464 - West Side Story (2021)

Somethin’s comin’, somethin’ good: this week, Paul and Arlo pirouette through a discussion of Steven Spielberg’s new take on West Side Story, nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars. Is it a spoiler to say they love it? The boys discuss how Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner’s changes enrich the text, why choreographer Justin Peck’s bold choice to discard Jerome Robbins’ iconic choreography was the right move, what it means for the Sharks to be played by Latinx actors, and the joy of watching Spielberg treat every musical number like his and Janusz Kaminski’s playground. Plus, Taco Bell sends Arlo spiraling into an existential crisis, and the boys chat about this year’s other Best Picture nominees.   NEXT: Si Spurrier and Jeff Stokely’s Six-Gun Gorilla is locked and loaded for this month’s Four-Color Flashback.     BREAKDOWN 00:00:53  -  Intro 00:06:39  -  Interminable Oscars Discussion 00:37:43  -  A Look Back to Episode 402 00:47:04  -  West Side Story (2021) 02:14:52  -  Outro / Next     LINKS   How ‘West Side Story’ Reset Itself by Jackson McHenry and Helan Shaw, Vulture How Tony Kushner and His Collaborators Brought ‘West Side Story’ Into the 21st Century by Andrew R. Chow, Time ‘West Side Story’s’ Iris Menas Brings New Dimension to Old Character by Carole Horst, Variety     MUSIC “Something’s Coming” by Ansel Elgort, West Side Story (2021 Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2021) “Somewhere” by Rita Moreno, West Side Story (2021 Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2021)   GOBBLEDYCARES National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/  Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/ Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/  US (877) 565-8860 Canada (877) 330-6366 National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/  Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/ Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/ Register to vote: https://vote.gov/