Media Matters

       Last month's Academy Awards garnered a lot of attention which had little to do with the movies. This critic would like to correct that oversight right here and now, starting and ending with "West Side Story,"  nominee for both Best Picture and Best Director. It's only natural that Stephen Spielberg's film would be compared to the original 1961 motion picture which won Oscars for Rita Moreno and George Chakiris. Unfortunately, this recent version is not as good regarding casting, costuming, and use of locations.  Bluntly speaking,  it doesn't have all the "snap, crackle and pop" that the initial one did.      What it does have, however, is the same extraordinary music/lyrics and in many cases, Justin Peck's similar choreography. This last point redeems Spielberg's endeavor, especially considering that dancing per se demonstrates subjects and themes that are hardly ever present in dramatic contemporary films. ( Two exceptions come to min

      Let's be honest: what issues are left for a media critic to write about after six weeks of the Ukrainian- Russian War which are important, relevant and provocative? Not many. Then, two weeks ago, Netflix starting showing Season 1 of "Servant of the People," a three-season satire about a history teacher who becomes the Ukrainian President.   What's the big deal? Nothing except that the fictional President is played by comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is now the real head -of-state.  Besides the obvious play on "Art Imitates Life,"  why else is this series important, relevant and provocative?      In a word, the program proves how media ( TV/ film, particularly ) can be potent as persuasion, a subject this blog ,"Media Matters," recently examined (  March 10, "Use of Persuasion on TV: Russian- Ukrainian War" ). Thus, the series's 51 episodes, created and produced by Zelenskyy, served as an example when the comedian ran and won fo