It’s the middle of July, and chances are, you’ve probably seen some, if not all, of the latest summer blockbusters like Inside Out 2, A Quiet Place: Day One, and Despicable Me 4. Even if you haven’t, you’re probably seeking something to watch this weekend, but you don’t need to go to the movie theater to watch something good.
Streaming has plenty of great movies, and HBO’s streaming platform, Max, has the best that Hollywood has to offer. Max’s impressive library of titles includes these three movie gems, all of which are underrated in one way or another. They also feature legendary movie stars like Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, and Elizabeth Taylor, and are guaranteed to give you a few hours of quality entertainment.
Patriot Games (1992)
Many movie buffs believe action movies peaked in the 1980s with such films as 48 Hrs., To Live and Die in L.A., and any Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. Some believe the 2000s were the golden era for the genre, with directors Michael Bay, Tony Scott, and McG all pumping out one hit after another. Personally, I love action movies from the 1990s because most of them tried to marry spectacle with substance.
The best of these Clinton-era movies is Patriot Games, Phillip Noyce’s excellent adaptation of Tom Clancy’s book featuring Jack Ryan. In this entry, Harrison Ford takes overthe role from The Hunt for Red October‘s Alec Baldwin in a story that pits Ryan against a radical faction of the IRA. In particular, he earns the ire of Sean Miller (Game of Thrones star Sean Bean), whose brother was killed by Ryan in a botched attempt to assassinate members of the Royal Family. Now, Miller will do anything to get revenge, including targeting Ryan’s surgeon wife (Anne Archer) and precocious preteen daughter (Thora Birch).
Patriot Games moves at a steady pace, but it never shortchanges characterization in favor of cheap action sequences. Everything feels fully earned, including a climactic showdown at Ryan’s seaside house that satisfactorily ups the tension. Ford is in his prime here, and the supporting cast, which includes Oscar-nominated actors James Earl Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, and Richard Harris, is top-notch.
Patriot Games is streaming on Max.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
Sometimes, you just need to laugh at jokes so stupid that they’re brilliant. And Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! has plenty of them. When Lieutenant Frank Drebin first meets the beautiful Jane Spencer as she’s on a ladder, he can’t help but exclaim, “Nice beaver!” As she descends carrying a taxidermized beaver, she cheerfully replies, “Thanks! I just had it stuffed.”
That’s the kind of humor you get from the Naked Gun movies, which all seem both dirty and innocent at the same time. The first one is the best as Drebin uncovers a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II at a rowdy L.A. Angels baseball game. If you’re not won over by the time the Queen does the wave and someone shouts “Enrico Palazzo!,” well, you might just have to check your pulse to see if you’re still alive.
The Naked Gun is streaming on Max.
Cleopatra (1963)
Got four hours to spare? That’s how long 1963’s Cleopatra runs, and if I’m being honest, it’s about an hour too long. Still, this movie, which almost destroyed a major Hollywood studio and helped create a scandal-driven celebrity culture that still thrives today, is worth watching. The sheer weight of its spectacle is something modern blockbusters, from Troy to this year’s Gladiator II, still strive to replicate.
Elizabeth Taylor stars as the titular Egyptian queen, who must navigate a strategic union with Rome, and in particular Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison), and her burgeoning romantic feelings for Marc Anthony (Richard Burton) with her own desires to conquer and rule. Skulking around the in the shadows is Octavian (Roddy McDowell), who waits for the right moment to make his move.
Cleopatra suffers from stilted dialogue and at times lethargic pacing, but Harrison is great as the noble, doomed Caesar, and Taylor, clad in various gold attire or sometimes in almost nothing at all, is so lush and earthy, you’ll believe men would die for her touch. Massively popular in 1963, Cleopatra is looked down upon today, but it’s still a treat for the senses.
Cleopatra is streaming on Max.