HBO Max has a huge selection of shows and movies from its partner networks, including HBO, Discovery, Food Network, and more. New shows and movies are added all the time, so here are my top choices for this weekend and the week ahead, plus everything new streaming below. The last week of the month is always pretty light, but we have the critically acclaimed Smashing Machine and other shows and movies to check out.
This Week on Max: PCMag’s Picks
The Smashing Machine (Jan. 23)
If you said 10 years ago that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would be a Golden Globe nominee for actor in a drama, you’d get laughed out of the building. But Benny Safdie’s biopic of troubled MMA fighter Mark Kerr was built from the ground up to let the former wrestling Rock flex his acting muscles, and he did a solid job with a complex figure. While it’s not a masterpiece, there’s a lot to love about The Smashing Machine, so catch it if you missed it in theaters.
My Haunted Hometown (Jan. 23)
I’m a sucker for a good ghost story, and Travel Channel show My Haunted Hometown spins them from a fun angle. The crew travels to small towns across the US and Canada to investigate local tall tales of spirits and haunts, from ghost-ridden bars and businesses to legendary paranormal houses. While some of the stories and re-enactments can get a little silly, the show is still fun.
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Genre: Documentary
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Rating: TV-14
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IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
33 Photos From The Ghetto (Jan. 27)
Even with everything we know about the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust, millions of stories remain to be told. The new documentary, 33 Photos From The Ghetto, revolves around an astonishing historical document: the only photographs ever taken from the Jewish resistance to Nazi occupation in Warsaw, Poland. The film was discovered by accident in 2022, and the images depict astonishing bravery, terrifying conditions, and the unquenchable flame of survival.
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Director: Jan Czarlewski
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Genre: Documentary
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Rating: 13+
HBO Max New Releases This Week
January 23
My Haunted Hometown – Season 1
Real Time with Bill Maher – Season 24
The Smashing Machine
January 25
Have I Got News for You – Season 4
Recommended by Our Editors
January 27
33 Photos from the Ghetto
January 29
Beat Bobby Flay – Season 40
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About Our Expert
K. Thor Jensen
Contributing Writer
Experience
K. Thor Jensen is a writer and cartoonist living in the Pacific Northwest. He has contributed to dozens of prestigious outlets, including PCMag, Tested, Clickhole, and Newsweek. His second graphic novel, Cloud Stories, was released in 2017.
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