2022 Chita Rivera Awards Nominees Announced

by Nathaniel R

The Chita Rivera Awards took time off due to COVID but they're back with a grab bag mix of the 2020 and 2022 Tony seasons and the 2021 movie year  The awards are named after Broadway's high kicking living legend, and they honor choreographers of shows and individual dancers. They also honor movies that involve dancing (though not individual dancers) though weirdly not tv shows! Here are their movie nominations this year...

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The 5 Best Oscar speeches from Sunday night...

by Cláudio Alves

When it comes to the 94th Academy Awards, the exclusion of eight categories from the live ceremony will always cast a dark shadow over the proceedings. This is especially true when considering the evening's best speeches. As it happens, a good percentage of them are unavailable to us, existing only in the edited versions that ABC aired. Riz Ahmed gave a powerful speech, but it's hard not to notice that Aneil Karia's words were utterly excised from the final edit. Other highlights include Joe Walker with the night's funniest acceptance and Alberto Mielgo's loving tribute to the art of animation… 

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Best Shot Index: West Side Story (2021)

Thank you to everyone who participated tonight. Next week's film is Romancing The Stone (1984) streaming on HBOMax so we hope you'll join us and pick your own shot. Here were the eight choices from West Side Story (2021) and we're marvelling at the variety and beauty. The film is up for Best Cinematography, Best Picture and more at the Oscars. Click on the image for the article, tweet, or tumblr post...

Ryan on Twitter (thread)

Keisha at Cinema Cities (article)

Cláudio Alves at The Film Experience (article)

Working Stiff at Tumblr (multiple articles)

Intifada on Tumblr (gallery)

Ben Miller at  Ice Cream For Freaks (article)

Steven James on Twitter (capsule)

And finally we love this fascinating choice from Alexander Georgakis on Twitter who writes:

The dissolve from the former Anita to the current one is more than a clever meta moment -- it asks us to consider if over the last sixty years, America has finally become that better time and place Valentina dreams about in “Somewhere”? In some ways, yes; in others, sadly, no.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: WEST SIDE STORY (2021)

by Cláudio Alves

A beautiful shot, full of carnality and color!

Re-watching Spielberg's interpretation of the classic musical made me realize that, beyond the mournful tonalities of Rita Moreno's Valentina, the new West Side Story works mainly as a tragedy of two gang leaders, what they symbolize, and the clashing communities they represent. So, logically, my best shot would have to feature Riff and Bernardo while also showcasing the best aspects of the picture's photographic strategy. Hopefully, it'd also hide some of my personal misgivings with it, too – namely, the overabundance of glaring lens flares...

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Almost There: Mike Faist in "West Side Story"

by Cláudio Alves

While the role has been shortened compared to the 1961 Best Picture winner, Mike Faist's Riff feels exponentially more complex than Russ Tamblin's take on the same character. So much so that he became one of the standouts of West Side Story '21 and won our Almost There poll, trumping the likes of Lady Gaga and Cate Blanchett. As it was the reader's choice, I'm obliged to explore the performance in an appropriate deep-dive. Though, truth be told, it's less obligation than plasure. Maybe the great surprise of the season, Mike Faist steals the musical remake from his co-stars, running away with the picture. 

From innate charisma to a cornucopia of curious acting choices, Mike Faist's Riff is worthy of gold, regardless of the Academy's indifference…

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