Movies

The Best TV Shows And Movies Leaving HBO Max In August 2022

Dana Barron, Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, and Chevy Chase in Vacation Warner Bros.
By BJ Colangelo/

The streaming schedule lord giveth, and the streaming schedule lord taketh away. August is just around the corner which means the lineup of options on HBO Max will see a shakeup, before ushering in a new collection of goodies to enjoy. The August monthly purge is especially odd, because films that seem like they'd live on HBO Max forever (like the "Harry Potter" series), are going the way of the dodo. It's likely that the films leaving will wind up on a competing service, but there's always the risk that they'll end up like "Spice World," and be unable to stream anywhere. Here are five films you should definitely check out before they disappear.

Hairspray (1988)

Colleen Fitzpatrick, Deborah Harry, Divine, and Ricki Lake in Hairspray New Line Cinema

It's no secret that I worship at the altar of the Pope of Filth, John Waters, and his 1988 dance film "Hairspray" remains his biggest commercial success. No, I'm not talking about the musical with John Travolta that your mom loves, I'm talking about the much edgier movie that inspired the Broadway musical. Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) is a pleasantly plump teenager in 1960s Baltimore who successfully struts her way onto the teen dance show, much to the chagrin of the bitter and blonde Amber von Tussle (Colleen Fitzpatrick aka Vitamin C). After realizing the show segregates the white performers from the Black dancers, Tracy begins to push for racial integration, making her a hero to some and a huge problem to others, like Amber's conservative parents (Sono Bono and Deborah Harry). Most people know the "Hairspray" musical due to its popular movie adaptation and the "Hairspray Live!" performances on NBC, but Waters truly made something special with his 1988 original, and is the final performance of the legendary Divine in a John Waters film.

The Final Destination Franchise (2000-2011)

Crystal Lowe in Final Destination 3 New Line Cinema

Asking me to choose my favorite "Final Destination" film is like asking me to pick between my children. Well, that's a lie. "The Final Destination" is the Cousin Oliver of that crew. All of the "Final Destination" films are an absolute blast and a half, and it's not often that the entire franchise is available on one streaming service. It seemed like "Final Destination 3" lived on Netflix for a hot minute, but having them all in one spot allows for the ultimate Rube Goldberg machine massacre marathon. The "Final Destination" series is impressive because it's one of the only horror franchises to endure without an easily identifiable slasher villain or a perennial survivor to root for, instead maintaining a fanbase on story and kill scenes alone. Catch them now, because who knows where they're all going to end up after this.

For A Good Time, Call...(2012)

Ari Graynor, Justin Long, and Lauren Anne Miller in For A Good Time, Call... Focus Features

Run, don't walk to seeing "For A Good Time, Call...," the phone-sex bestie comedy starring Lauren Anne Miller and Ari Graynor that frequently falls off streaming and into the void of digital nothingness. The story follows two former enemies who agree to share an apartment in New York City because the cost of living has become too much to handle. What starts off as your typical "Odd Couple" story immediately shifts to a touching tale of female friendship, centered around their newly found success in the phone-sex business. Sex comedies moonlighting as movies about friendship are often reserved for men, which is likely why "For A Good Time, Call..." didn't get the big buzz it deserved. This film has a history of falling off the planet so if there's anything to prioritize, it's this one. Invite over some pals, make some popcorn, practice your own 1-900 number operating voices, and have a good time.

The Raid 2 (2014)

Iko Uwais and Cecep Arif Rahman in The Raid 2 Sony Pictures Classics

At this point, either of "The Raid" movies should need no introduction. If you want to have your face melted off by the most incredible fight sequences ever put to cinema, "The Raid 2" is the movie for you. We pick up after the events of the first film, with rookie Jakarta cop Rama (Iko Uwais) trying to get back to a normal life. Unfortunately, his whole "not dying" in the first movie has made him a target of a criminal empire, and is forced to go undercover as a means of keeping his family safe. He intentionally gets put in prison where he befriends the son of a criminal kingpin, finding his way into their world to dismantle the empire from the inside out. "The Raid 2" f****** rules. There's really no other way to put it.

Tickled (2016)

Players of Competitive Endurance Tickling Magnolia Pictures

Some documentaries have to be seen to be believed, and "Tickled" is one of those stories. I first learned about the world of "competitive endurance tickling" after listening to the comedic American history podcast "The Dollop," which got a brief shout-out in David Farrier and Dylan Reeves' film about the peculiar subculture. If you're thinking this is your typical look into an atypical fetish or kink like something out of the National Geographic series "Taboo," think again. You cannot prepare for the wild twists and turns of "Tickled." Go in knowing as little as possible. Come out an entirely changed human being.

Everything leaving HBO Max in June 2022

Quentin Tarantino, Salma Hayek, and George Clooney in From Dusk Till Dawn Miramax Films

August 2:

  • 300: Rise of an Empire, 2014

August 3:

  • Aldnoah.Zero (Dubbed), 2014

  • Inuyasha, 2019

  • Mob Psycho 100 (Dubbed), 2019

  • Puella Magi Madoka Magica, 2012

  • The Promised Neverland (Dubbed), 2019

August 4:

  • Top Gear, Season 26

August 6:

  • Hard Knocks: The Dallas Cowboys, 2021 (HBO)

August 12:

  • For A Good Time, Call ..., 2012 (HBO) Extended Version

August 17:

  • Top Gear, Season 27

August 26:

  • Pure, 2020

August 27:

  • Profugos, 2012 (HBO)

August 31:

  • 17 Again, 2009

  • 2 Days in New York, 2012 (HBO)

  • 42nd Street, 1933

  • A Cinderella Story, 2004

  • A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits, 2016

  • A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song, 2011

  • A Mighty Wind, 2003 (HBO)

  • Admission, 2013 (HBO)

  • Adventureland, 2009 (HBO)

  • Airheads, 1994 (HBO)

  • Alan Partridge, 2014 (HBO)

  • Alex & Emma, 2003 (HBO)

  • Alex Cross, 2012

  • America's Sweethearts, 2001

  • Another Cinderella Story, 2008

  • Army of One, 2016 (HBO)

  • Batman Begins, 2005

  • Beetlejuice, 1988

  • Being Flynn, 2012 (HBO)

  • Best in Show, 2000 (HBO)

  • Beyond the Black Rainbow, 2011 (HBO)

  • Birth, 2004 (HBO)

  • Blade, 1998

  • Blade II, 2002

  • Blade: Trinity, 2004

  • Bolero, 1984 (HBO)

  • Broadcast News, 1987 (HBO)

  • Bronson, 2009 (HBO)

  • Caddyshack, 1980

  • Charlie's Angels, 2000

  • Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, 2003

  • City of God, 2003 (HBO)

  • Cloverfield, 2008 (HBO)

  • Cold Mountain, 2003

  • Danny Collins, 2015 (HBO)

  • Daphne & Velma, 2018

  • Deep Blue Sea, 1999

  • Defiance, 2008 (HBO)

  • Dennis the Menace, 1993

  • Dog Day Afternoon, 1975

  • Dolphin Tale, 2011

  • Dolphin Tale 2, 2014

  • Down a Dark Hall, 2018 (HBO)

  • Dracula Untold, 2014 (HBO)

  • Dumb & Dumber, 1994

  • El Cantante, 2007 (HBO)

  • Escobar: Paradise Lost, 2015 (HBO)

  • Fandango at the Wall, 2020 (HBO)

  • Fay Grim, 2007 (HBO)

  • Final Destination, 2000

  • Final Destination 2, 2003

  • Final Destination 3, 2006

  • Final Destination 5, 2011

  • Finding Neverland, 2004 (HBO)

  • Fool's Gold, 2008

  • For Colored Girls, 2010 (HBO)

  • For Your Consideration, 2006 (HBO)

  • Free Willy, 1993

  • Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove, 2010

  • Friends With Kids, 2012 (HBO)

  • From Dusk Til Dawn, 1996

  • Fun Size, 2012 (HBO)

  • Gangster Squad, 2013 (HBO)

  • Get Carter, 1971

  • Getting Played, 2006 (HBO)

  • Gran Torino, 2008

  • Grumpy Old Men, 1993

  • Gun Shy, 2017 (HBO)

  • Hairspray, 1988

  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 2002

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, 2010

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, 2011

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2005

  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2009

  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2007

  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 2001

  • Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone: Magical Movie Mode, 2001

  • Horrible Bosses, 2011

  • How to Deal, 2003 (HBO)

  • Huracan (AKA Hurricane), 2019 (HBO)

  • I Give it a Year, 2013 (HBO)

  • I Spy, 2002

  • Impostor, 2002 (HBO)

  • Julie, 1956

  • Just Married, 2003 (HBO)

  • Kajillionaire, 2020 (HBO)

  • King Kong, 2005 (HBO) Extended Version

  • Klute, 1971

  • Kong: Skull Island, 2017

  • La Musiquita Por Dentro, 2019 (HBO)

  • Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace, 1996 (HBO)

  • Lean on Me, 1989

  • Leap Year, 2010 (HBO)

  • Like Crazy, 2011 (HBO)

  • Los Cronocrimenes (AKA Timecrimes), 2008 (HBO)

  • Lost in Space, 1998

  • Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, 1983

  • My Dog Skip, 2000

  • Mystic River, 2003

  • Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, 2019

  • Nanny McPhee, 2006 (HBO)

  • National Lampoon's European Vacation, 1985

  • National Lampoon's Vacation, 1983

  • Not Easily Broken, 2009

  • Oblivion, 2013 (HBO)

  • Ocean's Eleven, 2001

  • Ocean's Thirteen, 2007

  • Ocean's Twelve, 2004

  • Page One, 2011 (HBO)

  • Pale Rider, 1985

  • Pariah, 2011 (HBO)

  • Paulie, 1998 (HBO)

  • Point Break, 1991

  • Prime, 2005 (HBO)

  • Project X, 2012

  • Quigley Down Under, 1990 (HBO)

  • Rabbit Hole, 2010 (HBO)

  • Red Dragon, 2002 (HBO)

  • Red Sonja, 1985

  • Ringo and His Golden Pistol, 1966

  • Romeo Must Die, 2000

  • Roots (Mini Series), 1977

  • Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, 2012 (HBO)

  • Serendipity, 2001

  • Sin Cielo, 2018 (HBO)

  • Son of Kong, 1933

  • Space Jam, 1996

  • Starship Troopers, 1997

  • Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation, 2004

  • Super Fly, 1972

  • Taken 2, 2012 (HBO) Extended Version

  • Tales from The Darkside: The Movie, 1990 (HBO)

  • Tea for Two, 1950

  • The Amazing Panda Adventure, 1995

  • The Ant Bully, 2006

  • The Big Sleep, 1946

  • The Bridges of Madison County, 1995

  • The Brothers Grimm, 2005 (HBO)

  • The Dark Crystal, 1982

  • The Dark Knight, 2008

  • The East, 2013 (HBO)

  • The Extra Man, 2010 (HBO)

  • The Final Destination, 2009

  • The First Monday in May, 2016 (HBO)

  • The Fugitive, 1993

  • The Gay Divorcee, 1934

  • The Goodbye Girl, 1977

  • The Loft, 2015 (HBO)

  • The Man Who Would Be King, 1975

  • The Mask, 1994

  • The Outlaw Josey Wales, 1976

  • The Pelican Brief, 1993

  • The Raid 2, 2014

  • The Reader, 2008 (HBO)

  • The River Wild, 1994 (HBO)

  • The Town, 2010

  • This Must Be the Place, 2012

  • Tickled, 2016 (HBO)

  • Tom & Jerry: The Movie, 1993

  • Transformers, 2007 (HBO)

  • Transporter 2, 2005 (HBO)

  • Tweety's High-Flying Adventures, 2000

  • Two Weeks Notice, 2002

  • Underworld, 2003

  • Underworld: Awakening, 2012

  • Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, 2009

  • Undisputed, 2002 (HBO)

  • Unforgiven, 1992

  • Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, 2012

  • Valentine's Day, 2010

  • Vanilla Sky, 2001 (HBO)

  • View From the Top, 2003 (HBO)

  • Wall Street, 1987 (HBO)

  • We Are Marshall, 2006

  • What Women Want, 2000 (HBO)

  • Young Man with a Horn, 1949

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