Steven Spielberg's WEST SIDE STORY - News & Discussion Thread — Page 79

Tony Kushner definitely deserves an Oscar nomination for his Adapted Screenplay. He added so much historical context to the story and so much more depth to the characters. Sadly, screenplays to movie musicals are often underrated and overlooked. Even with the original 1961 movie. It won 10 of its 11 Oscar nominations, and the only one it lost was Adapted Screenplay. Meantime, no screenplay to a musical has ever won the Academy Award since ''Gigi'' (1958).

Kushner recently did a terrific interview with GoldDerby.com, full of insights and anecdotes about working with Spielberg and Sondheim on the screenplay. He did so much research, even going back to ''Romeo & Juliet,'' and it's clear that all the changes and updates were done with great care and consideration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKVxy8jD_7I&t=1594s

West Side Story had its world premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater in New York City on November 29, 2021, three days after the sudden death of lyricist Stephen Sondheim.The movie was theatrically distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through the 20th Century Studios label in the United States on December 10, 2021, after being delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 340 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.30/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Steven Spielberg's West Side Story presents a new look at the classic musical that lives up to its beloved forebear – and in some respects might even surpass it."Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100 based on 62 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 88% overall positive score, with 70% saying they would definitely recommend it.

bear88 said: "The lack of awards buzz for Faist is disappointing. It was no accident the producers of the film highlighted him in the previews. He was compelling from the start and sold the complex dynamic between Riff and Tony, helping Ansel Elgort's performance be better than it would have been otherwise.

He gets occasional mentions and seems to be viewed as a longshot candidate.

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Unfortunately, Mike isn't interested in playing the game. Disney should've put him on more talk shows. He really should be a frontrunner for Supporting Actor.

I’ve seen more articles about David Alvarez and his return to show business. He has the Tony Award and the Oscar-winning role, so I’ve seen more push for him in the press. I’d personally love to see them both slip in.

Azúcar! said: "Its like they are intentionally sabotaging their award chances. I just viewed the union voting screener. The quality of the image is dull and the sound is not dolby encoded and is flat. What was so visual and lush sounding in movie theaters is sadly not even attempted in the screener mix. Which is the only way the majority of voters will be able to see this movie."

Maybe the studio doesn't want to invest any more in the movie because it already lost so much money? I don't know why else they wouldn't make sure it was top quality.

I'm wondering why they haven't even announced a Disney+ or HBO Max release date yet. Encanto underperformed at the box office and then blew up once it was available for streaming. I know Spielberg is a stickler for the cinematic experience but you would think with awards season in full swing they would want as many people as possible to be able to see the film so maybe it could pick up some steam.

He gets occasional mentions and seems to be viewed as a longshot candidate.

Unfortunately, Mike isn't interested in playing the game. Disney should've put him on more talk shows. He really should be a frontrunner for Supporting Actor."

Yeah, he doesn't really care which means he probably won't be nominated. If you are not willing to promote yourself all the time for months before and during award season, you usually get nothing. He was the best part and the best actor in this film. I think what he cared about was doing a great job for himself, nothing more.

It was reported to be on HBO Max or Disney+ at the end of January. They just are not promoting it. It will quietly be put on either one or both.

Azúcar! said: "Its like they are intentionally sabotaging their award chances. I just viewed the union voting screener. The quality of the image is dull and the sound is not dolby encoded and is flat. What was so visual and lush sounding in movie theaters is sadly not even attempted in the screener mix. Which is the only way the majority of voters will be able to see this movie."

I have to agree. I watched the screener thru the Disney awards portal and the stream is disappointing. Still a good movie. I hope to watch it again when it is out on 4k and the sound is properly mixed.

The Daily Beast decided today to write a hit piece about Rachel. It was disgusting.

AntV said: "If they stick to streaming release 45 days after theatrical release it should be out tonight at 3:00am est. Doubt it though, they would probably announce it first."

I wish this were true but I agree there would be a press release about it. Walt Disney Studios recently announced The King's Man will be on Hulu starting on February 18 - that's another 20th Century Studios film and it was released after West Side Story. I would be surprised if WSS comes out before that since there's been no official word.

I hope it drops soon. I want to see it again but it's already left all of the local movie theaters.

My 10th time. Still getting chills. I’m appreciating the quality of Ansel’s voice and singing more and more. I like watching audience reactions now. There was this young teenage girl who was bawling, not just crying or sobbing, I mean just bawling her eyes out. She started right after Riff was stabbed. She would quiet down into sniffles and then would start all over again till the end . The other people in the theater pretty much reacted respectfully with knowing smiles (while wiping away tears) because they understood how effectively emotional those last 20 or 15 minutes were.

Updated On: 1/26/22 at 05:53 AM

Jasmine Green said: "Azúcar! said: "Its like they are intentionally sabotaging their award chances. I just viewed the union voting screener. The quality of the image is dull and the sound is not dolby encoded and is flat. What was so visual and lush sounding in movie theaters is sadly not even attempted in the screener mix. Which is the only way the majority of voters will be able to see this movie."

Maybe the studio doesn't want to invest any more in the movie because it already lost so much money? I don't know why else they wouldn't make sure it was top quality.

I'm wondering why they haven't even announced a Disney+ or HBO Max release date yet. Encanto underperformed at the box office and then blew up once it was available for streaming. I know Spielberg is a stickler for the cinematic experience but you would think with awards season in full swing they would want as many people as possible to be able to see the film so maybe it could pick up some steam."

I believe everything is proceeding as planned.

If there were a top quality screener, it would undoubtedly end up online (illegally) as has very often been the case in the past. That situation equates to lost revenue, hence low-quality screener.

Why no mention of when it will show up on Disney+? Hamilton Leads To Major Increase In Disney+ Subscriptions and "Encanto underperformed at the box office and then blew up once it was available for streaming." When it suddenly appears on Disney+, I believe both statements will also apply to WSS. By not announcing ahead of time (especially if it wins Oscar[s]), the tendency to 'impulse subscribe' is greater.