3 underrated HBO Max movies you should watch this weekend (May 16-18)
Did you see the latest trailer for Superman? The new footage hammered down the emotional dilemma Superman faces as he tries to find his place in the world. Fans of James Gunn will know the filmmaker has a knack for telling impassioned stories, i.e., the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. Gunn clearly wants to make an emotional superhero epic. We'll find out if that happens on July 11.
Superman will likely stream on HBO Max by the end of 2025. For now, try streaming some under-the-radar movies this weekend. Our suggestions include a South Park documentary, a wild neo-noir, and a mystery romance.
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We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park (2011)
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are geniuses, full stop. The duo are two of the most prolific creators in the entertainment industry, with multiple Emmys and Tonys to prove it. Sure, some of South Park's humor may be viewed as lewd or vulgar, but my god is it hilarious. Many people don't know how much effort goes into making one episode of South Park.
6 Days to Air is a fascinating view into the construction of one of the most successful adult animated TV shows. Most television shows are completed weeks to months in advance. South Park elects to finish the show hours before it airs to capitalize on current events. Watching Parker, Stone, and their team come up with the voices and stories is like watching Picasso paint. Fans are in for a treat as the writers make HumancentiPad, an episode that parodies iPhones and The Human Centipede.
Stream 6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park on Max.
Inherent Vice (2014)
Inherent Vice is ranked in the back half of Paul Thomas Anderson's filmography. Unfortunately for Inherent Vice, it's sandwiched between two of PTA's best movies, 2012's The Master and 2017's Phantom Thread. What this neo-noir has in its favor is comedy. Inherent Vice might be one of Anderson's funniest movies.
The underrated crime movie stars Joaquin Phoenix as Larry 'Doc' Sportello, a private detective asked by his ex-girlfriend Shasta (Katherine Waterston) to help keep her new boyfriend out of a mental hospital. Shasta eventually goes missing, forcing Doc to navigate a complicated world of crime, drugs, and cops. At times this movie is incoherent and confusing. I suggest going with the flow and treating it like a sophisticated stoner comedy.
Stream Inherent Vice on Max.
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
Audiences have proven time and time again that they will show out for mystery romance movies based on popular novels. Colleen Hoover adaptations are becoming more prevalent in Hollywood thanks to It Ends with Us. In that same vein, Where the Crawdads Sing was a sleeper hit in 2022, grossing over $144 million on a $24 million budget.
Based on Delia Owens' novel, Where the Crawdads Sing stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kya, a young girl abandoned by her family and forced to live by herself in the North Carolina marsh. Despite being a social outcast, Kya is surprisingly charged with murdering local hero Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson). The ensuing courtroom drama seeks to answer who killed Chase while revealing insight into Kya, who has been overlooked by society.
Stream Where the Crawdads Sing on Max.
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