Although HBO Max is the newest streaming service on the market, it still manages to boast an impressive catalog of films. After all, HBO has been known as the king of watching movies from the comfort of your own home for as long as most people can .
There are definitely great options from all throughout history but the films from the 2010s offer up a great blend. HBO Max features blockbuster hits, animated gems, Academy Award winners, and more to stream from the era right now. Using the IMDb ratings, you can pick out the best of the bunch.
The Wind Rises (7.8)
It's next to impossible to compile a list regarding great movies and not include the work of Hayao Miyazaki. The acclaimed writer/director has helmed some of the best and most creative animated works of all-time. It's fitting that his intended final film (though Miyazaki has since come out of retirement) was tremendous.
That would be 2013's The Wind Rises, an animated look at the life of Jira Horikoshi, who designed fighter jets during World War II. The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars and the English dub features talents like Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt.
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (7.8)
While Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy is considered among the greatest trilogies in cinema history, there was concern for the adaption of The Hobbit. Spreading out one book into three lengthy movies seemed like it was doomed for failure.
Alas, the first installment was a hit, and then 2013's The Desolation of Smaug arrived, proving this would be a strong prequel series. It follows Bilbo Baggins and others as they attempt to take back their home from a dragon named Smaug (voiced and mo-capped by Benedict Cumberbatch).
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (7.8)
Although An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug have the same rating, this gets the edge due to having nearly 200,000 more reviews. Released in 2012, this was the film that started this prequel trilogy. Expectations were high given what The Lord of the Rings accomplished.
While the series doesn't match up to that, it's still good in its own right. This follows the beginning of Bilbo's quest with the Dwarves and sees him come into with the One Ring. The film was a huge hit, grossing $1.021 billion and earning three Oscar nods.
The Normal Heart (7.9)
HBO isn't just a place to find hit movies from theaters. They've also produced their own films over time, which aired on their network. That was the case with 2014's The Normal Heart, which follows a gay activist trying to raise awareness during the HIV-AIDS crisis.
Directed by Ryan Murphy and boasting a fantastic cast of Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, and Julia Roberts, this was well-received. The emotional picture won the Emmy for Oustanding Television Movie and racked up eight other nominations.
The Tale Of Princess Kaguya (8.0)
The second and final entry of both the foreign language and animated variety is The Tale of Princess Kaguya. This Japanese film was released in 2013 and is based on a 10th-century story called The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Like The Wind Rises, it's from Studio Ghibli.
This focuses on a tiny girl who is discovered in a stalk of bamboo and grows into a young princess who enthralls everyone she comes across. It was met with widespread acclaim, performed well at the box office, holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was up for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.
La La Land (8.0)
As great as it is, La La Land might end up being ed most for the famous flub at the Oscars where it was incorrectly named Best Picture. Though it didn't win, this 2016 film was certainly one of the best of the decade. It's the high point for the incredible duo of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.
Helmed by Damien Chazelle, this musical centers on the romance between an actress and a pianist living in Los Angeles as they chase their dreams. La La Land tied a record with 14 Oscar nominations, with Chazelle winning Best Director and Stone taking home Best Actress, while also winning Best Original Song and Best Score.
Ford v Ferrari (8.1)
The most recent film on this list (by about a month) is 2019's Ford v Ferrari. As soon as trailers hit, audiences everywhere knew they were in for Oscar bait. That's usually the case when the two lead actors are as talented as Christian Bale and Matt Damon.
The film tells the tale of two men, a driver and a car designer, who put aside their differences to help Ford build a racecar that could somehow defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It received four Oscar nominations, winning for Film and Sound Editing.
Hacksaw Ridge (8.1)
Speaking of movies that were seemingly designed to intrigue the Academy, there's Hacksaw Ridge. Directed by Mel Gibson and released in 2016, this biographical war film centers on Desmond Doss, a pacifist medic in World War II who won the Medal of Honor.
Due to his beliefs, he refused to carry or use any firearms, making him the first conscientious objector to win that award. Up for six Oscars including Best Picture, this proved to be the best work of Andrew Garfield's career since his breakout role in The Social Network.
Temple Grandin (8.3)
Similar to the aforementioned The Normal Heart, Temple Grandin was exclusively shown on HBO back in early 2010, making it the oldest movie on this list. For those unaware, Grandin is considered a real-life hero and is outspoken about autism rights.
The film centers on Grandin's life, from her struggles as an autistic woman to her many innovations that helped revolutionize the handling of livestock in humane ways. Claire Danes was masterful as Grandin and the movie won in all but one category it was nominated for at the Emmys.
Joker (8.5)
It's as if director Todd Phillips wanted to make a movie about mental illness and dressed it up as a popular DC Comics character so people would come see it. That worked wonders as 2019's Joker grossed $1.074 billion at the box office, the most ever by an R-rated film.
Following the downward spiral of a mentally unstable comedian named Arthur Fleck, Joker sees him eventually turn into the famed DC villain. This was also a critical hit, racking up 11 Oscar nominations, with Joaquin Phoenix winning Best Actor. It got praised for the gritty nature, screenplay, score, and acting, including the ing cast alongside Phoenix of Robert De Niro and Zazie Beetz.