The 3 Best Movies on HBO Max This Week

“Casablanca”

Any young movie watchers who haven’t seen “Casablanca” should do themselves a favor. Michael Curtiz’s 1942 romantic drama, written by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch, belongs on a lot of greatest lists. It’s one of the greatest Best Picture winners of all time, one of the greatest romance films of all time, one of the greatest war films of all time — simply put, it’s one of the greatest films of all time.

Not an element of this film makes it anything less than enthralling. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman’s lead performances are intoxicating. Max Steiner’s music is iconic. The screenplay, rife with political allegory and brilliant characters, is wholly engaging. “Casablanca” is a total masterpiece always worth a revisit — especially with the Oscars on the brain.

“Flow”

In 2025, Gints Zilbalodis’ “Flow” became a little engine that could at the Academy Awards. The dialogue-free film, animated entirely on Blender, follows a cat who attempts to survive a flood in a mysterious post-apocalyptic landscape, forming a group of animal companions along the way. Every frame of “Flow” is both gorgeous and captivating, making it both an easy and a highly enjoyable watch. Not only did the movie become the first independent film to win Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, but it also picked up a second nomination as Latvia’s entry to Best International Feature. Both the nomination and the win are wholly deserved.

“Moonlight”

Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” makes a strong case for being the finest Best Picture winner of the century so far. Jenkins wrote the screenplay for the film based on a story by Tarell Alvin McCraney, initially meant for the unproduced play “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.” “Moonlight” follows a triptych structure, following a single character at three periods in his life: when he’s young, nicknamed Little (Alex Hibbert); when he’s a teenager, going by his name Chiron (Ashton Sanders); and when he’s an adult, taking on the nickname Black (Trevante Rhodes).

Jenkins uses this structure to tell a beautiful, deeply moving story about a young man trying to navigate his sexuality and masculinity, and the societal forces that mold him into something he’s not. Each of Chiron’s three actors brilliantly conveys their individual pieces that come together as one of the greatest puzzles in modern cinema. The film likewise boasts an exceptional ensemble, including Janelle Monáe, Naomie Harris, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome and Mahershala Ali. Both Ali’s Best Supporting Actor win and “Moonlight’s” Best Picture win stand out as some of the most rewarding and deserving Oscar moments of the 21st century.