguchi, Minoru Chiaki, Isao Kimura, Toshiro Mifune
Related content: Magnificent Seven: Seven Samurai is so much more than the original
Slacker (1990)
Coffee shops, conspiracy theories, Madonna's pap smear — Austin has changed a lot since Richard Linklater's ode to the velvet coffin/college town lifestyle was filmed there. This mesmerizingly lackadaisical, gloriously shambolic creation is a love letter to the boredom, part-time employment, and cheap rents that flooded '90s college towns (which now feels like ancient history). Taking a "day in the life" approach, Linklater's camera follows a variety of oddball characters (most of them unprofessional actors) who cross paths as they go about their strange business in and around the University of Texas. Inspired in part by François Truffaut's naturalistic approach, Linklater's film announced his arrival on the scene in a big (but relaxed) way. And the rest, as they say, is history. —D.W.
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Richard Linklater
Cast: Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan, Mark James, Stella Weir, John Slate, Louis Mackey, Teresa Taylor
Related content: Richard Linklater says 'tech people' taking over Hollywood hurt the 'cultural relevance' of indie cinema
Fine dining
Babette's Feast (1987)
This '80s Danish drama won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film — and fealty from everyone from Stanley Tucci and Alton Brown to Pope Francis. Based on a story by Isak Dinesen (the pen name of Karen Blixen, who also wrote the book Out of Africa) this piece of gastro-cinema is set in the 19th century and follows a French refugee who settles in a Norwegian port city and serves as a housekeeper for a pious pastor and his two daughters. After winning the lottery in her native France, Babette — who was formerly a celebrated chef — decides to repay the family and village with a seven-course French meal. In the process, she helps free her dinner guests from their bonds of austerity, and introduces them to passion, miracles, and celebration. If you're looking for a movie that will make you both hungry and happy, this is it. —I.G.
Where to watch Babette's Feast: Max
Director: Gabriel Axel
Cast: Stephane Audran, Birgitte Federspiel, Bodil Kjer
Related content: The biggest foreign film winners in Oscar history
The Biggest Little Farm (2019)
City life isn’t always easy, as John and Molly Chester learn after their rescue dog’s anxious barking gets them evicted from their Santa Monica apartment. The couple leaves Los Angeles, intent on getting back to the land and creating “a life in perfect harmony with nature.” And thus begins The Biggest Little Farm, a documentary about two novice farmers attempting to conjure a sustainable farm from nothing. Shot over the course of almost a decade under John’s direction, The Biggest Little Farm is a feast for the senses: The documentary’s natural background makes for some gorgeous shots, and the film’s introspective approach to educating audiences about what it takes to harvest and consume food mindfully landed it a spot on EW’s best documentaries of 2019. As EW’s critic writes, the film is “an eloquent reminder that so much of what we take for granted on our plates is, in its own everyday way, a miracle.” —I.G.
Where to watch The Biggest Little Farm: Max
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: John Chester
Cast: John Chester, Molly Chester
Related content: All the best food shows on Netflix from around the world
Tampopo (1985)
You've heard of spaghetti Westerns? Well, Tampopo is a ramen Western, a deliciously daffy movie about a feisty ramen shop owner (named Tampopo, played by Nobuko Miyamoto) and a mysterious Clint Eastwood-inspired noodle fanatic (Ken Watanabe). The film is a wild, funny, lustful, food-centric quest that fuses Western moviemaking styles with Japanese ideas. Interesting side note: When Tampopo was released, ramen was still something most U.S. audiences thought of as the cheap stuff on grocery store shelves, making scenes about the quest for the "perfect noodle" feel, well, maybe a bit silly to the general audience. Now, of course, things are much different — real ramen shops have popped up from coast to coast, and many of us have spent hours waiting for the perfect steamy bowl of tonkotsu broth and handmade noodles. This fact only adds extra richness to an already joyously bizarre film experience. —D.W.
Director: Juzo Itami
Cast: Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Kōji Yakusho, Ken Watanabe, Rikiya Yasuoka
Related content: Ken Watanabe talks Godzilla, Broadway, and highlights from his decades-long career
Wonka (2023)
Warner Bros. Pictures
Timothée Chalamet in 'Wonka'Gene Wilder won audiences over as Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory the moment he made his entrance, somersaulting toward the screen. The role of Wonka has always been associated with Wilder — Johnny Depp took a stab at it during 2005’s remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but his rendition fails to capture the mystery, duplicitousness, and whimsy of Wilder’s performance in the 1971 film. So it’s not overselling to say that Timothée Chalamet had big shoes to fill when he accepted the part of the candy maker in 2023’s musical comedy, Wonka. Intended as the character’s origin story, EW’s critic writes that Chalamet is “a warm and winning Wonka, infusing the character with a fanciful sense of humor and a guileless enthusiasm.” Directed by Paul King, the man behind everyone’s favorite movie, Paddington 2, Wonka finds a way to expand the world of Gene Wilder’s Wonka, without trying to undermine it. —I.G.
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Paul King
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant
Related content: Wonka director 'didn't want to reinvent' the Gene Wilder film
Fantastic beasts, aliens, elves, and dwarfs
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
It took 13 years (and lots of underwater technology), but James Cameron finally released the follow-up to his visual masterpiece, Avatar. The second film in the series picks up 16 years after the first: With Earth's Resources Development Administration expelled, former human and current Na'vi chief Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is living happily with his wife and children — until the RDA returns, intent on colonizing Pandora and seeking vengeance on Sully and his family. Forced to flee to a remote part of the planet occupied by a clan of reef Na'vi, our heroes now must connect with a new culture and prepare to fight for their home and way of life. —I.G.
Where to watch Avatar: The Way of Water: Max
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet
Related content: James Cameron has now directed 3 of the 5 highest-grossing movies of all time
Jurassic World (2015)
Nothing can top Jurassic Park, but Jurassic World — released two decades after the original film — was the first of the franchise’s six movies to come close. Set in a dinosaur theme park where lagging attendance has necessitated that geneticists come up with even more inventive and dangerous creatures, Jurassic World finds itself under attack when a transgenic dinosaur escapes and starts going after the guests. Viewers looking for hearty emotional fare should look elsewhere: this is a film that prioritizes CGI dinosaur battles above all else. But EW’s critic promises “when it comes to serving up a smorgasbord of bloody dino mayhem, it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do beautifully.” —I.G.
Where to watch Jurassic World: Max
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio
Related content: Camp Cretaceous team sets new Jurassic World: Chaos Theory series for 2024
The Lord of the Rings series (2001-2003)
What can we say that hasn't already been said? To quote our critic, Peter Jackson's channeling of J.R.R. Tolkien's visionary series exemplifies "what magic the movies can conjure with an inspired fellowship in charge, and unlimited pots of gold." Or take it from Middle-earth's No. 1 fan, Stephen Colbert, who created an obsessive/loving rap tribute. Thanks to Max, the complete series is now available to stream. —D.W.
Where to watch The Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring: Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler
Related content: James Corden auditioned to play a hobbit in the Lord of the Rings
Time Bandits (1981)
For those who like a little anarchy with their popcorn (and who have an appreciation for uh, unconventional endings) this genre-breaking oddity conjures a grotesque and beautiful magic that could only have come from the mind of a Python. Terry Gilliam, the man responsible for The Fisher King, Brazil, and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, has, in Time Bandits, created a title suitable for "the whole family" (sort of). It tells the story of young Kevin, a boy whose parents make the Dursleys look decent, who is kidnapped by time-traveling dwarves and taken on a wild journey (chock-full of stop-motion animation effects). Like the best of Roald Dahl, Gilliam (who co-wrote the script) presents adults as idiots, children as heroes, and adventure as a priority, all in a non-sentimental yet moving manner. —D.W.
Where to watch Time Bandits: Max
Director: Terry Gilliam
Cast: John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael Palin
Related content: Taika Waititi to direct and co-write Time Bandits TV show for Apple
Teen angst 101
Election (1999)
Tracy Flick walked so Gilmore Girls' Paris Geller could run. In the 1999 comedy Election, Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick star as an overachieving high school student and a popular history teacher whose relationship becomes increasingly combative as Tracy (Witherspoon) attempts to run for president of her school's student body. Determined to prevent her from emerging victorious in an unopposed race, Jim McAllister (Broderick) recruits a sidelined football player (Chris Klein) as an opposition candidate, but finds that his commitment to teaching Tracy a lesson comes at the expense of his personal and professional life, as well as his sanity. Adapted from a novel by Tom Perrotta and directed by Alexander Payne (The Holdovers), Election was incredibly well-received by critics, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and the top slot on our list of Reese Witherspoon's best movies. The film may have faltered at the box office, but it remains one of the most enduring and funniest high school films of all time. —I.G.
Director: Alexander Payne
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein
Related content: Reese Witherspoon to reprise Election role in sequel Tracy Flick Can't Win
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Warner Brothers/Everett
Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint in 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'Not even magic can transform the angst brought on by puberty, and in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry and his classmates battle evil — and hormones. Now teenagers in their third year at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to a castle under siege. The convicted murderer Sirius Black has escaped wizard prison and appears to be after Harry, but Harry is more concerned about finding a way to sneak out of the castle to join his friends off-campus. Azkaban offers the Harry Potter franchise’s first hint that its protagonists are growing up, and foreshadows the series’ descent into darker themes and storylines. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, EW’s critic writes that he “gets J.K. Rowlings’ droll, enchanted offhandedness on screen.” Come for the Quidditch and Hippogriffs, stay for the emotional roller coaster that serves as the film’s ending. —I.G.
Where to watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Max
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon, Richard Griffiths, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters
Related content: Rupert Grint can't watch Harry Potter movies later than Prisoner of Azkaban
Moonlight (2016)
A film that EW's critic calls "easily one of the most personal and most powerful films" of 2016, Moonlight is a coming of age drama told in three chapters and directed by Barry Jenkins. The film follows Chiron — a young Black boy living in Miami with his mother who has a drug problem — through his childhood, teenage years, and into young adulthood, focusing on the moments in his life that led to his present reality as a drug dealer living in Atlanta. A powerful and beautiful rumination on racial, sexual, and gender identity, Moonlight is based on the semi-autobiographical play, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue — and the film's stunning cinematography and lighting choices pay homage to the project's original subject matter. Wholly deserving of its three Oscar wins for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali), and Best Adapted Screenplay, Moonlight is a must-see. —I.G.
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Barry Jenkins
Cast: Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali
Related content: Moonlight writer-director shares secrets from the most suspenseful scene
Social Network (2010)
Merrick Morton/Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Jesse Eisenberg in 'The Social Network'Aaron Sorkin takes on social media in a drama chronicling the rise of Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg), and the soon to be ubiquitous platform he invented. Directed by David Fincher, The Social Network does a great job of creating compelling stakes around the formation of Facebook, and the distribution of the credit and financial windfall it generated. The film was released only six years after Zuckerberg dreamed the website up in his Harvard dorm room, and in the almost two decades since, the platform has had such a seismic effect on everything from culture to politics that Sorkin recently shared that he’s writing a potential sequel. But as far as the original goes, EW’s critic writes, “The Social Network has everything you want in a thriller for the brain: huge doses of ego and duplicity, corporate backstabbing, and some very layered performances.” —I.G.
Where to watch The Social Network: Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Brenda Song, Rashida Jones, Rooney Mara
Related content: Social Network: Director David Fincher explains the CG magic behind the Winklevoss twins
Starving artists
American Splendor (2003)
"Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff," was one of cartoonist Harvey Pekar's mottos — and it also perfectly describes this film based on his ordinary and complex life. Paul Giamatti was born to play Pekar, the cantankerous, vinegary Cleveland resident who was, weirdly, a regular David Letterman guest. While Giamatti's performance (and Hope Davis' as his wife Joyce Brabner) would be reason enough to watch, American Splendor has a whole other selling point: The filmmakers took a super meta approach to the working-class story, blending drama, documentary interviews, archival footage, animation, and cartoons to tell the tale. For example, in one scene, Giamatti turns to watch the actual Pekar finish up a conversation he started (about jelly beans). The result is, as our reviewer puts it, "an inventive new movie hybrid that is its own formal breakthrough," or, in other words, an eye-popping delight. —D.W.
Where to watch American Splendor: Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Directors: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, Judah Friedlander
Related content: American Splendor tops L.A. critics' awards
Withnail and I (1987)
Calling this downwardly mobile, oft-drunk duo "artists" might be a stretch, though Withnail and I is devoted to art — the art of friendship, the art of self-delusion, and especially the art of awkward comedy. Long before cringeworthy masterpieces like The Office and Veep arrived on the scene, this rain-soaked, very British tale of two struggling actors with a LOT of dirty dishes introduced the world to the charms of one Richard E. Grant as the titular anti-hero, Withnail, beside Paul McGann's "and I." The film is one of those secret handshakes — meeting other Withnail fans often results in an instant bond. Based on director Bruce Robinson's early days as an actor, the film is considered one of the greatest British comedies of all time. —D.W.
Where to watch Withnail and I: Max
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Bruce Robinson
Cast: Paul McGann, Richard E. Grant, Richard Griffiths
Related content: Richard E. Grant tears up after Barbra Streisand replies to his childhood fan letter
Working Girls (1986)
An '80s independent drama that follows New York City sex workers employed by a Manhattan brothel, Working Girls is gritty, realistic, and at times, very funny. Directed by Lizzie Borden (of filmmaking not axe-wielding fame), the film unfolds like a documentary but is actually a work of narrative fiction. Borden stylistically constructed the piece to give audiences a "behind-the-scenes" look at the business of sex work, the employees who offer the services, and the patrons who partake of them. A commercial and critical success at the time of its release, Working Girls is one of those films that has been forgotten over time, but that deserves a boost back into the cultural consciousness. —I.G.
Where to watch Working Girls: Max
Director: Lizzie Borden
Cast: Louise Smith, Deborah Banks, Liz Caldwell, Ellen McElduff
Related content: Willem Dafoe was once mistaken for a sex worker while performing in a Hawaiian skirt
Get happy
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
An indie sparkler made by a Greek firecracker (writer and star Nia Vardalos), this film is the equivalent of a triple threat: funny, smart, and romantic. My Big Fat Greek Wedding welcomes viewers inside a world that previously hadn't gotten much screen time (a large, noisy, loving Greek family) presented in a hilariously eccentric and personal way. Vardalos, a veteran of Second City, had to fight to star in her own film (execs wanted someone famous) and also to keep the core concept (she was pushed to make the Greek-American family Italian) making her eventual victory even sweeter when MBFGW became one of the highest-grossing independent films of all time. —D.W.
Where to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Max
Director: Joel Zwick
Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, Joey Fatone
Related content: Everything you need to remember to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Even Shakespeare suffered from writer's block, or at least that's the premise of the late '90s period romantic comedy, Shakespeare in Love. Joseph Fiennes stars as the Bard, a strapping poet and writer whose newest play, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter, is going nowhere fast, much to the dismay of Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) who owns the playhouse where the show is set to be performed. Inspiration strikes in the form of Lady Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow), a fan of Shakespeare's work and aspiring actor who auditions for a role in his newest play and ends up becoming his muse. Riddled with the love triangles, tragic miscommunications, and comic asides that have distinguished the writer's work for centuries, Shakespeare in Love is, as EW's critic writes, "really about two great loves at once — the love of life and of art — and the way that Shakespeare, like no writer before him, transformed the one into the other." —I.G.
Where to watch Shakespeare in Love: Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: John Madden
Cast: Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench, Simon Callow, Jim Carter, Martin Clunes, Antony Sher, Imelda Staunton, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Williams
Related content: Julia Roberts quit Shakespeare in Love after disastrous chemistry reads, says producer
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Widely considered one of the best musicals ever captured, Singin' in the Rain has everything from music and dance to comedy and romance. The story stars Gene Kelly as a celebrated silent film actor struggling to make the jump to the "talkies," and Debbie Reynolds as an up-and-coming actress trying to break into the business. The majority of the movie's comedy and over-the-top dance numbers are provided by the charismatic Donald O'Connor, and Jean Hagen makes a delightful (and Oscar-nominated) turn as Lina, a movie star with a face for film and a Brooklyn accent strong enough to stop traffic. A beloved treasure and shining representative from Hollywood's Golden Era, Singin' in the Rain continues to endure and inspire. —I.G.
Where to watch Singin' in the Rain: Max
EW grade: A+
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Cast: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, Jean Hagen
Related content: Every Singin' in the Rain reference in Babylon
Men in trouble
Gangs of New York (2002)
Martin Scorsese spent 20 years developing Gangs of New York, a period epic that combines the history of New York City during the Civil War with the more intimate story of a son avenging his father. Set in the Lower Manhattan neighborhood of Five Points during 1863, Gangs follows Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he infiltrates an anti-immigrant gang called the Confederation of American Natives. Amsterdam plans to murder the gang's leader, Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis) for having murdered his father, the leader of the Dead Rabbits, a rival gang composed of Irish Catholic immigrants. With a plot that delves into the Catholic-Protestant feud, Civil War conscription, and the isolationist desire to keep New York City free from immigration, Gangs of New York is a sweeping, historical narrative blooming with Scorcese style. Day-Lewis is at his best, with EW's critic writing, "he's the furnace that stokes the story, and he gives off real, exciting heat." —I.G.
Where to watch Gangs of New York: Max
EW grade: A- (read the review)
Director: Martin Scorcese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Neeson
Related content: The story behind Gangs of New York's delay
Joker (2019)
Todd Phillips’ Joker is an origin story for the Batman villain, and the film was so successful in capturing the erratic, chaotic anger that is expressed by a small subset of the male population, that some critics worried it might accidentally incite violence. Joaquin Phoenix gives an Oscar-winning performance as Arthur Fleck, whose descent into madness spurs the rise of his alter ego, the Joker. Phoenix’s portrayal of the part-time clown and aspiring stand-up comic who rationalizes his anarchic, violent tendencies as being a natural response to his sustained suffering in life is transformative, and EW’s critic writes that he “feels possessed by the part, communing with Arthur’s hurt and rage and raw vulnerability even as he falls deeper into whatever kind of spiders-in-the-brain psychosis the willful halting of his meds lets in.” —I.G.
Where to watch Joker: Max
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Todd Phillips
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen
Related content: Todd Phillips gifts new images from Joker: Folie à Deux with Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix
The Revenant (2015)
Leonardo DiCaprio earned his Oscar for this startling, nauseating revisionist Western. He stars as adventurer Hugh Glass, who’s left for dead by his tribe after enduring a horrific bear attack. When his son is killed by one of his own men (a sneering Tom Hardy), Glass goes on a life or death journey of revenge. More of an action blockbuster than anyone could’ve anticipated from Birdman-director Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant is one of the most unrelenting and visceral adventure pictures in modern memory. It’s not for the faint of heart (or stomach), but those who can sit for its duration will be well-rewarded. —Declan Gallagher
Where to watch The Revenant: Max
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Cast: Leonard DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Lukas Haas
Related content: The Revenant: Leonardo DiCaprio, Alejandro G. Iñárritu talk survivalist themes in featurette
Swiss Army Man (2016)
Hey hey, it's the Daniels! No one combines gross-out with awww better than the singularly named directing dynamic duo (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), and if you loved their Oscar-collecting spectacular Everything Everywhere All at Once, you'll probably (maybe? maybe not?) also like their very first film, Swiss Army Man. Why the qualifier? Well, because you might find some scenes a little… well… gross (two words: farting corpse). But as is their specialty, the Daniels found a way to make this quirky tale of a shipwrecked man (Paul Dano) and his dead buddy (Daniel Radcliffe) quite moving, too. —D.W.
Where to watch Swiss Army Man: Max
Directors: Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan
Cast: Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Related content: Daniel Radcliffe talks about recording the sound of farts for Swiss Army Man
Women in trouble
Eighth Grade (2018)
The fact that one of the best movies about growing up as a teenage girl in the era of social media was written and directed by a 20-something man is proof positive that irony exists. Comedian Bo Burnham makes a triumphant directorial debut with Eighth Grade, a coming of age comedy about Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher), a 13 year old wrapping up her last week of middle school. Torn between her reality as an awkward, quiet teenager yearning for social acceptance and her contrived public persona as an aspiring YouTuber with no audience for her content, Kayla intellectually understands the importance of being yourself — she just hasn't quite worked out how to do it yet. Fisher is dynamic and endlessly watchable, and her bumbling attempts at connection with her peers and dismissive attitude towards her loving father (Josh Hamilton) make the film feel more like a documentary than a comedy. Either way, watching Eighth Grade is a canon event. —I.G.
Where to watch Eighth Grade: Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Bo Burnham
Cast: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson, Jake Ryan, Fred Hechinger
Related content: Bo Burnham originally thought no one would ever take Eighth Grade seriously
I, Tonya (2017)
Those who survived the '90s might assert that few stories were more captivating during that decade than the rivalry between U.S. Olympic ice skating team contenders Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. Those people didn't know that 23 years later, a film adaptation of 1994's biggest criminal sporting controversy would prove almost — if not more — riveting. Shot in the mockumentary style now made famous and familiar by load-bearing NBC shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation, I, Tonya stars Margot Robbie as Harding, Allison Janney as her mother LaVona Golden, and Sebastian Stan as her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly. A film that focuses as much on the unreliability of its narrators as the events they purport to explain, I, Tonya finds yet another way to channel Robbie's athleticism, grit, and charisma. —I.G.
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Craig Gillespie
Cast: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Julianne Nicholson, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney
Related content: How I, Tonya used conflicting accounts of Tonya Harding's story to its advantage
Midsommar (2019)
You never know what you’re going to get from an A24 project, and that’s especially true in the horror movie Midsommar. Primarily set in Sweden and adorned with sunlight, flower crowns, and Scandinavian style, Midsommar could pass for a Pinterest board come to life if it weren’t for all the ritualistic death. The lead characters — four students visiting from the States to witness a festival, which occurs every 90 years — aren’t terribly complicated, but they don’t need to be. Director Ari Aster’s tense, terrifying world is more than enough to keep viewers engaged, and as EW’s critic says, “You can’t be afraid of the dark in Midsommar, because darkness never comes.” —I.G.
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter
Related content: White Lotus star Haley Lu Richardson passed on Midsommar because she just didn't 'have it in me'
Still Alice (2015)
Not all films require a human antagonist — in Still Alice, a disease is as fearsome an adversary as the most terrifying supervillain. Julianne Moore stars as Dr. Alice Howland, a 50-year-old linguistics professor in the prime of her life who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. As Alice's disease progresses, eroding her word retrieval skills, memory, and sense of self, her husband (Alec Baldwin) and adult children (Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish, and Kristen Stewart) each find different ways of coping with their family's loss. Alice's experiences play out like a horror movie; she can see the monster coming, but no matter what precautions she tries to take to try to keep her memories and brain safe, she cannot escape the inevitability of what's headed her way. Moore won an Oscar for her performance, but it's Stewart who emerges as the surprise MVP of the film, handling her mother's mental regressions with vulnerability and compassion. —I.G.
Where to watch Still Alice: Max
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Directors: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland
Cast: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish
Related content: Oscars 2015: Julianne Moore wins Best Actress
Under the Skin (2013)
Lest you forget, Scarlett Johansson has some serious indie film roots (Ghost World) that belie her current blockbuster-y status. This terrifying mood pic brings her back to her beginnings with a strong, terrifying, and profoundly weird performance. We don't want to give too much away, so let's just put the pertinent details out there: A24. Sci-fi. Scotland. Alien. Super creepy. 'Nuff said. —D.W.
Where to watch Under the Skin: Max
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Cast: Scarlett Johansson
Related content: Under The Skin: Nominated for...nothing?
Kids' corner
Anything Studio Ghibli
Step 1: Click the "Studio Ghibli" tab on Max.
Step 2: Start with Spirited Away…
Step 3: Then My Neighbor Totoro… and Howl's Moving Castle… and Princess Mononoke
Step 4: Now watch the rest.
Step 5: Thank us later. —D.W.
Where to watch Studio Ghibli: Max
Directors: Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata
Related content: All of the Studio Ghibli movies, ranked
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Given that the first of two Wicked movies is slated to arrive in theaters this holiday season, now is the perfect time to revisit the film that started it all: The Wizard of Oz. Based on the Broadway musical — which was adapted from a turn of the 20th century novel by L. Frank Baum — The Wizard of Oz created a luscious world (now in Technicolor!) for Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion to sing and dance their way through. The Wizard of Oz is classic musical theater at its finest, performed at a time when that art form reigned supreme, and the story of losing oneself before finding one’s way home is as relevant today as it was when the movie was released in September of 1939, six days before the start of World War II. —I.G.
Where to watch The Wizard of Oz: Max
Director: Victor Fleming
Cast: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin
Related content: Man indicted on charges of stealing Wizard of Oz ruby slippers after 18 years
Stranger than fiction
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022)
A documentary that puts photographer Nan Goldin on the other side of the camera, this revealing and intimate film takes a look at an artist who documented her friends' most intimate moments (and covered tough subjects in the process, from the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York to her own domestic abuse). But this isn't just a retrospective. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed — which EW named one of the best films of 2022 — spends ample time on Goldin's activism, notably her fight against the opioid epidemic (and specifically, the Sackler family's role in it). —D.W.
Where to watch All the Beauty and the Bloodshed: Max
Director: Laura Poitras
Cast: Nan Goldin
Related content: Laura Poitras talks CITIZENFOUR and why Edward Snowden is in Moscow
Amy (2015)
A haunting documentary celebrating a once in a lifetime talent, Amy offers a glimpse into the world of a young jazz singer with a voice and musical gift developed far beyond her years. Propelled into fame at an early age and ridiculed by the media, Amy Winehouse's journey from vocal prodigy to cautionary tale premiered four years after her tragic death at age 27. Featuring direction from Asif Kapadia, Amy does right by its namesake, celebrating her love of music and interrogating how that love was dulled by a toxic relationship, familial struggles, and the substances she used to cope with her public existence. Nothing can bring Amy back from the dead, but this documentary does its best to capture her life in all its glory and complexity. —I.G.
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Asif Kapadia
Cast: Amy Winehouse
Related content: Back to Black movie reveals Industry star's transformation into Amy Winehouse
Hoop Dreams (1994)
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert agreeing (!) that Hoop Dreams was the best movie of 1994 should be all we need to say about this big-hearted, deep-dive doc about the lives of two young NBA hopefuls. But we'll add a little more: The film follows two talented teenage boys, Arthur Agee and William Gates, with their eyes on basketball careers. But coming from tough circumstances means it won't always be easy. Director Steve James spent five years immersed in his subjects' lives to fully tell the tale, which he does with a poignancy that at times makes it difficult to watch, but impossible to turn away from. The result is a masterpiece. As our critic puts it, the film has "more passion and suspense than most dramatic features." —D.W.
Where to watch Hoop Dreams: Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Steve James
Cast: William Gates, Arthur Agee
Related content: Catching up with the Hoop Dreams' stars
Paris Is Burning (1990)
One of the most compelling and groundbreaking documentaries of all time, Paris Is Burning is also off-the-hook entertaining, as a film about drag balls should be. Helping to introduce mainstream audiences to the phenomenon that is drag, each character we meet is larger than the next, all serving magisterial amounts of color and sparkle, attitude, and pathos. Our critic calls Paris Is Burning a "passionately empathetic piece of documentary filmmaking" by director Jennie Livingston, who created an iconic piece of American culture that, to quote our review once again, records "the tensions between ridicule and reverence that render the balls themselves a kind of proletarian performance art." —D.W.
Where to watch Paris Is Burning: Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Jennie Livingston
Cast: Dorian Corey, Pepper LaBeija, Venus Xtravaganza, Octavia St. Laurent, Carmen Xtravaganza, Willi Ninja, Angie Xtravaganza, Sol Pendavis Williams, Freddie Pendavis, Junior Labeija
Related content: EW chats with Paris Is Burning's Willi Ninja
Oscars catch-up
Barbie (2023)
Warner Bros. Pictures
The summer of 2023 will forever be remembered as the summer of Barbenheimer. While Oppenheimer was the overtly intellectual, historical prestige film, Barbie more than held its own in the smarts department. A fiercely funny and feminist reading of the dolls that everyone has an opinion on, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie follows Stereotypical Barbie’s (Margot Robbie) journey of self-discovery, which leads her away from Barbie World and into the real world. Ryan Gosling may have scored the Oscar nod for his performance as Ken, but the entire cast is worthy of recognition, and as far as satirical romps go, you don’t get much better than this. EW’s critic writes, “It's Gerwig's care and attention to detail that gives Barbie an actual point of view, elevating it beyond every other cynical, IP-driven cash grab.” —I.G.
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Greta Gerwig
Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera
Related content: Ryan Gosling leads sublime 'I'm Just Ken' sing-along with costars, audience at 2024 Oscars
The Color Purple (2023)
Everett Collection
Fantasia Barrino in 'The Color Purple'Broadway went to Hollywood in 2023. Both Mean Girls and The Color Purple received movie musical adaptations of their staged shows, and The Color Purple’s was especially successful. Based on the Alice Walker novel — which was adapted by Steven Spielberg into a 1985 movie featuring Oprah — the movie musical stars Fantasia Barrino as Celie, an early 20th century woman stuck in an abusive marriage, whose female friendships inspire her to break free from her dictatorial husband. Barrino is excellent, successfully reprising the role she played on Broadway, but Danielle Brooks steals the show, with EW’s reviewer writing, “It’s a performance that is both showy and restrained, a master class in acting.” —I.G.
Where to watch The Color Purple: Max
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Blitz Bazawule
Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Halle Bailey, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Fantasia Barrino
Related content: The Color Purple cast leads The View audience in emotional standing ovation for Whoopi Goldberg
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Jasin Boland/Warner Bros. Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Nicholas Hoult, Courtney Eaton, Riley Keough, Charlize Theron, Abbey Lee Kershaw in 'Mad Max: Fury Road'It took 30 years for George Miller to make a follow up to his original Mad Max trilogy, the last of which — Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome — premiered in 1985. But the decades in between iterations of the franchise were not wasted, and Mad Max: Fury Road hits the gas immediately, sprinting off into a dystopian desert for a high-speed pursuit that wastes no time on exposition. We pick up with Mad Max (Tom Hardy, assuming the mantle of his predecessor, Mel Gibson), who has been taken prisoner by an evil warlord. Unbeknownst to the warlord, his lieutenant — Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) — is about to break his wives out of the Citadel. The results play out in violent fashion, capturing, as EW’s critic writes, “the same Molotov-cocktail craziness of Miller’s masterpiece, 1981’s The Road Warrior.” —I.G.
Where to watch Mad Max: Fury Road: Max
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: George Miller
Cast: Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Zoë Kravitz, Courtney Eaton, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee
Related content: Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa will be a 'saga' told 'over many years'
Navalny (2022)
A documentary so suspenseful it rivals even the most thrilling fictional story, this Oscar winner paints a portrait of life under Putin and the price paid by those who defy him. Navalny tells the story of Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader whose poisoning by Putin operatives in August 2020 nearly killed him. Shot like a thriller, Navalny will make you sweat while shaking your head in disbelief that the onscreen action is all true. To quote EW's critic, the film is "a raw and urgent document" and "a painfully timely reminder of what it actually means to speak truth to power." In the wake of Navalny's 2024 death, the film will remain a testament to his life and legacy. —D.W.
Director: Daniel Roher
Cast: Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, Maria Pevchikh, Christo Grozev, Leonid Volkov
Related content: The best documentaries on Netflix
For the Love of Movies
Breathless (1960)
As our critic so succinctly puts it, Breathless "simultaneously salutes Hollywood and gives it the finger," and its rebellious spirit is more than apparent upon re-watch. This breezy, sexy, black-and-white crime number is the definition of cool, exemplified in the offhand, insouciant performances by Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo. Meanwhile, director Jean-Luc Godard's loose, relaxed, handheld camera magic captures the spirit of love, danger, and Paris... forever. —D.W.
Where to watch Breathless: Max
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Cast: Jean Seberg, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Henri-Jacques Huet, Liliane Dreyfus, Claude Mansard, Van Doude, Daniel Boulanger
Related content: The 5 best Jean-Luc Godard movies to begin with
Chungking Express (1994)
There's no doubt that Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express is a super romantic film, telling not one, but two overlapping love stories. This classic, which was definitely influenced by another movie on our list (Breathless), also has one pretty big name benefactor: Mr. Quentin Tarantino, who loved the movie so much he started a company to distribute it. Its charming vision of love in Hong Kong is a gorgeously shot, super stylish journey with a winning pop soundtrack, all adding up to an experience that our reviewer describes as "a pure ecstasy bath." —D.W.
Where to watch Chungking Express: Max
Director: Wong Kar-wai
Cast: Brigitte Lin Chin-Hsia, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Faye Wong
Related content: Why you should dive into the work of Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai
My Dinner With Andre (1981)
In a medium driven by plot and action, My Dinner With Andre argues that the most revolutionary way to make cinema is to remove both of these elements. An early '80s exploration into theatrical avant-gardism, My Dinner With Andre is exactly that — a film about two men who haven't seen each other in awhile catching up during a dinner. Over the course of their meal, Wally (a struggling playwright) and Andre (a former theater director) dine at New York City's Café des Artistes where they discuss theater, new age philosophies, and what it means to live in the latter half of the 20th century. Directed by Louis Malle and co-written by Wallace Shawn and André Gregory — who also star as heightened versions of themselves — the film is daringly conceptual, dialogue-driven, and cerebral. It's also warm, deeply human, and often funny — and a great reminder to schedule a date with that one friend you've been avoiding. —I.G.
Where to watch My Dinner With Andre: Max
Director: Louis Malle
Cast: André Gregory, Wallace Shawn
Related content: A Tribute to Louis Malle
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