In the Heights

In the Heights is a musical drama based on the stage show created by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegria Hudes. Much like the stage musical, the movie looks at the lives of the predominantly Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood in Upper Manhattan particularly during a heat wave. The main story has bodega owner Usnavi de la Vega interacting with friends and family in the days leading up to his moving to the Dominican Republic to restart his father's business. Whether or not you're Hispanic, this movie is beautiful, relatable, and a blast of fresh air after over a year of the coronavirus lockdown. The cast involved, such as Anthony Romos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, and Melissa Barrera, not only give powerful acting performances but all of they're singing and dancing are just as effective. This having music and numbers that were initially created by Miranda, they are all done with so much passion, energy, and creativity that even if there were songs that you don't like you'd still find it hard to not be absorbed by them. What helps make many of the musical numbers so effective is the well done editing by Myron Kerstein and choreography from Christopher Scott, whom director Jon M. Chu had worked before in past films and shows. If there are a few negative things in this movie it's that it does tend to be a bit long and the pacing a little slow. Also, while the casting is effective at giving us actual Hispanic actors but not a lot of those with darker skin color, I don't blame it too much on the filmmakers and hopefully it will inspire others to do so in the future. For anyone who is wondering whether or not they should go out and see a movie for the first time in over a year, In the Heights is the perfect choice. Over all: 100%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. Nobody

3. A Quiet Place Part II

4. Raya and the Last Dragon

5. Cruella

6. Wrath of Man