What are the best movies to watch on HBO? Subscription streaming services are the fastest growing sector of the entertainment landscape, but before Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu came to dominate that arena, premium cable companies like HBO were offering consumers a way to watch movies and TV shows without commercials for a set monthly fee. Not content to let streaming run away with their market share, HBO also now allows people to subscribe to an entirely online version of their service called HBO Now, after fans begged for such an option for years.
Nowadays, cutting the cable cord is the preferred way to go for many, especially younger pop culture devotees. Cable packages are bloated, full of content very few people want, and contain multiple additional fees. Still, whether one subscribes to HBO through cable or via streaming, the service offers a great selection of movies with which to pass the time, even if the line-up isn't quite as robust as those of the subscription streaming big three.
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Before the list of the best movies on HBO begins proper, there are some important notes to be made. First, the movies below are available to watch on HBO and stream on HBO Now at the time of this writing. As movies expire, the list will be updated, and new great options will be added. Also, the 15 films below, while numbered for convenience, are not ranked.
Last updated: November 1, 2019
In 1978, director John Carpenter created one of the most iconic horror villains of all time with Halloween's Michael Myers. Unfortunately, the franchise that followed wasn't exactly great, with few of the sequels doing any type of justice to the original. Thankfully, that trend changed with 2018's Halloween, directed by David Gordon Green, and now available on HBO. A direct sequel to only Carpenter's original - and with Carpenter himself onboard as producer and composer - Halloween (2018) does its best to recapture Michael's glory days, even bringing back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. The result isn't as good as the original, but it's pretty easily the best follow-up.
Director Paul Verhoeven has always been known for peppering his films with subversive messages, and making films that were uniquely his. That very much extended to his more commercially successful fare, such as 1987's Robocop, which proved popular enough to spawn a franchise that's still ongoing (and almost entirely available on HBO), but also overflowed with satirical attacks on consumerism and capitalism as a whole. For Omni Consumer Products, nothing comes before profit, and not even murder is too far to go to make another buck. Thankfully, Robocop ends up disagreeing with his makers.
Few monsters even approach the level of movies made about the vampire. It's not hard to see why, as vampires' ageless nature and wide-ranging powers often lead to them being seen as both cool and seductive. One of the best depictions of the sheer potential coolness involved with being a member of the undead is 1987's cult classic The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher. The film's tagline says it all: "Sleep all day. Party all night. It's fun to be a vampire." A cast full of 1980s favorites doesn't hurt things, including Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Jami Gertz, Keifer Sutherland, and Alex Winter. The Lost Boys is definitely worth biting into on HBO.
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One of the most acclaimed films of 2018, BlacKkKlansman earned six Oscar nominations, including the first ever Best Director nomination for Spike Lee. While Lee didn't win, he did share in the film's Best Adapted Screenplay victory. Based on a true story, BlacKkKlansman stars John David Washington as Ron Stallworth, the first black cop in the history of Colorado Springs. Stallworth struggles to fit in at first, but quickly finds his niche investigating infamous hate group the Ku Klux Klan. Stallworth gains their trust by pretending to be white over the phone, with fellow officer Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) posing as Stallworth for in person meetings. For those who missed it in theaters last year, BlacKkKlansman is a must-watch HBO selection.
While not quite the exalted classic its 1962 inspiration is, director Jonathan Demme's 2004 remake of political thriller The Manchurian Candidate is still an enjoyable piece of work. Denzel Washington stars as a war veteran named Ben Marco, who begins to suspect his experiences overseas might not have been what they seemed. Before long, his investigation leads to the revelation that vice presidential candidate Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber) might be an unwitting puppet of a dark conspiracy. Meryl Streep, Vera Farmiga, and Jon Voight also star in this prime HBO pick.
The directorial debut of acclaimed filmmaker Jason Reitman, 2005's Thank You for Smoking is a pitch black satire of just how unethical the world of high-powered corporate lobbying can really be. Aaron Eckhart as Nick Naylor, a good-looking, fast-talking, alpha male-type lobbyist for the tobacco industry. Cigarettes are of course a product that slowly kills its users, making lobbying it for a job best done without moral hangups. Katie Holmes, Maria Bello, David Koechner, William H. Macy, and more fill out the star-studded cast of this top HBO pick.
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While his acting career continues, pop culture icon Arnold Schwarzenegger will probably always be best known for three movies: The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Predator. However, one of his all-time biggest hits at the box office was 1994's True Lies, which reunited him with director James Cameron. Arnold plays Harry Tasker, an outwardly boring yet loving husband to his wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), but in reality a covert operative working for the U.S. government. When an attempt to spice up his marriage ends with the couple taken hostage by nuclear-armed terrorists, it's then up to Harry to save both the world and his family in this top HBO addition.
One of the most beloved documentaries in recent memory, many moviegoers were outraged when director Morgan Neville's Won't You Be My Neighbor? was snubbed in the Oscars best documentary category. Despite that sad turn, the film's exploration of the life and career of Fred Rogers - host of legendary kids show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, and lifelong advocate for children - remains utterly compelling, and enough to pierce just about anyone's cynical exterior. HBO subscribers should get acquainted with it as soon as possible.
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While Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson might be one of the biggest stars in the world today, his early acting career wasn't without its growing pains. One of Johnson's first starring roles following his departure as an active wrestler for WWE was in 2003's The Rundown, a jungle-set action film that tends to get unfairly overlooked as an early sign of just how charismatic an action lead he would become. The Rock plays a bounty hunter named Beck, tasked with retrieving Travis Walker (Seann William Scott) from Brazil. Complicating things is evil mining boss Cornelius Hatcher, played with gusto by Christopher Walken. Arnold Schwarzenegger even pops up in this thrilling action/adventure, now on HBO.
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While the various sexual misconduct allegations surrounding director Bryan Singer and star Kevin Spacey sadly loom a bit large over The Usual Suspects at this point, that doesn't change the fact that the film itself is a terrific mystery, and sports one of the most game-changing twist endings ever. Centered on the interrogation of a small-time crook named Roger "Verbal" Kint (Spacey), the plot spins a web of intrigue around mythical criminal Keyser Soze, who nobody alive has ever actually seen. Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Benicio Del Toro, Gabriel Byrne, and Stephen Baldwin also star in this prime HBO pick.
While 1994's The Ref is far from a feel-good tale, those looking for a Christmas-themed film with a satirical edge would be wise to give it a look, as it's become a bit forgotten over the years. Denis Leary stars as Gus, a jewel thief who ends up taking a suburban couple (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) hostage after being left behind by his getaway driver. Gus makes his captives take him back home, and soon enough, their highly dysfunctional family begins to show up to celebrate the holidays. Also known as Hostile Hostages, The Ref is a great choice to stream on HBO.
Asian actors still really don't get that many leading roles in Hollywood films, but with director Jon M. Chu's 2018 hit Crazy Rich Asians, an entire cast of them got a chance to prove how outdated that practice is. Constance Wu stars as Rachel Chu, a Chinese-American professor who heads to Singapore in order to meet her boyfriend Nick Young's (Henry Golding) family. As the title suggests though, Nick neglected to inform Rachel that said family is shockingly rich and powerful. Unfortunately for Rachel, Nick's controlling mom (Michelle Yeoh) isn't a fan of their union. It's a fairly standard romantic comedy setup, but brought to life by a talented cast, and told from a relatively unseen point of view. A massive financial success, Crazy Rich Asians is a terrific addition to the HBO line-up.
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A critically acclaimed adaptation of the popular novel by Angie Thomas, 2018's The Hate U Give makes no bones about the fact that it's politically motivated, with a story that could be easily ripped from far too many headlines. Starr (Amandla Stenberg) does her best to balance her daily life at a mostly white private school with her home and weekend existence in a predominantly black neighborhood. Starr does her best not to rock the boat, that is until her close friend Khalil (Algee Smith) is gunned down by a white cop while unarmed. This leaves Starr with the choice to maintain her anonymity, or stand up for her fallen friend. The Hate U Give is an essential HBO watch.
An award season darling, Bradley Cooper's 2018 remake of A Star is Born may have ended up mostly shut out at the Oscars - winning only for Best Original Song - but that doesn't make it any less of a terrific addition to the HBO line-up. Cooper directs and stars as Jackson Maine, a successful singer-songwriter who struggles with alcoholism and the prospect that he's losing his hearing. Lady Gaga plays Ally, an unknown singer that gets discovered by Jackson one night at a club, beginning both a whirlwind romance and Ally's rise to musical stardom. Cooper and Gaga's lead song, "Shallow" deservedly won the Oscar, and the chemistry between the two is electric.
A clear example of a divide between audiences and critics, hit Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, earned decent at best reviews, but absolutely cleaned up at the box office. Rami Malek would of course go on to win an Oscar for his portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, which didn't sit well with many who found the film overrated. Bohemian Rhapsody also proved controversial due to its alterations to Queen's real history. One thing's for sure though, everyone needs to see it at least once, just to see what all the fuss is about on both sides. For those with HBO, this film will rock you.
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