By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
Former Sony employee and editor of 4 TV magazines.
Max, the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max, is scheduled to remove 59 movies from its lineup after today, January 31. Here are four films that you should check out before they leave:
Platoon (1986)
Director Oliver Stone’s 1986 Vietnam drama stars Charlie Sheen as a grunt in the brush who’s torn between two sergeants (Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe) who have violently different views of how to conduct the war. This is Stone’s masterpiece, perhaps even surpassing 1991’s JFK, in large part because it feels so authentic thanks to the director’s personal experience in the war. Sheen is particularly good and a rewatching of this film and 1987’s Wall Street will make you wonder why he didn’t become a top-tier actor instead of a late-night punchline.
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Annie Hall (1977)
Woody Allen’s comedy masterpiece is based loosely on the actor/director’s romance with Diane Keaton, who plays the title character. The film, which captured the 1978 Academy Award for Best Picture, combines Woody’s comic brilliance with an insightful take on relationships and human foibles. Such a great movie.
Bull Durham (1988)
Bull Durham, the 1988 baseball comedy from director Ron Shelton (a former minor league baseball player in the Orioles organization), stars Kevin Costner as a career-long minor leaguer who’s summoned to tutor a talented but dimwitted pitcher (Tim Robbins). Like Platoon, Shelton’s personal experience in the bush leagues brings a realism to this fun film.
Knowing (2009)
The 2009 sci-fi/drama film stars an unusually subdued Nicolas Cage as a teacher who stumbles upon a mathematical formula to predict disasters. The burden of knowledge is overwhelming as Cage’s character desperately tries to warn loved ones and others to change their behaviors and plans. Knowing is an intelligent look at the human condition and our need to live freely and without fear.
Honorable mentions to The Terminator, Ronin, The Thomas Crown Affair (both versions) and Wayne’s World.
Complete List of Movies Leaving Max After January 31:
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
All About Steve (2009)
Angel of Mine (2019)
Anna (2019)
Annie Hall (1977)
Best Man Down (2013)
Betrayed (1988)
Big Momma’s House (2000)
Big Momma’s House 2 (2006)
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Black Boy Joy (2021)
Blair Witch (2016)
Body of Lies (2008)
Bride Wars (2009)
Bull Durham (1988)
Chernobyl Diaries (2012)
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (2010)
Cooties (2015)
The Cypher (2021)
Deadfall (2012)
The Delta Force (1986)
Dolapo is Fine (2021)
Double Impact (1991)
Flash of Genius (2008)
The Fluffy Movie (2014)
Footloose (1984)
The Frozen Ground (2013)
Growing Up Milwaukee (2020)
Hackers (1995)
Hotel For Dogs (2009)
I Am Not Your Negro (2017)
Kingpin (1996)
Knowing (2009)
A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
The Mexican (2001)
MI-5 (2015)
Mr. Mom (1983)
My Scientology Movie (2017)
Night Catches Us (2010)
Platoon (1987)
Predator (1987)
Predator 2 (1990)
A Rodeo Film (2021)
Ronin (1998)
A Royal Affair (2012)
Rubber (2011)
See How They Run (2022)
Soul Plane (2004)
Source Code (2011)
A Storybook Ending (2021)
The Terminator (1984)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
Tommy Boy (1995)
Wayne’s World (1992)
Wayne’s World 2 (1993)
Whiteout (2009)
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The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
