Best Movies on HBO Right Now — Filmmaker Playlist (July 2020)

From South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker came Team America: World Police. It’s a crass satire that takes aim at America and the rest of the world. Oh, and it happens to be made entirely with puppets. For some it will be too vulgar, but it is certainly funny and there is some intelligent social commentary underneath all of the poop jokes.

Catch Me If You Can tells the wild, true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., the young con-man mastermind who led the FBI on a crazy cat and mouse chase. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks both turn in great performances and Christopher Walken has an excellent supporting role that nabbed him a best supporting actor nomination.

A powerhouse cast takes on some of the sharpest dialogue ever written. David Mamet provided the screenplay for this adaptation of his own stage play of the same name. Glengarry Glen Ross shows its stage roots with under-whemling visual flair, but with dialogue this good, you don’t need to dress it up.

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45. Ford V. Ferrari (2019)

Spike Lee’s timely Ron Stallworth biopic served as a scathing criticism of modern-day racism despite its 70s setting. It’s a bit blunt, and marred by a few oddly-present technical issues on a camera and cinematography level, but the material is strong enough to overcome any weaknesses and then some.

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43. Blazing Saddles (1974)

Blazing Saddles was controversial upon its release and remains controversial to this day. Released the same year as his beloved Young Frankenstein, Mel Brooks’ spoof western is another comedy classic. The film is packed with memorable scenes and killer jokes.

The now classic story of a Fedex worker who gets stranded on a deserted island. Tom Hanks gives a compelling one man show with little more than a volleyball to play off of. Robert Zemeckis’ last great film before becoming obsessed with uncanny-valley CG people.

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38. The Fountain (2006)

Raising Arizona was the second feature film to come from the inimitable Coen Brothers. It is their goofiest romp by far as it follows a Nic Cage X Holly Hunter couple who take advantage of a rich family with more children than they need. Look for the over-the-top motorcycle riding, dynamite throwing villain, the dog-filled chase scene, and a great supporting role from John Goodman.

Creepshow is an anthology horror film written by Stephen King and directed by George A. Romero. If those two names in collaboration don’t pique your interest, nothing will. Creepshow is based on the old line of E.C. horror comics and offers a great deal of variety across its four segments and book-ending wrap-around story. The cast is memorable too, featuring a chilling Leslie Neilson alongside Ted Danson, Ed Harris and Stephen King himself who went beyond writing the screenplay to also headline one of the segments in one of his few full acting roles as a goofy farmer at odds with a meteorite.

The Departed is a modern gangster film from the master of gangster films, Martin Scorsese. The film pulls its tense and thrilling story from the excellent Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs and brings in a star studded cast to bring it to life. DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson, and Wahlberg all shine.

American Splendor is the biopic of Harvey Pekar, the celebrated underground comic book maestro who created an autobiographical comic series of the same name. It’s a melancholy film with a good dose of humor to lighten the load. The film takes on a pseudo-documentary quality that makes it stand out amongst its peers.

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32. Doctor Sleep (2019)

Doctor Sleep is the big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s much anticipated followup to The Shining. Though King famously hated Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining, Doctor Sleep manages to both adapt King’s novel and pay loving tribute to the iconic Kubrick film.

Quadrophenia is the film adaptation of The Who’s rock opera of the same name. The film is not content to rest on the quality of the music alone. Quadrophenia is a raw and emotional character study, and an examination of both lifestyle and class. It’s a war of 60s-70s subcultures; Mods VS Rockers, set to an iconic rock and roll soundtrack.

Daniel Craig’s first at-bat in the iconic role of James Bond was an instant highlight for the series. Martin Campbell of Goldeneye fame returned to usher in a new, grittier Bond to great effect. There’s more depth to the character than in most prior Bond films, and the action is excellent. Plus, this was the film that rocketed parkour into the zeitgeist.

Martin Scorsese’s mystery/thriller is a deliciously dark adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s creepy novel. Scorsese furthers the insanity of the characters in subtle ways, like including intentional continuity errors. The all-encompassing atmosphere and effectively twisty narrative make Shutter Island a must watch.

Saving Private Ryan is considered by many to be the gold standard of WWII films. The grand scope, strong performances, and jaw-dropping battle sequences made this war epic a classic immediately upon release.

A Woman Under the Influence is one of many collaborations between actress Gena Rowlands and her writer-director husband John Cassavetes. The first act’s pacing is a bit harsh, but stick with it and you’ll be rewarded with one of the most intense and emotionally raw performances ever committed to film from a fully unmasked Gena Rowlands. Peter Falk makes for an excellent foil to his troubled wife.

A Fish Called Wanda is a film called one of the funniest ever made. John Cleese penned the script and stars alongside fellow python Michael Palin as well as Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline. The Americans hold their own against the British comedy legends, with Kevin Kline possibly even managing to steal the show. It might be rather drab visually, but the script and characters remain blisteringly funny from start to finish.

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21. The Last Emperor (1998)

This epic bio-drama chronicles the life of China’s final emperor. Bernardo Bertolucci helmed this immaculately crafted film that raked in a staggering nine Academy Award wins, including all the major craft categories. Each individual aspect of this film excels; worth watching to hear the stunning score alone with impressive work from David Byrne of Talking Heads fame.

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18. The Exorcist (1973)

Denis Villeneuve rocketed into Hollywood consciousness with his first American-made film, Prisoners. A bleak mystery-thriller with morally grey protagonists and eerily-honest antagonists. A never-better Hugh Jackman leads a strong cast through this excellent script.

Amelie is just about as whimsical as a film can get, even giving Wes Anderson a run for his money. The production design and cinematography of Amelie are exquisite, and the titular heroine is sure to wheedle her way into your heart.

Criminally underseen upon its release in 2018. Blindspotting is a heady dramedy about race and identity, and one of the most poignant takes on systemic racism and police brutality you’re likely to find. The two leads Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs (AKA clipping.) also provided the inventive screenplay that is tailor made to their talents as artists. It’s a modern day tragicomedy of Shakespearean proportions.

Robbed of its theatrical release due to a dispute with the studio, S. Craig Zahler’s third feature film is a towering testament to his talents as an auteur. The 2-hour-39-minute runtime is entirely justified as Dragged Across Concrete becomes one of the most tense cinematic experiences you will likely ever have throughout the entirety of the third act.

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12. Kill Bill (2003)

Meryl Streep turns in a career defining performance in this devastating drama. The only misstep is focusing too much on the less interesting Stingo as the protagonist, though his perspective does make for a compelling, gradual reveal of information about our titular heroin. Kevin Kline also turns in a layered performance as a deeply complicated character that keeps the present day storyline engrossing alongside the heartbreaking flashbacks.

The Coen Brothers came out swinging for the fences with this their debut feature. Blood Simple is a tense thriller with a hard-hitting, noir edged script and a carefully constructed climactic cat and mouse chase that will have you on the edge of your seat.

James Cameron’s follow up to the 1979 sci-fi classic is rightly hailed as one of the best sequels ever made. Aliens trades some of the focus on horror of the first film for a larger emphasis on action, while keeping things tense and claustrophobic. This is a sequel that ups the scale and spectacle on all fronts.

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6. Jaws (1975)

Jaws is arguably Steven Spielberg’s best film. A pioneer of the summer blockbuster and remarkable exercise in tension. It’s the interplay between the human characters that makes this shark film work so well. The growing chemistry of the leads showcases excellent character work across the board.

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5. Fight Club (1999)

Few films infect the zeitgeist as immediately and fully as David Fincher’s Fight Club. Though the message of the film is often misunderstood, Fight Club’s thought provoking themes still resonate as well in 2020 as they did when the original novel was first written. Fight Club is a stylishly assembled flick that also happens to contain one of cinema’s greatest twists; oft parroted, rarely matched.

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4. Doubt (2008)

John Patrick Shanley wrote and directed this adaptation of his own play. Doubt is a heavy drama that takes aim at abuse within the catholic church through complex character and an objective, limited point of view. This is an incredible film full of astounding performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and a scene-stealing Viola Davis.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly tells the real-life story of Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who found himself struck by Locked-in Syndrome, an affliction that left his entire body paralyzed except for one of his eyes. It’s a captivating tale that speaks to the strength of the human spirit and the will to survive and overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Best Movies Ever on HBO.

1. Alien (1979)