The Best TV Shows & Movies Coming to HBO Max in July 2020
There’s been lots of confusion about HBO Max thus far – confusion about its name, what exactly will be on the streaming service, which specific group of subscribers get it, and more. But after about a month of existence, one thing about HBO Max has become very clear: its movie selection is pretty damn great. As with every other major streaming service, films and TV shows will rotate in and out of availability, and the company has revealed what will be arriving on the service next month. Here are the best TV shows and movies coming to HBO Max in July 2020.
Superman: The Movie
Before HBO Max launched, one of its big draws was having all of the DC Comics movies available in one place. But when the launch came, none of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies were there. That problem is being corrected in July, when all of them (along with 2006’s Superman Returns) debut on the service. There’s a case to be made that Superman II is the best of the bunch, but for my money, Richard Donner’s 1978 movie Superman: The Movie rises above the rest. There’s something special about seeing Reeves fly for the first time, and the way this movie earnestly captures a spirit of innocence and Americana is something a large subset of modern Superman fans yearn to see again in a new movie.
The Conjuring
Before there was an entire cinematic universe spun off from this movie, director James Wan created a modern horror classic with 2013’s The Conjuring, a genuinely unsettling masterclass in building and releasing tension. It’s one of my scariest theater experiences in recent memory, and the idea of watching it again at home at night with all the lights off seems like a fun way to spend a Friday evening.
The Departed
Martin Scorsese won a directing Oscar for this sweeping crime drama about undacovah Bawhston cawhps closing in on a big-time local crime bawhss who has a mole in the depahtment feeding him info to keep him one step ahead of the law. It’s a thrilling, intricately plotted movie (centering around microprocessors, of all things) with terrific performances from everyone involved. Pro tip: organize a socially-distanced viewing party with your friends, and then watch as your entire group crumbles over whether or not the shot of the rat at the end is Too Much or Just Right.
Blazing Saddles
Mel Brooks’s classic western might make you tug on your collar a bit while watching it, but that was kinda the point in 1974 and the same holds true today. But Brooks isn’t the type of provocateur who simply says shit because he can get away with it or just to rile people up, and Blazing Saddles actually has a lot to say about two topics that are very much in the news right now: policing and race in America. Some of the jokes will make you roll your eyes, some will have you laughing out loud, but overall the movie is more sophisticated than it appears, and its cacophonous climax makes it worth the watch for the sheer chaos factor alone.
Catch Me If You Can
Steven Spielberg’s con man film is one of the best of the fil
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