Are you bored of watching superheroes, Friends, and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion? Well, HBO Max offers a vast array of exciting movies that can get your heart pounding and your blood pumping. Let’s check out the five classics that you’ve probably never seen.
1. Eraserhead
David Lynch will always go down as one of the most unorthodox filmmakers ever. What makes the writer/director’s film so exciting is the fact that Lynch’s movies tend to be weird, unconventional, and surprisingly deep and unpredictable. Enter Lynch’s first-ever film, Eraserhead; If you loved Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet then you’ll be smacking your head over how you missed Lynch’s trademark debut, which centers around Henry Spencer (Jack Nance), who tries to take care of his newly born mutant child while dealing with his industrial environment and angry girlfriend. Don’t let the weirdness fool you as the overall message is about the fear of fatherhood and the anxiety a parent can have raising a child. With a strong theme, beautiful images, and a layered performance from Jack Nance, Eraserhead is one wild ride worth taking.
2. The Maltese Falcon
During the era that spawned film noir classics such as Touch of Evil, The Big Sleep, Out of the Past, and Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon stands side-by-side against these classics thanks to its compelling story and a strong cast of characters. Detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) is caught in a whirlwind of lies and deception when Miss Wanderly (Mary Astor) asks for him and his partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) to find a man named Floyd Thursby. After Sam’s partner is murdered, he becomes entangled in a wild set of crimes for the one thing everyone wants, the bejeweled Maltese Falcon. Filled with all kinds of twists and turns, The Maltese Falcon will have you on your toes until the very end. Released in 1941, this noir classic began the era of black films and the rise of Humphrey Bogart.
3. Blood Simple
When it comes to the Coen Brothers, fans usually talk about Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and No Country For Old Men; however, another gem from the legendary directors is their first-ever feature, Blood simple. This feature also introduced the movie world to Frances McDormand, the talented actress who’s been in Almost Famous, Fargo, and most recently, Nomadland. The film is about a bar owner in Texas who hires a private detective to spy on his wife, who he suspects is cheating. Once the cat is out of the bag, a string of crimes and murder rocks the small Texas town. The Coen Brothers make great use of their small budget by crafting a twisted and darkly funny neo-noir film featuring commanding performances from McDormand, John Getz, and M, Emmet Walsh.
4. American History X
How can you go wrong with John Connor and The Hulk in the same film? American History X follows Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), a proud neo-Nazi whose life changes after a failed robbery attempt sees the racist young man go to prison for murdering two black men. After Derek is released from prison several years later a changed man, who comes to find that his brother Danny (Edward Furlong) is following down the same path as he did. The newly reformed Derek tries to figure out a way to get his stepbrother away from the lifestyle that was plagued with violence and hate. The themes of racism and redemption are at play here as we follow Derek’s time inside of prison that made him the changed man following his years-long dedication as a neo-nazi. While the film doesn’t go as deep as it should when tackling such a heavy subject, the overall message and story is a powerful one to watch, with incredible performances from Edward Norton and Edward Furlong.
Jackie Brown
Just as Quentin Tarantino is set to make his tenth and final film soon, the director has made several high profile movies such as Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and Inglorious Basterds; however, Jackie Brown, which is an adaption based on Elmore Leonard’s 1992 novel Rum Punch, is arguably one of Tarantino’s best when it comes to his film category. The film centers around an airline stewardess by the name of…Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), who’s smuggles drugs for crime kingpin Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson); however, when she’s caught by two agents, Brown makes a deal to help the agents catch Ordell Robbie. Packed with a star-studded cast that also features Robert De Niro, Michael Keaton, Chris Tucker, and Bridget Fonda, Jackie Brown is equal parts compelling, funny, and intense. What’s great is that Tarantino addresses the issues about poverty and the core theme centered on race, with the lead female in the Rum Punch book actually being a white and blond female, Jackie Brown is noticeably slower than in Tarantino’s past films; however, the movie never fails to entertain.
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