Whatever your entertainment needs, we got your back (and hopefully your mind) with Queerty’s weekly “Culture Club” column with some of the highlights of new releases, streaming shows, classics worth revisiting, and what to drink while you watch.
The Awards Remake: West Side Story
The much-delayed, much-anticipated, Steven Spielberg-directed remake of the musical classic arrives this week reinforcing, if nothing else, the notion of Rita Moreno as a national treasure.
For anyone unfamiliar with the original stage show or the 1961 classic film adaptation directed by Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins, the story follows two rival gangs in 1950s New York: the all-white Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Amid rising tensions between the gangs, Tony (Ansel Elgort), a Jet and Maria (Rachel Zegler), the sister of a Shark, fall instantly in love. The two must conceal their love as they try to prevent a deadly gang rumble, before tragedy consumes their lives.
Screenwriter Tony Kushner (the genius behind Angels in America) reorders the songs and restructures the story to bring a hereto-unseen level of depth to the young characters here. He and Spielberg also deploy a secret weapon: Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for her performance in the OG West Side returns here in the pivotal role of Valentina, a local shopkeeper and mentor to the Sharks & Jets. Moreno happens to turn 90 one day after the premiere, and if nothing else, she can now boast that she’s the absolute best thing about two versions of the same movie. Broadway starlet Ariana DeBose shines in the role of Anita, the sultry girlfriend of a Shark. The hunky Elgort channels a young Marlon Brando in the lead, and reveals a hereto-unknown choir boy voice. The addition of a trans character–an extension of something from the original show–is downright awesome.
West Side Story will entertain most audiences—especially those gay boys that grew up loving musical theater (you know who you are). And anyone who sees the movie will understand the very real prospect that Moreno could win a second Oscar for her work here.
In theatres December 10.
The Awards Throwback: Being the Ricardos
While we’re on the subject of screen legends, writer/director Aaron Sorkin revisits a pair of screen legends in Being the Ricardos, a semi-biopic that recounts a week in the life of TV legends Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem). In 1953, production on I Love Lucy gets upended when reports that Ball was a secret communist begin to circulate. Complicating matters: Ball announces she’s pregnant, and she & Arnaz demand that the show also portrays her character as expecting. Hey, in 1953, these were major scandals. The film also delves into the complicated and often explosive relationship between Lucy and Desi, as well as Ball’s own demanding comedy genius.
Industry insiders often cite Sorkin as the greatest screenwriter of our time. We can’t go that far, though we admit, with a resume that includes A Few Good Men, The American President and The Social Network, he has a Hell of a good thing going. Being the Ricardos also ranks among his best scripts, with its astute, nuanced portraits of legendary stars, early TV politics and gender dynamics of the 1950s. Kidman gets a chance to show off her own physical comedy skills in several recreations of iconic Lucy moments, while she brings intelligence and no-nonsense perfectionism to Ball’s off-screen persona. In a similar way, Bardem plays Desi as a shrewd businessman of endless charm. His Desi is also totally in love with Lucy…even if he rebels against her overbearing need for control, and has no problem lying about his own philandering. JK Simmons also gives a standout performance as William Frawley, the drunkard famous for playing Fred Mertz. Funny, fascinating, and with performers relishing Sorkin’s crackling dialogue, Being the Ricardos will be another sure-bet Oscar contender. Watch it and see why.
In theatres December 10. On Amazon Prime Video December 21.
The Awards Sleeper: Red Rocket
Experimental director Sean Baker—the mind behind Tangerine—returns with his latest ultra-low budget, ultra-awesome exercise in do-it-yourself filmmaking. Red Rocket tells the story of Mikey Saber (Simon Rex), a broke adult film star now well into his late 40s. Out of work and homeless, he returns to a small Texas town to beg his estranged wife and former porn collaborator Lexi (Bree Elrod) for a place to stay. She and her meth-addict mom (Brenda Deiss) begrudgingly agree. Mikey begins dealing marijuana to earn cash and get on his feet, and he and Lexi begin to repair their relationship. Then Mikey meets Strawberry (Suzanna Son), a beautiful, barely-legal exhibitionist. Strawberry becomes immediately smitten with Mikey, while Mikey sees a chance for a comeback in the adult world.
Much like Tangerine, Red Rocket features some very big laughs mixed in with some moments of touching human drama. Oftentimes, we had the impulse to laugh and wince at the same time. As a character, Mikey has an irresistible charm and unyielding optimism to him—one so strong we can almost overlook just how big a loser he really is…or that he’s near sociopathic in his selfish pursuits. Rex, a performer whose own past dabbling in adult film has held back his career, dives into the role with fierce energy. He knows this is a role of a lifetime, and doesn’t waste a second of his screentime. The movie also features Rex running full-frontal naked through town (with the help of a prosthesis, natch)…so, there’s that.
With Red Rocket, Baker again reminds us why he’s one of the most interesting filmmakers working today. This is a unique movie: one that revels in its own low budget, even as Baker & his cast seem to intimate we’re making a movie, isn’t that so cool?
Why yes, yes it is. And it’s a load of wild fun to watch.
In theatres December 10.
The Behind the Scenes: Street Gang
We’ve been looking forward to this new Sesame Street doc since it debuted at Sundance. Now that we’ve seen it, we can say it doesn’t disappoint. Street Gang chronicles the development of the iconic TV series as a means of educating young children—particularly those living in the inner-city—basic skills, often with the help of ironic celebrities. Archive footage of performances by Johnny Cash, Jessie Jackson, Grace Slick and Paul Simon all turn up. Interviews with original cast members also offer context as to the day-to-day life on the set, and the odd brand of celebrity it brought them.
Of course, Street Gang also details the involvement of the Muppets as led by creator Jim Henson, and how the inclusion of said puppets helped make the show a smash with viewers of all ages. As it turns out Sesame Street also hit it big with college students when it debuted. The movie also shows some rare Muppet outtakes, which alone would be worth the price of rental…including one scene that suggests even if Henson and Frank Oz didn’t conceive Bert & Ernie as a gay couple the thought at least did occur to them pretty early on. Funny, insightful and quite touching, it’s a must for anyone that can still remember any of those old Sesame Street songs. We know that’s most of you.
Streams on HBO Max December 13.
The Nibbles: Functional Season 2
Season 2 of this low-budget but very funny web series debuts this week. Functional follows a pair of queer besties, Guillermo and Jazmyne (creator Daniel Luna and Lys Perez), as they do their best to get their lives on track. Jazmyne, however, has a penchant for falling for unavailable women, and letting her desires upend her life as a college student. Guillermo might have a teeny drinking problem, which explains his knack for making bad choices on dating apps.
Told in English and Spanish, Functional looks at gay life through a Latino lens, and vice versa. Perez and Luna have a natural chemistry together, and despite the series’ obvious budget limits, the pair manage to generate some real laughter and energy. One rapid-fire recap of some of Guillermo’s Grindr hook-ups gets some very big laughs in the second episode. Made with obvious enthusiasm, we recommend it for the passion of Luna and Perez, as well as for the show’s unexpected thoughtfulness in later episodes.
Streams on YouTube December 10.
The Sip: Red Rocket
In honor of the release of Red Rocket, we suggest this also-named fruity cocktail for sipping along with this week’s selections. Though it may involve a trip to the liquor store, we think it’ll have you ready for a laugh, a sigh, or a sing-along.
Mix ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well and serve.
Ken A.
Elgort is asexual. Per an interview I read.
missvamp
my best friend from grade school’s nephew is in west side story. i’m so excited to see it. he plays mouthpiece.
red rocket was shot in my home town. i’m torn about it. it portrays my town in a rather not so great light. but i think it’s the only movie to every feature my home town. so there’s that.
Ken A.
Most of us have seen his dick so why would Simon Rex need a prosthetic?
RyanMBecker
Ken, well, the movie is made for a general audience, not just perverts like you (haha). Most people are either unfamiliar with him, or only know him as an MTV VJ or Paris Hilton’s boyfriend. The porn clips were pretty much just cultural blips because he was no longer popular when the scandal broke. In fact, I had never heard of him (because I’m too young and don’t watch MTV) until a friend claimed that Rex reminded him of me. No, I’m nowhere near as hot as him but he claims that Rex and I masturbated in exactly the same way (*blush*). After watching all of his videos, especially the one where he wears beige briefs while jo in front of a TV, I can’t say that I disagree … heh.
IanHunter
From what I have seen, Nicole Kidman does not make a good Lucy.
RyanMBecker
Wow, who knew that Simon Rex can act…? He was primarily known as an MTV VJ and Paris Hilton’s boyfriend. And of course, there were also those sex videos. None of the above needed any acting abilities. Not even the porn stuff since they were all solo acts, so he didn’t have to be gay-for-pay. So the fact that he can act is a real surprise. If the movie becomes popular, it’ll be interesting to see if the porn vids resurface. And how he’ll handle it this time.
dhmonarch89
he was good in those ‘Scary Movie’ spoof movies and he’s done multiple TV shows.
RyanMBecker
dhmonarch89,
I stand corrected. I just looked Rex up on IMDB and his list of credits is actually quite long. Even his porn stuff is there and one of the porn videos has a whopping 8.9 rating!
jayceecook
He actually was an actor before doing the porn stuff. As you saw he has a lot of credits to his name. Mostly B and C movie stuff. A lot of those MTV VJs went into acting. Some have/had good runs while others didn’t. I think with Simon Rex the porn stuff held him back. Not to mention I don’t think he took the industry as seriously as he should have. That never makes for a good career.
RyanMBecker
I believe Rex was not yet an actor when he did the porn stuff. He was an 18 yo model, doing porn on the side to make money. I don’t think he had even considered acting at that point, hence the risky decision to do porn. HIs first mainstream acting job occurred three years later. Some footage was shelved until years later, when Brad Posey released them on several compilations.
dhmonarch89
The original Westside Story was the #1 film at the box office for the year and won 10 Oscars including Best Picture- not sure why anyone thinks that can be improved on… can you imagine if someone tried to remake Jaws or ET…. Spielberg would have a fit! Both were #1 for the year and won Oscars (though not Best Picture)
RyanMBecker
Well, the difference is that West Side Story is a MUSICAL. I love the Golden Age of Hollywood, especially its musicals, but one thing about them always bothered me: The sound quality and horrible dubbing. In the original production, it was more than obvious that Natalie Wood wasn’t singing. But even when actors sang their own songs, the dubbing was often so off-sync that it became distracting. And of course, stereo was rarely available. So for the quantum leap in sound technology alone, I’d welcome a remake. And from what I’ve read, the sound is incredible and immersive, with lush orchestration that makes the original sound like it was performed by a chamber orchestra. Many viewers also remarked that watching the new version on IMAX was very impactful. As such, even if the new version is a frame by frame remake, I think it’s worth doing.
It is not a carbon copy however. Songs are ordered differently, genders are changed and there is LGBT representation (which is great, given that West Side Story had the largest gay/bi creative team of any mainstream non-gay production. Stephen Sondheim (RIP) and Arthur Laurents were gay, while Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins were bisexual). And the new choreography by [surprisingly straight but pro-gay] Justin Peck is reportedly pretty amazing.
dhmonarch89
Ryan- does it still take place in the 1960s? If so- historically, there would NOT have been LGBT Representation- unless it’s extremely closeted. Nothing ticks me off more than trying to make the past over as if it were today. No teen in a NYC 1960s street gang would have been out. I hope Spielberg/team are paying you- you have the PR campaign nailed!
RyanMBecker
I haven’t seen the movie but I heard that LGBT representation occurs in a minor character. But you are incorrect. Except for the Neorealist movement (e.g. The Bicycle Thief), movies are usually about extraordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. This is especially true of musicals, which inherently have an element of fantasy. I mean, do people usually break into song in real life? Indeed, interracial relationships were also unusual in the 1960s, so why not an LGBT character? As Stonewall showed us, there was a thriving gay Latin subculture in NYC. West Side Story was set just a few years before Stonewall. The original had a tomboy character so making them trans is not much of a leap. Having an LGBT character, whether subtle or explicit, is right in the spirit of the musical’s signature song, Somewhere.
For more info, see this article. Six Middle Eastern countries have banned the movie. It’ll be interesting to see if China will also censor the character, given its recent law banning the representation of effeminate men.
ht tps: //tinyurl.c om/397ymazu
RyanMBecker
West Side Story likely had the gayest creative team of any non-gay mainstream production. Stephen Sondheim (RIP) and Arthur Laurents were gay, while Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins were bi. And all four were also Jewish. Although all four have died, the gay Jewish identity is carried on by Tony Kushner in this new version. The fact that they were gay Jews is relevant because both affiliations gave them a sense of alienation, which they channeled into West Side Story. This was mentioned by Spielberg in this FANTASTIC ABC piece, which includes Sondheim’s last interview. I’ve cued it up to the gay stuff, but you should rewind and watch the entire piece.
ht tps://youtu.be/UzVSTeQFKmM?t=375
In the past, LGBT activists have complained about Spielberg because he was mostly silent on LGBT issues. He later apologized for supporting the Boy Scouts due to their then-homophobic policies. The fact that he’s worked with Tony Kushner on three projects proves that he isn’t homophobic. But for him to explicitly point out that the original West Side Story team was gay takes it to a whole other level. It seemed like he was actually paying tribute. I wouldn’t be surprised if his next movie features a prominent LGBT character.