As the Mandalorian and Grogu continue their adventures and Kane Parsons brings “Backrooms” to the big screen, audiences looking for an at-home movie night have plenty to hold them over until their next theatrical outing. Right now, HBO Max has a decade-defining horror movie from the 2010s, an overlooked action masterpiece and one of the best animated movies ever made.
Here are the three best movies to watch on HBO Max this weekend.
“The Conjuring”
Between the continued success of “Obsession” and the significant box office of “Backrooms,” horror is having a big moment in May. Now’s a good time to go back to one of the genre’s biggest phenomenons from the 2010s: “The Conjuring.”
In “The Conjuring,” James Wan (alongside writers Chad and Carey W. Hayes) launched a massive horror franchise focusing on the paranormal investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). The first film remains a high point for the franchise, a gripping and terrifying piece of haunted moviemaking. Watch it with the lights off and buckle up.
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
“Furiosa” didn’t get the universal acclaim of its predecessor, “Mad Max: Fury Road.” That’s fair — it’s hard to stack up to one of the finest (and, production-wise, most difficult) action movies of all time.
But free of this burden of unfathomable expectation, George Miller’s “Fury Road” prequel stands on its own as one of the decade’s strongest action flicks so far. Anya Taylor-Joy (and her younger counterpart Alyla Browne) fully embodies the role established by Charlize Theron, playing a younger version of the wasteland warrior before her days as an Imperator. With jaw-dropping action and earned emotion, Miller proves once again that he absolutely has it in him to make something epic.
“Spirited Away”
Picking the best movie from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli is a difficult task, with numerous films making the case as some of the greatest animated movies of all time. “Spirited Away” seems to be one of the most frequent answers, and for good reason. It stands out as one of Miyazaki’s most accessible films without losing any of his normal depth, maintaining all the beauty and strangeness of some of his more out-there entries. It’s a gorgeous film, one that meets children where they are and gives adults plenty to chew on.
