#The Best Movies Leaving HBO Max in January 2021 – /Film

As December (and 2020) ends, it’s time to say goodbye to a few titles on HBO Max. The streaming service is chucking a handful of films, some of them quite great. So jump on down below to see the movies leaving HBO Max in January 2021.

Before Sunrise

A dreamy, swooning, romantic film that kicked off an entire trilogy, Before Sunrise finds Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy meeting on a train from Budapest, and clearly falling head-over-heels for one another. They drift around Vienna talking and flirting, and while that could’ve ended up being very boring indeed, the chemistry between Hawke and Delpy coupled with Richard Linklater‘s direction turns the entire experience into something transcendent.

Ad Astra

James Gray‘s melancholy space odyssey Ad Astra has very sad astronaut Brad Pitt blasting off to find his father (Tommy Lee Jones), who vanished years ago during an expedition to find alien life. Introspective, moody, and unique, Ad Astra was a box office bomb because it’s not exactly what you’d call a “crowd-pleaser.” But the movie deserves to find an audience, so you might want to check it out before it leaves HBO Max.

Wonder Woman 1984

Wonder Woman 1984 dropped onto HBO Max on Christmas Day, and the reaction was…well, mixed, to say the least. But if you’re still hoping to check the superhero sequel out you better act fast because it’s not sticking around long. Warner Bros. is releasing all of their upcoming 2021 features directly to HBO Max, but like Wonder Woman 1984, they’ll all observe a 30-day window before vacating the streaming service.

Enemy Of The State

Tony Scott‘s ultra-hyper, ultra-fun Enemy of the State is like a not-so-secret sequel to Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation. But while Coppola’s flick was quiet and introspective, Enemy of the State is all bombast – and that’s fine. Will Smith plays a hotshot attorney who accidentally gets mixed up in a government conspiracy, and has to turn former CIA agent Gene Hackman for help. Also: the movie is set during Christmas time, so if you’re still in a Christmas movie mood, here you go.

Magnolia

Paul Thomas Anderson‘s sprawling Magnolia checks in with several connected characters living in Los Angeles, resulting in a near-masterpiece. The reaction toward Magnolia seems to have cooled over the years, with even Anderson himself commenting that he now thinks the movie is too damn long. But I’m here to tell you Magnolia remains a great work from a great filmmaker, gosh darn it.

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