West Side Story

On January 1, I watched the Oscar-winning classic film West Side Story. This cinematic masterpiece based on Romeo and Juliet lives up to its name.
The story centers around two gangs in mid-century NYC: the Jets,an all-white group favorable by the police and lead by Riff, and the Sharks, a Puerto Rican group who are thought less of and lead by Bernardo. Fights break out often between these gangs, since they both want to be the leaders of the streets. They are planning to have a big fight and are constantly preparing (in song if course!). The Jets are trying to get former member Tony(yes, that Tony) to come back since he and his best friend Riff founded the group initially. Maria (yes, that Maria) meanwhile doesn't want her brother Bernardo to get hurt. Tony and Maria main priority though is wanting to find love. Ata a big dance they meet each other and fall in love instantly. The gang leaders are not so pleased. The couple decide to only meet in secret, which they do and which makes their love stronger. They even hold a pretend wedding. But tragedy strikes when the rumble begins and love is lost.
This movie is an obvious must-see for many reasons. The two leads played by Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer are great. The songs strike a variety of emotions from joy to passion to melancholy and much more. If you haven't seen do so and I promise it will leave you very satisfied.