When I saw the full list of all the new HBO Max titles for September 2025, my face lit up at the sight of some of the highest-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes. I’ve picked out five great movies for getting into the spirit for the fall months, starting strong with a Stephen King adaptation.
It’s been a while since I last watched Rob Reiner’s Misery (1990), and now I can’t wait to watch it as many times as I wish when it finds its new home on HBO Max. I’m also equally excited to rewatch Alex Garland’s Warfare (2025) for the first time since its theatrical release – if you haven’t yet seen it, then get ready for an intense watch.
Misery (1990)
RT Score: 91%
Age rating: R
Runtime: 107 minutes
Director: Rob Reiner
Arriving on: September 1
From the rom-com When Harry Met Sally (1989) to the coming-of-age Stand by Me (1986), Rob Reiner has a filmography that spans many genres. But Misery is my personal favorite, mainly because of Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning performance.
When best-selling novelist Paul Sheldon crashes his car during a blizzard, he wakes up in the home of former nurse Annie Wilkes (Bates), who happens to be his biggest fan. Now bed bound, Paul is nursed by Annie but her temperament grows darker and more dangerous when she finds that Paul has killed off the main character in his upcoming book.
As Annie grows increasingly obsessive, Paul fears for his life, and he must devise a plan to escape without Annie knowing – but her eagle eyes and vigilance make it an impossible task.
Warfare (2025)
RT Score: 93%
Age rating: R
Runtime: 95 minutes
Directors: Ray Mendoza & Alex Garland
Arriving on: September 12
Watching Warfare in the cinema was an experience not for the faint of heart, especially because of the loud explosions and such realistic gore. These elements play a big part in the movie’s purpose, which is to dive into the realities of the Iraq War – it was co-directed by a former Navy SEAL after all.
Over a short 95 minutes, Warfare chronicles a single encounter during the Battle of Ramadi based on Mendoza’s own experiences. When a platoon of Navy SEALs occupy an empty house as an observation post, their mission goes awry when they come under fire from opposing forces.
The movie avoids revealing the backstories of the platoon’s member’s, instead adopting an alternative narrative approach that inserts you directly into the chaos and brutality of a modern war.
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
RT Score: 92%
Age rating: R
Runtime: 95 minutes
Director: Drew Goddard
Arriving on: September 1
A nice and relatively short watch and one that’s perfect for the upcoming season, The Cabin in the Woods is a modern classic in contemporary horror, but also packs elements of sci-fi and comedy.
Five college students embark on a weekend retreat to a remote cabin expecting a normal vacation, but strange things begin to happen from the moment they arrive, leading them to think a spirit lurks in the walls. When they find mysterious artifacts in the cabin’s basement, they unintentionally awaken an army of killer zombies, and are left to save their own lives without means of communicating with the outside world.
As their fight for survival grows increasingly challenging, they soon find out that there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the cabin, which leads to an unexpected finale.
Goodfellas (1990)
RT Score: 94%
Age rating: R
Runtime: 146 minutes
Director: Martin Scorsese
Arriving on: September 1
If you find yourself having some spare time and you want a longer movie to sit back and fully indulge in, Scorsese’s gangster blockbuster may be the one to go for, especially if you’re after a movie with strong casting.
Adapted from Nicholas Pileggi’s non-fiction book Wiseguy, this crime epic tells the story of mobster Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta. Over the course of three decades, Goodfellas details Hill’s early days growing up in the 1950s and his fascination with gangster life, and follows his journey as he makes his way up the ranks of the Lucchese crime family.
In spite of his success, the movie also depicts the tumultuous relationship between Hill and his associates Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), as well Hill’s severe paranoia which ultimately leads to his downfall.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
RT Score: 96%
Age rating: R
Runtime: 125 minutes
Director: Sidney Lumet
Arriving on: September 1
From one crime drama to the next, Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon is another retelling of a true crime event – the 1972 bank robbery and hostage mission orchestrated by Sonny Wojtowicz (Al Pacino) and Salvatore Naturile (John Cazale).
In August 1972, Sonny and his cohorts Sal and Stevie enter a bank in Brooklyn determined to rob it. Though the manager and tellers don’t do anything to prevent the robbery for their own safety, Sonny realizes that the bank is nearly empty of cash, but a swarm of police and media surround the bank before they can make their escape.
Now stuck inside the bank, Sonny must negotiate with police chief Moretti (Charles Durning) to guarantee a swift escape, revealing his motivations for the robbery, which surprises everyone.
