‘West Side Story’ (2021) Improves on and Is Limited by the Original
Steven Spielberg's West Side Story (2021) improves on the original's terrible representation, poorly written romance, and more. --> check out reviews & film summary

During the "winter of the century," impatient passengers wait for the train to arrive at the station in Koluszki. Railway communications are disrupted. At the same time, a train is stuck in snowdrifts near Koluszki. The atmosphere in its carriages is cheerful. Some passengers, who are in a hurry to connect to other stations, get off and walk to the station in Koluszki. Among them is Andrzej Roszak, a young man rushing to Warsaw, and probably his peer Basia. Shortly after them, Mr. Walerek, a political activist who was on his way to a ball at the Central Committee, Mr. Rozbicki and his wife, who had just returned from a contract in Iraq, Matyjak, a television star, journalist Przoniak, and others arrive at the station in Koluszki. At the deserted station, the passengers efficiently organize a New Year's Eve party. During the revelry, the participants gradually reveal their hidden complexes, frustrations, and hopes.
Steven Spielberg's West Side Story (2021) improves on the original's terrible representation, poorly written romance, and more. --> check out reviews & film summary
The Gates, John Burr’s new thriller film, is a disturbingly realistic portrayal of three Black twenty-somethings - Derek (Mason Gooding), Kevin (Algee Smith), and Tyon (Keith Powers), as they accidentally take a wrong turn into a gated community that’s more like a modern-day sundown town. The three friends witness a variety of crimes in their new surroundings, including an attempted homicide and an attempted rape. As they attempt to alert the authorities and do the right thing, they are thwarted at every turn by the worst horror stories of American conservatism - racist white suburbanites, reckless gun violence, corrupt police, religious mania, and a megalomaniacal pastor.
The biggest highlight of the film is easily the performance of Andrew Garfield. In his days since hanging up his Spiderman suit, Garfield has routinely churned out great performances, and Mainstream is no exception. He proves that he is willing to try anything and go anywhere in a character.
We chat with Penelope Lawson about her short film, The Dinner Party, her experience founding her own production company, and fun cinema.
White audiences saw Peola’s mixed-race passing as a Black woman’s struggle to be white. Black audiences saw it as the rebellion of a Black woman trying to gain privileges only given to white people.
If you enjoy Japanese cinema, absurdly violent action films, gangster flicks, or joyfully strange cinema, 'Why Don’t You Play in Hell?' is a must-see.