To see the intro to this project, as well as links to other decades, click here. 27) “America,” from West Side Story (1961) The most illuminating song performances of the 1960s are bookends with dance numbers which, if we’re being honest, outshine the songs themselves. In the case of “America,” the signature song from West… Read More Listen to America: The 1960s
With the Oscars around the corner, I’m doing blurbs for each of this year’s Best Picture nominees in lieu of full reviews. (I don’t plan anything I do, so I’ve linked to ones with reviews already published…) I’ve ranked the films from best to worst below as a method of organization. Occasionally I’ll reference my… Read More 94th Academy Awards Best Picture Nominees, Ranked
Dir. Steven Spielberg. Starring Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose Somewhere, J.J. Abrams left a movie theater, blinking a little bit behind those signature glasses of his, and he murmured to himself, “Gosh…the new West Side Story has a lot of lens flare, doesn’t it?” I suppose I should feel some gratitude to Steven Spielberg,… Read More West Side Story (2021)
The following is from my series of Oscar Best Picture rankings, as well as my strongly worded suggestions for what should have won from among the nominees. For an introduction to the project, click here. For a way to vote on some Oscar-related ideas, click here. If I’ve written a review on any of the… Read More Better than the Oscars: 65-61
Honorable mentions: “Quintet,” “America” What a mistake it was to turn this into a duet. Like most people who know a musical that’s nearly sixty years old, my first contact with West Side Story was the 1961 movie, the first of four musicals to take Best Picture in that decade. One gets used to the back and forth in… Read More Songs from Musicals: #43, “Somewhere,” from West Side Story
Rules: Yes, I stole this idea from my older brother. He can complain to someone else about it, because people pay him to write stuff in real life and I have a blog that no one cares about. I’ve chosen fifty musicals that mean at least a little something to me, and then picked some… Read More Songs from Musicals: Intro and Links
Seeing Things Secondhand 