Max to Remove 36 Titles In August – Here’s the 3 to Watch Before They Leave

Max, the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max, plans to remove 36 movies and TV shows this month (August 2024). Here’s the three you should watch before they leave, in my humble opinion:

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. Leaves after August 31, 2024.  (Also check out the new documentary on Elizabeth Taylor on Max, called Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes.)

Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
Kevin James stars as a bumbling New Jersey mall security guard who must rescue a group of hostages trapped during a store heist. KJ has faded somewhat from the scene in recent years, but his work here reminds us that he was a very funny presence on TV and movies for several years a few decades ago. Amusing film albeit with a predictable plot. (Max is also removing the sequel, Paul Blart Mall Cop 2, but you won’t miss it.) Leaving after August 31, 2024.

Butterfield 8 (1960)
Elizabeth Taylor (again) stars as a beautiful woman who engages in a series of one-night stands with wealthy (and married) businessmen only to be repeatedly disappointed by their outcomes. Liz hated the film but she’s sensational as the strumpet without a cause and the performance earned her the Oscar for Best Actress. Laurence Harvey is also good as the disjoined executive who falls in love with her and there’s even a role for Eddie Fisher (then Taylor’s husband after a celebrated break-up with Debbie Reynolds) as a pianist/friend. Leaving after August 31, 2024.