As the summer winds down, more people might be wanting to watch new movies from the safety and comfort of their own homes instead of venturing out to the theaters. Luckily for us, HBO Max continues to have a robust library of streaming titles available on what is quite simply one of the best streaming services around. Below, we’ve put together a list of the best new movies to watch on HBO Max in August, which includes both brand new releases hitting HBO Max and theaters on the same day as well as older films that are newly added to HBO Max. As always, there’s a bit of an eclectic mix here – some blockbusters, a comedy, and even a monster movie – so there is undoubtedly something for everyone to watch.
Check out our full list below, and happy viewing!
A Mighty Wind
Director: Christopher Guest
Writers: Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy
Cast: Bob Balaban, Christopher Guest, John Michael Higgins, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch, Michael McKean, Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey, Harry Shearer, and Fred Willard
You may know and love Christopher Guest comedies like Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman, but the filmmaker’s 2003 film A Mighty Wind might be his best. Now streaming on HBO Max (alongside other excellent Guest comedies like Best in Show and For Your Consideration), the film takes place in the aftermath of the death of a fictional folk music producer. His children organize a concert event, reuniting several acts from the past, and tensions flare as past trauma and broken relationships are forced to the surface. The film is extremely funny, but also has a tinge of melancholy throughout that makes it Guest’s most emotional film.
Collateral
Director: Michael Mann
Writer: Stuart Beattie
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Bruce McGill, and Javier Bardem
If you’re in the mood for a crime thriller from a master filmmaker, Collateral is where it’s at. Michael Mann’s 2004 film was one of the first to be shot entirely on digital cameras instead of on film, which was crucial to the story’s nighttime aesthetic. Jamie Foxx plays a taxi driver who takes a fare from a well-dressed man (Tom Cruise), only to then realize he just took an assassin to a hit. A cat and mouse game ensues, and it’s all captured with haunting beauty by Mann while Cruise delivers a truly chilling performance.
Inception
Director/Writer: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, and Cillian Murphy
If it’s big-budget spectacle you’re in the mood for – especially of the sci-fi variety – then Inception is your jam. It doesn’t really matter how many times you’ve seen Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning blockbuster, it’s tremendously entertaining every single time. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a haunted thief named Cobb who is tasked with planting an idea inside someone’s mind. Nolan brilliantly visualizes what it’s like for this team of criminals to literally go into someone’s head, and travel down various levels. This one’s a classic.
The Suicide Squad
Director/Writer: James Gunn
Cast: Idris Elba, Daniela Melchior, Margot Robbie, John Cena, David Dastmalchian, Viola Davis, Steve Agee, Michael Rooker, Jai Courtney, and Pete Davidson
You’re running out of time to catch The Suicide Squad, which is streaming only for 31 days until it becomes a theatrical exclusive. The rebootquel is essentially a totally original story from the mind of Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker James Gunn that has little to no connection to the original Suicide Squad, save for including some of the same characters. Task Force X – a squad of superpowered criminals – is tasked with infiltrating a fictional South American nation on a top secret mission, during which they’re all but certain to perish. We watch as this gang of misfits grapples with their own worst selves, all under the guise of an R-rated superhero movie. This one is absolutely bonkers and fun, but probably not suitable for children.
Jurassic Park
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: David Koepp
Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, and Samuel L. Jackson
Quite simply one of the best movies ever made, Jurassic Park is the perfect blockbuster for nearly all ages. It’s scary and thrilling and funny and smart, and while many sequels have since been made, nothing comes close to the awe-inspiring nature of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 original. If you haven’t seen Jurassic Park before, you’re in for a treat. The film posits that scientists were able to clone dinosaur DNA frozen in tree sap, and a wealthy philanthropist has done just that and created a theme park soon to open to the public. A smattering of scientists and paleontologists are invited to check the park out in advance, but when the dinosaurs get loose, they’re literally running for their lives.
Reminiscence
Director/Writer: Lisa Joy
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandwie Newton, and Cliff Curtis
If you’re looking for a brand new movie to watch on HBO Max, Reminiscence premiered both in theaters and on HBO Max on August 20th. It’ll only be streaming for 31 days, but the noir-tinged sci-fi drama stars Hugh Jackman as a private investigator of the mind whose life is changed when he takes a simple case from a woman named Mae. This marks the feature directorial debut of Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy, who both wrote and directed this original film.
Godzilla vs. Kong
Director: Adam Wingard
Writers: Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein
Cast: Alexander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza Gonzalez, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, and Demian Bichir
The first big movie of 2021 to premiere on HBO Max and in theaters at the same time now returns to HBO Max for the next few months as part of Warner Bros.’ arrangement with HBO. So if you missed the slugfest that is Godzilla vs. Kong the first time around, now’s your chance to catch up. The neon-tinged monster movie finds a team of scientists enlisting King Kong’s help to battle Godzilla, taking them deep into the mythological realm of “Hollow Earth.” No one would ever mistake this for a “smart” movie, but boy is it fun to watch King Kong and Godzilla beat each other up.