
Looking for some new to HBO Max movies to add to your watchlist? Well, look no further, because I’ve got you covered. I’ve looked through the entire list of everything new to HBO Max this month, and I’ve found the best of the best that are available to watch on the streaming service.
Now, like all the best streaming services, HBO Max adds a ton of new movies every month, so it can be hard to decide which ones you should stream. But of those movies, only a few manage to surpass a 90% “fresh” rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. While a high score on a review aggregator doesn’t guarantee you’ll love a movie, it’s usually a solid sign that most critics think it’s a high-quality film.
‘Dangerous Liaisons’ (1988)
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If you love a period piece with witty dialogue and a loaded cast, then this movie is for you. Adapted from the 1985 play “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” (which itself was adapted from a 1782 novel), “Dangerous Liaisons” stars Glenn Close as the Marquise de Merteuil. She’s just been jilted by the Comte de Bastide, and she wants revenge.
Her plan? Get her former lover, the Vicomte de Valmont, to seduce Bastide’s virgin fiancée, Cécile de Volanges (Uma Thurman). He’ll have to outwit Chevalier Danceny (Keanu Reeves) and may have to abandon his pursuit of the lovely Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer). But if he’s successful, Merteuil will sleep with him, so he takes the bait and accepts the challenge.
Now, if that premise sounds familiar to you, there’s a good reason. The 1999 film “Cruel Intentions” starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon is another adaptation of this story. But its cast can’t match “Dangerous Liaisons,” nor can its trophy cabinet. “Dangerous Liaisons” won several awards after its release and was nominated for several more, taking three wins from seven nominations at the Academy Awards alone.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Watch “Dangerous Liaisons” on HBO Max now
‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ (2014)
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“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is the second film in Matt Reeves’s Planet of the Apes reboot franchise. In “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” this movie’s direct prequel, a Simian flu caused by the drug ALZ-113 wiped out nearly all of humanity. But it also gave infected apes enhanced intelligence, thereby leveling the playing field between the two species.
Ten years later, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” begins. A group of some of the last surviving humans, led by Malcolm (Jason Clark) and Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), is trying to find a power source for a new community. But that mission takes them into the territory of Caesar (Andy Serkis), and it feels like a single spark could engulf the two sides in war … which it does.
Rebooting a beloved movie rarely turns out well, but the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise is worth watching, especially this film. The good news is, you don’t even need to have watched “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” to appreciate this movie’s excellent cast and stunning special effects, thanks to the 10-year time jump. So make sure to add “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” to your watchlist now.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Watch “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” on HBO Max now
‘One to One: John & Yoko’ (2024)
Usually, on these lists, the movies I recommend are already out. That’s because the older movies added to HBO Max typically all get dropped on or around the first of the month. But this new documentary is getting rave reviews, so it felt too good to pass up.
“One to One: John & Yoko,” unsurprisingly, gives us insight into the former Beatle and his second wife’s relationship, but it’s not just a general biography. Instead, its focus is narrow, centered around concert footage and audio from Lennon and Ono’s “One to One” benefit concert on 30 August 1972 at Madison Square Garden.
It also explores the couple’s 18 months living in their Greenwich, which makes the documentary a pretty remarkable period piece in addition to a compelling examination of one of the most famous couples in history. Don’t miss “One to One” when it debuts on HBO Max later this month.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Watch “One to One: John & Yoko” on HBO Max starting Nov. 14
‘Past Lives’ (2023)
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Any time “Past Lives” gets added to a streaming service, it makes the Rotten Tomatoes roundup. At least, that’s the case if I have anything to say about it. This semiautobiographical and romance drama from Celine Song is an incredible debut film, and it is well deserving of its Best Picture nomination. It’s also a breakout performance for Greta Lee, who was shockingly snubbed for Best Actress.
Taking place over 24 years, the movie starts with Lee as Nora, sitting down with Arthur (John Magaro) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo). As the movie flashes back to 1999 and works its way back to the present, we learn that Nora was born as Na Young in Korea, and Hae Sung is her former childhood crush. She moves to Canada, changes her name to Nora, and then ultimately makes it to New York.
It’s around this time that she realizes Hae Sung has been trying to reconnect with her, but then they each find new partners; in Nora’s case, Arthur. From there, we follow Nora’s relationships with her old crush and her new love, and what follows is a heartbreaking love story that many can probably relate to. Trust me, this is a must-watch.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Watch “Past Lives” on HBO Max now
‘The Town’ (2010)
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“The Town” stars Ben Affleck (who also co-wrote and directed) as Douglas “Doug” MacRay. He’s a member of a four-man bank robbing crew from Charlestown, Boston, that includes his close friends James “Jem” Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), Albert “Gloansy” MacGloan (Slaine), and Desmond “Dez” Elden (Owen Burke). One day, they do a job that changes their lives forever.
In the middle of a bank robbery, Jem takes the bank’s manager, Claire (Rebecca Hall), hostage. While he ultimately lets her go, Doug decides to track her down to figure out what she knows. One thing leads to another, and quickly, they move from strangers to friends, and then to something more
But unfortunately for these star-crossed lovers, it turns out FBI Special Agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) has connected the gang of robbers to Irish mobster Fergus “Fergie” Colm (Pete Postlethwaite), and he knows about Doug and Claire. Suddenly, it’s a game of cat-and-mouse between Doug and Frawley, and it’s clear that it won’t end well for everyone.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Watch “The Town” on HBO Max now
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