“The Piano Lesson” is a showcase for Samuel L. Jackson and Danielle Deadwyler. This upcoming Netflix flick is adapted from August Wilson’s 1987 Pulitzer Prize winner. The story is centered on the Charles family, who have to decide what to do with a great family heirloom — a piano. Jackson plays the patriarch, Doaker Charle, who acts as a storyteller in the play and recounts detailed stories about the piano’s history. And Deadwyler plays his niece Berniece, who is a strong advocate for keeping the piano.

Jackson has a long history with this piece. He originated the role of Boy Willie at the Yale Repertory Theater in 1987 and reaped a Tony bid for his performance as Doaker in the acclaimed 2022 Broadway revival directed by his wife, Latanya Richardson Jackson. John David Washington, who played Boy Willie in that production, reprises his role here, with his brother Malcolm Washington handling helming.

It has been a big week for beloved musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the 1964 Palme d’Or and went on to international acclaim and five Oscar nominations and served as one of the key inspirations for Damien Chazelle’s La La Land.

The film got a special 60th anniversary Cannes Classics screening Thursday of the exquisitely new restoration at the Agnes Varda Theatre, which is named after the late director and is also wife of late Cherbourg writer-director Jacques Demy. This week also has seen the world premieres of two documentaries related to the film here. On Saturday night at the Buñuel Theatre in the Palais came the premiere of Once Upon a Time: Michel Legrand, an extensive two-hour documentary on the late great composer of Cherbourg and so much more.

Then on Wednesday night, also at the Buñuel, was the unveiling...

For as long as “teenager” has been a demographic, there have been stories about teens breaking free from the status quo. While a lot of the modern great teen rebellion media is confined to the world of TV — where shows like “Euphoria” attract constant buzz — the archetypal troubled teen story remains 1955’s “Rebel Without a Cause.” Starring James Dean in unquestionably his defining role, a rebellious teen struggling with his demons in L.A., Nicholas Ray’s film spoke to young people at the time with its story of high schoolers struggling with, and going against, the social pressures that bring them down. Over the years it became a touchstone because its themes and its honesty transcends generations.

As the teen film has evolved and morphed as a genre, there’s always been room for stories of iconoclastic youth who don’t fit in with the status quo. Oftentimes, these...

The preview opening of the new exhibit Meet the Stars: 100 Years of MGM Studios and the Golden Age of Hollywood on Thursday night was a crowded, buzzing affair. Held at the Hollywood Heritage Museum in the historic Lasky DeMille Barn across from the Hollywood Bowl, the event showcased the items of over 20 movie collectors. Memorabilia hunters, dressed in fedoras and flirty ’40s dresses, gabbed about their latest finds with others who have a similar passion.

The highlight of the night was when the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to former MGM child star Cora Sue Collins (who played a little Greta Garbo in 1933’s Queen Christina), the last surviving MGM contract player from the 1930s. Sitting at a tableau that recreated a party thrown for her by MGM in 1935, Collins elegantly thanked everyone for their well wishes. Actor George Chakiris was also in attendance, and he posed next to a costume...

Just 30 minutes after final voting for the Screen Actors Guild Awards wrapped up, I made a last-minute switch in my best actress prediction — from Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon” to Emma Stone in “Poor Things.” Let this be a lesson: Second-guessing yourself is seldom a good idea.

Lily Gladstone made history as the first Native American and Indigenous person to clinch an individual SAG Award for her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman, in Martin Scorsese’s gripping crime saga. With a lead actress (drama) Golden Globe and a SAG Award now under her belt, Gladstone’s award-season momentum continues to be formidable. Historically, only seven performers have failed to win the Oscar after winning the unique combination of Globe and SAG:

1995: Lauren Bacall (“The Mirror Has Two Faces”) lost to Juliette Binoche 2001: Russell Crowe (“A Beautiful Mind”) lost to Denzel Washington (“Training Day...

Among the various distinctions “Everything Everywhere All at Once” incurred by winning seven awards at the 95th Oscars was becoming the first film in a dozen years (and ninth overall) to conquer both supporting acting categories. This rare occurrence involved Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis preventing their respective “The Banshees of Inisherin” competitors from accomplishing the same goal, as the sets of featured nominees from “Belfast” and “The Power of the Dog” had both failed to do one year earlier. Now, two more pairs of cast mates – who happen to hail from the two highest-grossing live action movies of 2023 – are gunning for entry into this exclusive club.

The concurrent nominations of Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera (“Barbie”) and Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt (“Oppenheimer”) bring the total number of films that have ever vied for both Best Supporting Actor and Actress to 110. Although this marks the third...

Tyrannical and brilliant, director Michael Curtiz created film legends out of mere stars, and turned movies into myth. Here are some of his greatest films.

When movie enthusiasts think of legendary director Michael Curtiz, the first thing that pops into their mind is Casablanca (1942), consistently named to, and occasionally topping, lists of the greatest films of all time. Although if we’re being honest, most people think of it as a Humphrey Bogart movie. The same could be said of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). These are known for their stars, James Cagney, and Errol Flynn, the latter of whom Curtiz put on the map with Captain Blood (1935). In the director’s hands, actors and characters merged into a mythology which exceeded mere signature roles, becoming universal symbols.

Curtiz worked in the motion picture business from its infancy, but began in the theater, graduating Budapest’s...

Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” is destined to be a classic in its own right, already garnering nearly half a billion dollars at the box office in under a week. The film, about a stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) in the grips of an existential crisis that sees her going to the Real World, is all manner of fun and wacky, with a number of Old Hollywood influences.

Gerwig herself has cited a number of features that either directly or indirectly inspired “Barbie,” starting with the 1939 Technicolor classic, “The Wizard of Oz.” That film, with its now iconic transition between Kansas and the land of Oz, no doubt factored into how the feature approaches color. The idea of a character transitioning from one world to another draws comparisons to “The Truman Show” and “Heaven Can Wait.”

Among the more nuanced, less obvious films, Gerwig took inspiration from “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,...

On March 12, once the curtain comes down on the 95th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre, the must-stop afterparty will just be getting started for Oscar nominees — winners and losers alike. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the Governors Ball, but it wasn’t always a coveted invitation — or even a tradition. The first Academy Awards statuettes were handed out in 1929 at a banquet in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, but the annual banquet was discontinued during the war years and, by 1958, the ceremony had migrated farther down Hollywood Boulevard to the Pantages Theatre. This meant that once the show was over, the stars were left to fend for themselves. So that year, the Academy charged actor and future California senator George Murphy with chairing a post-Oscars dinner dance, which would take place at the Beverly Hilton hotel. Its venue has changed over the years, but...

For the second year in a row, multiple films have the potential to win Oscars for both Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Of course, the nominees from “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” are looking to fare better than those from “Belfast” and “The Power of the Dog,” who all went home empty-handed last year. At this point, only eight of the previous 106 films that were nominated for both Oscars have pulled off dual wins. Based on their impressive precursor runs, the current hopefuls are uniquely well-positioned to join the club, but they do face a great challenge in overcoming one another.

Like “The Power of the Dog,” each of these two new films has a three-way stake in the supporting races. Those representing “The Banshees of Inisherin” are actress Kerry Condon and actors Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan, while those on the “Everything Everywhere All at Once...

The 70th Academy Award ceremony on March 23, 1998, is the most-watched Oscar ceremony to date — most likely due to a “Titanic” film nominated for several awards. However, Gil Gates, who produced 14 Oscar ceremonies between 1990 and 2008, also wanted a special segment to recognize Oscar’s platinum anniversary, and arranged for 70 past acting winners to sit together on the stage, with Norman Rose announcing the films for which each performer won. It was a spectacular gathering of actors and actresses from Classic Hollywood, New Hollywood and the contemporary period.

Let’s flashback to the first Oscars family album featured in the ceremony 25 years ago.

SEEOscar flashback 25 years to 1998: Winners are Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Robin Williams and ‘Titanic’ ratings for ABC

Among those present was the first performer to win back-to-back acting Oscars, Best Actress champ Luise Rainer. At the age of 88, she was the oldest one on the stage; when she...

‘Adorable charmer’ of 1960s French film who worked with Jacques Demy and Costa-Gavras and later appeared in the Oscar-winning Cinema Paradiso

At the heart of Jacques Demy’s delirious, gaily coloured musical Les Demoiselles de Rochefort is the cherubic sailor and artist Maxence, who has painted his “feminine ideal” and is now searching for the flesh and blood equivalent, hardly suspecting that she lives nearby in the form of Catherine Deneuve. With his mop of bright vanilla hair and his white bachi hat with its cherry-like pom-pom, Maxence personifies the film’s wistful, ingenuous spirit. He was played by Jacques Perrin, who has died aged 80.

Perrin was already established as a bright young thing of French and Italian cinema before Demy cast him in this big-budget extravaganza alongside Gene Kelly, George Chakiris and Françoise Dorléac, Deneuve’s sister. His roles for Demy – he also played a handsome prince in the...

Seven decades ago, “A Streetcar Named Desire” not only became the first film to win three acting Oscars, but also the first to take both supporting prizes. These featured victories were achieved by Kim Hunter and Karl Malden, whose film was preceded by 13 others that received nominations for both awards. That total is now up to 103, but there have only been seven more cases of double supporting wins. Now, for the first time in five years, multiple films have shots at being added to the exclusive list.

This year, Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds both earned bids for their supporting performances in “Belfast,” while featured players Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee were all recognized for their work in “The Power of the Dog.”

Dench and Hinds or either possible “Power of the Dog” pair would be the first dual supporting Oscar winners since 2011, when the prizes went to...

Rumors are rampant that Oscars 2022 producer Will Packer is planning some surprise movie reunions for this year’s ceremony. ABC will broadcast the 94th annual Academy Awards on Sunday, March 27, with hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. The first six presenters for the event were announced on Thursday.

SEE1962 Oscars flashback: When ‘West Side Story’ swept and Sophia Loren made history

Here are 13 memorable casts celebrating anniversaries of their Oscar wins or their releases in theaters. Any or all would be exciting to see on the event and would bring the house down.

“West Side Story” — Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn (60th anniversary of wins)

“The Godfather — Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, James Caan, plus Robert De Niro possibly (50th anniversary of release)

“Cabaret” — Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey (50th anniversary of release)

“The Silence of the Lambs” — Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster...

Steven Spielberg's remake of "West Side Story" is one of the best films of 2021. The iconic musical premiered on Broadway in 1957 and was adapted for the screen in 1961. The original classic is considered one of the greatest movie musicals ever made and won ten Academy Awards, including best picture, best director for the duo of Jerome Roberts and Robert Wise, best supporting actress for Rita Moreno, and best supporting actor for George Chakiris.

Thankfully, Spielberg instilled the story with new life. Although "West Side Story" is the first musical of Spielberg's career, he brought energy to the iconic dance sequences....

The post Movies Like West Side Story You Really Need to Check Out appeared first on /Film.

Everything old is new again. Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed remake of “West Side Story” has garnered seven Oscar nominations. That haul is impressive but pales next to that of the 1961 original which reaped a whopping 11 bids. Not surprisingly, it was the big winner at the 34th annual Oscars. These took place at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on April 9, 1962 with Bob Hope hosting.

The Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins adaptation of the Leonard Bernstein–Stephen Sondheim landmark Broadway musical waltzed away with 10 wins including Best Picture, Director (shared for the first time) and for supporting players Rita Moreno and George Chakiris.

Robbins also received an honorary Oscar that night for his “brilliant achievement in the art of choreography on film.” Ironically, Robbins had received his walking papers from his directing duties 45 days into production. Wise told me in a 2002 L.A. Times interview that the production was behind schedule and over-budget.

George Chakiris, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the original "West Side Story", will introduce a 70mm screening of the film in Santa Monica, California at the American Cinematheque on January 19, 2022. Chakiris, in conjunction with the legendary Larry Edmunds Bookshop in Hollywood, will also be signing copies of his new autobiography at the event.

Click here for details.

Sixty years ago, the musical “West Side Story” debuted and went on to win 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture as well as two supporting victories for George Chakiris and Rita Moreno. It is the all-time leader for a musical with the most Academy Awards. In fact, it is one of only 10 musicals that has won the big prize in the Academy’s 93 years, with only a handful of performers winning acting Oscars for roles in a musical. And almost half of those wins are from musicals biopics such as Sissy Spacek portraying Loretta Lynn in “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

SEE25 greatest Best Actress nominees who lost the Oscar, ranked

Musicals are definitely one of the most underrated genres by the Academy; although there have been several nominated musical performances, very few go on to win. This is rather surprising, considering the talent it requires to not only act, but to also sing,...

Sixty years ago, the musical “West Side Story” debuted and went on to win 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture as well as two supporting victories for George Chakiris and Rita Moreno. It is the all-time leader for a musical with the most Academy Awards. In fact, it is one of only 10 musicals that has won the big prize in the Academy’s 93 years, with only a handful of performers winning acting Oscars for roles in a musical. And almost half of those wins are from musicals biopics such as Sissy Spacek portraying Loretta Lynn in “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

Musicals are definitely one of the most underrated genres by the Academy; although there have been several nominated musical performances, very few go on to win. This is rather surprising, considering the talent it requires to not only act, but to also sing, dance and/or learn to play a musical instrument for a role.

Best Supporting Actress has always been the Oscar acting category that’s kindest to having multiple nominees from the same film. There have been 35 instances of one film scoring more than one bid in the category, compared to 20 in Best Supporting Actor, 12 in Best Actor and just five in Best Actress. The category is also the only one of the four that has ever featured two pairs of double bids in the same year — and that could just happen again this year.

A long 72 years ago, in the 1949-50 race, the Oscars nominated four women from two films: Ethel Barrymore and Ethel Waters from “Pinky,” and Celeste Holm and Elsa Lanchester from “Come to the Stable.” The fifth nominee was “All the King’s Men” star Mercedes McCambridge, who won the supporting actress award and whom you could argue benefited from the double vote-split (“All the King’s Men” also won Best...

Yvonne Wilder, the actor known for her work in “West Side Story,” “Seems Like Old Times” and numerous TV shows, died Nov. 24 at her home in Los Angeles. She was 84.

Wilder played the role of Consuelo in Robert Wise’s landmark 1961 film adaptation of the Broadway musical “West Side Story.” She also appeared in the role of Anita in a West End production of “West Side Story” and in the first international touring production of the Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim musical.

Wilder was remembered by friends for her love of dancing and her fiery sense of humor. “West Side Story” co-star George Chakiris recently hailed her contributions to the stage production and the movie.

“Yvonne Wilder had an extraordinary, unique sense of humor. I did the play in London with Yvonne so I knew her before the movie,” George Chakiris told TCM in May. “But Yvonne’s humor was adopted by all of us.

Take a look at more new footage from director Steven Spielberg's feature film reboot of "West Side Story", adapting the original 'street gang' "Romeo and Juliet"- inspired Broadway musical, starring Ansel Elgort as 'Tony' and Rachel Zegler as 'Maria', opening December 10, in theaters:

Cast includes the 'Jets' members 'Anybodys' (Ezra Menas), 'Mouthpiece' (Ben Cook), 'Action' (Sean Harrison Jones), Jets leader 'Riff' (Mike Faist), 'Baby John' (Patrick Higgins)...

...Maria’s brother and 'Sharks' leader 'Bernardo' (David Alvarez), Sharks members 'Quique' (Julius Anthony Rubio)...

...'Chago' (Ricardo Zayas), 'Chino' (Josh Andrés Rivera), 'Braulio' (Sebastian Serra) and 'Pipo' (Carlos Sánchez Falú).

Spielberg organized open casting calls for the new film in New York City April 29, 2018 and Orlando Florida May 25, 2018.

Casting was seeking actors to play four leading roles: 'Maria' (18-20), 'Tony' (18-23), 'Bernardo' (20-24) and 'Anita' (20-24 years):

"...All four actors must be able to sing. Maria, Anita and Bernardo must speak Spanish.

The fight is over before it begins. Steven Spielberg makes that much obvious in the opening shot of his West Side Story. From the picture’s first frame, the Upper West Side occupied by the sound and fury of the Sharks and Jets has been lost. How can it not be when audiences are immediately introduced to a collapsed and dilapidated building? Fire traps and abandoned slums which would look at home in one of Spielberg’s World War II movies are the spoils of gang warfare in this soulful reimagining of the Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim musical. The neighborhood’s a corpse that’s already decomposed, and upon this rot, the last of the flies do battle.

It’s a striking departure from the youthful exuberance that opens the previous (and iconic) West Side Story movie of 60 years ago. But perhaps that’s why Spielberg, a filmmaker who...

All products and services featured by IndieWire are independently selected by IndieWire editors. However, IndieWire may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Steven Spielberg’s highly anticipated adaptation of “West Side Story” will be hitting theaters on December 10, which gives you plenty of time to catch up on the original film released in 1961. The Oscar-winning musical starring Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, and Russ Tamblyn, was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins with music from the late composer Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, who died this past Friday at 91.

To relive all the musical magic of the original film, you can rent “West Side Story” on Amazon Prime for $3.99 or purchase a digital copy for $1 more. You can also learn about the making of the film via this 1985 documentary that features Bernstein conducting his own score.

Something’s coming, something good, at least if the early responses to Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story” are any indication. The highly anticipated 20th Century Studios film had its first screenings in New York and Los Angeles on Monday night and left audiences thrilled with how Spielberg and writer Tony Kushner reconceptualized, reconfigured, and restaged the 1961 musical adaptation from Robert Wise that won Best Picture.

“Spielberg has been rehearsing to make a musical for 50 years so it’s not like he was gonna mess up one of the greatest ever written,” Indiewire critic David Ehrlich wrote on Twitter.

Below the Line editor and critic Edward Douglas was even more enthusiastic. “I don’t see any possible scenario where #WestSideStory doesn’t win Best Picture (again),” he wrote. “Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional. The Mouse House has a winner and they know it.”

Based on the original 1957 musical,...

Sneak Peek director Steven Spielberg's movie reboot of "West Side Story", adapting the original 'street gang' Broadway musical, starring Ansel Elgort as 'Tony' and Rachel Zegler as 'Maria', opening December 10, in theaters:

Cast includes the 'Jets' members 'Anybodys' (Ezra Menas), 'Mouthpiece' (Ben Cook), 'Action' (Sean Harrison Jones), Jets leader 'Riff' (Mike Faist), 'Baby John' (Patrick Higgins)...

...Maria’s brother and 'Sharks' leader 'Bernardo' (David Alvarez), Sharks members 'Quique' (Julius Anthony Rubio)...

...'Chago' (Ricardo Zayas), 'Chino' (Josh Andrés Rivera), 'Braulio' (Sebastian Serra) and 'Pipo' (Carlos Sánchez Falú).

Spielberg organized open casting calls for the new film in New York City April 29, 2018 and Orlando Florida May 25, 2018.

Casting was seeking actors to play four leading roles: 'Maria' (18-20), 'Tony' (18-23), 'Bernardo' (20-24) and 'Anita' (20-24 years):

"...All four actors must be able to sing. Maria, Anita and Bernardo must speak Spanish. Dancing experience is a plus..."

The 1961 musical drama "West Side Story" starring Natalie Wood,...

Sneak Peek more new footage from director Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story", adapting the original 'street gang' Broadway musical, (inspired by Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet") starring Ansel Elgort as 'Tony' and Rachel Zegler as 'Maria', targeting a December 10, 2021 theatrical release:

Cast includes the 'Jets' members 'Anybodys' (Ezra Menas), 'Mouthpiece' (Ben Cook), 'Action' (Sean Harrison Jones), Jets leader 'Riff' (Mike Faist), 'Baby John' (Patrick Higgins)...

...Maria’s brother and 'Sharks' leader 'Bernardo' (David Alvarez), Sharks members 'Quique' (Julius Anthony Rubio)...

...'Chago' (Ricardo Zayas), 'Chino' (Josh Andrés Rivera), 'Braulio' (Sebastian Serra) and 'Pipo' (Carlos Sánchez Falú).

Spielberg organized open casting calls for the new film in New York City April 29, 2018 and Orlando Florida May 25, 2018.

Casting was seeking actors to play four leading roles: 'Maria' (18-20), 'Tony' (18-23), 'Bernardo' (20-24) and 'Anita' (20-24 years):

"...All four actors must be able to sing. Maria, Anita and Bernardo must speak Spanish. Dancing experience is a plus.

If you’ve spent any time cataloging the patterns of the Academy Awards, you’ve likely noticed by now that Oscar voters prefer to award young women and old men for their acting skills. This is why it would be particularly noteworthy if Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee were to be nominated for — and win — the award for Best Supporting Actor for his breakout performance in Jane Campion’s acclaimed film “The Power of the Dog.” At just 25 years, 287 days old on the day of the ceremony, he would be the second youngest person to ever win the category.

The road to the top might take some work though. Smit-McPhee, who is competing alongside his co-star Jesse Plemons, is currently in fourth place in Gold Derby’s combined odds at 10/1, with four Experts predicting him to triumph. Plemons sits just above him in third place with 9/1 odds. They both trail “The...

Sneak Peek more new footage from director Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story", adapting the original 'street gang' Broadway musical, (inspired by Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet") starring Ansel Elgort as 'Tony' and Rachel Zegler as 'Maria', targeting a December 10, 2021 theatrical release:

Cast includes the 'Jets' members 'Anybodys' (Ezra Menas), 'Mouthpiece' (Ben Cook), 'Action' (Sean Harrison Jones), Jets leader 'Riff' (Mike Faist), 'Baby John' (Patrick Higgins)...

...Maria’s brother and 'Sharks' leader 'Bernardo' (David Alvarez), Sharks members 'Quique' (Julius Anthony Rubio)...

...'Chago' (Ricardo Zayas), 'Chino' (Josh Andrés Rivera), 'Braulio' (Sebastian Serra) and 'Pipo' (Carlos Sánchez Falú).

Spielberg organized open casting calls for the new film in New York City April 29, 2018 and Orlando Florida May 25, 2018.

Casting was seeking actors to play four leading roles: 'Maria' (18-20), 'Tony' (18-23), 'Bernardo' (20-24) and 'Anita' (20-24 years): "...All four actors must be able to sing. Maria, Anita and Bernardo must speak Spanish. Dancing experience is a plus.

Play it cool: The official trailer for Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake has finally arrived, months after the first look at the 20th Century Studios release debuted during the 2021 Oscars.

Unlike that initial glance, which utilized “Somewhere” from the legendary musical, the new trailer starts and ends with newcomer Rachel Zegler, as Maria, singing “Tonight.” In between, the trailer offers glimmers of the plot, which should be familiar to everyone who has seen the 1961 original and Best Picture winner. Here’s how 20th Century Studios and Disney describe the forthcoming feature: “‘West Side Story’ tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City.

In addition to Zegler, the cast includes Ansel Elgort (Tony), Ariana DeBose (Anita), David Alvarez (Bernardo), Mike Faist (Riff), Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino), Ana Isabelle (Rosalía), Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank), Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke), and original star Rita Moreno.

Take a look at new footage from director Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story", adapting the original 'street gang' Broadway musical, (inspired by Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet") starring Ansel Elgort as 'Tony' and Rachel Zegler as 'Maria', targeting a December 10, 2021 theatrical release:

Cast includes the 'Jets' members 'Anybodys' (Ezra Menas), 'Mouthpiece' (Ben Cook), 'Action' (Sean Harrison Jones), Jets leader 'Riff' (Mike Faist), 'Baby John' (Patrick Higgins)...

...Maria’s brother and 'Sharks' leader 'Bernardo' (David Alvarez), Sharks members 'Quique' (Julius Anthony Rubio)...

...'Chago' (Ricardo Zayas), 'Chino' (Josh Andrés Rivera), 'Braulio' (Sebastian Serra) and 'Pipo' (Carlos Sánchez Falú).

Spielberg organized open casting calls for the new film in New York City April 29, 2018 and Orlando Florida May 25, 2018.

Casting was seeking actors to play four leading roles: 'Maria' (18-20), 'Tony' (18-23), 'Bernardo' (20-24) and 'Anita' (20-24 years): "...All four actors must be able to sing. Maria, Anita and Bernardo must speak Spanish. Dancing experience is a plus.

New York, New York is a helluva town. The Bronx is up. And the Battery is down. The people ride in a hole in the ground. New York, New York. It’s a helluva town. And it’s also a perfect backdrop for countless Broadway and movie musicals.

And for good reason. The metropolis is a melting pot of cultures and boroughs. Over the decades, the Great White Way has been home to burlesque, vaudeville, Broadway. The town always is brimming with the best writers and composers. Remember Tin Pan Alley?

There is also a romanticism of New York often depicted in these musicals: most of them were shot on sound stages and studio, so they offer an expressionistic, impressionistic, and even surreal look at NYC. Martin Scorsese tipped his out to these studio musicals with his classic 1977 “New York, New York,” starring Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro.

The...

“Hey you guys!!!” And at the risk of either being non-inclusive or sexist, “you gals, too”! There’s a new feature-length documentary arriving in theatres this weekend that certainly breaks the preconceived notions of what many consider “film homework”. Yes, there are a considerable amount of “talking heads”, but the movie is far from “dull and dry”. Now, that’s due in large part to the doc’s subject matter (hence all those “talkers” on camera). This is a prime example of this film genre’s popular “subset”, the “show biz” documentary. Last year saw two great entertainment profiles on the Go-Go’s, the Bee Gees, and Natalie Wood. Now, this look at the life and career of one of the latter’s co-stars will no doubt earn similar accolades this year (along with another out today). Speaking of accolades, this lady’s amassed so many, even joining the elite group known as EGOTs.

Take a look at new footage from director Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story", adapting the original 'street gang' Broadway musical, (inspired by Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet") starring Ansel Elgort as 'Tony' and Rachel Zegler as 'Maria', targeting a December 10, 2021 release:

Cast includes the 'Jets' members 'Anybodys' (Ezra Menas), 'Mouthpiece' (Ben Cook), 'Action' (Sean Harrison Jones), Jets leader 'Riff' (Mike Faist), 'Baby John' (Patrick Higgins)...

...Maria’s brother and 'Sharks' leader 'Bernardo' (David Alvarez), Sharks members 'Quique' (Julius Anthony Rubio)...

...'Chago' (Ricardo Zayas), 'Chino' (Josh Andrés Rivera), 'Braulio' (Sebastian Serra) and 'Pipo' (Carlos Sánchez Falú).

Spielberg organized open casting calls for the new film in New York City April 29, 2018 and Orlando Florida May 25, 2018.

Casting was seeking actors to play four leading roles: 'Maria' (18-20), 'Tony' (18-23), 'Bernardo' (20-24) and 'Anita' (20-24 years): "...All four actors must be able to sing. Maria, Anita and Bernardo must speak Spanish. Dancing experience is a plus.

Last year, shortly after the pandemic hit the U.S., WarnerMedia’s TCM — with about three weeks notice — shifted its annual in-person TCM Classic Film Festival to a hybrid online/network experience.

When the TCM team determined they were not going to be able to hold the fest in person again in 2021, they made an even bigger pivot to provide two virtual venues for this year’s Classic Film Festival — on both the TV network and with corporate sibling HBO Max.

For the first time ever, the TCM Classic Film Festival will be hosted on both the network’s channel and HBO Max, featuring an extensive festival lineup for fans nationwide on May 6-9, 2021. (HBO Max hadn’t launched before last year’s fest.)

Shifting from in-person to virtual events has been standard operating procedure for festivals over the last year due to Covid-19. But by teaming with HBO Max,...

Take a look at new footage from director Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story", adapting the original 'street gang' Broadway musical, (inspired by Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet") starring Ansel Elgort as 'Tony' and Rachel Zegler as 'Maria', targeting a December 10, 2021 release:

Cast includes the 'Jets' members 'Anybodys' (Ezra Menas), 'Mouthpiece' (Ben Cook), 'Action' (Sean Harrison Jones), Jets leader 'Riff' (Mike Faist), 'Baby John' (Patrick Higgins)...

...Maria’s brother and 'Sharks' leader 'Bernardo' (David Alvarez), Sharks members 'Quique' (Julius Anthony Rubio)...

...'Chago' (Ricardo Zayas), 'Chino' (Josh Andrés Rivera), 'Braulio' (Sebastian Serra) and 'Pipo' (Carlos Sánchez Falú).

Spielberg organized open casting calls for the new film in New York City April 29, 2018 and Orlando Florida May 25, 2018.

Casting was seeking actors to play four leading roles: 'Maria' (18-20), 'Tony' (18-23), 'Bernardo' (20-24) and 'Anita' (20-24 years): "...All four actors must be able to sing. Maria, Anita and Bernardo must speak Spanish. Dancing experience is a plus.

Daniel Kaluuya became one of the youngest actors ever to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor when he took home the award on Sunday for his performance in the film “Judas and the Black Messiah.” At just 32 years, 60 days old, he’s now the seventh youngest actor to win the category.

The “Black Panther” star, who was previously nominated for Best Actor for his performance in “Get Out” (2017), joins an elite group of young(ish) men that also includes Timothy Hutton, who is still the youngest male acting winner in Oscars history. He was just 20 years and 227 days old when he won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Ordinary People” in 1981. The five other men who were younger than Kaluuya when they took home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar were George Chakiris, the late Heath Ledger, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Jack Lemmon and Robert De Niro.

See Full list...

Since his breakthrough performance in “Short Term 12” eight years ago, Lakeith Stanfield has built an extensive resume of two dozen feature films. Three of these have contended for Best Picture at the Oscars, starting with “Selma” in 2015, then “Get Out” in 2018, and now “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Third time has proven to be the charm for Stanfield as he reaped a Best Supporting Actor bid.

He faces off against co-star Daniel Kaluuya as well as Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”), Leslie Odom Jr. (“One Night in Miami”) and Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”). For the first time in 11 years, all five nominees are new to this category. Kaluuya is the only veteran acting nominee, having earned a Best Actor bid for “Get Out” three years ago.

In “Judas and the Black Messiah,” Stanfield portrays William O’Neal, a petty criminal who, in order to avoid prosecution,...

Classic movie lovers, rejoice! Going virtual once again this year, the TCM Classic Film Festival will take place from May 6 to 9 and will be extended to HBO Max’s platform as well. The lineup has now been unveiled and there’s no shortage of both canonical classics and gems worth discovering.

Along with much-adored classics from Breathless to North by Northwest to Mean Streets, the lineup also features a Nichols and May documentary, a pair of Chantal Akerman films, Anthony Mann’s T-Men, Frank Borzage’s The Mortal Storm, Samuel Fuller’s Underworld U.S.A., Powell & Pressburger’s I Know Where I’m Going!, the world premieres of the new restorations of Irving Pichel’s noir gem They Won’t Believe Me, the French drama Princess Tam Tam, the Pre-Code film Her Man, and more.

There’s also a number of special events, including a star-studded Plan 9 From Outer Space table read,...

A table read of Ed Wood’s comically bad classic Plan 9 From Outer Space featuring Bob Odenkirk, Laraine Newman, Bobcat Goldthwait, David Koechner, Oscar Nuñez and others is set for next month’s virtual edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival.

The 12th annual event runs May 6-9 on TCM and HBO Max and kicks off with a 60th anniversary screening of West Side Story and interviews with Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn.

Highlights also include interviews with Barry Levinson (Good Morning, Vietnam), Barbara Kopple (Harlan County, USA) and Debbie Allen (Fame); introductions from Michael Douglas to One Flew ...

A table read of Ed Wood’s comically bad classic Plan 9 From Outer Space featuring Bob Odenkirk, Laraine Newman, Bobcat Goldthwait, David Koechner, Oscar Nuñez and others is set for next month’s virtual edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival.

The 12th annual event runs May 6-9 on TCM and HBO Max and kicks off with a 60th anniversary screening of West Side Story and interviews with Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn.

Highlights also include interviews with Barry Levinson (Good Morning, Vietnam), Barbara Kopple (Harlan County, USA) and Debbie Allen (Fame); introductions from Michael Douglas to One Flew ...

The story of Rita Moreno’s triumphant career is coming to theaters this summer.

Following its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Roadside Attractions has acquired the rights to “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It.” It will debut in theaters on June 18.

“Stars like Rita are few and far between, her showbiz story and personal remembrances resonate for a large, diverse audience, and the heights she continues to achieve are a true crowd pleasing uplift after the year we’ve all had,” said Roadside Attractions co-presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff.

On behalf of the filmmakers, Matt Burke and Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment negotiated the deal with Cohen and Angel An, Roadside Attractions’ senior director of acquisitions. PBS’ “American Masters” still holds a TV license for the documentary and will present the U.S. broadcast premiere after a broad theatrical release.

“Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It” has sold to Roadside Attractions two months after its debut at Sundance, the distributor announced on Monday.

The documentary film covers painful subjects from Moreno’s past, including a sexual assault by her agent, and the heartbreak of her relationship with Marlon Brando. Moreno is an Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actress for playing Anita in 1961’s “West Side Story” as well as a rare Egot winner for additional work on TV, theater and music.

Mariem Perez Riera directed, and Brent Miller and Riera produced the documentary, while Michael Kantor, Lyn Davis Lear, Norman Lear, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Regina K. Scully executive produced. Ilia J. Vélez-Dávila co-produced.

Others featured in the documentary include George Chakiris, Héctor Elizondo, Gloria Estefan, Tom Fontana, Morgan Freeman, Mitzi Gaynor, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Lear, Eva Longoria, Justina Machado, Terrence McNally, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Karen Olivo.

Roadside Attractions has acquired North American distribution rights on the 2021 Sundance Film Festival documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided To Go For It.

A release is planned for June 18. Roadside’s deal excludes the TV license to PBS’ American Masters, which will present the exclusive U.S. broadcast premiere of the docu after it hits theaters.

In addition to Moreno, others featured in the Mariem Pérez Riera-directed doc include George Chakiris, Héctor Elizondo, Gloria Estefan, Tom Fontana, Morgan Freeman, Mitzi Gaynor, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Lear, Eva Longoria, Justina Machado, Terrence McNally, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Karen Olivo.

The docu covers Moreno’s 70-year-plus career rise and struggles, from her beginnings in poverty on a Puerto Rican farm to becoming a rare Egot winner. She’s the first Latina actress to win an Oscar (for her role as Anita in 1961’s West Side Story). Despite the win, studios continued...

If there’s one thing we know to be true about Oscar voters, it’s that they love to award young women and old men for their acting prowess. That’s why it would be noteworthy if Daniel Kaluuya took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Judas and the Black Messiah” come April 25, as he would become the seventh youngest actor to ever win the award, at just 32 years, 60 days old.

Kaluuya, who is competing alongside his “Judas” co-star Lakeith Stanfield after voters nominated the latter actor in supporting instead of lead where he was campaigning, is currently in first place in Gold Derby’s combined odds to win the Oscar. Thirteen Experts are currently predicting him to triumph over the competition, which includes, in order, Sacha Baron Cohen, Leslie Odom, Jr., Paul Raci and Stanfield (9/2 odds).

Should he prevail, Kaluuya will join an...

The Oscar-winning star portrayed rival gang leaders in the stage and screen versions of the classic musical. He remembers dancing with Marilyn Monroe, playing Dracula and his role as a trombone

“I don’t think I was good enough,” confesses George Chakiris. “I was too nervous.” Zooming from Los Angeles, the 86-year-old star is not appraising his Oscar-winning role in West Side Story or his stints as a chorus dancer in golden age musicals with Marilyn Monroe and Cyd Charisse. He is recalling appearing alongside Compo, Clegg and Foggy in an episode of Last of the Summer Wine. What sort of country-lane hijinks did that involve? “I was a movie director or something. I don’t remember … Isn’t that awful?”

Not really – it was 25 years ago and he has pretty much retired. But IMDb lists Chakiris as playing a bank manager in the forthcoming movie Not to Forget. He...

Last year saw the hasty transition from physical to virtual for the TCM Classic Film Festival, just two months into the wake of what we now know was a year-long global pandemic. This year, TCM took the year to plan a new virtual festival that will encompass not just their hallowed network but their new streaming hub on HBO Max.

This year’s TCM Classic Film Festival will take place on May 6-9, kickstarting things with a 60th anniversary screening of “West Side Story,” with virtual appearances by star Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn, and George Chakiris. The event will have two “venues” for fans to watch content. Those with cable will be able to tune into TCM for a lineup of classics, to be presented by both TCM hosts and unnamed special guests.

The bigger news is that there will also be content available through the TCM hub on HBO Max that will include films,...

Cannonballing down through the sky with a virtual gleam in its eye, the 12th annual TCM Classic Film Festival will run May 6-9 on TCM and HBO Max, kicking off with a 60th anniversary screening of West Side Story, it was announced Wednesday.

“It is sure to be a memorable weekend, packed with everything you have come to love about the TCM Classic Film Festival, and we all get to experience it from the comfort of our home,” TCM host Ben Mankiewicz says.

West Side Story stars Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn are scheduled for a reunion that ...

Cannonballing down through the sky with a virtual gleam in its eye, the 12th annual TCM Classic Film Festival will run May 6-9 on TCM and HBO Max, kicking off with a 60th anniversary screening of West Side Story, it was announced Wednesday.

“It is sure to be a memorable weekend, packed with everything you have come to love about the TCM Classic Film Festival, and we all get to experience it from the comfort of our home,” TCM host Ben Mankiewicz says.

West Side Story stars Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn are scheduled for a reunion that ...

” You all killed him! And my brother, and Riff. Not with bullets, or guns, with hate. Well now I can kill, too, because now I have hate!”

The Skyview Drive-in in Belleville (5700 N Belt W, Belleville, Il 62226) will be showing West Side Story (1961) beginning July 24th. The Skyview’s site can be found Here . The other screen at the Skyview will be showing Space Jam and Spaceballs

Visually inventive and emotionally resonant, “West Side Story” is the tale of two warring New York City gangs – the Jets and the Sharks – and the ill-fated love story that springs up in their midst. The film stars Natalie Wood as Maria, Richard Beymer as her boyfriend Tony, Rita Moreno as Maria’s sister Anita, and George Chakiris as Bernardo. Both Moreno and Chakiris received Oscars® for their indelible work in supporting roles.

By blending realistic settings, stylized choreography, an extraordinary cast of performers and an unforgettable score,...