The Best Movies to Stream on Max This Week
I can’t say for sure that we’re seeing the impact of the writers’ and actors’ strikes on content releases, but it’s entirely possible given the death of Max’s new features. That said, there are still plenty of great films to watch if you’re willing to dig through the drawers and go back a few years, as well as some worthy new-to-Max options, including “Deeks: The Musical” and a basketball documentary. legend/Senator Bill Bradley.
Dicks: The Musical (2023)
Dix takes musical theater tropes and gives them the South Park treatment, infusing the self-conscious, trashy production with provocative adult comedy. Craig and Trevor are the title’s protagonists, a pair of alpha male salesmen who decide that they are actually “damn identical twins” even though they don’t look alike. Their next logical step is to trick “their” parents into getting back together. It’s like The Parent Trap if the father was gay. The supporting cast includes Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, Bowen Young and Megan Thee Stallion, which should really be enough to grab your attention.
Rolling Forward: Bill Bradley (2024)
American legend Bill Bradley tells his own story in the documentary Rolling Along . Much of the film consists of footage from Bradley’s one-man show, in which he talks about his remarkable life: he was a Hall of Fame basketball player who led the Knicks to two championships before entering politics and being elected to the United States. Senate, where he served three terms and changed American life at least as much as he changed basketball. If you want hard-won wisdom from a guy who crammed at least three lives into one, watch this.
Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (2015)
It’s easy to exaggerate Steve Jobs and the fandom/cult he inspired—Apple’s influence on our culture can’t be overstated—but this documentary avoids the obvious, adopting a fact-only style and making no conclusions about its subject. life. This does not gloss over Jobs’s many shortcomings or exaggerate his obvious strengths. Stream it on your new Vision Pro .
Ghost Story (2017)
If you’re hoping for mindless horror movie thrills, A Ghost Story isn’t your best choice. If you’re looking for a fairytale film about heartbreak and the inexorable march of time (in other words, an A24 horror film), this is it. A Ghost Story has a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes for its smart pacing, outstanding acting and willingness to take cinematic risks. It’s strictly arthouse, but there’s a ghost in it. He wears the traditional dress of “a sheet with holes cut in it for eyes” and looks more like a personification of grief and loss than a traditional spirit, but a ghost is a ghost nonetheless.
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Conceived as a raunchy comedy, Wedding Crashers evolved over time into a film about changing social values. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are hilarious as buddies whose weekends they spend at other people’s wedding receptions for free booze and access to single women. There’s a lot of loud partying, but ultimately they’re the good guys; the creators of Wedding Crashers knew it wouldn’t be funny if the leads were overly predatory or misogynistic, and their antics are surprisingly free of hate. But just when you’re feeling relaxed, there’s a scene where Vaughn’s character is sexually assaulted and it’s played for laughs, so not everything has aged well. This is downright annoying in 2024, especially because I saw Wedding Crashers when it came out and the episode “Ha Ha!” The man was raped!” the jokes didn’t even seem strange at the time.
Last week’s pick
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
First-time director Joe Talbot blew the doors off the film world with this visionary film. Jimmy and Monty are best friends who live in San Francisco in the near future. The gentrifiers live in the house that Jimmy’s grandfather built, and he wants it back. This spare story becomes a film that mixes fantasy and reality to explore what the modern world does to tradition, family, community and love.
Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (2013)
The rock group Big Star, founded in 1972, was as important and influential as The Beatles, but almost no one noticed them while they were around: despite the name, their debut album, #1 Record, sold less than 10,000 copies. It was only after they broke up that their body of work was rediscovered and influenced virtually every rock musician worth their salt, from Kurt Cobain to Elliot Smith and the Replacements. This documentary explores the rocky career of Big Star and the lives of its members, and attempts to answer the burning question: “Why wasn’t Big Star the biggest band on earth?”
Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins (2019)
Intrepid journalist and commentator Molly Ivins’ life’s work has been speaking truth to power. Through memories of people she knew and inspired—Rachel Maddow, Paul Krugman, Dan Rather and others—and archival footage of her candid interviews, Raise Hell introduces us to the work and life of a journalistic titan who ruled both print and broadcast journalism. for decades.
Our Idiot Brother (2011)
Our Idiot Brother isn’t perfect, but the cast is so charming and the story so refreshingly free of bullshit that you’ll forgive any mistakes. Paul Rudd plays Ned Rokhlin, the “idiot” of the tiles. He’s as trusting, loving, and loyal as his beloved golden retriever, but his unwavering belief in the kindness of others lands him in prison, a romantic breakup, and being forced to return to his mother’s house. An indie-style family comedy without the cynicism so common in the genre, Our Idiot Brother is a real gem.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
You can watch Sergio Leone’s mid-60s masterpiece over and over again and notice something new with each viewing. On the surface, it’s the story of three cowboys trying to find (and steal) a fortune in buried gold. But this is actually a battle between demigods. Through Leone’s lens, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the title are larger than the western mountains, and their epic struggle plays out like an ancient myth against the backdrop of the Civil War. You can also watch two other iconic Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood team-ups, A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More , on Max.