The Best TV Shows And Movies Leaving HBO Max In September 2022
HBO Max is about to say farewell to a number of fantastic films, but this time it's not related to their current slaughter. Since HBO Max first launched in May 2020, the streamer has consistently had absolutely stellar offerings of original programming and acquisitions alike, but these days it's hard to keep track with everything they keep sending to the gallows. HBO Max has served as the final streaming resting place for much of the catalog of their parent company, Warner Bros., and yet there are a surprising number of Warner Bros. releases leaving HBO Max at the end of September. Odd.
Regardless, here are five films leaving HBO Max that are absolutely worth checking out before they're sent back into the void ... or hopefully to another streamer.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Thanks to the success of "Everything Everywhere All At Once," international icon Michelle Yeoh is on top of the world, but it was over two decades ago when Yeoh nabbed a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress thanks to her work in the wuxia film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Written by Wang Hui-ling, James Schamus, and Kuo Jung Tsai, the film set in 19th century Qing dynasty China revolutionized the craft of the martial arts movie and skyrocketed director Ang Lee to superstardom. At the time of release, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" became the highest grossing foreign-language film in United States history and won four Academy Awards. The film was not without controversy, but years later, it remains an absolute masterclass, and Yeoh is an undeniable superstar.
Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)
"CLANG, CLANG, CLANG WENT THE TROLLEYYYYYYY! DING, DING, DING WENT THE BELLLLLL! ZING, ZING, ZING WENT MY HEARTSTRINGS! FROM THE MOMENT I SAW HIM I FELL!" Any musical theater kid worth their salt knows every word to "The Trolley Song" from the Judy Garland classic "Meet Me in St. Louis," the MGM romantic musical comedy set around the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The story follows four Midwestern sisters as they learn about the ways of the world, which includes a good ol' fashioned love story. "Meet Me In St. Louis" is a gorgeous golden age musical with one of the best uses of Technicolor technology, boasting fabulous period costumes, elaborate dance sequences, and career best performances from Margaret O'Brien and Judy Garland. (Apologies to "The Wizard of Oz" fans.)
The Iron Giant (1999)
You're never too young to learn that the government hates you and will try to destroy everything you love, and for a generation of kids, "The Iron Giant" was that introduction. In Brad Bird's stunning directorial feature, a gigantic robot alien (Vin Diesel) crashes in a small Maine town and is discovered by a 9-year-old boy named Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal). The two spark an unlikely friendship a la Elliott and the titular "E.T.," but of course, the government has to show up and ruin the party. A recklessly paranoid agent named Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) does everything in his power to destroy the Iron Giant, and it's up to Hogarth and an eccentric beatnik named Dean (Harry Connick Jr.) to try and keep their misunderstood metal friend safe. The film is a phenomenal metaphor for xenophobia and the "fear of the other," and it remains one of the greatest animated achievements in cinema history. It's okay to cry at the end. Quite frankly, it'd be more concerning if you didn't.
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)
The post-"Juno" studio indie boom of the latter part of the aughts spawned plenty of hipster meet-cutes, with "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" one of the best. Based on the novel of the same name by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, the film captures the essence of that one perfect night in New York City filled with love at first sight, chaotic high jinks that could only happen after midnight, the quest to attend the concert of a lifetime, and the grossest piece of chewing gum ever put to screen. Michael Cera and Kat Dennings star as the titular couple, whose paths cross at a rock show when Norah asks Nick to be her boyfriend for five minutes to spite a bratty classmate. "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" still plays like your favorite mixtape: full of chaos, heart, character, and some sickly sweetness. Is it idealistic? Yes. Is it undeniably adorable? Also yes.
Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
Heather Matarazzo is a national treasure, and her criminally underappreciated career began with the Todd Solondz coming-of-age dark comedy film, "Welcome to the Dollhouse." Matarazzo stars as Dawn Wiener, an unpopular middle-schooler who tries her hardest to make friends and gain approval of her horrible classmates and neglectful parents. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, and it has developed a massive cult following over the years, due to Solondz's unflinching approach to exploring teenage adolescence in all of its awkward, horrible glory. Sure, we talk about "cringe culture" these days, but that's child's play compared to the early teen anguish of Dawn Wiener. Every moment of "Welcome to the Dollhouse" feels as uncomfortable as Dawn is trying to survive her day-to-day life, and few films have ever captured the sensation of growing up misunderstood quite like this.
Everything leaving HBO Max in September 2022
September 4
- Meet the Patels, 2014
September 5
- Turner Classic Movies: Follow the Thread, 2022
September 8
- Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, 2018
September 9
- Horrible Bosses 2, 2014
September 11
- Fatale, 2020 (HBO)
September 14
- Starting Life in Another World- (S2 Eps 1-13) (Dubbed), 2016
- Starting Life in Another World- (S2 Eps 1-13) (Subtitled), 2016
- Starting Life in Another World- (S2 Eps 14-25) (Dubbed), 2016
- Starting Life in Another World- (S2 Eps 14-25) (Subtitled), 2016
September 16
- The Little Things, 2021 (HBO)
September 17
- Inheritance, 2020 (HBO)
September 20
- American Sniper, 2014
September 24
- The Quarry, 2020 (HBO)
September 30
- 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain, 1998
- 3 Ninjas: Knuckle Up, 1993
- A Mouse Tale, 2012 (HBO)
- Adaptation., 2002
- American History X, 1988
- An American Haunting, 2006 (HBO)
- Are We Done Yet?, 2007
- Are We There Yet?, 2005
- Beef, 2020 (HBO)
- Brooklyn's Finest, 2010 (HBO)
- Bundle of Joy, 1956
- Buried, 2010
- Cantinflas, 2014 (HBO)
- City Slickers, 1991
- Cocoon the Return, 1988 (HBO)
- Contagion, 2011
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000
- Dark Passage, 1947
- Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, 2010
- Double Trouble, 1967
- El Robo Del Siglo (aka Heist of the Century), 2020 (HBO)
- Ella Enchanted, 2004 (HBO)
- Elvis on Tour, 1972
- Emma, 1996
- Erased, 2013 (HBO)
- Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, 2001
- Fired Up!, 2009
- Freaky, 2020 (HBO)
- From Paris With Love, 2010 (HBO)
- Frozen River, 2008
- Genius, 2016 (HBO)
- Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, 2009
- Giant, 1956
- Girl Happy, 1965
- Girl, Interrupted, 1999
- Graffiti Bridge, 1990
- Harina (aka Flour), 2018 (HBO)
- Home Fries, 1998 (HBO)
- How Do You Know, 2010
- I Know What You Did Last Summer, 1997
- I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, 1998
- I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, 2006
- It Could Happen to You, 1994
- It Happened at the World's Fair, 1963
- J. Edgar, 2001 (HBO)
- Jailhouse Rock, 1957
- John Carpenter Presents Vampires: Los Muertos, 2002
- Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
- Journey to the Center of the Earth, 2008
- Judas and the Black Messiah, 2021 (HBO)
- Jungle Master, 2013 (HBO)
- Kill Bill: Vol, 1, 2003
- Kill Bill: Vol. 2, 2004
- Krull, 1983 (HBO)
- Last Night, 2011 (HBO)
- Let Him Go, 2020 (HBO)
- Lethal Weapon 2, 1989
- Lethal Weapon 3, 1992
- Lethal Weapon 4, 1998
- Lethal Weapon, 1987
- Little Baby Bum (S1), 2011
- Little Baby Bum (S2), 2011
- Little Baby Bum: Learning & Fun, 2011
- Lords of Dogtown
- M*A*S*H, 1970
- Major League II, 1994
- Major League: Back to the Minors, 2006
- Mano de Obra (aka Workforce), 2019 (HBO)
- Mary Reilly, 1996
- Meet Me in St. Louis, 1944
- Michael Clayton, 2007
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movies, 1995 (HBO)
- Miles Ahead, 2016
- Miracle on 34th Street, 1947 (HBO)
- Moonrise Kingdom, 2012 (HBO)
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, 1989
- National Lampoon's Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj, 2006 (HBO)
- Next, 2007 (HBO)
- Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, 2008
- Nobody's Fool, 1994
- Period of Adjustment, 1962
- Punch-Drunk Love, 2002
- Purple Rain, 1984
- Radio Flyer, 1992
- Reservation Road, 2007 (HBO)
- Reservoir Dogs, 1992 (HBO)
- Return to Me, 2000 (HBO)
- Revolver, 2007 (HBO)
- Ride the High Country, 1962
- Righteous Kill, 2008 (HBO)
- Scary Movie 2, 2001
- Scary Movie 3, 2003
- Scary Movie, 2000
- Sex Drive, 2008 (Extended Version)
- Shark Night 3D, 2011 (HBO)
- Shrek The Third, 2007 (HBO)
- Shrink, 2009 (HBO)
- SLC Punk!, 1999 (HBO)
- Sleepless in Seattle, 1993
- Soul Surfer, 2011
- Spartan, 2004 (HBO)
- Spinout, 1966
- Stealing Harvard, 2002 (HBO)
- Steel, 1997
- Strike Up the Band, 1940
- Super 8, 2011 (HBO)
- The Adventures of Mark Twain, 1944
- The Adventures of Milo and Otis, 1989
- The Book of Eli, 2010
- The Boondocks Saints II: All Saints Day (Director's Cut)
- The Brothers Solomon, 2007 (HBO)
- The Cooler, 2003 (HBO)
- The Empty Man, 2020 (HBO)
- The Harvey Girl, 1946
- The Holiday, 2006 (HBO)
- The Internship, 2013 (HBO)
- The Iron Giant, 1999
- The Ladies Man, 2000 (HBO)
- The Pirate, 1948
- The Raid: Redemption, 2012 (HBO) (Extended Version)
- The Relic, 1997 (HBO)
- The Secret in Their Eyes, 2010 (HBO)
- The Unsinkable Molly Brown, 1964
- The Wackness, 2008 (HBO)
- The Way Way Back, 2013 (HBO)
- Things We Lost in the Fire, 2007 (HBO)
- Tootsie, 1982 (HBO)
- Twister, 1996
- Ultraviolet, 2006
- Under the Cherry Moon, 1986
- Universal Soldier: The Return, 1999
- Vegas Vacation, 1997
- Warm Bodies, 2013 (HBO)
- Welcome to Collinwood, 2002 (HBO)
- Welcome to the Dollhouse, 1995
- What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire?, 2018
- Whiplash, 2015
- Who's Harry Crumb?, 1989 (HBO)
- Wiener Dog Internationals, 2017 (HBO)
- Zookeeper, 2011