Ah, springtime. The flowers are starting to bloom, the air is getting sweeter, and it’s also time for some spring-cleaning. For HBOMax, that means making room for the new, by getting rid of the old. And in this case, we’re talking about movies. Movies that have been nice and cozy throughout the winter, available for streaming, but now find themselves approaching the end of their welcome. And while some of these movies won’t be missed by most, there are several that deserve a watch before being whisked off like pollen in the air. To help narrow the list down for you, here we have the best movies leaving HBOMax at the end of this month:
Freejack (1992)
Leaving April 30th
Director: Geoff Murphy
Writer: Steven Pressfield, Ronald Shusett
Cast: Emilio Estevez, Mick Jagger, Rene Russo, Anthony Hopkins
It’s funny how many movies that take place in the “future,” seem to have a vision of a two-class society, where you either live within your elite, skyscraper apartment, or you're an everyday schmo who resides in the slums. Freejack is no exception. The movie follows Alex Furlong (Emilio Estevez), a fearless race car driver, stolen by future kidnapers, mid-race. Now, in the near-future, Alex wakes up to find that he is no longer considered a free human being, but a commodity for the super rich. See, in this time, pollution is so bad and bodies have taken such an environmental beating, scientists have figured out a way to transfer one's life force into a healthy body, stolen from the past. It’s also a future that has Mick Jagger leading a brute force. Freejack is a fast-paced ride that is as interesting as it is entertaining. Estevez plays his character cocky, yet terrified, as he desperately tries to find help from his former wife, Julie (Renée Russo). And let me repeat: it’s Mick Jagger trying to stop him. That should be enough reason to watch this movie.
Poltergeist 2: The Other Side (1986)
Leaving April 30th
Director: Brian Gibson
Writer: Mark Victor, Michael Grais
Cast: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O'Rourke, Oliver Robins, Zelda Sampson
In most cases, a movie's sequel usually doesn’t beat the original. In this case, with Poltergeist 2: The Other Side, that theory remains true, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a quality creep-fest that horror fans won’t enjoy. The film’s story takes place one year after Poltergeist. But despite moving out of state, the paranormal activity is clearly not done with this poor family. As one of the most creepy characters ever, Kane (Julian Beck), the "representative" of these beyond-the-grave entities, continuously hounds the Freelings, posing as a weak old man. The spirits’ intentions are clear; they want to take the youngest daughter, Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) to the "other side." With the fun Steven Spielberg flavor of the first installment replaced with a disturbing plot and tone, Poltergeist 2 will give you the creepy feeling horror fans crave, from start to finish.
The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)
Leaving April 30th
Director: Betty Thomas
Writer: Laurice Elehwany, Rick Copp
Cast: Shelly Long, Gary Cole, Christine Taylor, Christopher Daniels, Jennifer Elise Cox, Paul Sutera
Whoever came up with the idea to parody The Brady Bunch series and time warp them into the middle of the 90s, was a genius. The head scratching reactions from confused neighbors and grungy high-schoolers to this completely oblivious 70s family, continuously pays off throughout the whole film. With the family perfectly recast, The Brady Bunch Movie takes on a combo of several old, original series plot lines to build this story, which mostly revolves around the children making money to bail out their financially troubled parents. From footballs breaking noses to cringe-worthy hormonal tension between step-siblings, make sure to grab a bunch of laughs with this movie before it drives off into the tie-dyed sunset.
Thelma and Louise (1991)
Leaving April 30th
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Callie Khouri
Cast: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen
Speaking of driving off, Thelma and Louise still holds up as a woman- power buddy/crime-spree movie, directed by Ridley Scott (Alien). This 1991 film follows Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon), as they find themselves going from a quick drink at a roadhouse bar, to being on the run from police for murder. Thinking that no one will believe that the killing of a would-be rapist was in self-defense, the women decide to hit the road and, well, get into even more trouble. With the coppers on their tail and the open road ahead, now is the time to take that adventure with these two, (which includes a motel-pit-stop with Brad Pitt) and drive right off into meme history.
The Transporter (2002)
Leaving April 30th
Director: Louis Leterrier, Corey Yuen
Writer: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Cast: Jason Statham, Shu Qi, Matt Schulzer, Francois Berleand
The Transporter is a heart-pumping thriller that lifted Jason Statham to leading action-star status. This 2002 roller coaster of a film follows Frank (Statham), who is a specially skilled driver-for-hire/former elite soldier, who is the one you call to transport the most valuable of packages. Living by three rules (Fight Club-style), Frank will never know names, change a deal, and especially will never open the package he’s transporting. However, this time around, the package is a bit bigger than usual, and is alive. Frank, already breaking his most important rule, must deliver Lai (Shu Qi), without getting killed by the henchmen following him, in the process. By now, you're probably familiar with the pace of Jason Statham movies, and this one was the film where it all started. Grab a peek as fast as you can before this movie reaches its final destination.
Bloodsport (1988)
Leaving April 30th
Director: Newt Arnold
Writer: Sheldon Lettich, Christopher Cosby, Mel Friedman
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton
This 1988 film, directed by Newt Arnold (Blood Thirst), round-house kicked Jean-Claude Van Damme into martial arts super-stardom. In Bloodsport, Van Damme plays Frank, a US Army elite soldier, whose knowledge of Ninjitsu has propelled him to master-fighting status. Forced out of the US, Frank goes to Hong Kong to eventually become part of an underground MMA-style combat tournament, that often ends in death. There’s a certain style to this film that is appealing, if not comedic, to plenty of first-time watchers. However, Van Damme‘s display of his athletic skills in the prime of his martial arts life, is something to behold.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Leaving April 30th
Director: Joel Zwick
Writer: Nia Vardalos
Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Christina Eleusiniotis
My Big Fat Greek Wedding became a huge success back in 2002, not just because of its charming, funny story, but also because of how relatable the featured family is to so many moviegoers. You don’t need to be Greek to connect one of Toula's (Nia Vardalos) family members to some of your own; proving that it doesn’t matter where you’re from, everyone’s got their own clan, and they’re all usually a little nuts. With this break-out roll for Vardalos, who also wrote the movie, it is a performance that only she could give. Falling in love with a non-Greek average guy, Ian Miller (John Corbett), puts Toula's family into a tizzy, as they are suddenly finding themselves in the middle of wedding planning. Each step of the way towards the big day is charming and hilarious as you watch every cringe-worthy family moment. Like your own family, they sometimes help, but mostly sidetrack what should be Toula's best day.