BEING THE RICARDOS

If you are expecting a comedy, be forwarned.  This is a serious look behind the scenes of "I Love Lucy" in one of their darkest weeks.........Namely, when Lucille Ball discovered her husband may be cheating on her and Walter Winchell announced on his weekly Radio Broadcast that she had ties to the Communist party.   Nicole Kidmas as Lucy and Xavier Bardem as Desi Arnez create their personas admirably and there are moments you'd swear it was Lucy and Desi  The screenplay and direction by Aaron Sorkin holds a magnifing glass up to the going's on and you simply can't look away.  While not a great movie, it certainly maintains your interest for its two hour running time.  And J.K. Simmons as William Frawley and Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance deliver winning performances. (Fred and Ethel Mertz, in case you forgot) By the way, there are a few laughs, not many and they certainly don't outshine the performances by Kidman and Barden.  If you're a fan of "I Love Lucy," I think you'll be enthralled.

WEST SIDE STORY

I had trepidations.  Why remake a classic?  But after giving it some thought and recalling four versions of "A Star is Born" and countless looks at "Romeo and Juliet," I decided to not prejudge this much-touted remake by Stephen Spielberg.  So what did I think?   I think it is a materpiece in its own right and should not be compared to the earlier incarnation.  They both stand magnificently alone.  Mr. Spielberg is a masterfilmmaker and at the top of his game.  When one knows every song and still finds them fresh as they were many years ago on Broadway, you know you are witnessing cinema magic.  The casting is superb.  Ansel Elgor as Tony and Rachel Zegler as Maria bring an innocent charm to their roles and sing like angels.  Equally impressive are Ariana DeBose as Anita and David Alverez as Bernardo  (the later won a Tony when he was a child for his portrayal of "Billy Ellior")  And I must mention Rita Moreno as Valentina giving a flawless preformance that was created especially for her.  And the new Riff  (Mike Faist) brings a "little boy lost" to the role. The dancing (while paying homage to Jerome Robbins occasionally) is brilliantly staged by choreographer Justin Peck.  So, to sum it up, never to my knowledge has a remake of an Oscar winning picutre won an Oscar on the second outing...........But this may be the year...........Nominations are bound to happen.

 

Today, I ventured back to a movie theater with eager anticipation.  I wan not disappointed.  "In The Heights" arrived on screen full of charm, wonder and downright thrilling cinematic glory!  Freely adapted under the direction of John M. Chu from the Tony winning Broadway show, the movie "opens up" into the Latino world of New York City's Washington Heights with all the gusto I had hoped for.  With a cast of mostly unknown Latino actors (Jimmy Smits and Marc Anthony being the exceptions) the standout is Anthony Ramos in the lead role, played on stage by the author Lin-Manuel Miranda.  Mr. Miranda (sporting a beard) does appear in the film as a vendor selling summertime ice's in the sweltering heat.  The plot is of no importance here but it concerns lovers, tears, the lottery, a fictional black-out, an unexpected death and dancing.  And what dancing it is!  The choreography by Christopher Scott is refreshingly exuberant and quite surprising at times (No spoiler here, but some of it will blow you away)  While some may find it hard to follow (owing to the rapidity of some lyrics) it is still a joyful film to behold, full of life and a little fantasy here and there.  And I will be so bold as to say an Oscar nomination is in its future as Best Picture. And one that is well deserved.  To borrow a quote........."This is the stuff that dreams are made of."  Una pelicula brillante!