Cindy Prascik's Review of West Side Story

 

My dear, neglected reader(s), the weekend just passed saw a major new release in cinemas that was very much of interest to me (The Batman), and a brand new Sebastian Stan movie that I could have screened in the comfort and safety of my own home (Fresh). Instead I elected to watch the remake of West Side Story, which, at the very least, is new to a couple streaming services this week...in other words, no longer a twrnty-dollar rental. Twenty-dollar rentals are the hill on which I've chosen to die.

Spoiler level here will be mild, I suppose, though I can't imagine anyone doesn't know how this plays out by now.

Against a backdrop of racially-motivated gang violence and neighborhood gentrification, a young Puerto Rican girl and a Polish-American boy fall in love.

I am of the...vintage...where everything I've ever loved is being remade into something I don't understand by people younger than I can remember. I try not to be bitter about it and, generally, I don't hate remakes for the sake of it. (Just don't get me started on The Crow.) That being said, I'm a big fan of the original West Side Story, and I wasn't sure how to feel about it being remade. It seems somewhat cemented in its time. I'm happy to report this is neither destruction nor fawning copy of the original. It also isn't some "woke" reimagining. The show's message endures, without this new version feeling the need to beat anyone over the head with it.

WSS-2021 is two and a half hours long, but it doesn't feel bloated or slow. The better and more interesting musical numbers all occur in the first half, and there's nothing for it, but I never was checking the time incessantly or waiting for the movie to end. With one notable exception (more on that later), vocal performances are solid and acting is okay-ish. The dancing is exceptional, with choreography is reminiscent of the original, but somehow busier and, thus - to someone with two left feet, anyway - all the more fascinating. Bonus points for eliminating that chicken-walk thing (which I've always hated) from the mambo!

On the minus side, I don't think Ansel Elgort was hired for his voice. He's not a bad singer, but he's not a particularly good singer, either. The 1961 version used voice doubles for some of the leads, and may have had the right idea. Staging sucks the life right out of some formerly dynamic numbers (notably, America), and many of the exteriors have the same awful green-screen effect that plagued In the Heights. Also, not that it could be helped, but no one in this move is George Chakiris, and that's never less than a shame.

West Side Story runs 156 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some strong violence, strong language, thematic content, suggestive material, and brief smoking."

I definitely don't get the awards love for any of it, but the remake of West Side Story is a decent effort, and if its recognition keeps people making movie musicals, I'm all for it. Of a possible nine Weasleys, West Side Story gets seven.

West Side Story is now streaming on Disney+ and the HBO family of channels.

Fangirl points: Brian d'Arcy James! Corey Stoll!

Oh, and, for the record, I did start Fresh and realized about 30 minutes in that — no matter how much I love Sebastian Stan — I can no longer be a person who watches everything he does. Hard pass.

MOVIE REVIEW: THE BATMAN

 

Batman ventures into Gotham City's underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator's plans become clear, he must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued the metropolis.

Director: Matt Reeves

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell

Release Date: March 4, 2022

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Superhero

Rated PG-13 for strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material

Runtime: 2h 55m

Review:

Matt Reeves' The Batman is a mash up of inspirations which results in a gritty noir detective thriller that takes the character back to his pulpy roots.  Reeves draws inspiration from excellent Batman graphic novels like The Long Halloween and Hush while also pulling cinematic inspiration from Se7en, Zodiac and Christopher Nolan's run.  The end result is a moody, atmospheric mystery that's as self serious as they come.  This take on the character focuses more on his deduction skills, even though there are a handful of action set pieces, which gives the film a more meticulous and methodical pace as the story unfolds.  Its the type of story that takes its time to reveal itself as we follow the characters down the rabbit hole.  Robert Pattinson, playing a much younger version of the character, brings the intensity and a simmering uncontrolled rage which hasn't been focused.  Pattinson gives us glimpses of the more unhinged aspects of the character as we see a character still finding his way, it's an impressive take on the character.  Jeffrey Wright, whose never been more earnest, works well onscreen with Pattinson which makes their interactions and relationship feels authentic.  Colin Farrell's take on The Penguin is one of the few character in the that feels like he's having fun with him providing a few moments of levity in the film.  Zoë Kravitz turn as Selina Kyle/Catwoman is excellent but underutilized since the script has her appear and disappear throughout the film.  Paul Dano and John Turturro play their characters a bit too over the top in comparison to the rest of the cast, its not jarring per say but noticeable.  Dano's character in particular would have been better served with a more subtle, understated and cerebral turn.  Overall, you have to appreciate Reeves holding the moody horror vibe for nearly three hours but it can become oppressive in spots which makes the case that some edits could have made this entry a sleeker more streamlined affair.  There are also portions of the final act that feel less like homages with scenes and sequences being lifted from other films almost verbatim which comes off as lazy.  Issues aside, The Batman is an impressive take on the character from a different lens which works on a different level than previous iterations. 

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: CYRANO

 

Cyrano de Bergerac dazzles everyone with his ferocious wordplay and brilliant swordplay. However, he's convinced his appearance renders him unworthy of the affections of the luminous Roxanne, a devoted friend who's in love with someone else.

Director: Joe Wright

Cast: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr. Ben Mendelsohn, Bashir Salahuddin, Monica Dolan

Release Date: February 25, 2022

Genre: Drama, Musical, Romance

Rated PG-13 for some strong violence, thematic and suggestive material, and brief language

Runtime: 2h 4m

Review:

Joe Wright's adaptation of the stage musical of the same name is lavish, heartfelt with an undercurrent of melancholy running throughout its runtime. Wright stages some wonderfully choregraphed sequences paired with songs and lyrics by The National.  The song's lyrics lean more wistful than overtly romantic utilizing a variety of approaches from  spoken word to more operatic.  The majority of the songs aren't instantly memorable but Someone to Say and Wherever I Fall do leave a lasting impression.  Peter Dinklage and Haley Bennett reprise their roles from the stage play, bringing a familiarity and confidence to their roles.  The pair shares a tangible sense of chemistry that makes their relationship feel real and grounded.  Dinklage carries the film with relative ease by delivering a performance that's self assured, honest and ultimately heartbreaking.  He's the most interesting performer onscreen for the majority of the film even if his singing voice isn't the best.  Haley Bennett's performance is hindered by an underwritten role but her singing voice is lovely enough to overlook some of the script's deficiencies.   Kelvin Harrison Jr suffers a similar fate with his character's songs being better than his story arch.  Issues aside Cyrano is a solid movie musical take on this classic story elevated by a central performance from Peter Dinklage.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

 

Influencers looking to breathe new life into a Texas ghost town encounter Leatherface, the legendary killer who wears a mask of human skin.

Director: David Blue Garcia 

Cast: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham, Jacob Latimore, Moe Dunford, Olwen Fouéré, Alice Krige, Jessica Allain, Nell Hudson

Release Date: February 18, 2022 

Genre: Crime, Horror, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, and language

Runtime: 1h 21m

Review:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the newest entry in the long running franchise, takes the recent Halloween route ignoring all the sequels after the original.  However instead of doing anything interesting with the conceit David Blue Garcia’s film is total misfire on multiple levels.  Garcia’s disposable and forgettable film comes off as rushed and a haphazard cash in on the franchise name.  The nonsensical script from Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues does nothing but prop up dislikable characters who are nothing more than meat for the grinder.  The main hook here is supposed to be its connection to the original film but for some reason it decides to make Sally, the lone survivor from the original, nothing more than an afterthought and giving her an utterly unsatisfying resolution.  The plot’s only purpose is to serve up mindless blood and gore while ignoring any semblance of a coherent, logical story that ties this entry to the original film.  This iteration Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a disappointing revival which will be forgotten as soon as its finished. 

F

MOVIE REVIEW: UNCHARTED

Nathan Drake and his wisecracking partner Victor "Sully" Sullivan embark on a dangerous quest to find the greatest treasure never found while also tracking clues that may lead to Nate's long-lost brother.

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Cast: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg,  Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle,  Antonio Banderas

Release Date: February 18, 2022 

Genre: Action, Adventure

Rated PG-13 for violence/action and language

Runtime: 1h 56m

Review:

The Uncharted video game franchise is known for it's cinematic style and plotting so its rather baffling to see the live action take hit the big screen in such a bland vehicle.  I will say that I only have a passing familiarity with the game series but it does seem like a perfect franchise to make the jump to the big screen successfully.  Sadly, the film that ends up on screen feels like a copy of a copy as it delivers retreads of better action adventure films but never delivering anything new or exciting.  Ruben Fleisher's film feels like it's been through multiple focus groups resulting in the most generic action and characters.  The script doesn't help much since it's content with following the path of least resistance leaving very little mystery since you can see every turn coming.  Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg do the best they can with the material but neither can be accused of elevating any of it.  Their central relationship never really works the way it should even though some of the interactions are fun.  Sophia Ali and Tati Gabrielle do more with limited screen time but both of their characters are woefully underdeveloped.  Antonio Banderas is criminally underused as the film's main villain even though he seems game to ham it up.  Uncharted isn't the worst video game adaptation out there but it could have been much better and more memorable.

C

Cindy Prascik's Review of Last Looks

 

My dear reader(s), last weekend I was blessed with one of my favorite film happenings: a new Charlie Hunnam picture. On the docket, Last Looks...not just any Charlie Hunnam picture, but one where he's the STAR.

Spoiler level here will be mild, presumably nothing you wouldn't know from a trailer if you saw one, which I didn't.

An ex-LAPD detective is called to investigate when a drunken actor is accused of murdering his wife.

Last Looks is a solid mystery that still feels like it might have gone straight to video even pre-Covid. While Charlie earns top billing, the biggest name in the cast is definitely Mel Gibson. Putting aside the baggage that now carries, Gibson is teriffic and manages to garner sympathy for a character who is pretty unsympathetic. Practice makes perfect, I guess. For Hunnam, this is a great role and he's great in it. A Charlie Connoisseur, I've endured some lemons on his behalf, so this was a very happy surprise. The rest of the cast is as good as it needs to be, if unspectacular. The story takes some interesting turns, and maintains a dry sense of humor that keeps it from being too grim. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if a streaming service decided to spin this off into a series; both cast and characters seem ideally suited.

Last Looks clocks in at 110 minutes and is rated R for pervasive language.

Last Looks spins an enjoyable yarn, with some laughs thrown in for good measure. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Last Looks gets seven.

Last Looks is now available to rent or buy on Amazon or your cable/dish provider.

Until next time...