The Olive Opinion

Based on the infamous Sondheim musical that revamped a Shakespearian tale, West Side Story returned to the big screen last December. Musical theater enthusiasts who didn't get to catch it on the big screen will be able to stream it soon on Disney Plus. Directed by Steven Spielberg - helming his very first musical, this remake of the classic captures themes and nuances that made the original so memorable in the 60s as well as including instances that would make this musical relevant to the current status quo. The musical is set in 1957 in a neighborhood where two gangs, one of Polish descent (Jets) while the other was Puerto Rican (Sharks), are at odds to control of Manhattan's West Side. In the midst of this 'war', Tony, the ex-convict, and Maria, the young sister of the Shark's leader, Bernando, fall in love at first sight. Due to their forbidden love driving a bigger wedge between the two groups of territorial men, a Romeo and Juliet-like set of events takes place...

Oscar contender, Nightmare Alley revitalizes the noir-themed films in such a way that invites moviegoers - from any generation - who has the patience to watch and really understand this brooding sense of character study undertaking betrayals and survival tactics. Knowing that it is directed by Guillermo Del Toro should let you know and warn that this tale is not for the faint of heart and neither was the source material. However, as one of the few who are being introduced to this classic tale through Del Toro's eyes, an opinion should be considered as just an opinion.  The film features an A-list cast that includes Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, and Cate Blanchett. It is hard to call this ensemble since the film revolves around Cooper's character, Stanton Carlisle who joins a circus after his father dies and lives with Zeena and her husband, Pete. The pair's act focuses on clairvoyance but after her husband dies, he runs away with Molly - played b...

10 years since the last sequel and 25 years since the original, Ghostface returns to terrorize the residents of Woodsboro in this re-quel of the Scream franchise. Featuring an all-new ensemble of familiar faces including legacy actors Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette, Scream brings back the slasher genre to a whole new level of entertaining and surprisingly... surprising. From the opening sequence itself, you can tell that this poke-fun-at-Hollywood revitalizes not only the franchise or the slasher genre but also every attempt at a reboot-like sequel the American entertainment business does these days. It is hard to reboot or create a sequel to something that came out more than 20 years ago, as it was pointed out in this movie, due to loyal yet passionate fans. However, it's clear that with Scream, their attempt at a reboot-like sequel managed to successfully entertain not only through fan service but as well as just good, fresh storytelling while also paying a great...

  Targeted as the first flop of the year, The 355 has more than meets the eye. As it grows to be an underrated gem written and directed by longtime X-Men contributor, Simon Kinberg, helms this in the style of a spy thriller. After collaborating with Jessica Chastain in his directorial debut, Dark Phoenix, the two developed and pitched this to Universal Studios as a female equivalent to male-dominated spy franchises. With an A-list that includes Chastain, Sebastian Stan, Lupita Nyongo, Diane Kruger, Penelope Cruz, and Fan BingBing, this all-female iteration at a spy franchise is worth appreciating despite the predictable attributes.  The film centers around a device that hacks into anything, making it a weapon of mass destruction. Agencies all over the globe attempt to retrieve it to avoid it being in the wrong hands. Although it might feature an ensemble cast, it is clear that the main character is Chastain's Mace as she tries to get a British hacker, a German assassin, a psyc...

  Peacemaker returns this week with exceptionally less gore but giving us more revelations with the mysteries that reside within the narrative. As opposed to character development, we see a little dynamic improvement between our team members which ultimately makes this episode a lot more touching than most. However, instincts kick in when you wonder how everything goes right at one point, turns bad by the next.  Episode 5 sends our mini-Task Force X on a mission to check out a warehouse that has possible individuals infected by the alien Butterflies they've been investigating. All we got from that mission is that they're shipping the special liquid all around the world to continue invading and reproducing. With that mission, Peacemaker finally finds common ground and gains gratitude towards Economos, whom he constantly bullies throughout the last 4 episodes.  Harcourt, on the other hand, starts to appreciate the quirkiness of her team and accepts their oddball attributes....

Peacemaker continues to widen and strengthen deep undercuts within the slowly imploding DCEU as it introduces audiences to the all-new alien threat that deems extinction. As Project Butterfly surfaces for us to know more, we dig deeper within our ragtag team of characters. I think it is safe to say that Freddie Stroma's Adrian Chase is my favorite character. Yes, he may suffer from 'mental issues' but I actually think it's the opposite. His portrayal of the character resembles a boy who was lonely for so long that he lacked certain social skills and suffered in making friends, which is why he throws so much loyalty and expectation towards Peacemaker that its relatable and easy to feel sorry for him when he sarcastically points out his hurt feelings at the beginning and the end of the episode. Anyone who has been to school has gone through this but it's even more painful watching a grown adult go through this with colleagues just because he is quirky.   Apart from Ad...

Never would anyone be expecting, let alone wanting, a series centered around an unknown anti-hero from the DC comics brought to life by the enigmatic tet funny wrestler became actor, John Cena. It was hard to tell if he was just looking for roles that just made no sense, played no necessary contribution to a film until his portrayal of the Peacemaker in 2021's The Suicide Squad directed by James Gunn. Most of the characters there were kooky and had serious mental issues, but Peacemaker was, however, different despite his lack of social skills - he says the wrong things at the wrong time.  As Suicide Squad was premiering in theatres as well as it was streaming on HBO Max, Warner Bros was so sure and confident of Gunn's work that they allowed him to write, direct, and produce a streaming series around the aforementioned character. The first three episodes premiered on the 15th and as silly as the trailers may have looked featuring scenes that teased Freddie Stroma's weirder p...