HBO Max subscribers do not have a shortage of options to choose from on the streaming service. That said, some of the best films on the streamer right now include an adaptation of Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” that predates Emerald Fennell’s new Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi-led version by nearly 90 years, as well as a Golden Age Hollywood classic that still feels just as magical now as it did back in 1942.
If neither of those options appeal to you, then the streaming service also has an early 2010s heist thriller that ranks high on the list of this century’s best big-screen crime dramas. Here are the three best movies you can stream on HBO Max this weekend.
“Wuthering Heights” (1939)
Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” is far from the first adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel that Hollywood has produced. With that in mind, if you want an adaptation that sticks closer to the novel and strives harder to capture the gothic, haunted feel of it, then look no further than director William Wyler’s 1939 version of “Wuthering Heights.”
Starring Merle Oberon as Cathy and Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff, this classic period drama comes closer to recapturing the themes of self-destruction, generational trauma, class divide, vengeance and toxic romanticism of Brontë’s original novel than Fennell’s take. Featuring gorgeous black-and-white cinematography from “Citizen Kane” cinematographer Gregg Toland, it is a visually rich, well-performed gothic romance that holds your attention and reaches, particularly in its second half, the epic, ghostly heights that every adaptation of its source material should.
“The Town” (2010)
Ben Affleck may have won an Oscar in 2013 for directing “Argo,” but 2010’s “The Town” is still the best movie he has ever directed. A Boston-set homage to both Michael Mann’s crime films and the gangster dramas of the 1930s and ’40s, Affleck’s adaptation of Chuck Hogan’s 2004 novel “Prince of Thieves” follows a lifelong bank robber (Affleck) who puts himself and his fellow thieves in danger when he develops romantic feelings for one of the victims (Rebecca Hall) of one of their previous robberies.
There is nothing new about “The Town,” including its central anti-hero’s doomed desire to leave his trauma-filled life of crime behind, but everything in it is deeply felt and executed at the highest level. Affleck has never seemed more in control as a filmmaker than he does in “The Town.” Its climactic Fenway Park robbery is an all-time cinematic heist, and Jeremy Renner’s scorched-earth supporting performance as Jem, the oldest friend of Affleck’s Doug and fellow thief, is one of the best the actor has ever given.
“Casablanca” (1942)
To try to write anything new about “Casablanca” is to fail. The film is one of Hollywood’s most beloved and oft-referenced productions for a reason. Director Michael Curtiz’s miraculous, endlessly quotable drama about an American expatriate (Humphrey Bogart) who is forced to choose between being with a long-lost love (Ingrid Bergman) and helping her Nazi resistance leader husband (Paul Henreid) is a profoundly moving, operatic romance that effortlessly sweeps you off your feet.
Crackling with Old Hollywood magic and charm, “Casablanca” has not lost an ounce of its power over the last 84 years. Those who check it out now on HBO Max should also keep their ears perked for one character’s drink order, which writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson cleverly used in his latest film, “One Battle After Another.”
