Likable? Subtle? Sometimes that’s not needed
Movies, we’re told, need to have likable characters. They need people who are easy to root for.
That’s true … unless it’s a really well-made movie. Then rules are discarded.
Which brings us to HBO and its current streak: One Saturday (April 25), it had “Marty Supreme”; the next (May 2), it will have “Wuthering Heights”(shown here).
Both films (each reaching HBO Max a day earlier) center on hugely selfish and obsessive people. “Wuthering Heights” goes even further by giving us no one to like; even the servant girl is nasty.
And yet we watch for the best of reasons: Everything — the visuals, the dialog, the performances — is brilliantly executed. Read more…
Best-bets for April 29: Nature and democracy survive
Best-bets for April 28: Cool J is back; dramas are busy
Best-bets for April 27: The 8 p.m. hour is packed