It’s the end of August, which can only mean one thing: there are bad movies debuting at the multiplex. It’s a time-honored tradition that in the last two weeks of every August, Hollywood dumps its worst products into movie theaters in the hope that audiences are too busy preparing for the arrival of fall to notice their bombs-in-waiting.
So where does that leave those desperate souls looking to watch a good movie or two over the weekend? Well, there’s always streaming. Max has plenty of good films, and the following three are great to watch for those with lowered expectations. Who can resist the charms of Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman in a time-travel rom-com or Nicolas Cage stalking a serial killer in the dead of winter?
Hugh Jackman is currently teaming up with everyone’s favorite Merc with a Mouth in Deadpool & Wolverine, but over two decades ago, he was paired with someone far more different and, for some people, even more formidable: Meg Ryan. The two stars aligned for Kate & Leopold, a crowd-pleasing movie that blends romance, comedy, and time travel into one entertaining package.
Jackman plays Leopold, a poor aristocrat in 1870s New York City who, through a series of completely illogical events, falls through a time portal and ends up in 2001. Literally a man out of time, he must find a way back before it’s too late. The only one to help him is Ryan’s Kate, a prototypically harried “modern woman” who usually has no time for romance … until Leopold bats his pretty little lashes at her. The ending is obvious, but the journey to it is quite charming, and Jackman is pitch-perfect as the dashingly handsome Leo.
Kate & Leopold is streaming on Max.
Many people now know Kevin Costner for his role as John Dutton in the massively popular Yellowstone series, but before that show came along, the veteran actor played a handful of roles in the action genre that never got the attention they deserved. One of those roles was in 3 Days to Kill, a better-than-it-should be movie that co-stars Amber Heard, Gladiator 2‘s Connie Nielsen, and Hailee Steinfeld, and was directed by Charlie’s Angels helmer McG.
Costner’s Ethan Renner is a man of many problems. His relationship with his ex-wife is icy, his daughter hates him, and his work as an FBI agent is dangerous. Oh, and he’s also in the middle of tracking a mysterious international criminal known only as the Wolf and has terminal cancer, which puts a deadline to all the outstanding tasks he has to execute. His only salvation lies with Vivi Delay (Heard), a lethal CIA agent who can help him capture the Wolf … and may just save his life after all.
3 Days to Kill is streaming on Max.
Nicolas Cage is currently starring as a creepy serial killer in the summer hit Longlegs, but a decade ago, it was he who was chasing a murderer, this one based on the real-life killer Robert Hansen, in The Frozen Ground.
Cage stars as Jack Halcombe, an FBI agent assigned to a strange case in the wilds of Alaska. A teenage prostitute, Cindy (Vanessa Hudgens), has accused local family man Robert Hansen (John Cusack) of kidnapping and raping her. No one believes her except Jack, who suspects Robert is guilty of far more serious crimes. As the bodies of other women begin to surface, Jack and Cindy are both drawn into Robert’s reign of terror, and not all of them will make it out in one piece.
The Frozen Ground is streaming on Max.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.