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Old 03-29-2022, 04:05 PM
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Steven on Mike (remember he said he was willing to delay making the movie to schedule Mike to be in it) -

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Old 03-31-2022, 07:02 PM
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The opening montage of the Jets signalling for Riff to come out of the crane, then he makes out with Graziella who proceeds to flirt with him and the other guys, is seriously hot and gritty Paloma posted a pic:

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Old 04-01-2022, 01:57 PM
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Mike Faist being super cute, discreetly holding hands with Paloma Garcia-Lee here -

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Old 05-01-2022, 09:55 PM
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Thread bump.

I just watched the 2021 film, and it's honestly head and shoulders above the 1961 version in pretty much every aspect (and I've seen that version a lot since it was kind of a big staple of my HS drama classes).

Screenwriter Tony Kushner breathed new and different life into the story by sticking closer to the structure of the stage version and simultaneously doing on film what is quite frequently done on stage for revivals of popular and well-known musicals by reinterpreting and reimagining the source material without actually changing one iota of it.

As good as Kushner's adapted screenplay is, though, it wouldn't have worked without the right cast, which is where casting director Cindy Tolan, in conjunction with Steven Spielberg, absolutely killed it.

Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, and David Alvarez took the roles of Tony, Maria, Anita, and Bernardo and made them their own, with Zegler having the toughest job out of all four because of her lack of professional acting experience and yet rising to the occasion with aplomb. Her rendition of I Feel Pretty was absolutely stunning, although there's a part of me that wishes she'd gotten to sing it in Spanish.

The rest of the cast, most of whom I was totally unfamiliar with, were also excellent, with personal standouts for me being Mike Faist as Riff and iris menas as Anybodys. I also loved the inclusion of Rita Moreno as the brand-new character of Valentina, and giving her the opportunity to reinterpret the song Somewhere as a montage is actually a change I'd love to see somebody bring into the stage version.

In closing, this new West Side Story was excellent and is something I'm definitely going to add to my Blu-ray collection sooner or later.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jasper1975 (View Post)
I agree "I feel Pretty" placement is a little odd.
The placement of that song is true to the stage version, and it's meant to be disconcerting for the audience because we know that Maria singing about being in love and how carefree and happy she feels is the 'calm before the storm'.
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Old 05-02-2022, 03:27 AM
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^ Pleased you liked it.

I liked it too, but I don't prefer it to the 60s version. I still have issues with how the version is more about Spielberg trying to appeal to the masses by making the Sharks stand out more (the America revamp is something I cannot stand , the colorful and wide stance of its staging completely negates the point of them supposedly feeling like outcasts in the country).

The Chino dance scene in the 2021 movie is so embarrassing that I can't bear thinking about it. I don't understand why they were so desperate to soften him in this one. I thought the portrayal of him in the 60s movie was good enough, and he was sympathetic until he hunts down Tony.

Also, amazingly, it made me appreciate Rita Moreno's acting in the assault scene a lot more. I don't think it was played as effectively by Ariana in the 2021 movie. Rita was an emotional wreck and I think she deserves a lot more praise for that scene.

One thing I do think is brilliant about the new one is how Mike Faist was able to play Riff in a completely different way to Russ Tamblyn and yet just as effectively. Both equally charismatic, yet there was a tragic undertone to Faist's portrayal that I found incredibly immersive and increased the sympathy for him.

Also, I thought Ansel was really good as Tony. It's deeply unfair that, um, real issues have clearly clouded the judgment of a lot of reviews criticizing his performance.

I do, however, prefer the writing and performance of Richard Beymer in the scene where he's begging Chino to kill him.

The only actor who I thought deserved an Academy award in the 2021 movie is Mike Faist. At least the BAFTA awards recognized him.
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Old 05-02-2022, 05:23 AM
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Quote:
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^ Pleased you liked it.

I liked it too, but I don't prefer it to the 60s version.
You like what you like.

I'm a Theater junkie who happens to love the freedom of adaptation and reinterpretation that the medium gives creators, and so I tend to appreciate it when said freedom gets transplanted to a different medium.

It's also the reason that some of my favorite cast albums for certain shows are either from onstage Revivals (Into the Woods 2002 Broadway, Fiddler on the Roof 2004 Broadway, Carousel 1994 Broadway, The Sound of Music 2006 London) or filmed or Movie adaptations (Les Miserables movie, Phantom of the Opera movie, The Music Man movie, Peter Pan NBC LIVE, Jesus Christ Superstar NBC LIVE).
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Old 06-07-2022, 01:24 PM
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Quote:
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Phantom of the Opera movie
Gerard and Emmy's chemistry was spectacular. I never cared about people's views of their singing; their presence alone was hot enough to validate this movie existing.


Hot pic of 2021 Riff, we got so lucky with Mike Faist -

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Old 06-10-2022, 01:54 PM
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2021 JETS SONG aka another clip showcasing the brilliance of Mike and Riff being the best character in every version ~

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Old 12-20-2022, 01:42 PM
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Old 12-23-2022, 04:20 AM
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I agree with this tweet. I know he got a BAFTA nom but I think it's ridiculous that DeBose got Oscar nominated (and even WON, just because she played Rita's winning role) when Mike Faist - who gave an all-around amazing performance that got rave reviews - got snubbed. -->

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Old 12-20-2023, 01:57 PM
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2 years! Already. Wow I remember following the filming of this as if it was yesterday the cast such as Paloma (Graziella) and the Jets would post so much BTS stuff

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