4 eclectic Paramount+ movies to watch this week (August 17-23)

Credit: Derek Malcolm/How-To Geek | Simon on Unsplash Published Aug 17, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT Derek Malcolm has been covering the worlds of tech and entertainment for more than two decades. Before coming to How-To Geek in 2025, Derek was a contributing editor and writer for the A/V and Home Theater section at Digital Trends, where he wrangled and wrote everything from what to watch on Netflix to reviews, explainers, and guides on the latest Bluetooth speakers, turntables, projectors, and other A/V gear. Based in Toronto, Derek graduated from Humber College's Journalism program in 1999, after which he started covering the worlds of music, movies, TV, and celebrity for publications such as TV Guide, Hello! magazine, and Inside Entertainment. He then got the bug for covering tech and gadgets in 2006, when he served as editor-in-chief of Canadian tech magazine Connected for more than a decade. An avid skier, when all the snow's gone Derek can be found at home spinning vinyl with his daughter or cheering on his favorite F1 team, McLaren. Sign in to your How-To Geek account If you're at all up to speed (or even care) about what's hot and not at the top of the Paramount+ movie charts, you'll have noticed that Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender has been parked at No. 1. But hanging out right behind it is a pack of idiots in a Vegas hotel suite with a tiger in the bathroom. That's quite the double feature for American subscribers. Most of what follows on this week's movie suggestions list arrived with Paramount+'s big August package, which is why the eclectic lineup lurches from a Kubrick-Spielberg android story to that bachelor party classic to a biopic that will light your fire, baby. My top pick, however, is one you'll have to wait till Thursday for—a supernatural chiller straight from the movie theater. 4 A.I. Artificial Intelligence An android boy's quest to become a real boy 2001's Oscar-nominated sci-fi drama A.I. Artificial Intelligence is exactly the kind of movie you'd expect when you combine the minds of A Clockwork Orange's brilliantly twisted Stanley Kubrick and the softer, more empathetic sensibilities of Steven Spielberg. Adapted from Brian Aldiss's 1969 short story Supertoys Last All Summer Long, Kubrick worked on it for decades before handing it to Spielberg, who finished it after Kubrick's death. In a bleak future of flooded cities, overpopulation, and strict reproduction control, David (Haley Joel Osment) is a prototype android boy given to Monica (Frances O'Connor) and Henry Swinton (Sam Robards) to fill the emotional void left by their ill son, who is cryogenically frozen until a cure is found. David, however, only wants Monica's love. So when the couple's son wakes up, Monica abandons David in the wilderness, sparking an epic Pinocchio-like quest to become real to get back to her. Cast Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Sam Robards, Jake Thomas, William Hurt, Jack Angel, Robin Williams, Ben Kingsley, Meryl Streep, Chris Rock, Ken Leung, Clark Gregg, Kevin Sussman, Tom Gallop, Eugene Osment, April Grace, Matt Winston, Sabrina Grdevich, Theo Greenly, Michael Mantell, Keith Campbell, Brian Turk, Brendan Gleeson, Christopher Dye Runtime 146 minutes Director Steven Spielberg Writers Steven Spielberg, Ian Watson Producers Bonnie Curtis, Jan Harlan, Kathleen Kennedy Main Genre Drama Budget 100000000 Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Stanley Kubrick Productions IMDb ID tt0212720 TMDB User Rating 7 .044 Executive Producer(s) Jan Harlan, Walter F. Parkes 3 The Hangover The bachelor party comedy that sparked a franchise This is a story I tell my teenage daughter often: I once went to a Halloween party as The Hangover's now-iconic Zach Galifianakis character, Alan. I had a Cabbage Patch Kid doll in a BabyBjörn, but the funny part is, unbeknownst to our friends, we had just learned that day that my wife was pregnant. Needless to say, this epic 2009 comedy has a special place in my heart. Told in The Hangover's reverse-mystery blueprint, which it uses again in the 2011 sequel, the story is about Doug (Justin Bartha), who heads to Las Vegas for his bachelor party with best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms), plus his wild-card future brother-in-law Alan (Galifianakis). After an insane night on the town, they wake in the morning with no memory of what happened. There's a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, and Doug is missing. The movie follows the guys as they try to piece the night together, get the baby home, and find Doug. The Hangover Release Date June 5, 2009 Cast Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Jeffrey Tambor, Ken Jeong, Rachael Harris, Mike Tyson, Mike Epps, Jernard Burks, Rob Riggle, Cleo King, Bryan Callen, Matt Walsh, Ian Anthony Dale, Michael Li, Sondra Currie, Gillian Vigman, Nathalie Fay, Chuck Pacheco, Jesse Erwin, Dan Finnerty, Keith Lyle Runtime 100 minutes Director Todd Phillips Writers Scott Moore, Jon Lucas Producers Daniel Goldberg, Todd Phillips, David Siegel, Jeffrey Wetzel Sequel(s) The Hangover Part II, The Hangover Part III Franchise(s) The Hangover Budget $35 million Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Green Hat Films, BenderSpink Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Executive Producer(s) Chris Bender, J.C. Spink, Jon Jashni, Scott Budnick, Thomas Tull, William Fay 2 The Doors Val Kilmer disappears into the Lizard King Many consider Val Kilmer's role as Tombstone's gunslinger, Doc Holliday, to be the late, great actor's finest, but I beg to differ. Holliday may have been your huckleberry, but Kilmer's totally immersive portrayal of The Doors' enigmatic and self-destructive frontman, Jim Morrison, in Oliver Stone's The Doors is, in my opinion, his greatest achievement. Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your KnowledgeThe best music documentaries and biopicsTrivia challenge From Woodstock to Walk the Line — how well do you know the films behind the music legends? BiopicsDocumentariesMusic IconsFilm FactsBehind the Scenes Begin The 2015 documentary Amy, about Amy Winehouse, was directed by which filmmaker? AMorgan NevilleBAsif KapadiaCNick BroomfieldDAlex Gibney Correct! Asif Kapadia directed Amy, crafting the film almost entirely from archival footage and audio interviews. The documentary won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2016. Not quite. Amy was directed by Asif Kapadia, who is also known for his documentaries Senna and Diego Maradona. The film won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2016. Continue In Walk the Line, which actor portrayed Johnny Cash and won a Golden Globe for the role? ARussell CroweBEd HarrisCJoaquin PhoenixDJosh Brolin Correct! Joaquin Phoenix played Johnny Cash in the 2005 biopic and won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. Notably, Phoenix and co-star Reese Witherspoon performed all of their own vocals in the film. Not quite. Joaquin Phoenix portrayed Johnny Cash in Walk the Line. He even performed all his own singing, which impressed June Carter Cash's real-life family enormously. Continue In the 2004 film Ray, Jamie Foxx portrayed Ray Charles. Which major award did Foxx win for this performance? ABAFTA Award for Best ActorBAcademy Award for Best ActorCScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding CastDGolden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Correct! Jamie Foxx won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Ray Charles. Remarkably, Foxx was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor that same year for Collateral, making him one of very few actors nominated twice in the same ceremony. Not quite. Jamie Foxx took home the Academy Award for Best Actor for Ray. His performance was widely praised for its physical and emotional depth, particularly his depiction of Charles's blindness and struggles with addiction. Continue Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck was released in 2015 and directed by Brett Morgen. What made it particularly unique among Cobain documentaries? AIt was the first documentary to feature interviews with surviving Nirvana membersBIt was the first documentary officially authorized by the Cobain estateCIt was shot entirely using Super 8 home footage from Cobain himselfDIt focused exclusively on Nirvana's In Utero recording sessions Correct! Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck was the first documentary to be officially authorized by the Cobain estate, giving director Brett Morgen unprecedented access to personal diaries, home recordings, and family footage. This made it a uniquely intimate portrait of Cobain's life. Not quite. The defining feature of Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck was that it was the first documentary officially authorized by the Cobain estate. This gave filmmaker Brett Morgen extraordinary access to private materials, including journals, artwork, and home videos. Continue Taylor Swift's documentary Miss Americana, released on Netflix in 2020, covers a pivotal period in her life. Which major personal decision is a central theme of the film? AHer move from country music to popBHer decision to speak out publicly on political issuesCHer choice to leave her longtime record labelDHer recovery from a serious vocal cord injury Correct! Miss Americana documents Taylor Swift's decision to break her long public silence on politics, particularly her endorsement of Democratic candidates during the 2018 Tennessee midterm elections. The film explores the personal and professional risks she felt came with that choice. Not quite. A central theme of Miss Americana is Taylor Swift's decision to speak publicly about politics for the first time, including endorsing candidates in the 2018 midterms. The film reveals how she wrestled with breaking from her carefully maintained public neutrality. Continue Summer of Soul (2021), directed by Questlove, focuses on a legendary 1969 music festival. What is the festival's official name? AThe Newport Jazz FestivalBThe Harlem Cultural FestivalCThe Wattstax Music FestivalDThe Atlanta Pop Festival Correct! Summer of Soul centers on the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969, a series of free concerts held in Marcus Garvey Park. The footage had been locked away in a vault for over 50 years before Questlove brought it to the world, earning the film an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Not quite. The festival featured in Summer of Soul is the Harlem Cultural Festival, held in 1969. Remarkably, the footage sat unseen in a basement for more than five decades before Questlove used it to create this celebrated documentary. Continue In the biopic Walk the Line, which legendary musician and close friend of Johnny Cash is portrayed as a major influence on his early career? AElvis PresleyBJerry Lee LewisCCarl PerkinsDHank Williams Correct! Elvis Presley appears as a significant presence in Walk the Line, depicted as a peer and inspiration to the young Johnny Cash during their shared time at Sun Records. The film portrays Cash's ambition as partly fueled by seeing Elvis's explosive early success. Not quite. Elvis Presley is portrayed as a major influence on Cash in Walk the Line, with both artists having recorded at Sun Records in Memphis during the same era. The film depicts their camaraderie as part of Cash's formative years as a performer. Continue Which of these music documentaries won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature? AKurt Cobain: Montage of HeckBMiss AmericanaCSummer of SoulDBillie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry Correct! Summer of Soul, directed by Questlove, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2022 ceremony. It also won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, making it one of the most acclaimed music documentaries in recent memory. Not quite. Summer of Soul is the Oscar winner in this group, taking home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2022. Directed by Questlove, the film also swept major awards at Sundance, cementing its place as a landmark music documentary. See My Score Challenge CompleteYour Score / 8 Thanks for playing! Try Again Kilmer not only embodied Morrison physically in this 1991 biopic, but he sang much of the film's vocals himself, often so convincingly that the band's surviving members struggled to tell the difference. The Doors details Morrison's bohemian life, from UCLA film school student through meeting keyboardist Ray Manzarek (Kyle MacLachlan) and starting the band with guitarist Robby Krieger (Frank Whaley) and drummer John Densmore (Kevin Dillon). Fame, drugs, and alcohol spirals Jim out of control swiftly, feeding his darker side and straining his relationship with Pamela Courson (Meg Ryan), ultimately culminating in his death in Paris in 1971. Kilmer is nowhere to be found in this gem—it's just Jim. Release Date March 1, 1991 Cast Kyle MacLachlan Ray Manzarek Frank Whaley Robby Krieger Runtime 140 minutes Director Oliver Stone Writers Randall Jahnson, Oliver Stone Producers A. Kitman Ho, Bill Graham, Sasha Harari Main Genre Biography Executive Producer(s) Brian Grazer, Mario Kassar, Nicholas Clainos 1 Passenger Always check the backseat before you drive I hope you like horror movies and aren't really into taking road trips, because my top pick this week is going to scare the hell out of you (yay) and probably keep you out of your car for a few days. But you have some time to prepare, becausePassenger doesn't hit Paramount+ until Thursday, August 20. Norwegian director André Øvredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Last Voyage of the Demeter) knows what he's doing when it comes to horror, and this one, which was in theaters in May, is no different. It follows Maddie (Foundation's Lou Llobell) and Tyler (Jacob Scipio, Bad Boys: Ride or Die), a couple who've quit their jobs to live the van life and are driving across the U.S. But when they stop to check out a mysterious car wreck on the road, something malevolent hitches a ride with them. Passenger is a satisfying, jump-scare-filled, supernatural horror that will do the trick. Passenger Release Date May 22, 2026 Runtime 94 minutes Director André Øvredal Cast Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, Melissa Leo, Joseph Lopez, Tony Doupe, Bonni Dichone, Devielle Johnson Writers Zachary Donohue, T. W. Burgess Producers Walter Hamada, Gary Dauberman Main Genre Horror Executive Producer(s) Andrew Lary, Anthony Tittanegro, Jenny Hinkey, Nathan Samdahl, Pete Chiappetta Something for everyone this week Sci-fi, comedy, biopic, horror—all the cinematic nutrition a growing movie lover needs, and we've got so much more where that came from. 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