Check out HBO Max’s serious selection of shows and movies from all of its partner networks, including HBO, Discovery, Food Network, and more. New shows and movies are always being added, so here are my three top picks for this weekend and the week ahead, plus everything new streaming below. August’s second week has some can’t-miss flicks, documentaries, and more. Here are the three best things to put on your watchlist.
This Week on Max: PCMag’s Picks
Freaky Tales (Aug. 8)
This anthology film set in Oakland in the 1980s hits all my sweet spots: four interconnected stories, built around real events but given an audacious spin. The ensemble cast is fantastic, with Pedro Pascal as a crook trying to go straight, Jay Ellis as real-life basketball star Sleepy Floyd, and narration by Bay Area rap legend Too Short. If you’ve spent any time in NorCal, you’ll recognize iconic spots like crust punk landmark Gilman St. and more. Plus, apparently, people’s heads explode!
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Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
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Cast: Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Normani
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Genre: Action, Comedy
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Rating: R
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IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
The Woman King (Aug. 13)
Viola Davis is absolutely spectacular as the title role in 2022’s The Woman King, based on the exploits of the all-female warriors who defended the kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa. The film certainly plays fast and loose with history, but it’s visually stunning, has solid performances, and some surprisingly kinetic and brutal action sequences.
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Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
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Cast: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch
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Genre: Drama, Action
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Rating: PG-13
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IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Marcial Maciel: The Wolf of God (Aug. 14)
This four-part documentary series isn’t for the faint of heart. Marcial Maciel was a Mexican Catholic priest who was a prolific fundraiser and recruiter of seminary students. He was also a monstrous sexual abuser who tormented at least 60 boys in his care, had affairs with multiple women, and was addicted to morphine. The Wolf of God digs deep into how his misdeeds went unpunished for so long.
HBO Max New Releases This Week
August 8
Freaky Tales
August 11
Marooned with Ed Stafford – Season 3
August 12
The Bus Driver: Britain’s Cocaine King (2025)
Recommended by Our Editors
August 13
A Body in the Basement – Season 2
Chef Grudge Match – Season 1
The Woman King
August 14
Hop – Season 1D
Marcial Maciel: The Wolf of God
Did Ryan Coogler tease a ‘Sinners’ trilogy?
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About K. Thor Jensen
Contributing Writer
