The 6 Best Movies on HBO Max in September 2022
HBO Max has the Game of Thrones pseudo prequel House of the Dragon. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video gives us Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which is set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Yet both streaming services give fans more than originals. If you want something to watch after seeing what’s happening in House Targaryen, then check out the best movies coming to HBO Max in September 2022.
Note: All movies come to HBO Max on Sept. 1 unless otherwise noted.
1. ‘Elvis’ (Sept. 2)
Austin Butler’s audition for the role of Elvis Presley wowed director Baz Luhrmann. He channeled the King before landing the part, and Butler generated Oscar buzz with his portrayal. Fans of early rock music and strong acting performances can settle in and watch Butler transform into Elvis in a biopic that traces his career arc.
HBO Max brings several Elvis Presley movies in September 2022, too. It Happened at the World’s Fair, Double Trouble, Girl Happy, Spinout, and Jailhouse Rock come to the service Sept. 1. So does the 1972 documentary Elvis on Tour.
2. ‘Airplane’
Slapstick comedies don’t come much better than this Jim Abrahams and Zucker Brothers classic. Lampooning the disaster movie genre of the 1970s (especially Airport) and the 1957 film Zero Hour, Airplane delivers some of the best one-liners that are just as quotable now as they were in 1980.
Though steeped in rapid-fire comedy, Airplane earned two pretty serious award nominations. The Golden Globes nominated it for best comedy or musical, and Abrahams, Jerry Zucker, and David Zucker earned a BAFTA nomination for best screenplay.
Airplane II also lands on HBO Max in September, but the first Airplane, a movie with the secret meaning, shouldn’t be missed.
3. ‘Glory’
Matthew Broderick stars in this Civil War epic, but Denzel Washington stole the show as escaped enslaved person turned volunteer Unior soldier Trip.
Washington created such a compelling character that he stood out among actors such as Broderick, Morgan Freeman, and Andre Braugher. The role earned Washington his first Academy Award (he also won a Golden Globe), and Glory also picked up Oscars for best cinematography and best sound.
The movie remains one of the best Civil War films ever made, thanks in large part to director Edward Zwick. Elvis could bring some Academy Awards consideration, but Glory is an Oscar-winner that is one of the best movies to stream on HBO Max this month.
4. ‘The Host’
One of Saoirse Ronan’s first starring roles sees her play one of the last true humans remaining in a world where an invasive alien species inhabits people’s bodies.
Stephanie Meyer, the author behind the Twilight saga, wrote The Host, and the Young Adult themes from Twilight present themselves in The Host, too. Andrew Niccol, the writer-director of movies such as Gattaca, S1m0ne, and In Time fills both roles here.
HBO Max’s September additions also include the Divergent series, so there’s a fair share of YA content coming to the streamer.
5. ‘Life of Crime’
Several Elmore Leonard novels translated well to the big screen. Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, and Out of Sight are just a few of his books-turned-movies. Life of Crime followed suit and earned a strong review from Roger Ebert’s website and a 68% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Jennifer Aniston leads a strong cast that includes Tim Robbins, Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), Isla Fisher, Will Forte, and John Hawkes of Deadwood, Winter’s Bone, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri fame.
It might have flown under the radar then, but now Life of Crime is one of the best movies to watch on HBO Max in September.
6. ‘RocknRolla’
Guy Ritchie became one of the richest Hollywood movie directors thanks to the success of early films such as Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and Revolver.
Ritchie was already well established when he wrote and directed RocknRolla, and he assembled an all-star cast for another one of his stylized British crime movies. Gerard Butler, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Tom Wilkinson, Thandiwe Newton, Ludacris, Jeremy Piven, and Mark Strong all appear in RocknRolla.
This Ritchie outing doesn’t stray too far from his previous work. Despite that fact, or maybe because of it, RocknRolla earned favorable critics and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
