The 10 ‘Best’ Movies Leaving HBO Max This Week

The good news is that HBO Max is getting an unholy number of new movies beginning on August 1. The Warner Media streaming service has frankly made a quick name for itself as the best streaming platform specifically for “big” movies and a key resource for a deeper bench of older films compared to Netflix and the like. While I subscribe to most of the streaming sites as part of the job, I find myself using HBO Max “just for fun” more than its respective rivals. That said, with the end of the month almost here, they are going to lose some crown jewels. So, yes, this will be one of those “everything leaving a given streaming site next month” list, but I will also highlight some worthwhile flicks that may be worth a last-minute catch-up. Without further ado…

For reference, Warner Bros.’ mid-August/early September of 2018 blockbusters Crazy Rich Asians and The Nun departed on July 5 while The Defiant Ones flew the coop on July 7. One of 2018’s best movies, Blindspotting, will be leaving today.

The rest of the dearly departed will leave on July 31. For those who just want a list, here you go…

A Christmas Story (1983)

Analyze This (1999)

Aquamarine (2006)

Blood Diamond (2006)

Bowling For Columbine (2002)

Boys Don’t Cry (1999)

Casino Royale (1967)

Casino Royale (2006)

Crimson Peak (2015)

Final Destination (2000)

For Love Of The Game (1999)

Friday the 13^th (2009)

Hairspray (2007)

Hairspray (1988)

Happy Feet (2006

Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

King Arthur (Director’s Cut) (2004)

Long Shot (2019)

Look Away (2019)

Mamartuile (2018)

Man Of The House (1995)

Mildred Pierce (1945)

Now, Voyager (1942)

Once Upon A Crime (1992)

Pet Semetary (1989)

Presumed Innocent (1990)

Pride and Prejudice (1940)

The Polar Express (2004)

Quantum Of Solace (2008)

Recreo (2019)

Rio (2011)

Rock The Kasbah (2015)

Season Of The Witch (2011)

She’s Funny That Way (2015)

The Goonies (1985)

The Honeymooners (2005)

The Island (2005)

The Merchant Of Venice (2004)

The Neverending Story (1984)

The Predator (2018)

The Sun Is Also A Star (2019)

The Take (2016)

TMNT (2007)

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

X-Men (2000)

 And now, some highlights (or worthwhile curiosities) from the movies in question…

Blindspotting (2018):

As I noted more than once in 2018, Lionsgate’s superb modern-day melodrama was a crown jewel even in an uncommonly terrific year for righteously angry melodramas from/for/about black Americans. Directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada, this grim dramedy concerns a convicted felon (Daveed Diggs) trying to stay out of trouble during his last three days of probation and the moral dilemma he faces when he witnesses white police officer (Ethan Embry) shoot an unarmed black man. The film slowly becomes a sad tale of a toxic friendship and cultural double-standards. Collin’s childhood pal (Rafael Casal, who co-wrote the flick with Diggs) is both a terrible influence and an ironic example of a white guy essentially “acting” the part of a stereotypical “thug” under the protective shield of his white skin.

Bowling For Columbine (2002)

The movie that turned Michael Moore into a household name, this Oscar-winning documentary dives deep into America’s issues with both the plethora of weapons available in our stores and on our streets as well as the unfortunate habit Americans have, in disproportioned numbers, of shooting each other with those weapons. Spurred by the Columbine school, massacre in 1999, Moore creates a tapestry of America’s “might equals right” and “everyone out for themselves” philosophy while wondering out loud why Americans are so heavily armed and so afraid of each other. It’s a question he came damn close to answering in 2015’s (also very good) Where to Invade Next. Bowling for Columbine earned $23 million domestic, a record for a documentary at the time, and it remains the divisive filmmaker’s best movie.

Final Destination (2000)

We can debate whether Final Destination 2 or Final Destination 5 is the best sequel in the franchise (cough-Final Destination 5), but the first installment in this “death is gonna get ya” horror series stands out as being a real movie that genuinely wrestles with the notions of mortality, arbitrary tragedy and the notion of consequences when your time is essentially up anyway. Like the Ice Age series, the first film is a thoughtful and nuanced mediation on death which spawned several increasingly cartoonish sequels. If you’ve seen the original downbeat ending, you’ll realize how much this franchise was shaped by a random test audience who wanted a happier ending and a comic surprise kill over a character-focused conclusion.

Hairspray (2007)

This Adam Shankman-directed movie adaptation of the stage show adaptation of the 1988 Jon Waters movie (which is also, alas, leaving HBO Max this month) is one of the most purely enjoyable movie musicals of the post-Moulin Rouge era. The 1950’s period piece dealing with integration in relation to a televised dance show, isn’t exactly the rawest or most disturbing look at institutional racism, but it works as a starter course with terrific production design and catchy songs. The the Nikki Blonskey/Zac Efron musical, which features joyful turns from a stacked cast (John Travolta, Chris Walken, Queen Latifah, James Marsden, Michelle Pfeiffer, etc.), argues that those living comfortably as a result of white supremacy must be willing to sacrifice to rectify the situation. That Elijah Kelley didn’t become a bigger star is a potent example of cruel irony.

The Goonies (1985)

My wife is in the middle of showing this Richard Donner flick to my middle son, but we’ve got a DVD so I’m not too worried if they don’t get back to it. It’s no secret that, despite being a die hard Donner fan, I’m not big on The Goonies. I’m firmly on #teamMonsterSquad4Eva, but I digress. The film remains a fascinating artifact by virtue of how it is often used as shorthand to describe so-called Spielbergian pop culture and 1980’s nostalgia even though Spielberg was merely a producer, a strange pattern that applies to the likes of Gremlins and Back to the Future. At the time, Spielberg was busy directing The Color Purple, which A) nobody thinks of as a prototypical Spielberg flick and B) out-grossed The Goonies $94 million to $62 million.

The Polar Express (2004)

Elf is also leaving the service on Friday, and these two make up the last two Christmas-specific blockbusters right up until The Grinch in 2018. The first of three Robert Zemeckis-directed motion capture animated films, this groundbreaking fantasy was decried by critics as “weird” and “scary,” but actual children ate it right up. In this case, the kids were correct. Tom Hanks stars as (among other roles) the conductor of the title mode of transportation, and this film was an absolutely game-changing knockout when viewed in IMAX 3-D. Five years before Avatar, this was the movie that showed up as that “real” 3-D was possible and plausible, although the movie still works just fine in 2-D. Opening with $24 million in November of 2004, the film legged out to $164 million (and $286 million worldwide) on a $165 million budget, and periodic reissues have pushed it to $315 million.

Presumed Innocent (1990)

Based on the Scott Turrow-penned best-seller, Presumed Innocent stars Harrison Ford as an adulterous prosecutor who finds himself in legal and moral hot water when his mistress is murdered. The twisty-and-turn-y flick mixes conventional crime procedural tropes, legal melodrama and an engrossing local election into the mix, just as you’d expect from an Alan J. Pakula-directed and Sydney Pollack-produced potboiler. It stands out today both for an against-type performance from Ford (infamous hairdo aside) and for being an R-rated, aimed-at-adults legal thriller that earned $221 million worldwide in the summer of 1990. Back when adults saw adult movies in movie theaters, movies for adults could be genuine blockbusters. Pakula’s All the President’s Men and the Pollack-directed Three Days of the Condor both arrive on HBO Max this Saturday. All three are worth your time.

Quantum of Solace (2008)

Casino Royale is leaving HBO Max on Friday as well, and frankly you don’t need me to tell you that the Martin Campbell-directed relaunch is a winner. Daniel Craig’s second outing as 007 deserves a periodic defense. Yes, the editing is choppy, but the car chases, foot chases, and shootouts feature terrific staging and superb stunt work. It works as a politically/socially conscious action thriller that happens to be the 22nd official Bond movie. Here is a mega-budget blockbuster where the American government is explicitly portrayed as one of the bad guys. Olga Kurylenko’s main Bond girl is wholly focused on (and is actually allowed to take) revenge. While Skyfall (which is also very good) is rooted in nostalgia and reaffirms a decades-old status quo, Quantum of Solace attempts to take the 007 franchise into uncharted and unapologetically political territory.

The Take (2016)

Titled Bastille Day in the U.K., this old-school action thriller concerns a CIA agent (Idris Elba) tracking down a pickpocket who accidentally stumbles onto a terrorist plot. The movie isn’t anything aggressively special but it’s a pretty entertaining old-school, star-driven “real world” action movie with decent production values. It’s also a perfect example of what those arguing that Elba should be the next James Bond won’t bother to see even when it’s free on a given platform. The film earned $14.8 million worldwide, which is about what Upgrade ($16.5 million) earned in 2018 from all the folks allegedly demanding more original genre entertainment. You want Elba playing a modern-day James Bond? You can watch The Take right now (or rent it for a few bucks in a few days). It’s almost certainly the closest thing we’ll get to seeing Elba as the world’s best secret agent.

X-Men (2000)

It has been somewhat overshadowed by the first sequel and the spin-offs, but this Bryan Singer-directed comic book melodrama still works as a poignant character study and sci-fi fable that happens to feature periodic superpowered action sequences. We may decry Tom Rothman being cheap the first time out, but the $75 million budget forced the movie to rely less on spectacle and action than on character, emotion and real-world topicality. That the Hugh Jackman/Anna Paquin adventure was as serious and grounded (at least for the first act) wasn’t a surprise to fans of the comics. However, it helped kick off the second wave of (unfortunately) post-9/11 comic book superhero movies whereby characters that that era’s kids liked (as opposed to pulp heroes from the 1930’s and 1940’s) would come to life in present-tense (and often topical) superhero showdowns.