Max may have changed its name back to HBO Max, but the streamer is still pretty much the same. There are more movies to watch on the platform than ever, which can cause some frustration among its subscriber base.
With so many great films available, which ones should you watch?
That’s where Watch With Us comes in. We’ve selected three underrated HBO and Max movies for you to watch over the weekend. There’s a coming-of-age drama, a superb sci-fi action remake and a Liam Neeson movie where he doesn’t shoot anyone with a gun!
‘Away We Go’ (2009)
Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) have been together a long time, but they have yet to marry and settle down. When Verona discovers she’s pregnant, the couple visits various friends and family across North America to decide what to do next. But their exposure to other families makes them think twice about starting their own.
Away We Go is a mid-life crisis movie anyone over the age of 30 can relate to. Burt and Verona are responsible and love each other, but they’re also aimless and reluctant to commit to their new roles as expecting parents. Their search for a home to settle in is largely comical, but it’s also taken seriously by director Sam Mendes. Like the similar ‘90s comedy Flirting with Disaster, Away We Go is about adults who are reluctant to grow up, and the unborn child who nudges them into an adulthood they may or may not want.
Away We Go is streaming on Max.
‘Dredd’ (2012)
Last year, Alex Garland received widespread acclaim for his movie Civil War, which imagined a future society torn apart by inner conflict. The writer/director has imagined that kind of scenario before — and did it better — with Dredd, an adaptation of the cult comic book about an enforcer who acts as a judge, jury and executioner in a metropolis called Mega-City One.
Judge Dredd (The Boys star Karl Urban) and new partner Cassandra (Olivia Thirlby) investigate the murder of two residents at the Peach Trees, an enormous, low-income housing project with numerous criminals as its occupants. They quickly discover that local drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) is behind the murders, and she doesn’t want anyone to find out. She locks Peach Trees down, preventing Dreed and Cassandra from leaving, and puts a bounty on their heads so her drug business can flourish. Dredd’s going to have to unleash a lot of firepower to overcome Ma-Ma’s armed forces and free Peach Trees from her influence.
Dredd is essentially a sci-fi version of The Raid, and we’re OK with that. The single setting allows Garland and director Pete Travis numerous opportunities to be creative, and the film winds up being smarter and more inventive than you’d think. Headey is scary fun as the vicious Ma-Ma, who may outrank Cersei Lannister as the actress’ most intimidating baddie.
Dredd is streaming on Max.
‘Ordinary Love’ (2020)
Joan (Lesley Manville) and Tom Thompson (Liam Neeson) have a great marriage that’s endured some tough times. But when Joan discovers a lump in her breast, their marriage faces its sternest test yet as she undergoes chemotherapy and Tom grapples with the possibility of life as a widower. When faced with an uncertain future, can the Thompsons still love each other like they did before?
Ordinary Love is a pretty straightforward drama about a couple facing a health crisis that could change their lives forever. Unlike some films like Love Story and The Fault in Our Stars, it doesn’t use the lead character’s illness as an excuse to manipulate your emotions. It’s an honest, unflinching look at what fighting cancer does to a person and a couple, and the film is elevated by the warm, unfussy performances by Manville and Neeson.
Ordinary Love is streaming on Max.
