Tag Archives: Ansel Elgort

Spielberg’s “West Side Story” Reopens a Modern Day Tragedy With Splendor

© 2019 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Ramona Rosales. Left to Right: Anybodys (Ezra Menas), Mouthpiece (Ben Cook), Action (Sean Harrison Jones); Jets leader Riff (Mike Faist); Baby John (Patrick Higgins); Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler); Maria’s brother and Sharks leader Bernardo (David Alvarez); and Sharks members Quique (Julius Anthony Rubio), Chago (Ricardo Zayas), Chino (Josh Andrés Rivera), Braulio (Sebastian Serra) and Pipo (Carlos Sánchez Falú)

Produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, West Side Story follows the original 1961 film version from the original 1957 Broadway musical penned by Arthur Laurents, with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and concept, direction, and choreography by Jerome Robbins.

Tony winner Justin Peck choreographed the musical numbers in the film. The music team includes conductor Gustavo Dudamel, and composer and conductor David Newman arranged the score.

The cast includes Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, Ana Isabelle, Corey Stoll, Brian d’Arcy James, Curtiss Cook, and Rita Moreno.

Elgort and Zegler play the lead roles — Tony and Maria, as young lovers of forbidden love and the clash between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.

Moreno starred in the 1961 film as Anita. In the current version, she plays Valentina.

Listen to the Director’s Cut interview with Steven Spielberg. He talks about using his iPhone to film the rehearsals. That way, he practiced, practiced and practiced until he felt he go the shot right.

“Baby Driver” Poster, Trailer & Clips

Directed by Edgar Wright, Baby Driver follows a talented young getaway driver, played by Ansel Elgort, whom I adored in The Fault in Our Stars, relies on the beat of his soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams, played by Lily James, Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss, played by Kevin Spacey, he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love, and freedom.

Here is another poster, and I like this one better because it shows the cast. The cast is stellar. The movie is available on Amazon

It is a fun trailer to watch.