I wish Rita Moreno the best. She is 90 years old, and still very active, but in my opinion, Rita did not need to be in this and her inclusion may have dampened a greater sense of ‘newness’ about this version. Over the summer, I heard more about Rita having a part in this than learning about some of the newer actors.
The television marketing has been terrible. The :30 spots have a “Made for Television Event!” vibe, like other Broadway shows that have been revived for TV, and you can’t tell it’s big-screen until you see the “Only in Theaters” text at the end. The spots give very little idea of the story, and while they use the familiar, iconic title design, there are whole generations who do not recognize it.
Uh, clearly not.
God I hate mainstream "journalists" and their formulaic propaganda.
Spielberg is a great director. Despite his social liberalism, his work has demonstrated a respect for middle class Americans, the core decency, valor, sacrifices and accomplishments of the American military and nation to confront and destroy evil. However he must be bored. There was no need to remake or reinterpret “West Side Story”. It was a masterpiece of its time. A musical with beautiful, evocative music inspired by the perennial themes mastered by Shakespeare in “Romeo and Juliet” adapted to a then contemporary 1950’s New York setting. However that New York setting is long gone. What was Spielberg hoping to show or accomplish? Some things should be left alone and not be subjected to cultural revisionism.
They did it in the sopranos with a whole season was about someone being a homo. The most ffwd season ever!
I just assumed that the only reason to re-make this classic to overlay it with all kinds of woke-ism. Don’t need that. Spielberg’s involvement is a meh.
There’s a trannie character...no such thing in the original and not needed in any movie ever.
When they sing:
“I like to be in A-mer-i-ca
Everything free in A-mer-i-ca”
the audience no longer finds it amusing.
In my city, we would keep the traffic in the BIPOC - the people of colot. They’re oppressed anyway, so let them lose their chains.
The original, although dated and with an overly liberal message, nevertheless conveyed a contemporary mindset. The edgy music & choreography (by Jerome Robbins) reflected the angst of that era. While the late 1950s-early 1960s (MADMEN era) was outwardly white and elegant, it had the rumblings of racial tension and juvenile delinquency, all of which erupted in the 1960s.
The Spielberg remake, though apparently well received by the critics, seems to lack that spirit and power. I haven’t seen it yet, but I am very ambivalent. It just sounds too much like a period piece, with the liberal message carried to woke extreme.
No killings, just hurt feelings and people staring at each other.
—
They’ll block each other on social media.
This version wasn’t woke.
You can’t sell a traditional musical to a younger audience raised on rap.
All I want to know is, does some Jet or Shark still say, “Ooobly-oo, daddy-o”?
Are the Jets and the Sharks being replaced by the Crips and the Bloods?
It was hard to stop laughing for about 30 minutes given our family’s heritage which is similar to perhaps millions of American households where conservatives have been integrated from many cultures.
The sheer stupidity and ignorance of the left is on full display as they continue to cast and segregate individuals based on skin color and language. As conservatives, a fantastic heritage, multi lingual capabilities and appearance do not equate to an affinity to leftist racist tyranny. It is particularly intolerable to those who the left target and single out, then designate as incapable due to the nature of their ethnic background.
The endless gift of cringeworthy, ignoramus WTF mouth-frothing social justice commentary spewed from questionable cavities of the left only serve to bring more of those seeking true freedom and recognition for the content of their character to our cause.