Rating: Summary: love it and all that jazz Review: you have to see it so let me give you a heads up when you see the first second it is so loud and fast and you want to get out of the theater. Do everything in your power to stay it just gets better and better trust me you'll love it. You have to go see it! I'm glad I did.
Rating: Summary: Overrated Review: This film is well done, but lacks 2 fundamental requirements for a good musical: fun good songs...Zeta-Jones is the best thing going for this movie.
Rating: Summary: Undeserved Oscar -- Moulin Rouge was much better Review: How could this movie win the Oscar while Moulin Rouge lost last year? It must have been the weak competition. I could have cared less about the fates of any of the characters in this film. The songs were well executed and the cinematography was excellent, but who cares because the storyline was just terrible. There was no character to identify with in this film so it didn't matter what happened to anyone. They probably were gettting what they deserved. I wonder about people who could enjoy watching such an unlikeable group of people for a few hours. That it won the Oscar for best picture makes me wonder...
Rating: Summary: Please, God, no "Pan and Scan"! Review: ...when this DVD is released in August,[i hope it is]in letterbox format, not in pan-and-scan format. I have seen CHICAGO on the big screen 5 times (so far) and if the DVD screws with the original presentation, and cuts off the sides, I believe I will lose my mind...
Rating: Summary: Disappointing. Review: I'm so disappointed this film won best picture. It should have gone to The Pianist. "Chicago" was just okay. I still don't get how so many people thought this film was great. It was alright and that's it. I'll admit I don't care for musicals one bit. They're often shallow and riddled with one musical number after the next, with little plot. "Chicago" fits the bill. I liked "Moulin Rouge". It was original and different, but "Chicago" struck me as a typical, classical, paint-by-the-numbers musical. I also know that when my grandmother informs me that she and my grandfather went to the movie theater to see "Chicago" twice (and they never see a movie twice, nor go to the movies very often) that it's definitely an old fashioned, paint-by-numbers movie. My girlfriend agreed that "Chicago" was just a moderately, modestly decent film. I would have preferred something with more depth and meaning like "Gangs Of New York" or "The Pianist" to win best picture over such lightweight fare as "Chicago". Don't get me wrong, Bob Fosse was a talented playwright/director, but this movie didn't do all that much for me.
Rating: Summary: All that...Razzle Dazzle...He had it coming Review: Chicago IS All that (Jazz), Razzle(d) and Dazzle(d) me completely, and I have waited YEARS for a movie musical this good, you'd say i had it coming. A cross between West side story the movie and Cabaret the movie, but without the stupid stuff of either one. I am, however, disappointed with Richard Gere, he was the only one not nominated for an Osacar because he usually does much better and a Musical requires a person to sing well, not well enough. I wish he had a better vocal coach. I must say Catherine Zeta Jones's first five seconds made me a Catherine Zeta Jones fan, which i have never been before.I think she would have won best actress if she had been in that category instead of supporting. The second time i saw the movie I became a Renee' Zelwigger fan (I was not as convinced the first time I saw it but she totally grows on you toward the end). And Queen Latifah, what can you say, this role was hers by the time of her introduction. My favorite part of the movie is the reprise of All that Jazz at the end. If you like any kind of music at all, you will find somebody to root for or some song you LOVE in this movie. In regards to the other review i just read by a 12 yr old... grow up... I'm 18 and it is NOT an age thing (although that sexual element is not appropriate for under 10 or so) the only people who will not like this movie are the people who think opera is what's on broadway and that classic music is those songs that have just come off of the top 20s radio and have yet to move to classic rock ( except for the occasional broadway producer that passed on Chicago the first time or passed on this movie, he might not be so happy he passed on this)
Rating: Summary: It has it all, and of course, All That Jazz... Review: Chicago is my favorite movie of all, sharing the place with Moulin Rouge. I don't know how to explain how wonderful it is. The music is amazing, the performances are perfect, the plot is great, the dance numbers are absolutely wonderful, in summary it's PERFECT!!!! I looooooove all kinds of musicals, but I love this the most. And even if you don't like musicals, you will love this movie. I know people who hate musicals, but loved this movie. The fact that it's based in a real musical, makes it already perfect, I mean that they had adapted a theatre play into a movie, and not a simple movie, a great movie is almost unbelievable. Catherine, Renée, Richard and Latifah, all give such wonderful performances. Catherine is a great singer and dancer, and Renée too. I think this movie really deserves all the awards it has recieved, and the fact that it won 6 Oscars, including Best Supporting Actress for Catherine and of course Best Movie, proves it. If you haven't seen it, go and watch it, you can be sure you will love it, and if you don't you have a really big problem.
Rating: Summary: JAZZ Review: This was a great movie, even if you do not like musicals, its great. The music in it was great and so was the acting. If you want to see a great movie/musical watch this.
Rating: Summary: Bringing back the genre? Review: Frankly, I used to think musicals weren't my thing. I am an 18 year-old male, so I never thought I'd like musicals. And then I saw Moulin Rouge, and loved it. When my friend Michelle told me Chicago would be released soon, I was skeptical, but interested. And I must say, I was COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY. The film was incredible. The director found a great way to bring the stage to the screen. The aesthetics in this film are incredible. The film is just beautiful. I am in high school, and I know that most high school students have a really really BAD taste in films. Unsurprisingly, most of them hated Chicago; however, most of them enjoy films like Jackass and South Park. If you're into more intelligent, theatrical, aesthetically pleasing films, see Chicago! I am hoping, due to Chicago and Moulin Rouge's successes, more musicals will be released in the upcoming years.
Rating: Summary: Blah Review: Chicago misses two main things : heart and wit. It's hardly ever funny (whereas the movie Roxie Hart was full of great cynical dialogue and gags), and none of the characters except for John C. Reilly are remotely likeable or interesting. Add to this some lousy storytelling (Roxie arrogantly firing Billy Flynn and two scenes later having him back as her lawyer, missing several emotional beats, Roxie starting her affair at the beginning of the film and only six months later shooting the guy though it seems like the next morning...), a fairly dull score (which has a few memorable songs but too many boring ones which all tend to sound similar), and miscast stars (Kevin Spacey - who CAN sing and dance should have been Billy Flynn, Renee Zellweger is the least interesting and attractive female star of the moment) and the end result is hardly a classic. What I really don't understand is why choreographer/director Rob Marshall constantly ruins his own choreography by his flashier-than-thou editing. Granted, a few times this leads to nice effects, but in at least 85% of the cases it is so counterproductive... I would have thought that he'd have returned to the only correct style of showing dance numbers : long full-body shots which follow the dancers. I also don't like the 'songs are imaginary'-gimmick, especially as it is then intercut with 'real' footage to hammer home the point. Although this does work with the ventriloquist number - the only truly succesful part of the whole film. The final number featuring both girls is totally uninteresting - no way they could be that succesful with such a non-act. And the new song (over the end credits) is truly bad. Kander and Ebb seemed to be completely out of inspiration. And finally : Richard Gere didn't do his dance number - you NEVER get one full body shot where his face and his feet are visible. It's obviously a double (maybe not in a few shots, but certainly for at least 90% of the number). And it's not even a very interesting or difficult tap dance routine...
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