Awards season is officially beginning, so if you’re not catching up on all the new films, you might want some old classics instead. Since HBO Max has a good mix of old and new movies (as well as critically acclaimed TV series), here are a few old ones while you wait to see who collects the most awards this year.
When astronauts played by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney become stranded in orbit over Earth, they have to persevere and solve their problem alone or face certain death. Amazingly, Gravity maintains its grip on the audience with breathtaking awe even on the small screen.
There’s no better option than the 12-hour feat of The Lord of the Rings to fulfill the above description. The films are available on HBO Max in both the theatrical cut and the extended edition.
Breaking the Waves is the heartbreaking tale of an innocent woman navigating her position in the world while trying to understand sexuality and the opposite sex. Director Lars von Trier began as a proponent for simplistic, realistic filmmaking as a forerunner of the “Dogme 95” movement.
Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci turned his sights on Puyi, China’s final emperor, and his cinematic coverage of Puyi’s life earned him the Academy Award for Best Picture. For authenticity, China allowed filming in the Forbidden City in Beijing for the first time.
Because Cabaret takes place in Germany during Hitler’s rise to power, it can be unsettling; however, this rare musical focuses equally on showing musical numbers and thoughtful characterizations.
Based on novelist Boris Pasternak’s historical fiction set between the Russian revolution and World War II, Doctor Zhivago’s love story is surprisingly captivating but quite the investment at over 3 hours in length.
A religious epic might not be to everyone’s taste, but to this day, Ben-Hur is the pinnacle of its style, winning eleven Oscars. The famous chariot race sequence will live on in history as a necessary spectacle of the era.
Called grotesque and base when initially released, this shocking horror film used actors with disabilities to play the carnival performers and holds up today as the most audacious film ever created at the time.
Happy watching! Check them out now, while they are all still available to stream.