Last week marked the arrival of Sinners, which is in the running for the movie event of 2025. Ryan Coogler’s vampiric horror stars Michael Jordan as twin brothers who return to their hometown to open a juke joint. The opening night transforms into a nightmare with the arrival of a supernatural creature with sinister intentions.
Sinners is now available to stream on the newly named HBO Max. Beyond Sinners, the streamer has an abundance of underrated movies waiting to be streamed. One of our picks is The Suicide Squad, James Gunn’s first crack at a DC story. View all three selections below.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on HBO Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
James Gunn kicks off his new DC Universe this weekend with Superman. Had Gunn not been fired from Marvel, he probably would have never directed The Suicide Squad. Without The Suicide Squad, who knows if Warner Bros. recruits Gunn to run DC and build out a shared universe? Add it to the list of Hollywood’s sliding doors moments. The Suicide Squad is nothing like David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. Ayer’s tale is dark and nihilistic, while Gunn’s version is witty, gory, and a thrill ride.
Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) assigns Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) as the leader of the Suicide Squad, a team of supervillains — including Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Peacemaker (John Cena), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), and more. Their seemingly impossible mission involves infiltrating an island and destroying a giant starfish named Starro the Conqueror. The Suicide Squad was a welcome pivot for Gunn, who infused more grim humor and exuberant violence than in the Guardians’ movies.
Stream The Suicide Squad on HBO Max.
Red Dawn (1984)
Red Dawn’s cast is a who’s who of ’80s actors. Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey all became household names for the rest of the decade. It’s fun to see them at the beginning and middle of their respective runs to stardom. In classic Cold War propaganda, Red Dawn depicts a Soviet-led invasion of a small Colorado town.
Brothers Jed (Patrick Swayze) and Matt Eckert (Charlie Sheen) escape to the countryside while their father, Tom (Harry Dean Stanton), is captured as a prisoner of war. To survive, the brothers lead guerrilla attacks against the Soviets, dubbing themselves the “Wolverines,” which inspires hope among the survivors. Red Dawn is surprisingly more violent than expected, and the charismatic young cast carries this effective mid-budget action pic.
Stream Red Dawn on HBO Max.
A Perfect Getaway (2009)
Yes, there is some irony in the title A Perfect Getaway, but that’s for you to learn about. Newlyweds Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) head to Hawaii for their honeymoon. While hiking to a remote beach, Cliff and Cydney meet Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and his girlfriend, Gina (Kiele Sanchez). Tensions rise when the group learns of a couple’s murder by a man and a woman.
Is someone in the group lying about their identity? As the group heads deeper into the jungle, the truth comes out and turns this magical getaway into a battle for survival. If this is your first time watching A Perfect Getaway, the twist works perfectly. Repeat viewings weaken the twist’s effectiveness, but the thriller remains solid as a whole.
Stream A Perfect Getaway on HBO Max.
