i typically hate t.v. movies but hbo films are an exception. which are the best and which are just favorites?

I liked 61*. I don't get HBO anymore, though, so I haven't seen too many.

That one with Fred Ward where he's a hard boiled detective living in a freaky supernatural 1930's gangsters-meet-voodoo world.

SUBWAY STORIES
AGAINST THE WALL
THE JOSEPHINE BAKER STORY
AND THE BAND PLAYED ON
THE LATE SHIFT

CAST A DEADLY SPELL

I don't recall ever seeing an HBO film that blew my socks off (except, perhaps, Wit), but I had HBO from the early 80s until about 2000 and do recall seeing a number that were pretty good.

Off the top of my head:

Wit*
And the Band Played On*
Citizen X*
Citizen Cohn
Into the Homeland
The Terry Fox Story
Mandela
Fatherland
Breast Men
RKO 281
The Burning Season
Gia
Sakharov
The Late Shift
The Park is Mine
Shot Through the Heart

There were a number of others I would like to see again and remember enjoying. * means I currently own the DVD.

Indictment: The McMartin Trial

Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault

Barbarians At the Gate was pretty sweet...

No one does tv movies better than HBO.

Here are my 25 favorites:

1) Barbarians at the Gate (Great true story about corporate politics)

2) And the Band Played On (Probably the best HBO film, but difficult subject matter)

3) Cast a Deadly Spell (Sequel is Witch Hunt with different actors, also worth seeing)

4) Gia (Angelina Jolie's best part)

5) 61* (Great)

6) Cheaters (Entertaining true story that makes you question ethics)

7) Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (Great acting jobs all around)

8) Always Outnumbered (Great Performance by Laurence Fishburne)

9) The Burning Season (Gritty true story, troubling subject matter)

10) Citizen Cohn (Good historical drama with outstanding leads)

11) Fatherland (What if the Nazis won the war?)

12) Gotti (Great lead jobs)

13) Indictment: The McMartin Trial (Examines justice)

14) If These Walls Could Talk (Troubling subject matter)

15) The Jack Bull (Great western)

16) A Lesson Before Dying (Death row film)

17) Miss Evers' Boys (Emmy winner for best film)

18) Norma Jean & Marilyn (Intersting movie with outstanding acting by Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino)

19) The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (Holly Hunter showpiece)

20) Poodle Springs (Phillip Marlowe mystery)

21) The Rat Pack (Acting showcase)

22) RKO 281 (Citizen Kane story)

23) Soul of the Game (Well told historical drama)

24) When Trumpets Fade (Great war film)

25) White Mile (Great film about corporate bonding, Alan Alda was terrific)

I loved When Trumpets Fade

and Fatherland

and I think the Don King movie was pretty good.

I thought 61* was pretty good.

The only one I own is Conspiracy with Kenneth Branagh and Stanley Tucci. I think it's great.

One I forgot to mention was The Heist (Pierce Brosnan, Tom Skerritt). Lackluster reviews but I really enjoyed it for some reason.

I only own Gia and 61* (my favorite), though there are tons of others well worth seeing... Conspiracy included.

Is The Last Seduction considered an HBO movie?? If it is, then that's easily my favorite instead of 61*.

Cheaters is great too, and definitely RKO 281, and oh man, there are so many good ones! Even though HBO films rarely ever make my top ten lists, I'd say their quality on average is very well above the standard fare playing in theaters, even around the awards season (on average )... gotta love HBO!

Try the novel that it is based on. It is quite good.

Strapped

HBO has some great ones:

And the Band Played On
Always Outnumbered
61*
Soul of the Game
The Tuskegee Airmen

There was one I can't remember the name of that had Forest Whitikar trying to expose a plot to overthrow the president. Dana Delany and Sam Waterson were in it too. Anyone remember the title?

Gotti
Subway Stories
And the Band Played On
61*

Gia
Norma Jean and Marilyn

Two of my favorites not yet mentioned:

EARTHLY POSSESSIONS - a 1999 release starring Susan Sarandon and Stepehn Dorff. He kidnaps her during a bungled bank robbery, and guess what happens?? Yeah, it's predictable, but nice performances and crisp dialogue keep it moving. It's out on DVD at a very cheap price, and well worth it.

SWORD OF GIDEON - a 1986 release starring Steven Bauer, Michael York, Rod Steiger and Coleen Dewhurst. It follows an Israeli group out to get the terrorists responsible for the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre. Probably more chilling - and important - than when it was first shown. Unfortunately, not on DVD , and the VHS is quite rare.

I didn't realize this was an HBO movie. I saw it years ago and remember I really enjoyed it. It was a very sad story, though...

I also vote for

Breast Men
Fatherland
Wit
61*
Cast a Deadly Spell
Citizen X
RKO 281
The Jack Bull

My absolute favorite HBO film that nobody has mentioned:
Elvis Meets Nixon

so all of you who picked 61*, are you baseball fans? i remember it getting good reviews but i thought it looked rather boring (i also dont like baseball)

I thought that two documentary features - "Paradise Lost" & "Paradise Lost: Revelations" - were both outstanding. If I remember rightly these were HBO films.

Dazza.

I am a HUGE fan of HBO's America Undercover series (espeicially the two Paradise Lost docs) I would buy many of them if they ever came out on DVD (I know Paradise Lost 2 is out but I won't buy it till they put out the first one).

Does anyone know if Cast a Deadly Spell, Witch Hunt, and Fatherland are out on DVD?