In terms of a private media server, Plex is one of the best options on the market. Many users enjoy using Plex to store their personal media, including movies and television shows, in one spot. In addition to its storage opportunities, Plex offers plenty of free content thanks to its ad-supported streaming television.
If you visit Plex now, you’ll find a wide selection of free, ad-supported movies available to stream immediately. These aren’t D-level movies either. One of our picks to watch this weekend comes from an Academy Award-winning director. The other two selections are a sensational family drama and a 1990s action thriller.
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Waves
A family must overcome an unspeakable tragedy
Sterling K. Brown is an actor who thrives when playing morally conflicted and emotionally vulnerable characters. That description perfectly describes Randall Pearson, Brown’s Emmy-winning role on This Is Us. Brown’s specific skill set proved valuable on the big screen in Waves, an underseen A24 family drama from writer-director Trey Edward Shults.
In South Florida, Tyler Williams (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) is a talented high school senior on the wrestling team. Tyler comes from a Black upper-middle-class family led by his overbearing father, Ronald (Brown), who continuously pushes his son. To escape his father’s domineering nature, Tyler seeks solace in his girlfriend, Alexis Lopez (Alexa Demie). Halfway through Waves, the movie’s viewpoint shifts from Tyler to his younger sister, Emily (Taylor Russell).
Without spoiling too much, Waves features a parent’s worst nightmare: an unspeakable tragedy involving their child. Shults explores the series of moments that led to the tragedy that changes the Williams family forever. The second half depicts the aftermath of how a splintered family must fight to stay whole in the wake of disaster. Waves will shake you to the core.
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Point Break
The undercover cop movie that rips
I don’t think people can comprehend Patrick Swayze’s popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. From 1987 to 1991, Swayze starred in Dirty Dancing, Road House, Ghost, and Point Break. That’s an insane run that earned Swayze a spot on Hollywood’s A-list. Many famous actors who would dream of having one memorable role, let alone four. My favorite of the four is Point Break, Kathryn Bigelow’s action thriller set in the world of extreme sports.
Former football player Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) is a hotshot FBI agent tasked with investigating a series of bank robberies in Southern California. Johnny’s partner, veteran cop Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey), believes the criminals are surfers. Following this tip, Johnny goes undercover and infiltrates a surfing gang led by their alpha, Bodhi (Swayze), a spirited individual and adrenaline addict. The more Johnny assimilates into Bodhi’s gang, the more he appreciates their Bohemian lifestyle, which directly conflicts with his FBI duties. It’s only a matter of time when Bodhi will find out his true identity, and when that happens, Johnny must choose between his job and his friend.
Point Break is a Western disguised as an action movie, with Johnny playing the outsider looking to deal out some justice. Frankly, I don’t blame Johnny for becoming infatuated with Bodhi—he’s the coolest guy in the room. You deliberately choose not to see Bodhi’s flaws, even though he only cares about himself and finding the next wave. Point Break’s relentless action never lets you breathe, as Bigelow wants that heart rate to rise with each passing moment. Side note: Vin Diesel is indebted to Bigelow because The Fast and the Furious franchise is Point Break with cars.
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Memento
The thriller that put Christopher Nolan on the map
Does any director have more juice right now than Christopher Nolan? After dominating the Oscars with Oppenheimer, Nolan is officially Hollywood royalty. Every single studio would do whatever it takes to land his next movie. Universal ended up winning the rights to The Odyssey, which hits theaters this summer. 25 years ago, Nolan was still making his move up the directorial food chain. Nolan introduced himself as a filmmaker with 1998’s The Following, but his breakout didn’t come until 2000 with Memento.
Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) is a man with anterograde amnesia, meaning he cannot form new memories. It’s an unfortunate situation for Leonard, who is trying to hunt down the man who raped and killed his wife. Leonard uses tattoos and Polaroid pictures to combat his memory loss. Leonard’s hazy memory makes him an unreliable narrator, blurring the lines between his memories and what actually happened.
Memento is the appetizer for Nolan’s illustrious career. The psychological thriller incorporates storytelling staples that Nolan still uses to this day, including nonlinear narratives, black-and-white sequences, scientifically driven stories, and jaw-dropping final twists. If Nolan was Nirvana, Memento was his version of Bleach, setting the stage for the masterpieces to come in later years.
Plex isn’t the only service that offers free movies. Check out our list of free movies to watch this weekend, which includes Scream and Varsity Blues. Plus, check out a Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible entry that just went to Netflix.
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