HBO Max I just added some great new releases to your movie library in February and Watch with us is excited to dig into them this weekend.
It was hard to pick just three favorites from the expansive list. From iconic comedies to beloved romantic dramas and Old Hollywood classics, there’s plenty of great stuff to choose from.
Luckily, we’ve narrowed it down. Our first choice is Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppolathe charming biographical drama starring Kirsten Dunst like the French royal of the same name.
Read on for our three recommendations.
HBO Max will play it low-key in February — no gay hockey dramas for people to obsess over or Game of Thrones spinoffs for fans to die for. Instead, the Warner Bros Discovery streamer offers an eclectic lineup of high-quality classics and new content that highlights movies and shows you’d normally overlook. In (…)
‘Marie Antoinette’ (2006)
The fourteen-year-old Austrian Archduchess Marie Antoinette (Dunst) marries the Dauphin of France, the future King Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman), to ally with the two rival countries. Marie Antoinette thus follows Antoinette throughout her formative years, until her ascension as queen consort after the death of King Louis XV (Rip Turn) and the French Revolution. But at the palace of Versailles, Antoinette insists on defying convention and living a life of hedonistic pleasures, even as her marriage remains unconsummated, the French people struggle and her public image deteriorates.
Marie Antoinette Critics were polarized upon release, some of whom felt that the depiction of Antoinette’s life as a pop video rather than a crucial piece of history diminished its importance. However, smart viewers understood that it wanted to feel hyperactively unreal, that this lent itself to an eventual cathartic reality and, of course, an infamous tragedy. Sofia Coppola’s film is also, at its core, another of the director’s films about female isolation and loneliness. In the end, the film is smarter than you think; At the very least, this soundtrack is exceptional.
“The Shape of Water” (2017)
In a covert government facility in 1960s Baltimore, mute and lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) works as a cleaning lady whose only friends are her co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) and his close neighbor, Giles (Richard Jenkins). But Elisa finds unexpected company in the form of a new arrival at her workplace: a strange humanoid amphibious creature (Doug Jones) of South America that is mostly tied to a water reservoir. Through their wordless communications, Elisa and the creature form a strong bond, but her new friend is being sought for recapture by a ruthless colonel (Michael Shannon).
Guillermo del ToroThe Best Picture-winning fantasy drama is an unconventional love story for the ages. Combining distinctive visuals with an emotional narrative and a fantastic cast. The shape of water sees the director firing on all cylinders. Of course, the real stars of the show are Hawkins and Jones, who manage a genuinely touching and even erotic relationship despite the cross-species and lack of language. But how The shape of water demonstrates affectively, love is something beyond language.
‘Malcolm X’ (1992)
Spike LeeThe epic biographical drama chronicles the life of controversial black activist Malcolm X, played by Denzel Washington in the best performance of his career. The film follows Malcolm from childhood through his rise to power as a leading figure in the struggle for black liberation, touching on a number of key periods in Malcolm’s life. After hitting rock bottom in prison during the 1950s, Malcolm re-emerges as a black Muslim and a major figure in the Nation of Islam. Although his career was tragically cut short after his assassination at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights in 1965, he left behind a groundbreaking legacy.
The 2026 awards season will begin soon, and it won’t be long before we know which 2025 films are the first at the Oscars. But it takes more than an Academy Award for a film to secure its place in film history. A true masterpiece can be recognized even without these accolades. The (…)
With a running time of over 200 minutes, Malcolm X it can seem like a daunting experience. In fact, it’s directed with such verve and tenacity that the runtime is up before you know it. Lee gives the film an epic feel that’s truly worthy of its subject, and Washington portrays the man with power and vulnerability, which earned him a Best Actor nomination at the 65th Academy Awards. In short, Malcolm X it’s a drama which is both artistically rewarding and true to its subject.