West Side Story (2021) vs. West Side Story (1961): What Are the Differences?

This article contains spoilers for both screen versions ofWest Side Story. For most of his career,Steven Spielberghas spoken of his desire to make a musical. It turned out to be well worth the wait. As if by magic, it returned to the Oscar winning director some of the irresistible exuberance of youth. Corey Stolls Lt. Schrank is rewritten to be a slightly more rounded character. He calls them the children of whites who couldnt make it....

December 11, 2021 · 3 min · 638 words · Jack Ballard

Star Wars: How Boba Fett Defined a Generation of Lucasfilm Characters

Before 1980sThe Empire Strikes Back, there was already Boba Fett. Even if you didnt know anything about Boba Fett, you could understand the film language. Lucasfilms youngest fans have always been key to the studios success. The right story could stick with the viewer forever. The character will next be played by Morrison inThe Book of Boba Fetton Disney+. Hes deserving of more! But they threw him in… and as you know, fans have never let him die....

December 2, 2021 · 1 min · 88 words · David Jones

West Side Story: Steven Spielberg Makes Musical a Turf War for America’s Soul

The fight is over before it begins.Steven Spielbergmakes that much obvious in the opening shot of hisWest Side Story. How can it not be when audiences are immediately introduced to a collapsed and dilapidated building? Perhaps even more so. So starts a more visceral and, at times, violent rivalry between Spielbergs Sharks and Jets. And as these events unfold, the filmmakers reasons for re-adapting the original 1957 Broadway musical become clear....

December 2, 2021 · 2 min · 265 words · Crystal Miller

Why Sweeney Todd Was Stephen Sondheim’s Favorite Movie Musical Adaptation

It can be said Stephen Sondheim was a man who rarely kept his opinions to himself. Nor should he have. Which is why Sondheims musings aboutSweeney Todd, and musical cinema in general, are still so fascinating. This is not simply, as all the others are, a film of the stage musical. Ad content continues below The distinction Sondheim was alluding to is subtle, but it is striking. (2001) andChicago(2002). Indeed, the latter was a massive hit that won six Oscars, including Best Picture....

November 30, 2021 · 2 min · 237 words · Jocelyn Gonzalez

Why The Office’s Jim Halpert Is the Absolute Worst

It’s time to get a few things straight about Jim from The Office. Jim Halpert doesnt treat women well Jim and Pam are meant to be, we get it. See also: Pams maternity cover Cathy (Season 8). That was a big old mess. It sounds romantic but… is it? How many of you would really want to live in your partners parents former home? Any consequences for the bastards childish antics?...

November 1, 2021 · 1 min · 127 words · Jessica Garcia

Night Teeth: Megan Fox and Sydney Sweeney Should Lead Their Own Vampire Movie

This article containsNight Teethspoilers. A formidable trio, yes, butMegan Foxand Sydney Sweeney pull the real coup in the film. Their vampire queens Grace and Eva only get one scene and make off with the movie. So perhaps Fox and Sweeney should bare their fangs in a feature they can sink their teeth into. She is far more thanJennifers Body, and the typecasting has made her stronger. Fry is a strong lead, too....

October 20, 2021 · 3 min · 507 words · Sarah Fisher

Night Teeth: Sexy Vampires Feast on Crime Movie Thrills

Love blooms and blood flows during vampire turf wars with a neon glow in Netflixs Night Teeth. Isnt that the problem with intra-vampire spats, though? All the worst bloodsuckers bleed out, even when theyre really the most fun to watch. Yet we shouldnt linger on the sad parts. The premise is fairly simple. What makes this more interesting than usual vampire entertainment is its similarity to crime films. Zoe sneers at the idea of being lumped in with such amateurs, but the drivers got a point....

October 20, 2021 · 3 min · 460 words · Jeffery Velazquez

The Tragedy of The Last Duel Flopping at the Box Office

Ridley Scotts The Last Duel is the rarest of things in modern Hollywood: an epic for adults. And it just sank like a stone at the box office. The Last Dueldid not have a good weekend at the box office. There are many aspects that likely contributed toThe Last Duels box office failure. Additionally, there will likely be some second-guessing about the rollout by Disney/20th Century Studios. One that will have greater repercussions than just diminishing this particular movies Oscar prospects....

October 18, 2021 · 1 min · 154 words · Charlene Peterson

The Last Duel Review: Ridley Scott’s Most Timely Historical Epic

Which works, even if that may be one view too many. Carrouges is further humiliated when hes expelled from the court after losing his temper. But the worst is yet to come. Driver is excellent as always; he seems like the kind of timeless actor who can handle almost anything. And Comer centers the movie with a quietly moving power in her Marguerite. The Last Duelis out in theaters this Friday, Oct....

October 13, 2021 · 1 min · 78 words · Paula Miller

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Review

Jason Reitmans Ghostbusters: Afterlife is awash in nostalgia for the past. But it really comes alive when it makes proton packs exciting for a new generation. When I first saw the originalGhostbusters, I didnt get it was a comedy. After watchingGhostbusters: Afterlife, I wonder ifJason Reitmanhad a similar experience. To be sure, the filmmakers relationship to that 1984 classic is much closer than my own. Technically, that souped up Cadillac is a glorified hearse....

October 9, 2021 · 2 min · 242 words · Jessica Nguyen

How Dear Evan Hansen Changes the Musical’s Ending

So does it improve it? This article containsDear Evan Hansenspoilers, both for the movie and the stage show. Yet howDear Evan Hansengets to that moment in the movie is drastically different from the stage musical. Ad content continues below But is the new ending an actual improvement? The musical is thus a rising crescendo that builds as Evan climbs higher and higher off his mistruths. So the inevitable moment where his house of cards comes crashing down is the narratives real climax....

September 24, 2021 · 2 min · 308 words · Lisa Wu

Dear Evan Hansen May Be the Most Uncomfortable Musical Ever Made

I was reminded of this trip to the uncanny valley while watchingDear Evan Hansen. Whether something was lost in translation or if intent was mistaken for achievement is not exactly clear. Sure, hell say, he was Connors best friend. But it also exposes the saccharine limitations of the narrative. A cynic might argue this is what the entire movie is doing, although that would be too harsh. Nonetheless, the end result is pretty much the same....

September 13, 2021 · 1 min · 105 words · Tanner Cline

Vigil Episode 4 Review: Who’s Been Russian Around Committing Sa-boat-age?!

Theres a traitor on board HMS Vigil! Will DCI Silva get out of this packed spy story alive? Warning: this review containsVigilspoilers. Weve been expecting you. After all, where would a Second Cold War submarine thriller be without a Piotr or a Fyodor? What plan, you ask? Or perhaps that pushes them into votingforit? Look, Im not a Russian spy, I dont know how they think. (Piotr, I think they bought that....

September 12, 2021 · 2 min · 252 words · Ethan Owens