We’ve finally reached the festive winter season and there isn’t a better time of year to tuck into some great movies. HBO Max has established itself as the premier streaming destination for the best of cinema, and if you’re looking to get away from the treacly festive fare for something with a little more edge the service has you covered. From lethally toxic marriages and blacklisted screenwriters to foulmouthed puppets and murderous skinheads, HBO Max has the perfect offerings to get you far away from the Christmas spirit. Take a look below to see what we have pulled out as the best of this month’s cinematic additions.
Gone Girl (2014)
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Director: David Fincher
Writer: Gillian Flynn
Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Carrie Coon, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Kim Dickens, and Emily Ratajkowski
Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) life unravels when his wife goes missing, making him the center of a media circus and the prime suspect. Rosamund Pike co-stars as his wife Amy in a role that earned her widespread acclaim, as we see the inner workings of their marriage through the pages of her diary as the mystery of her disappearance unfolds in shocking ways. Gillian Flynn wrote the screenplay based on her own best-selling novel, while David Fincher directs this wickedly entertaining thriller that satirizes the sensationalist and craven media cycle as well as the modern American marriage.
Team America: World Police (2004)
Director: Trey Parker
Writers: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Pam Brady
Cast: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Kristen Miller, Masasa Moyo, and Daran Norris
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone helmed this marionette-fronted comedy that mercilessly mocked both the United States' destructive war on terror and mindless Hollywood blockbusters and the acting elite who star in them, in one of the sharpest satires of the century. The story follows Gary (Parker), a Broadway actor who is recruited by an overzealous government intelligence agency known as Team America. Gary is tasked with using his acting talent to infiltrate a Middle Eastern terrorist organization and soon learns that their devious plans are masterminded by North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il. Team America: World Police is a laugh-out-loud comedy, that works as a time capsule of the mid-2000s and features some of the most hilarious musical numbers you're ever likely to hear. It is also a welcome reminder that if you're ever going to need to go from just a beginner to a pro; you're gonna need a montage.
Green Room (2015)
Writer and Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, and Patrick Stewart
The members of an up-and-coming punk rock band are forced to fight for their lives after they witness the murder of a girl in the rural bar they are performing at, which happens to be owned and operated by a gang of viciously violent white supremacists, as they become trapped in the venues eponymous green room. Blue Ruin director Jeremy Saulnier crafts a taut and tense thriller that verges into horror with its extreme violence and brutal punishments the characters endure. The late, great, Anton Yelchin gives perhaps the best performance of his tragically short career as the band's drummer, Pat, while Patrick Stewart is terrifying as the ruthless and calculating leader of the neo-Nazi group.
Burn After Reading (2008)
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Writers and Directors: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Cast: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, J.K. Simmons, and Brad Pitt
Joel and Ethan Coen followed up their Best Picture win for No Country for Old Men with this riotous dark comedy, that features one of the finest ensemble casts that you could hope for all operating at the top of their game. When CIA analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) quits his job and decides to write a memoir, his wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) decides to use it as an excuse to have an affair with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), a married US Marshal, and file for divorce from her husband. When she sends Osborne's financial records and other documents to her lawyer, they mistakenly fall into the dimwitted hands of two gym employees, Linda Litzkey (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt), who believe they are in the possession of valuable government information. They then attempt to extort Osborne to return the documents, and things only spiral further out of control from there.
Trumbo (2015)
Director: Jay Roach
Writer: John McNamara
Cast: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, Louis C.K. and Michael Stuhlbarg
Bryan Cranston stars as screenwriter Dalton Trumbo whose career was halted after he was among the artists who were blacklisted and jailed for their political beliefs in the 1940s. The story follows Trumbo as he writes under a pseudonym to great success and eventually becomes able to write the screenplay for the Kirk Douglas starring Spartacus, which was directed by Stanley Kubrick.
First Reformed (2017)
Writer and Director: Paul Schrader
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer, and Victoria Hill
Ethan Hawke stars as Ernst Toller, a pastor going through a crisis of faith who attempts to counsel a troubled young couple (Amanda Seyfried and Philip Ettinger), only for his life to spiral further out of control. Hawke gives one of the best performances of his stellar career for this gripping drama that isn't afraid to tackle weighty themes head-on. Director Paul Schrader, the writer of films such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and American Gigolo, once again taps into the darkness that rests in the hearts of men for his exploration into the costs of devout faith and when that spirituality is challenged.
Street Kings (2008)
Director: David Ayer
Writers: James Ellroy, Kurt Wimmer, and Jamie Moss
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Chris Evans, Hugh Laurie, Cedric the Entertainer, Terry Crews, and Common
David Ayer directs this gritty thriller in which Keanu Reeves stars as Tom Ludlow, a disillusioned undercover cop who becomes implicated in the murder of a fellow police officer and must fight to clear his. With an eclectic and talented cast that features Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, and Chris Evans, as well as a screenplay was co-written by the famous crime author James Ellroy, Street Kings is an underrated treat for fans of the genre.