joe niesyn

Underated crime/mafia movie. Maybe cause Scorsese, DeNero or Pesci are not involved. Daniel Craig plays a great scumbag and Jude Law is perfectly creepy. Of course, Hanks can do no wrong and just the mention of Newman is worth an extra star. Cinematigrophy, especialy at the lake house and church are well worth the price.

Spielberg and crew were able to pay homage to the original movie( and broadway play before it) while using more Latinex actors and freshening up the plot so it wasn’t just a cover of the original but had its own voice. Executive producer Rita Moreno ( original Anita) was excellent in the Doc role and Tony being portrayed as doing time for almost killing a rival gang member explained his apprehensions to rumbling which the original did not. Watched the original the following day for comparison and I suggest younger folk do the same as it’s still a master piece(although I still chuckle seeing some of the Jets wearing cardigans). I am somewhat apprehensive towards remakes ( being an old fart) but I simply love them both. Lastly- the scene set in Gimbals ( previously set in the dress shop) showing white affluent characters in the Point of Sale displays juxtaposed to working class Puerto Rican employees was a brilliant & relevant touch. Bravo again. Sondheim/ Bernstein & Robbins would approve methinks.

Maudlin writing, cheesy music, uninspired characters… predictably bland. Was hoping Walken could resuscitate this movie from flatlining, but nothing doing. Gave it three stars to be fair as I’m a 60 year old man who had no business tuning in to the saccharine attempt at relevance. Caveat emptor.

The very quirky nature and ensemble of this flick almost had me wondering if I’d make it through to the end, but after about10 minutes, I started enjoying it more and more as the plot developed. Glad I stuck with it. Thoroughly enjoyable.