10 best movies to watch on Netflix, HBO Max before they leave (August 2022)

This month’s list of starting points for streaming includes some old classics, new favorites, and a few overlooked gems in between.

First, Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy is leaving HBO Max — a good time to revisit these movies (unless you’re one of the few who haven’t seen them, in which case I has good news — you’ll get — to see Ocean’s movie for the first time!).

There is also a famous song by Spike Lee. do the right thinga classic mystery thriller Cluteand a legal thriller from the showrunners of AndorAction Horror DTV Masterclass and more.

Let’s get into it.

do the right thing

Set out on a sweltering day with a Spike Lee Bed-Stuy. do the right thing A brilliant drama that follows the growing racial tensions between a local Italian-American pizzeria and the African-American community that lives next door.Not to mention the one-of-a-kind opening sequence, with impressive performances by Danny Aiello, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Lee himself. of Rosie Perez — Dances and shadow-boxes to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” in her debut film role. do the right thing An important milestone in American filmmaking that cannot be overlooked. — Toussaint Egan

do the right thing leaf peacock August 31st.

Gattaca

Andrew Niccol’s 1997 debut starring Ethan Hawke Gattaca Vincent Freeman is a genetically “inferior” man born in a eugenic caste society who aspires to become an astronaut. Given that Jerome (Jude Law) is a highly capable athlete who was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident, Vincent’s dreams are all but within reach. A mob of government agents and detectives descend en masse in an attempt to catch the culprit. In an unparalleled retro-futuristic style, scenes shot in and around some of San Francisco’s most iconic minimalist architecture, a moving score by composer Michael Nyman, Jude Law, Uma Thurman, And a trio Vidal with a wonderful supporting performance by the late Gore, Gattaca An absolute sci-fi treasure. — Te

Gattaca will leave Netflix on September 1st.

Clute

A group of women, including Jane Fonda, are lined up in front of three paintings.

One of the best thrillers of an era when they were absolutely full, Clute is the first in Alan J. Pakula’s themed “Paranoia Trilogy”. parallax view When all the president’s men (This earned Pakula three Oscar nominations).

of Clute, Jane Fonda gives her best performance ever as call girl Bree Daniels who gets caught up in a detective’s (Donald Sutherland) investigation into the disappearance of an executive. A tense thriller with gorgeous cinematography from Gordon Willis (The Godfather Films) and an appropriately spooky score from frequent Pakula collaborator Michael Small, Clute too good to miss. —Pete Volk

Clute leaf HBO Max August 31st.

Michael Clayton

get excited Andorco-written by showrunner Tony Gilroy rogue one, wrote and directed one of the best legal thrillers of the 21st century in his directorial debut. George Clooney is Michael Clayton, a corporate fixer sent to correct a lawyer plagued by an episode. Everything he knows is threatened when Clayton discovers an even deeper conspiracy.

One of Clooney’s best performances, the film also features great supporting turns by Tom Wilkinson (who plays the aforementioned troubled lawyer), Tilda Swinton, and the great Sydney Pollack. This is a tight, tense conspiracy thriller reminiscent of the works of Alan J. Pakula and other giants of the genre. —PV

Michael Clayton will leave Netflix on September 1st.

midnight run

Ah, the simple joys of a sidekick comedy road trip movie.

of midnight run, Robert De Niro is an ex-cop who turned to the life of a bounty hunter after being kicked out of a corrupt police station. When he’s sent to catch an accountant (Charles Grodin) who embezzled money from a mob, he must deal with gangs, cops, and general hijinks.

A hilarious adventure with two disparate characters who piss each other off, De Niro and Grodin’s incredibly bizarre couple chemistry elevates this film to a hilarious and memorable romp. De Niro is great as a mean ex-cop as always, but Grodin is a sensitive and no-nonsense accountant trying to convince his new sidekick to let him go.

midnight run It also has more depth than your average buddy comedy. De Niro’s former cop quits the police force over moral disagreements, and the film’s circumstances force him to confront his values once again. Add in Danny Elfman’s playful and energetic score and you have a great time with the film.PV

midnight run leaf peacock and Criterion Channel August 31.

sea trilogy

Brad Pitt and George Clooney enjoying a cold drink at Ocean's 13

There have been plenty of Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean movies — great hangout movies with great ensemble casts, fun capers with daring heists, and funny comedies that laugh out loud. , all three are solid popcorn entertainment.PV

sea trilogy leaf HBO Max August 31st.

Universal Soldier: Day of Liquidation

Jean-Claude Van Damme stands among the soldiers with his head bowed in Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning.

Regular Polygon readers will know that this is one of my favorite movies (seriously, top 10 type stuff). If you are late checking out, now is your chance.

As I wrote when it was added to HBO Max in July:

Universal Soldier: Day of Liquidation It was an awakening for me. I hadn’t seen (and still haven’t seen) the other films in the franchise, and was unfamiliar with its young star Scott Adkins at the time, but John Hyams’ twisted his sci-fi/ Something about horror/action stories grabbed me and never let go.
A soldier (Scott Adkins) wakes up from a coma haunted by memories of the brutal murder of his wife and daughter. All he wants is to hunt down the person responsible… Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), the main character in the original films of the Universal Soldier franchise. Combining influences from filmmakers like Gasparnoe with the grimy aesthetic of his direct-to-video action-horror flicks, liquidation day A unique combination of genre and talent, it’s one of my favorite movies ever made. Note: This is a particularly violent movie, not for the squeamish. —PV

Universal Soldier: Day of Liquidation leaf HBO Max August 31st.

do not stop

Unstoppable trains are tracked by police cars and ambulances.

Tony Scott’s final film, one of his best, is a realistic blue-collar drama ripped from the headlines and adapted. However Enough to turn an implausible true story into a thrilling cinematic event.

do not stop It retells the story of the CSX 8888 incident when a runaway train carrying dangerous goods was stopped by the crew of a second train. In the film version, Denzel Washington plays veteran engineer Frank Burns and Chris Pine plays rookie conductor Will Colson. do not stop Frank and his associates see Will as an example of a young recruit given a senior position so as not to overpay more experienced employees.

The relationship between Frank and Will, and the depth given to these characters by Washington and Pyne, is the main reason this movie works. You get to see these two men of hers understand each other in real time, especially when they’re in crisis mode. The train sequence is also moving — Scott rented trains from three different railroads for the film. —PV

do not stop leaf Hulu August 31st.