Rating: Summary: It's "All That Jazz!" Review: This was a highly entertaining musical filled with sexy fun and song. The music was exciting and worthy of a soundtrack purchase for sure! The costumery definitely deserves mention as well. Roxie Hart shoots and kills the man she is having an affair with and ends up in jail. She ends up under the aid of a money-loving lawyer played by Richard Gere. (I must admit it was funny seeing Richard Gere sing and dance!) Watch as they "dazzle" the jury to try to get her acquited of murder. I was drawn into this movie immediately. Honestly, at first I wasn't all that excited about watching it, but my best friend brought it over tonight and the second it started I was glued to the t.v. screen. I soon found myself singing along to the music and dancing on our mid-movie break! (My poor dear husband and sweet best friend, they had to witness that!) Because of the musical content, this movie has high replay value.
Rating: Summary: Razzle-Dazzle Magic Review: If you don't like musicals, it's a waste of time and money to watch this. Unless you're like me--someone who thought a movie with songs every five seconds isn't a...movie (like SHOWBOAT). But when I saw this, CHICAGO, I saw the error in my ways. Anyone who thinks the acting is bad is a terrible judge. Renee Zellweger draws just the right feelings from the audience: she can make you hate, adore, and want to kill the character Roxie Hart. Catherine Zeta-Jones is at the top of her game as the notorious Velma Kelly ("it was a murder, but not a crime"). I'd like to thank the Academy for giving her the Oscar. And let me tell you: Meryl Streep is my favorite, favorite actress of ALL time (and this is coming from a true movie buff), but I am still so glad that Zeta-Jones got the Oscar. Sorry for your loss, Meryl. Don't get me started about how much I loved Richard Gere. Playing the suave, charming, yet self-helping lawyer Billy Flynn, I grin every time I see him come onto the screen. His song, "Razzle Dazzle" is my dad's favorite, and a real toe-tapper. The songs are incredible, my favorites being the Cell Block Tango, Both Reached For The Gun, and the ever-lasting All That Jazz. The dances are so well choreographed, too. And how can anyone say this movie is boring and slow?! The pace is quick, the acting stupendous, and the dialogue is sharp and witty. This film easily blends humor, drama (HUNYAK!! POOR HUNYAK!!!), and of course songs amazingly well. One of the film's best aspects is its beautiful cinematography. Bottom Line: This is one of the best musicals we've had for a while!
Rating: Summary: Cashing in of the success of Moulin Rogue Review: I had epected something more to be perfectly honest. Yes, sure, the acting is good, and all the actors are very well cast; not the least Richard Gere. What I lacked was a solid story, and likeable characters. Everyone is just out for themselves, and they let nothing get in their way. Is this how the American Dream should be? The only character that is sympathetic has really only one line and is hanged in the middle of the film. If you want to watch a film about how shroddy the American Dream is, and how unfair its system of justice is, then this might be the film for you. If you want a nice song and dance film I would recommend Moulin Rogue, or Cabaret.
Rating: Summary: Wonderful to own! Review: This great film adaptation of the Broadway musical is now preserved on DVD to enjoy over and over. Includes the great number CLASS as well as some other fun DVD features.
Rating: Summary: Fosse at his darkest Review: It's interesting that a musical that was not a hit when it premiered in the 70s has become such a massive hit as a movie, especially in an era when so few Broadway musicals have been transposed to the screen. Fosse's shows have never been mass audience favorites, dealing, as they so often do, with the darkest sides of the human condition. And yet the film version of Chicago has been a near universal hit.Certainly a lot of the popularity of Chicago has been a consequence of the popular cast, who may have been hired for their star qualities, but who- without exception- turned in first rate performance. Who would have thought, for example, that Richard Gere would deliver such a good musical performance, or that Queen Latifa would be so good in traditional Broadway material? I'm sure these two alone brought a lot of people into the theater. The real stars of course are Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rene Zellwiger, whose song and dance routines impressed even those critics who panned the show as a whole. I also suspect that part of the greater success of the film over the stage version is that today's audiences are more conditioned to expect the dark and ironic in the musical theater. And this show is nothing if not dark. The message, if there is one, is that content is nothing and appearance is everything. Perhaps, then, "Chicago" is the perfect musical for 90s.
Rating: Summary: The revival of the movie musical Review: I finally got around to seeing Chicago fairly recently and I have to admit that I don't know if it really deserved the Best Picture Oscar that it won, but I think the combination of the sheer spectacle and the fact that Chicago returns a long-lost genre to prominence put it over the top. The musical numbers are spectacularly staged and it is easy to see why Catherine Zeta-Jones won her Oscar. The biggest surprise has to be Richard Gere, who acquits himself better than anyone could have possibly anticipated. I was a bit disappointed with Renee Zellweger, only in the sense that she seems to have played this type of role before and, while her singing and dancing are good, she's blown off the screen by Zeta-Jones. Also deserving of praise is John C. Reilly, who performs what is perhaps the most poignant song "Mr. Cellophane". All of the songs fill that number one criteria for a musical - you find yourself humming or whistling them long after the film is over. It may be somewhat overblown and overhyped, but it is a very satisfying film and does deliver a solid entertainment value.
Rating: Summary: Razzle Dazzle and All That Jazz! Review: AMAZING! Everyone should see this film. This is my favourite film ever. All the cast and crew did a fantastic job on the production. I'm not gonna bother telling you what it's about as countless other people before me have already done so, but let's just say it was deserving of winning 6 Oscars in my opinion. My favourite scenes are All That Jazz, Roxie and Razzle Dazzle - my favourite song from the show. All in all, if you don't own this or if you haven't seen it - what are you waiting for???
Rating: Summary: ON SECOND THOUGHT Review: I saw this in the cinema originally and had high expectations because I had so loved Moulin Rouge (but in general dislike musicals). I had high hopes despite my doubts about Renee Zellweger and overall dislike for Richard Gere. I had high hopes overall, generated from the "buzz" surrounding the film. But I sat in the cinema and nearly fell asleep halfway through. I don't know why. I later got my hands on the DVD and watched it again and appreciated it much more. I don't know what the difference was the second time around, but somehow the film worked more seamlessly and was highly stylized and entertaining to me upon second viewing. I found the performances more compelling, the music more catchy. Movieviewing in general is more a question of your frame of mind when you see a film. The first time I saw it I was annoyed, the cinema was full, and there was an annoying woman next to me who left her mobile on and kept ignoring it instead of just turning it off. And of course in Iceland there are intermissions in the middle of most films, so the continuity is interrupted. I was especially impressed with the performances of Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly. While the rest of the cast was impressive and obviously did a great deal of preparation for their roles, I simply preferred the smaller, more understated roles. There is not a lot I can add to what other reviewers have said except to say that if you found yourself in a similar position... not really getting into the movie the first time around, you might want to give it a second chance.
Rating: Summary: Chick flick!! Review: the Best musical since ages. I love Cathy. PS. Did u know that Mirmax films are owned by Walt disney?/ So in a sense, Chicah=go is a disney film!!
Rating: Summary: If you like musicals you'll love this movie! Review: Chicago is one of the best musicals I've seen in a long time. From the moment the movie opens up you'll be caught by the superb acting, and the brilliant performances presented to you. The movie is excellent in almost everyway! The movie centers around Roxie Hart (Renee Zellwegger), the young little cutie who one day dreams of being a star! Who shoots a man by the name of Fred Casely who only used her for sex. After Roxie plugs Fred Casely and goes to jail for it, she meets another woman, who's famous, by the name of Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who's in the slammer for killing her sister and husband. They're both trying to get out of jail and the only way to get out alive is by bringing in Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) who has never lost a case. The interesting part about this movie is that you see it from the eyes of Roxie. You see this as a performance AND a movie. We get to see what Roxie's imagination is like. So the film constantly switches from reality to the stage with each musical number. The talent you see is incredible. No stunt doubles brought in, when you see Velma dancing it is actually Catherine Zeta-Jones. Each character sings really well and the songs are quite catchy. You'll grow into the movie as it carries on. The acting is also great. Renee Zellwegger gives a stunning performance that was oscar worthy (though she didn't win). The catchy beats and the grand story and seeing just how far the press goes for a story is shown in a brilliant way. Chicago is a fantastic movie from beginning to end. Some performances are a little long but memorable. Winner of six academy awards including Best-Picture, Chicago is a dazzling film with beautiful performances very well choreographed and the talent is irresistably brilliant.
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