3 underrated (HBO) Max movies you should watch this weekend (October 11-13)

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An astronaut looks ahead in High Life. — A24

To paraphrase one of Lois Griffin’s neglected social media posts: So, that happened. I’m referring to the dismal box office performance of Joker: Folie à Deux, which crashed and burned with moviegoers and critics. That’s pretty rare in our polarized climate, but trust a mediocre DC sequel to bring people together.

If you’re in the mood to watch a film that doesn’t stink, you’re in luck. The following list will recommend three underrated movies streaming on Max that are worth your time and money. And don’t worry, none of them involve psychopathic clowns tap-dancing and singing. I promise!

We also have guides to 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+.

Panic Room (2002)

Panic Room (2002) Official Trailer 1 – Jodie Foster Movie

David Fincher is justifiably praised as one of the best directors working today, with such films as Zodiac, Fight Club, and The Social Network as cinematic proof of his genius. But it’s rare that anyone cites Panic Room as one of the director’s top movies. In fact, a lot of critics seem to have forgotten about it. That’s a pity, as it still works as an effective thriller that ratchets up the tension throughout its 112-minute runtime.

A man looks at another man in Panic Room. — Columbia Pictures

Jodie Foster stars as Meg Altman, a recently divorced mother of a pre-teen daughter, Sarah (Kristen Stewart), who has just purchased a swanky NYC brownstone with a built-in panic room. Meg will need to use that panic room right away as a band of thieves, led by an unrecognizable Jared Leto, break into her home in search of something that’s in Meg’s house. As Sarah becomes in need of insulin to treat her diabetes, Meg must find a way to save her daughter and prevent the thieves from harming them.

Panic Room is streaming on Max.

High Life (2019)

High Life | Official Trailer HD | A24

Next January, Robert Pattinson (The Batman 2) will star in Mickey 17, a trippy sci-fi movie from Parasite director Bong Joon-ho. It won’t be Pattinson’s first trip to the stars, though, as five years ago, he was in another loopy sci-fi movie called High Life. Directed by acclaimed French auteur Claire Denis, High Life isn’t for everyone, but its strange, non-linear plot, and eclectic cast consisting of musician André Benjamin, screen legend Juliette Binoche, and MaXXXine star Mia Goth make it a space trip worth taking.

In the future, a group of criminals serve their death sentence abroad a spaceship under the supervision of Dibs (Binoche), a scientist who is obsessed with artificially creating a child in space. She needs subjects for her experiments, and one of them is Monte, a prisoner serving out a manslaughter sentence that was given when he was a child. As his fellow passengers begin to act strangely as they all venture further into outer space, and closer to a black hole that threatens them all, Monte will have to overcome his guilt over his past crime to save whatever future he has left.

High Life is streaming on Max.

The Intern (2015)

Two people look at a computer in The Intern. — Warner Bros.

You can view The Intern as an unofficial quasi-sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, with Anne Hathaway’s Andrea all grown up, working in Brooklyn as a CEO at an e-commerce fashion store, and going by the name of Jules Ostin. (Work with me here, OK?) Now she’s in need of help in the form of an intern, and hires Ben Whitaker, who is qualified and an ideal employee. The only problem? He’s 70 years old, and he’s played by Robert De Niro.

Interns aren’t usually that old, and Jules has to find a way to work with Ben as she finds herself overwhelmed both with work and a slowly crumbling marriage. The Intern looks like the usual feel-good product director Nancy Meyers specializes in, but it’s elevated by Hathaway and De Niro, who find surprising nuance in their stereotypical roles. They make a good pair, and the way the movie ends is just right.

The Intern is streaming on Max.