Max Adds 77 New Movies Today – Here’s the 5 Best

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.

Max, the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max, today added 77 new movies to its lineup. Here are the five best, in my humble opinion:

Chinatown (1974)
Jack Nicholson stars in this Roman Polanski-directed neo noir classic about a private detective who gets more he can handle when he investigates the transfer of water in 1930s Los Angeles. Nicholson cements his status as one of Hollywood’s greatest as the cool but vulnerable detective J.J. Gittes and the supporting cast is exceptional, particularly Faye Dunaway as a powerful widow with a host of skeletons in the closet. But the real star here is Polanski who was just five years removed from the graphic slaying of his wife, Sharon Tate, by the Manson Family. Scene after scene in Chinatown offer subtle reminders of that grisly event but Polanski bravely taps his personal experience to tell a haunting tale.

Bonnie & Clyde (1967)
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway star in this fanciful retelling of the 1930s bank robbing team of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. The film, which was inspired by the era’s New Wave films in France, puts style ahead of substance but it’s a juicy mix of iconoclastic acting and class warfare. (The cinematic Clyde justifies his actions by saying the banking industry is exploiting the poor while the real Clyde was merely a bloodthirsty thief.) Both stars are in fine form and the direction (Arthur Penn) and script (Robert Benton and David Newman) are first rate. Also look for fun supporting performances from Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Gene Wilder and Michael J. Pollard.

Network (1976)
Network, the prescient satire of big media from the perspective of an aging network executive played flawlessly by William Holden. Faye Dunaway, the subject of a new HBO documentary to be released on July 13, is also spectacular as an ambitious programming exec who would deal with the Devil to boost her the ratings.

Raging Bull (1980)
Collaborating with director Martin Scorsese once again, Robert De Niro delivered an Oscar-winning performance as Jake LaMotta, a troubled boxer. The physical and emotional transformation De Niro underwent for the role is awe-inspiring (he gained 60 pounds to play Jake during his post-fight life.)  Raging Bull remains a pinnacle of cinematic storytelling, showcasing both De Niro’s dedication and Scorsese’s directorial brilliance.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966)
Mike Nichols’ directorial debut is a sensation thanks to two powerhouse performances from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as a warring married couple who live to booze and taunt (each other and their dinner guests played by George Segal and Sandy Dennis.) The Ernest Lehman screenplay, based on the Edward Albee play, is a chilling commentary on the illusions of marriage as well as a winking nod to the battling Bickersons of real life, Liz and Dick. WAVW will make you think about, laugh at and cry for the on-screen (and off-screen) personas who can’t resist inflicting pain where it hurts the most, particularly when it’s so perversely entertaining.

Complete List of New Movies Added Today (July 1, 2024) to Max:

Three Amigos! (1986)
17 Again (2009)
90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, Season 6 (TLC)
America’s Best Towns to Visit
As Good as It Gets (1997)

Babe (1995)
Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)
Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One (2021)
Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two (2021)
Beowulf (2007)

Blended (2014)
Black Adam (2022)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Butterfield 8 (1960)

Candyman 3: Day of the Dead (1999)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Chinatown (1974)
Cleopatra (1963)
The Company You Keep (2013)

The Craft (1996)
Cyrus (2010)
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
The Express (2008)
The Eyes of My Mother (2016)

Firestarter (1984)
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Frank (2014)
Garden State (2004)
Gattaca (1997)

Giant (1956)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
The Glass Castle (2017)
Gods of Egypt (2016)

Good Luck Chuck (2007)
Grand Piano (2014)
Inside Job (2010)
Lady Bird (2017)
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019)

The Meg (2018)
Melancholia (2011)
Mortal Kombat (1995)
A Most Wanted Man (2014)
National Velvet (1944)

Network (1976)
Out of the Furnace (2013)
Panic Room (2002)
Parenthood (1989)
Please Stand By (2018)

Posse: The Revenge of Jessie Lee (1993)
Raging Bull (1980)
Rescue Dawn (2007)
The Rider (2018)
Saw (2004)

Saw 3D: The Final Chapter (2010)
Saw II (2005)
Saw III (2006)
Saw IV (2007)
Saw V (2008)

Saw VI (2009)
Signs (2002)
Single White Female (1992)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Smurfs (Movie) (2011)

Spy Kids (2001)
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (2011)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

To Sir, with Love (1967)
To the Wonder (2012)
Twister (1996)
Unbreakable (2000)
West Side Story (1961)

Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Woodshock (2017)

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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.