First responders and working-class heroes band together to save the citizens of Adventure City in Paramount Pictures’ gripping, inspiring animated thriller PAW Patrol: The Movie.
Check out the new trailer of PAW Patrol: The Movie below and watch the film in Philippine cinemas March 16.
About Paw Patrol: The Movie
The PAW Patrol is on a roll! When their biggest rival, Humdinger, becomes Mayor of nearby Adventure City and starts wreaking havoc, Ryder and everyone’s favorite heroic pups kick into high gear to face the challenge head on. While one pup must face his past in Adventure City, the team finds help from a new ally, the savvy dachshund Liberty. Together, armed with exciting new gadgets and gear, the PAW Patrol fights to save the citizens of Adventure City!
Joining the PAW Patrol in their thrilling first big screen adventure are members from the original series’ cast along with Iain Armitage, Marsai Martin, Yara Shahidi, Kim Kardashian West, Randall Park, Dax Shepard, with Tyler Perry and Jimmy Kimmel and introducing Will Brisbin.
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies and Spin Master Entertainment Present A Spin Master Entertainment Production.
Directed by Cal Brunker, screenplay by Billy Frolick and Cal Brunker & Bob Barlen, story by Billy Frolick, based on the television series created by Keith Chapman
Produced by Jennifer Dodge, p.g.a. Paw Patrol: The Movie is distributed in the Philippines by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. Connect with #PAWPatrolMovie and tag paramountpicsph
I’ve played the video games ‘Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’ and ‘Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’ so I am quite familiar with some of the characters and the general vibe of ‘Uncharted.’ A quick look online reveals that the film version directed by Ruben Fleischer and starring Tom Holland will serve as an origin story for the games (as mentioned in several articles from Collider and Movie Web and imdb), though heavily borrows quite a bit of elements from ‘Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’ and, as some critics have stated, from many other adventure movies with similar themes like the Indiana Jones franchise.
From the trailer alone you can see that the film makes full use of Holland’s incredible physicality and gymnastic skills to a great degree for some pretty hair-raising stunts. It promises all the thrills and spills of an adventure movie. The laws of physics and biology really don’t exist in this film – and so what? It’s a video game movie. There’s no way a person can do some of the things you will see here, especially after suffering so much damage from punches and slamming into walls. But Holland has stated that it was the most demanding work he’s ever had to do for any movie and you can really see him doing his stunts. For that alone, the movie delivers on its promises of thrilling action sequences.
And while the film tries to bring the action from the game into the movie, what it fails to do is to really take its time to invest you in the characters. In a video game, whether you like the character or not, you are controlling the protagonist. Every time he does something amazing or cool, you feel connected to it because you’re holding the controller. The act of actually controlling the character endears the character to you. In a film, we are mere spectators so that investment has to come from a human element that is highlighted in the film.
For this film to truly work on all levels, it has to take time to develop some very important characters and their relationships with each other. The film presents us with Tom Holland as Nathan Drake, a young man who grew up in an orphanage with his brother, who both have the propensity for history, geography, and exploration. After they were separated after getting caught trying to steal a 500-year old map that details Magellan’s circumnavigation of the world, Nathan ended up growing up alone as bartender who engages in petty thievery until he meets Sully (Mark Wahlberg) who invites him to join in a hunt for Magellan’s lost gold. When Nathan finds out that his brother, who he hasn’t heard from in a long time, was Sully’s partner, he joins in on the hunt for the hidden treasure.
The relationship between Nathan and Sam is vital to the film’s narrative. It is the prime motivating factor for Nathan to embark into this story but the film never takes time to truly show us what the relationship of the two was like. We just get the first scene when they were separated and are left to assume that they were close. This is a film. It’s more important to show and not to tell. The film lacks that connection we have to Nathan’s choice of joining the quest. Oftentimes, Sam is brought up to remind us why Nathan’s along for the ride but it doesn’t stick. It’s like the filmmakers just assumed we will want to see our hero risk his life in death-defying stunts that it isn’t important to emphasize on the why.
Similarly, Sully naturally is poised to become a surrogate brother to Nathan (though Sully is never trustworthy) but that relationship isn’t developed either. Instead, we get banter and funny one-liners that hinge entirely on their age gap.
So while we go on this exciting adventure, we are in it just for the ride. We don’t actually get to feel the emotional beats. And while a lot of the action sequences are amazing to watch, there are quite a number of moments that lack clarity. Sometimes the camera is too close or the cut is too quick that we don’t see the full movement of how Nathan gets out of trouble. It’s not often but when it happens, it gets annoying.
Because of the script’s lack of heart and emotion, the film is truly benefitting from Tom Holland’s charm and innocence. He is instantly likable and even if his character is a thief, you’re just naturally drawn to him. His physicality is amazing but he cannot carry the film through his charm and gymnastic skills alone. The script has to help.
Sophia Ali, who plays Chloe Frazer, gives Holland someone to bounce off with and it is their chemistry that grounds the piece but they’re not the centerpiece of this film. Antonio Banderas and Tati Gabrielle are so much fun to watch as the antagonists who will do anything to beat Sully and Nathan from getting the gold. Banderas is going for camp and looks like he’s having fun and Gabrielle just looks amazing in every scene.
The last bit that bothered me is the way the film discusses history and lost treasure. While the whole scenario is similar to Indiana Jones, at least Indiana Jones was an archeologist who wanted to put things in a museum (still imperialistic and West-centric but his goals were for the preservation of culture and heritage, at the least). Nathan and Sully are after the gold for their own self-interest. It doesn’t matter that the gold was taken from the Philippines with the intent of bringing our riches to Spain.
The Philippines is featured but they don’t really delve into our culture or history. It’s not important except where the gold is from – the film feels imperialistic all over again. For all of Nathan’s genius when it comes to history and the stories about explorers, he’s really just a treasure hunter. Without taking the time or the effort to contextualize the adventure, it seems that the film is saying it’s okay to take the riches of another country. It’s all fair game.
So while I enjoyed the film for its inventive action sequences and death-defying stunts, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and left me wishing they gave Tom Holland more to do as an actor. Because ‘Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’ left me in tears at the end of it. I didn’t have any of that in this film.
My Rating:
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Unchartedopens this Wednesday, February 23 in cinemas nationwide.Find a cinema near you.
Find your rhythm this February 23 when Sing 2, sequel to the blockbuster animated musical movie event opens in cinemas nationwide. The highly successful movie Sing that gave rise to unforgettable competing characters in a talent show brings the vibrant characters to life on the big screen with new members who eventually put their acts together to help each other reach for their dreams.
Sing 2 comes at an opportune time to return to the cinema experience to hum, sing and stomp to the movie’s beat as the nation (in recent weeks and days) sees increased numbers of those who had been vaccinated so far.
Quoting from an article in Deadline from Illumination’s founder (who also produced the highly successful franchise Despicable Me and gave rise to Minion’s dominion around the globe) Chris Meledandri, from his opening remarks from last year’s CinemaCon event stated the unparalleled experience of going to the movies, “THERE IS SIMPLY NO OTHER EXPERIENCE IN THE WORLD LIKE GOING TO THE MOVIES!… But I am here to tell you that a vibrant theatrical business is not only critical for the filmmaking community, for exhibition, for our global cultural heritage and certainly for our audiences. A vibrant theatrical business is important for the streamers as well! For without it, the very notion of a movie may begin to slip away. In this moment of change, our industry cannot rest. All of us—from content creators to exhibition—must challenge ourselves to reach higher, to be better than we ever thought we could be. We must write the next act of our story. And when we truly meet this moment, I am confident that: Just as we have, for more than a century—through good times and bad, peace and war, prosperity AND pandemics…People all over the world will come together…Join with family and friends…And GO TO THE MOVIES.”
Sing 2 follows the talented group on aiming for bigger dreams heading to Redshore City where all promising and successful artists start and conquer, Buster Moon and his crew dodge all odds trying to make a mark in the entertainment capital of the world. Forever the showman with the hustle to match, Buster, voiced by Oscar® winner Matthew McConaughey, has now set his sights on making it big with a new show. “I am inspired by Buster and his eternal, and often delusional, optimism,” McConaughey says. “He’s a dreamer who will do the work to make his dreams come true, even if they don’t. In preparing to be Buster, I got inspiration from my own children, and the boundless energy of their youth and imagination.
Rocker porcupine Ash is voiced by Scarlett Johansson, who was thrilled to return to the franchise after seeing audiences connect so well with the first film. “I think audiences loved Sing because the characters and story have an explosive amount of heart,” Johansson says. “Ash is an artist and so she understands firsthand that an artist needs to heal thru their gift,” Johansson says. “That’s what she inspires Clay (voiced by Bono) to do; to find his voice again and use his music to move beyond his trauma to a place of acceptance and healing.”
A Universal Pictures International release, Sing 2 opens on February 23 in cinemas nationwide.
Fresh from garnering six major Academy Awards nominations including Best Picture, Warner Bros. Pictures’ moving drama King Richard will be shown exclusively at select Ayala Malls Cinemas starting February 23.
Watch the film’s trailer below:
Based on the true story that will inspire the world, “King Richard” follows the journey of Richard Williams, an undeterred father instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time, who will end up changing the sport of tennis forever. Two-time Oscar nominee Will Smith (“Ali,” “The Pursuit of Happyness”) stars as Richard, under the direction of Reinaldo Marcus Green (“Monsters and Men”).
Driven by a clear vision of their future and using unconventional methods, Richard has a plan that will take Venus and Serena Williams from the streets of Compton, California to the global stage as legendary icons. The profoundly moving film shows the power of family, perseverance and unwavering belief as a means to achieve the impossible and impact the world.
For his portrayal of the legendary Williams patriarch, Will Smith has received his third Oscar Best Actor nomination. “King Richard” is also vying in the following Oscar categories: Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis), Best Film Editing, and Best Original Song.
For Will Smith, the story of “King Richard” is a story of “The impossible dream. For the most part, we all have impossible dreams. We have things that we would do if we felt that they were possible, things we would do if we believed. The story of Richard and this family is largely the American dream. There are very few places on earth where Venus and Serena could happen. At the core, this is about wanting to be the best versions of ourselves and sometimes, our circumstances may not line up with that, and it’s up to the strength of the human spirit to overpower circumstances. It’s wish-fulfillment for all of us.”
“King Richard” also stars Aunjanue Ellis (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” TV’s “Quantico”) who plays the girls’ mom, Oracene “Brandi” Williams, Saniyya Sidney (“Hidden Figures,” “Fences”) stars as Venus Williams, Demi Singleton (TV’s “Godfather of Harlem”) stars as Serena Williams, with Tony Goldwyn (the “Divergent” series, TV’s “Scandal”) as coach Paul Cohen and Jon Bernthal (“Ford v Ferrari”) as coach Rick Macci.
Watch “King Richard” exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas – Glorietta, Bonifacio High Street, Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Ayala Malls The 30th, TriNoma, Fairview Terraces, Ayala Malls Capitol Central, and Centrio.
Welcome “2” the next level as Paramount Pictures launches the payoff poster for Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Check out the one-sheet art below and see the comedy-adventure only in Philippine cinemas this March 30.
The world’s favorite blue hedgehog is back for a next-level adventure in SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2. After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is eager to prove he has what it takes to be a true hero. His test comes when Dr. Robotnik returns, this time with a new partner, Knuckles, in search for an emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands.
From the filmmakers behind The Fast and the Furious and Deadpool, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 stars James Marsden, Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, and Jim Carrey returning, alongside new additions Shemar Moore, with Idris Elba as the voice of Knuckles, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey as the voice of Tails.
Directed by Jeff Fowler. Screenplay by Pat Casey & Josh Miller and John Whittington. Story by Pat Casey & Josh Miller, based on the SEGA Video Game.
Warner Bros. Pictures has just unveiled the first trailer of Elvis, the new movie event from visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann. Check out the trailer below and watch the film only in Philippine cinemas this June 22.
From Oscar-nominated visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “Elvis,” starring Austin Butler and Oscar winner Tom Hanks.
The film explores the life and music of Elvis Presley (Butler), seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks). The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).
Starring alongside Hanks and Butler, award-winning theatre actress Helen Thomson (“Top of the Lake: China Girl,” “Rake”) plays Elvis’s mother, Gladys; Richard Roxburgh (“Moulin Rouge!” “Breath,” “Hacksaw Ridge”) portrays Elvis’s father, Vernon, and DeJonge (“The Visit,” “Stray Dolls”) plays Priscilla. Luke Bracey (“Hacksaw Ridge,” “Point Break”) plays Jerry Schilling, Natasha Bassett (“Hail, Caesar!”) plays Dixie Locke, David Wenham (“The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, “Lion,” “300”) plays Hank Snow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “The High Note”) plays B.B. King, Xavier Samuel (“Adore,” “Love & Friendship,” “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”) plays Scotty Moore, and Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) plays Jimmie Rodgers Snow.
Also in the cast, Dacre Montgomery (“Stranger Things,” “The Broken Heart Gallery”) plays TV director Steve Binder, alongside Australian actors Leon Ford (“Gallipoli,” “The Pacific”) as Tom Diskin, Kate Mulvany (“The Great Gatsby,” “Hunters”) as Marion Keisker, Gareth Davies (“Peter Rabbit,” “Hunters”) as Bones Howe, Charles Grounds (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “Camp”) as Billy Smith, Josh McConville (“Fantasy Island”) as Sam Phillips, and Adam Dunn (“Home and Away”) as Bill Black.
To play additional iconic musical artists in the film, Luhrmann cast singer/songwriter Yola as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, model Alton Mason as Little Richard; Austin, Texas native Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh as Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton.
Oscar nominee Luhrmann (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”) directed from a screenplay by Baz Luhrmann & Sam Bromell and Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner, story by Baz Luhrmann and Jeremy Doner. The film’s producers are Luhrmann, Oscar winner Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”), Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss. Courtenay Valenti and Kevin McCormick executive produced.
The director’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Mandy Walker (“Mulan,” “Australia”), Oscar-winning production designer and costume designer Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”), production designer Karen Murphy (“A Star Is Born”), editors Matt Villa (“The Great Gatsby,” “Australia”) and Jonathan Redmond (“The Great Gatsby”), Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Thomas Wood (“Mad Max: Fury Road”), music supervisor Anton Monsted (“Australia,” “Moulin Rouge!”) and composer Elliott Wheeler (“The Get Down”).
Principal photography on “Elvis” took place in Queensland, Australia with the support of the Queensland Government, Screen Queensland and the Australian Government’s Producer Offset program.
A Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation, A Bazmark Production, A Jackal Group Production, A Baz Luhrmann Film, “Elvis” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #ElvisMovie
The wait is almost over. Batman fans across the Philippines have a chance to be one of the first people in the world to see The Dark Knight’s next big screen adventure.
Warner Bros. Philippines has just announced that tickets to the nationwide midnight screenings of “The Batman” on March 2 at 12:01AM are now available. Fans may check the social pages of Warner Bros. Philippines for updates on participating cinemas.
Advance ticket selling for dates after March 2 has also started. The public may buy their tickets now.
Watch the film’s latest trailer below:
From Warner Bros. Pictures comes Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne.
Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies—Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright)—amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.
Starring alongside Robert Pattinson (“Tenet,” “The Lighthouse”) as Gotham’s famous and infamous cast of characters are Zoë Kravitz (“Big Little Lies,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”); Paul Dano (“Love & Mercy,” “12 Years a Slave”); Jeffrey Wright (“No Time to Die,” “Westworld”); John Turturro (the “Transformers” films, “The Plot Against America”); Peter Sarsgaard (“The Magnificent Seven,” “Interrogation”) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Jayme Lawson (“Farewell Amor”) as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; with Andy Serkis (the “Planet of the Apes” films, “Black Panther”); and Colin Farrell (“The Gentlemen,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”).
Reeves (“The Planet of the Apes” franchise) directed from a screenplay by Reeves & Peter Craig, based on characters from DC. Batman was created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. Dylan Clark (the “Planet of the Apes” films) and Reeves produced the film, with Michael E. Uslan, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo and Simon Emanuel serving as executive producers.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents a 6th & Idaho/Dylan Clark Productions Production, a Matt Reeves Film, “The Batman.” The film is set to open in Philippine theaters on March 2; it will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #TheBatman
Hollywood always returns to tried and tested formulas with the hopes of bringing the audience to the theaters and scoring a hit in this very unpredictable landscape of movies. With comic book adaptations cornering the theaters – pushing comedies and non-Oscar bait dramas straight to streaming – the old checklists of ensuring a hit in the theaters is completely gone. This has led to some unappealing remakes and reboots of some “classic” IPs. There was Tom Cruise’s ‘The Mummy’ and ‘Men in Black: International,’ who had a great cast but a hollow script, ‘Terminator Genisys,’ and a few others. Appealing to nostalgia is a difficult juggling act as you have to introduce new audiences to the material while trying to satisfy the fans of the original but still delivering something new and refreshing.
It’s why I was wary of ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ because what if this is just another appeal to nostalgia? Another cash grab of a famous IP, especially since ‘Ghostbusters: Answer the Call’ was met with some mixed reviews and was not the big hit it was expected to be.
I shouldn’t have worried. From the very start, ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ felt refreshing and new. Sure, there were rampant Easter Eggs left and right at the beginning but the focus of the film is on the new characters that they bring in. We are introduced to Callie (played by the very versatile Carrie Coon), who is struggling to make ends meet and she has to uproot herself and her whole family – Trevor (played by Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (McKenna Grace) – to Oklahoma to a farm her estranged father had left her. The house is a wreck and they don’t know anyone in town but having no choice, the dysfunctional family has to try and start a new life here.
Director Jason Reitman and screenwriters Reitman and Gil Kenan take their time to really establish the family dynamics. Trevor is rebelling (as all teenagers do) and Phoebe, who displays antisocial tendencies but is truly gifted with science and machines, and both have a tenuous relationship with their mother. Callie is at her wit’s end and she now has to face her unresolved feelings with her father as she deals with the legacy he has left behind.
And this is where the story begins to tether into Ghostbuster lore. Because, as hinted by the opening scene, Callie’s estranged father was a Ghostbuster. Slowly and organically, as Trevor and Phoebe discover who and what the Ghostbusters are (showing clips from the old movies as news footage) the worlds of the original film and this sequel start to collide.
As the trailer shows us, the little town of Sommerville in Oklahoma is about to be run over by ghosts, and Phoebe and new friend Podcast (the hilarious Logan Kim) must take the mantle that was left behind at the old house and stop the ghosts with the help of Trevor, his love interest Lucky (played by Celeste O’Connor) and Phoebe’s science teacher Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd).
The film really takes its time to develop characters, relationships, and then the discovery of who and what the Ghostbusters are, and while all these elements are being brought up, Reitman weaves them into each other so that the film never feels scattered and all over the place. There is heavy use of elements from the first two movies but it’s never self-referential. It’s the story that was chosen to be told and it connects it directly with the first two installments of the franchise and this makes it feel like it’s doing something new with the IP.
The story is fast-paced and there’s quite a great number of funny moments and tense scenes, and at the very heart of it is a sensitive and touching story about a family that needs to embrace – not just their history and legacy – but their weirdness.
‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ is a fun movie that can be enjoyed by people who loved the first films or who’ve never seen it. There’s space in the filmmaking for both audiences. McKenna Grace manages to carry the film with the strength of her performance (and with a lot of help from Logan Kim, whose comic timing is impeccable) and I will always watch any movie with Carrie Coon in it. I shouldn’t have worried. This is how you make a new installment out of a thirty-year-old franchise.
‘West Side Story’ first debuted on stage in 1957 and is considered one of the greatest musicals of all time. It takes the Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers plotline and gives it a distinctly American flavour by transporting the narrative to then-present New York with the warring families represented by White Americans and Puerto Rican immigrants. It was turned into a film in 1961 and has been revived over and over again, even coming to the Philippines in 2017 courtesy of a British touring cast.
It is that touring production back in 2017 that made me very afraid of this new revival. ‘West Side Story’ has some of the most beautiful music and songs of musical theater. The score of Leonard Bernstein and the lyrics of Stephen Sondheim are legendary and so many of these songs are ingrained into many of us, even if they aren’t musical aficionados.
The 2017 touring production presented the show as is and it failed to capture the depth that the show can reach. After all, it’s a story about racial war and gangs. There’s a scene where a woman is ganged up on by a group of men and the Latin community finds the portrayal of the Puerto Ricans in both the original play and the 1961 movie to be problematic.
What made me still want to see it despite my fears is that it is directed by the great Stephen Spielberg, a master storyteller who is well-versed in the nuances of a story’s humanity. I was later overjoyed to discover that Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay for their adaptation and what a powerhouse these two make.
This new remake manages to keep all of the songs but make significant changes that only serves to really highlight the elements in the story that really make ‘West Side Story’ such a timeless story.
In this version, Spielberg and Kushner allow the women to be much stronger in their portrayal in this film. It is still set in the 1950s but the women seem to have a stronger voice to make repeated calls for the two gangs – The Sharks, the Puerto Rican group, and the Jets, the American gang – to stop fighting. In this version, the women have hopes and dreams and even the lead character, Maria, who is usually so naive and innocent in the stage and the previous films, has a little more fire. Rachel Zegler’s performance gives her version of Maria a conscious choice to be with Tony (played by Ansel Elgort) while knowing full-well what this could mean. It makes the character, and the love story, so much more poignant.
There is also a backstory that is given to Tony that adds a stronger redemption arc to the character and adds weight to events that unfold in the story. This new backstory makes Tony someone you want to root for because there’s a goal for something that is worthwhile and meaningful for the character other than love.
The new changes also elevate what was once a love-at-first-sight story into an attraction born out of their surroundings. With Tony’s new backstory, seeing Maria is like seeing the purity and innocence of his new goals (of a more peaceful life) come to life. He is attracted to her because she’s a breath of fresh air. For Maria, Tony is a newcomer. He’s not one of the Jets that she knows of (though she later finds out he is) and he’s not one of the Puerto Ricans her older brother is forcing on her. For Maria, she’s looking to be free of her brother’s oppression and to enjoy the liberation that living in America promises. Tony becomes that for her. And in the process, they fall in love.
Spielberg, ever the master storyteller, expands the world of ‘West Side Story’ and makes the city – the territory that the Jets and the Sharks are fighting over – as a character. Everyone is on the brink of eviction and some buildings have already been demolished in preparation to build the Lincoln Center. This tough neighborhood that is becoming a ruin becomes symbolic of the brokenness of the country. The city is a battleground and the fact that the discrimination is not addressed by the government and the police in any realistic and practical way bears weight to the story.
Because unlike previous revivals, there is no painting of gray areas in this version. The Jets are a gang. The film doesn’t make any excuses for their racism. The song ‘Gee, Officer Krupke,’ which is usually sung and performed with a bit of humor in former performances becomes a scary insight in how some groups use the failure of the system as an excuse for their bad behaviour. Here, the Puerto Ricans have jobs. They’re in a gang to protect the neighborhood. In this film, the Puerto Ricans are in the right.
And you can see it subtly even in the choreography. A big, wonderful dance number at the gym where Tony and Maria first see themselves is a showcase of fantastic dancing and camera work and editing. But in my perspective, the Americans – as good as they are – are not as impressive as when the Puerto Ricans burn the dance floor. Ariana DeBose (who received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in this movie) is a powerhouse. Her dancing and singing skills is equally matched by her spirited performance of Anita. She kills each number she’s in and like many wonderful actresses who played Anita before, steals the show by juggling the different textures of the character.
It is also a brilliant choice of Stephen Spielberg to not use subtitles in all the Spanish parts of the film. There’s quite a number of long stretches of conversation in Spanish that you understand contextually from the sheer clarity of the filmmaking. It’s a powerful move because it puts the Puerto Ricans as equal to the Americans. Spanish is not second to English.
Boasting some amazing set pieces, great choreography that is pretty to look at but always bursting with violence and rage, and some truly wonderful new renditions of beloved songs, ‘West Side Story’ is a marvel of filmmaking. It has the grandeur and sweep of a classic movie musical but it has all the energy and spirit of a contemporary movie. It’s only drawback is the many allegations that have come out about Ansel Elgort’s offscreen activities. He does a good job as Tony, though he’s not the strongest in the group. He delivers a sincerity that we’ve seen in films like ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ but it’s a heavy burden to see him there knowing what he’s done outside.
But I won’t let that one piece of casting ruin what is otherwise a wonderful remake that corrects a lot of the dated portrayals of the original and the conservative approach to some of the themes. By fully committing to the story and its themes, Spielberg’s and Kushner’s ‘West Side Story’ is truly marvelous.
She recently starred in New Line’s Annabelle Comes Home and in the hugely successful Captain Marvel opposite Brie Larson. Now, Mckenna Grace stars budding scientist, Phoebe in Columbia Pictures’ new action-adventure Ghostbusters: Afterlife in Philippine cinemas on February 16.
At the center of Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a small family: single mom Callie (Carrie Coon), her 15-year-old son Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), and her 12-year-old daughter Phoebe (Mckenna Grace). After they are evicted from their Chicago apartment, the family moves into a ramshackle Oklahoma homestead where they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.
“Phoebe is brilliant and could only be played by an actress who is as intelligent as she is,” director Jason Reitman says. “Mckenna is exceptionally smart – she’s probably read more books than I have – very thoughtful, and very funny. She’s perfect for Phoebe –a young, misunderstood woman who finds herself in ghostbusting.”
“In Phoebe, I wanted the audience to meet a young girl who is a genius and who feels like an outsider,” says Jason, “someone who is looking for friends in the moment that she discovers she’s just like her grandfather. She is a scientist. She is someone who can make things, who wants to fix things. She is the kid who wants to break open the toaster and see how it works, but instead of a toaster, she gets a proton pack.”
Grace says she feels blessed to play this role. “I get to be the character that unravels her grandfather’s life and discovers their family tree. She’s not at all like other kids her age. She’s incredibly smart. She’s very into science experiments. When we are first introduced to her, she is pulling cords through a giant hole in the wall and causes a power outage in the whole house. She’s very inventive and resourceful,” Grace concludes.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Use the hashtag #Ghostbusters
