Thanks Barry. I haven't decided yet if I will see it in theater or if I will wait for streaming/dvd.. Either way, will check it out.
DVD?!
There are movies that I feel are best seen in a theatre. Shang-Chi is a good example of that. This version of West Side Story does need a big screen and good sound. But most of us here have that at home. So waiting for the 4K disc is fine. Beside, I like to sing along and they don't allow me to do that at the theatre.When you're a Jet,You're a Jet all the wayFrom your first cigaretteTo your last dyin' day.When you're a Jet,If the spit hits the fan,You got brothers around,You're a family man.You're never alone,You're never disconnected.You're home with your own—When company's expected,You're well protected!Then you are setWith a capital J,Which you'll never forgetTill they cart you away.When you're a Jet,You stayA Jet!
I just saw the new edition of West Side Story. I give four or four and half stars out of five, I really need to see the movie again to be sure. It’s the Jets vs The Sharks and who knows more about Sharks than Steven Spielberg? This is a wonderful movie to watch.In so many ways, this is the West Side Story that should have been made. It is darker and gritter than the 1961 movie because it is showing a darker and gritter time and event. In the first movie, we had Hollywood dancers, singers and actors posing as street gang remember. Here it feels like we have street gang members trying to dance and sing. And, finally, there are Hispanic players playing Puerto Ricans. But still no cursing. It it’s way, the opening is Spielberg’s homage to Robert Wise and his beautiful New York landscape opening. But here it reflects the time and place the story takes place in and it is both beautiful and sad.The songs and music are the same, everything else is changed. Not quite always for the better.Ansel Elgort plays Tony. His background is enhanced here, Now a nice guy, he once beat someone almost to death and served jail time. This was done, obviously to make the movie’s ending more believable. Elgort does a good job, but not a great job singing. It sort of fits, street thugs aren’t Broadway singers.Rachel Zeigler, is a newcomer and does a great job. A fine actress and a wonderful singer. When Tony spots her at the gym and falls in love with her, you do to thanks to Spielberg’s lighting and camerawork. David Alvarez and Mike Faist play Bernardo and Riff and their characters should have been drawn out a bit more.Ariana DeBose wonderfully and talentedly plays Anita, but frankly, she does not compare to the original Rita Moreno. In fact, I still like the original version of “America” from the first movie better than the production here.Rita Moreno, was the heart of the original movie and here, as the original character Valentina, is the heart and soul of this movie. Nearly 90 years old, she sings “Somewhere” and would stop the show if this was a play. In fact, the very last scene of the movie is about her. I guess you cannot have WQest Sider Story without Rita Moreno.Yeah, it still loses a half a star or so because the ending basically remains intact. The entire movie takes place in 24 hours. I have such trouble accepting that Maria would get over the death of her brother so quickly. Marvel Comics Bulletin“West Side Story.” takes place in 1957. There ae several scenes in a drug store where comics are displayed and sold. On display were “Young Men #24,” “Captain America,” “The Human Torch, “ Strange Tales” “Sub- Mariner,” and Journey Into Mystery.” Also “Classics Illustrated” was on display.One of the very last credits at the end of the movie was thanking Marvel for the use of the comics. It went by so fast I did not read all the comics they thanked.No DC comics were shown. To my knowledge, this was a Disney movie because they bought 20th Century Fox movies.
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