David R. Walker

Posts Tagged ‘Rita Moreno’

Fast X – Fast and Furious 10

Director: Louis Leterrier

Cast: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriquez, Jason Momoa, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, John Cena, Rita Moreno, Scott Eastwood, Tyrese Gibson, Helen Mirren, Jordana Brewster, Chris Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Brie Larson, Alan Ritchson

Running Time: 2 hours and 21 minutes

Film Rating: 7 out of 10 

French film director Louis Leterrier who did the first two Transporter films goes really mammoth for the 10^th film of the Fast and Furious franchise as he assembles all the cast from the last film together with Vin Diesel leading the cast as Dominic Toretto.

Unlike in the previous couple of films where there hasn’t been a clear villain in Fast X, the villain is Dante Reyes, the son of a Brazilian crime family who decides to avenge his father’s death in Rio de Janeiro ten years ago. Except Dante is really crazy and not in a good way.

Brilliantly played with a dazzling flamboyance which borders on madness, Jason Momoa (Aquaman, Justice League) really does the entire eccentric villain character from blowing up parts of Rome to drawing out Toretto, Lettie and the rest of his crew away from Los Angeles to the streets of Rome, Rio de Janeiro and finally to the highways of Portugal.

Toretto’s L. A. home and warns him that an incredibly dangerous villain is after Toretto and his family, the action hots up fast and swiftly. Bringing in the usual gang headed by Roman played by Tyrese Gibson along with Tej played by Chris Bridges, Toretto must use all his strength and determination to elude the clutches of the crazy Dante. All the usual suspects from previous films pop up including Shaw played by Jason Statham, Shaw’s mother Queenie played by Oscar winner Helen Mirren (The Queen) and some newcomers including the gorgeous Oscar winner Brie Larson (Room) as Tess, daughter of the head of the covert agency who assists Lettie and Dominic in trying to bring down Dante.

Luckily Fast X is not heavy on dialogue and Leterrier makes this film entirely action driven with planes, cars and even buses blowing up and there are enough car chases to satisfy the legions of fans which made this franchise so popular. Basically, a cult of cars.

Fast X is explosive, loud and never boring but despite the heavy A-list cast, the storyline is repetitive with few plot twists or surprises. The best surprise is how good Jason Momoa is at playing the villain Dante who creates an urban inferno. Dante is a brash, painted and sociopathic man-child complete with gadgets, bombs and an absolute hatred of everything vaguely normal. Dante is chaos incorporated even killing the two tech guys who assist him and then painting their dead toe nails.

The rest of the cast is the same except for a lovely Brie Larson who adds some femininity to an otherwise very macho cast including John Cena as Jacob, Jason Statham as Shaw and Alan Ritchson as Aimes. Fast 10 is made in two parts and this is the first film which ends on a literal cliff-hanger.

Recommended viewing for those that love fast cars, exotic locations and brash action sequences, Fast X will dazzle and entertain audiences globally and gets a film rating of 7 out of 10. This is a high octane, fast paced action film which already has a loyal following. Best viewed in an IMAX cinema.

West Side Story

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, Corey Stoll, Rita Moreno, David Alvarez, Ariana Debose, Brian d’Arcy James, Mike Faist

Film Rating 9.5 out of 10

Running time: 2 hours and 36 minutes

Oscar winning director Steven Spielberg’s cinematic adaptation of West Side Story is truly phenomenal.

A vibrant, beautifully filmed remake of the 1961 film which won 10 Oscars back then and is going to sweep the board at Oscar season in 2022. With a beautiful script by Tony Kushner, the multi award winning playwright who penned the 1990 AIDS drama Angels in America, West Side Story tells the story of two rival teenage street gangs in New York City in 1957, as their neighbourhoods are going to be torn down, to make way for the building of the now impressive Lincoln Theatre on the edge of Manhattan and Harlem.

More significantly West Side Story is a contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with all the themes of forbidden love, the individual versus society and the inevitability of fate, violence and sexual desire. Impressively, director Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is beautifully shot, with vibrant colour saturation, authentic production design and choreography and dance numbers that will dazzle the audiences and then pull them into the fate of the two star crossed lovers: Tony superbly played by Ansel Elgort (The Goldfinch, Baby Driver, The Fault in Our Stars) and Broadway star turned film actress Rachel Zegler who plays the beautiful Puerto Rican girl Maria.

In a genius stroke of casting, Rita Moreno who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the 1961 version of West Side Story is cast as Tony’s Puerto Rican boss Valentina, who also steals the show.

West Side Story sensitively addresses the contemporary issues facing most industrialized cities today: gentrification, turf warfare, gang violence, xenophobia and systemic racism with a flamboyance and a style which is both insightful and entertaining.

As Tony and Maria meet at a dance off in a beautiful colour saturated scene highly representative of the opulent Capulet Ball scene in director Baz Luhrmann’s 1997 William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, their fate is sealed forever, as Tony, a Polish ex-con falls helplessly in love with the gorgeous Maria a young Puerto Rican teenager who makes a living cleaning plush department stores by night .

From the beautiful balcony scene, with washing flying in the moonlit night, Tony climbs up to Maria’s apartment and professes undying love for her despite their opposing cultural backgrounds and that they both come from rival gangs which are fighting over a territory which will soon be demolished.

Representative of Tybalt, Maria’s hot headed brother Bernardo is played with all the machismo and bravado of a young gang leader by David Alvarez. Mercutio is represented on the other end by Riff played by another Broadway star Mike Faist, a dynamic fast talking hothead and best friend of Tony who refuses to back down against the threat of violence.

Ariana DeBose (The Prom, Hamilton) also shines in a riveting performance as Bernando’s girlfriend Anita and mentor to Maria and deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

As a film, West Side Story is truly remarkable, from the beautifully choreographed dance numbers to the stunning costumes, to the authenticity of recreating New York City in 1957, as this magical city was transforming into a new modern metropolis of the 1960’s. The film is shot with luminescent cinematography by Polish director of photography Janusz Kaminski who won Oscars for Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan.

Once again Oscar winning director of Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg directs a flawless film, from the way that the dance numbers are set up, to the editing and production design as he effortlessly recaptures all the vibrancy and violence of a forbidden love torn apart by rival gangs, gentrification and systemic racism.

West Side Story gets a film rating of 9.5 out of 10 and is real cinematic gem, a truly brilliant film with a superb script by Tony Kushner and a cast that is as authentic as they are talented.

This 21^st century retelling of a classic musical is highly recommended viewing and remains as relevant today as it did back in 1961.