West Siiiide

Things might have changed, but midnight movies used to mean such subversive fare as The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Pink Floyd The Wall. But stretch your imagination a bit and maybe it's not that far off that the Inwood Theatre is showing West Side Story as a midnight movie. The Broadway musical, adapted for the big screen, is the template for the big screen musical that led to Rocky Horror and Pink Floyd's David Gilmore has even said that West Side Story's soundtrack is "a complete musical education." If you've seen it, you know it's worth checking out. If you haven't, you should, because whether you know it or not you already know the tunes, the story and the dances. The film has been referenced so often that it's become part of our pop-culture fabric. Deservedly so, because the film version of unlikely romance, youthful longing and gang warfare on Manhattan's Upper West Side features an adventurous musical score that balances odd time signatures and dissonance with lofty melodies. Brilliant lyrics address issues more universal than Star Wars as the plot weaves around themes of juvenile delinquency, "the system" and race relations. What happens when a Jet fights a Shark? Find out midnight (obviously) Saturday at the Inwood Theatre. Call 214-764-9106 or visit landmarktheatres.com.
Sat., April 19, 2008