Writers benefit from models to work from... read, then write

This week one of my writing classes is writing reviews, one of the most common forms of persuasive writing.

Below is a quick review by Brittany Witherspoon, one of the regular reviewers from https://popculturereviews.com/  This reviewer is a fan of the remake of West Side Story and isn't too interested in exploring what does not work or what might be improved, instead choosing to focus on four specific things she likes about the movie. I chose this review to highlight because it tends to much more difficult to rave about a movie or TV show or restaurant than to pan them, to find fault and to quibble.

This tendency can be seen in the halls of any school, by the way, as kids gather at lockers and gossip and share stories. The largest clumps of listeners gather around the student sharing the most scandalous tales. A student extolling the virtues of a friend or particular teacher soon loses audience share. 

Never forget: most news is "bad news," and that applies to school gossip as well as the front page of the Post. This truth is not a great advertisement for human nature.

Every so often, a film gets released at a certain time of year and generates little to no buzz. One of 2021’s prime examples of that is West Side Story. There could be several reasons for this. Maybe fans of the original just didn’t care to see Spielberg’s take on the beloved classic. Or, considering we’re still in a pandemic, film fans might not have thought it was worth it to press their luck. Whatever the case, the film bombed at the box office, bringing in a total of 70.7 million dollars against a 100-million-dollar budget.

Now that it is awards season, film fans are revisiting features they might have missed during the cold winter. And lately, West Side Story has been the talk around town. The American musical drama, which follows the forbidden love between Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler) hits HBO Max today (March 2, 2022). Here are four reasons to watch Spielberg’s latest.

I will interrupt to mention that it would not be timely in March to review a film released in December, but the recency factor is found in the film being finally available on cable, allowing for more potential viewers. The first question readers always have is: "Why am I reading this right now?"

The opening graf also contains the "concession" in this argument, about the relative lack of box office success and about some consumers not feeling the need to revisit a classic musical. 

4) A five… six… a five, six, seven, eight!

As a musical theater nerd, I cannot express how important choreography is to a feature musical. Dance is a way to capture and express emotions through intricate movements and fluidic bodily poetry. And this statement remains true when it’s in film. Luckily for dance fans, choreographer Justin Peck knew exactly what to do. Blending movements and dance sets from American choreographer Jerome Robbins’s original numbers and choreography of his own, Peck delivers fantastic dance numbers. He captures the intensity, vibrancy, and beauty like the original while adding his own flair. What could be better than mixing a little old with the new?

3) Now THAT’s cinematography!

If you’re on Twitter, you might have noticed that this film has been generating quite the online buzz. Specifically, West Side Story’s “puddle shot” has become the standout scene of conversation. After learning that this was a last-minute suggestion made by cinematographer Janus Kamiński, I could not believe it. In fact, the team filmed it on the final day of principal photography. Talk about movie-making magic! Scenes like these are prevalent throughout Spielberg’s musical. And it’s exactly why it’s deserving of all the attention. Bravo Kamiński!

2) Ariana DeBose… need I say more?

On Sunday, Feb. 27, Ariana DeBose took home the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) award for an outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role. I cannot shout from the roof-top enough how well-deserved her nomination/win was. Ariana is a scene-stealer. I could not take my eyes off her, as she delivered THEE performance of this film. There are no limitations to what Madame DeBose will accomplish next. I know it!

1) Not his first rodeo…

I always get a chuckle out of commentary like “so-and-so has still got it.” This usually comes after said filmmaker has made a couple of films that are outside of their normal quality releases. Spielberg has definitely been in these conversations recently to which my reply is… he never lost it! That’s right folks… Steven Spielberg is one of the best filmmakers living today, and he even shows no signs of slowing down. And if his contributions to cinema keep going in this direction, I will continue to be a champion of his work!

I also note a few too many exclamation marks in this review. Yes, we can be enthusiastic about something but when we need to add superfluous punctuation to be more clear, that should be a clue that we need to go back and supply the details and anecdotes that allow the READER to feel enthusiasm without us forcing them.

From a structural standpoint, breaking the review into four distinct sections, each with a subhead, is smart and fits modern reader expectations, particularly for online readers. Focused "chunks" are a great choice for many writing projects.

We finally watched the latest James Bond movie (No Time to Die) and I was thoroughly unimpressed. Lots of action to no clear effect, among other criticisms. I wanted write about it, but where would I find the timely angle? Perhaps when it finally gets to Amazon Prime... since Amazon has bought the studio and film rights for most of the franchise?

Still, sometimes it's nice to read a review that is quite positive. And, for what it's worth, I enjoyed the remake of WSS so I felt affirmed by this review.