CineCrossroads: “Wuthering Heights,” “Jaws” and “Tangled”
The weekend is almost here, which means it is time to choose what to watch. In this edition of CineCrossroads, we offer three distinct cinematic journeys: a screen adaptation of a literary classic regarded as the “greatest love story of all time”, a thriller that redefined Hollywood, and an animated fairytale for the whole family. Qazinform News Agency correspondent wishes you a pleasant viewing.
Movie of the Week – Wuthering Heights (2026)
The long-awaited new adaptation of Emily Bronte’s novel has finally arrived in cinemas, directed by Emerald Fennell. Rather than offering a restrained period drama, Fennell delivers a fierce reinterpretation of a story about destructive love.
At the center are Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, the orphan her father once brought into their home. After the patriarch’s death, Catherine’s brother Hindley begins humiliating and degrading Heathcliff, fueling a tension in which passion intertwines with humiliation and an unrelenting desire for revenge.
Fennell abandons quiet Victorian melancholy. Her Wuthering Heights becomes an emotional storm where love is stripped of tenderness and turns into obsession. Margot Robbie portrays Catherine as impulsive and internally conflicted, while Jacob Elordi presents a brooding Heathcliff. The second part of the novel, focused on the next generation, is significantly reduced, as the director concentrates almost entirely on the central pair.
Visually, the film unfolds like a series of expressive paintings: saturated colors, sharp contrasts of light and shadow, drifting smoke, mirrors, and elaborate costumes shape a bold and stylized atmosphere.
Classic Pick – Jaws (1975)
Steven Spielberg’s Jaws has long transcended the status of a simple shark attack movie. It is a study of how society responds to fear and impending danger.
The story unfolds on Amity Island at the height of the tourist season, when a series of fatal shark attacks shatters the illusion of safety. Police chief Martin Brody insists on closing the beaches, but local authorities are unwilling to sacrifice economic profit. As a result, Brody teams up with marine biologist Matt Hooper and seasoned fisherman Quint to hunt the predator in open waters.
The film’s brilliance lies in what remains unseen. Technical problems with the mechanical shark forced Spielberg to rely on suggestion through editing, silence, point of view shots, and John Williams’s iconic two note score. This restraint creates genuine suspense.
Family Choice – Tangled (2010)
Disney’s animated reimagining of the Rapunzel fairytale became one of the studio’s most charming projects of the 21st century.
The story begins with a magical flower that grants youth and healing. Its power is passed to Princess Rapunzel, whose extraordinary hair retains the same gift. Kidnapped by the manipulative Mother Gothel and locked in a secluded tower, Rapunzel dreams of discovering what the floating lanterns are that light up the sky every year on her birthday.
On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she meets the charismatic rogue Flynn Rider. Their shared journey turns into a coming-of-age adventure. Notably, at the time of its release, this was one of the first Disney princess stories, aside from Mulan, where the heroine is ultimately saved not by a noble prince, but by a thief.
The filmmakers spent years developing the technology required to animate Rapunzel’s hair, and the result is remarkable: it moves and interacts with space naturally and expressively, becoming almost a character of its own.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency published a new edition of CineCrossroads featuring the documentary Melania, which follows twenty days in the life of Melania Trump ahead of the January 2025 inauguration of Donald Trump and earned more than $7 million at the U.S. box office during its opening weekend.
