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West Side Story: from stage to film
West Side Story is a film from 2021 … No, wait: it’s from 1961 and it … Hold on: it’s originally a Broadway musical, for the theatre or, no, stop: it’s really just based on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Gosh. As a Shakespeare groupie, I am amazed at how enduring and versatile the story is. (Dig deeper: Romeo and Juliet wasn’t really thought up exclusively by the Bard, either.) Why won’t we let this story go? What makes it so enduring?
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Only Murders in the Building: who-dunnit?
Murder mysteries can be a great vehicle for drama and exploring characters. The series Only Murders in the Building adds comedy to the mix and it became irresistible to me. I only started watching because I was bored. Then I became quite intrigued and invested. I discovered there was an extra layer that you don’t see right away. The hidden tragedies of people’s lives.
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Downsizing: it’s a small world …?
Imagine there was a way to make people smaller, physically. It would solve so many problems. Houses would be smaller, fewer resources would be used and think of how good it would be for the planet! A brilliant solution. Too bad it is fantasy. That’s why it is fun to watch the film Downsizing.
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Better Call Saul: our Monday night
Monday nights are hard. It’s the first workday after the weekend and then we just want to fall into a series that surprises us enough to make us forget it’s another 4 days until the next weekend. And for me personally: a series that gives me an excuse to not think of the unfinished laundry just yet. Better Call Saul, the spinoff of Breaking Bad, is just that, But why watch a series that is a prequel where you know how it’s going to end? Well, let me tell you why.
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Respect: Biopic Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin was the queen of soul and totally deserved to get her story out there on film. But Respect felt a little shallow and lacking in details. I enjoyed it because of the music. But I don’t feel like I watched a very real story of her life. I wonder why. Let’s see if I can get to the bottom of that. I will be spoiling a little, but hey: if you go to a wiki page, you get the whole story too.
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The Power of the Dog: makes you work for it
The Power of the Dog is quite a film. I enjoyed it and I may have some good reasons why you might enjoy it too. Or maybe reasons not to see it.