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Reviews
Chicago (2002)
An amazing adaption of the classic Broadway show
As I entered the packed 600 seat auditorium where I would soon be amazed by "Chicago, " I had no idea of what I had to come. As the Overture/And All That Jazz began to play, I knew this was going to be a fantastic film; the photography, the lighting, the costumes, the actors, the music...all were perfect. Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, and John C. Reilly are at the top of their form in this film. All of them deliver superb performances that should be recognized when the Oscar nominations are announced on February 11th. The standout numbers in the film are: Catherine Zeta-Jones singing All That Jazz, Catherine Zeta-Jones and the Merry Murderesses singing the Cell Block Tango, Queen Latifah singing When You're Good To Mama, Richard Gere singing Razzle Dazzle, and Renee Zellweger/Catherine Zeta-Jones singing the final Nowadays/Honey Nut Rag.
This film version of "Chicago" is a kiss to the Broadway production. "Moulin Rouge" now has a suitable partner in the club of great movie musicals.
Bully (2001)
Stunning, Incredible....
Bully is a masterpiece. I was completely captivated by the stunning acting, brilliant cinematography, and truly disturbing story. Brad Renfro, Bijou Phillips, Rachel Miner, and especially Nick Stahl were all at the top of their game. Bully isn't pleasant to watch, but it's one of the most electrifying 2 hours that film can produce. "Requiem for a Dream" and "Dancer in the Dark" are also recommended.
74th Annual Academy Awards (2002)
Great Show!
Although the 74th Awards was the longest in history, literally, it was the best of them all. I found Whoopi Goldberg a great host, mainly because I didn't like Steve Martin and I was sick of Billy Crystal. I found the winners debatable, especially for Best Actor. I was rooting for Russell Crowe, even though he won the previous year for Gladiator. The highpoint of the evening was the surprise performance by Cirque du Soleil. What an incredible segment! Overall, I enjoyed the show a lot.
Cirque du Soleil: Quidam (1999)
Quidam will leave your mouth open in amazment and wishing for more!
I recently saw Quidam live here in Boston, and I knew that I needed to buy the DVD as soon as possible. In fact, I bought it right at the Grand Chapiteau (Cirque du Soleil's term for their big top tent) and watched it as soon as I got home. Wow. Wow. Wow! Quidam is unique from all the other Cirque du Soleil shows, including the ever popular Dralion. Quidam tells a story. A story about a young girl who has seen all there is to see, and she is frustrated in her own little world. When Quidam (a nameless passerby) comes to visit, all that changes. Soon, the little girl is introduced to a world of fantasy, beauty, happiness, and terror. The acts, which are simply incredible, are as follows:
1.) German Wheel - amazing performance of a man inside two hoops which have been connected. He spins around and does acrobatics while moving all over the place.
2.) Diabolos - 4 girls from the Peoples Republic of China whip their diabolos (Chinese yo-yo)around in every possible way. Wonderful act with great music.
3.) Aerial Contortion In Silk - a woman slowly descends from the sky contorting herself as she goes using two long, red silk ropes.
4.) Skipping Ropes - A whole group of people participate in a huge skipping rope game, but they do the most complicated and beautiful routines ever seen!
5.) Aerial Hoops - 3 women are drifted on stage from high in the air, all tangled up in one metal hula hoop. When they descend fully, they each get their own hoop, which is connected to the metal tracks above. They spin, glide, and contort themselves in the most amazing ways imaginable.
6.) *Handbalancing - Olga Pikhienko balances on metal canes connected to the stage, and what she does will astound you. For example, she is able to pull her leg up vertically over her head, and then, with one hand, hoist herself onto a cane in a split position, balancing only on that one hand! Simply incredible.
7.) Spanish Webs - 5 people and 5 ropes. What they do with one another is something so astounding you'll go back and watch it over and over.
8.) Statue/Vis Versa - 2 unbelievably strong people balance on one another in numerous positions, and all in slow motion!
9.) Cloud Swing - a unique blend of the Spanish Webs and trapeze. A great act that builds a lot of tension!
10.) Banquine - Without a doubt the best act in Quidam. 10 or so men and women from Russia and Italy propel one another through the air and land on one another with such grace. Some of the other incredible things they do include: a 4 man tower, a 3 man/1 woman in a split position tower, and numerous other gravity-defying stunts.
*In the current live show Quidam, Elena Lev has replaced the Handbanacing act with a Hoops act. She isn't on the Video or DVD, but you can catch her live when Quidam comes to your city. She is able to manipulate up to 20 hoops on every concievable part of her body!
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Acting: Brilliant Story: Brilliant Film: BRILLIANT A+
Not enough can be said about "A Beautiful Mind". Thought provoking, intense, and incredibly acted, this film is a gem. Winner of 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress. Also Nominated for Best Actor, Best Score, and Best Makeup. Russell Crowe stars in an amazing performance as the brilliant mathematician John F. Nash. John isn't social, isn't really popular, and definetly not great with the ladies. But, he is gifted with a brilliant mind. He solves equation after equation looking for an original idea to become well known and respected. He's well on is way, and is successful. Life is perfect. Until he is hired by William Parcher (played by Academy Award nominee Ed Harris)to break codes during a Russian conspiracy. Everything is going well until he makes a shocking discovery that it is all fake. The conspiracy, his roommate who he befriends, and the roommate's adorable niece. All fake. Schizophrenia has taken over his life. His wife is the only thing that can help him get threw this. Alicia (Academy Award Winner (for this) Jennifer Connelly) is there with him threw the hospitalizations, the struggles, the good times, but more the bad. She sticks with him, and thanks to her, John is able to win the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994. Jennifer Connelly's performance was nothing short of brilliant. She is luminous and exquisite. The Oscar was well deserved. You can truly see her struggle to help her husband, to raise her son, and to stay sane herself. And, Russell Crowe, Russell Crowe. Only nominated this year for Best Actor (beaten out by Denzel Washington for "Training Day". Personally, I thought Russell was better!), Russell is still is as good as he has ever been. Truly amazing. He makes you cry, laugh, and cheer at the end. Russell's best performance to date! "A Beautiful Mind" is brilliantly directed by Oscar Winner Ron Howard, and beautifully written by Oscar Winner Akiva Goldsman. A BEAUTIFUL MIND IS THE BEST FILM OF THE YEAR.
Airspeed (1999)
Give me a break!
This movie literally took a steep nosedive from the moment the title sequence began. Not only was the film cheesy and unoriginal (after Turbulence 1, 2, and 3), but it seemed to try too hard. Plus, these people would never exist. There's this girl, who is snotty and a total bitch before takeoff. She picks on her supervisor and the fat guy who is also on board. She makes stupid comments that do her character no favors, and she presents herself as stupid. Then, all of a sudden, the plane gets struck by lightning and and then she's the wonder princess. Elisha Cuthbert (now on the hit TV show "24") does what she can with the amazingly awful script, but the whole movie is bound for a rough landing. Being instructed by a contoller on the ground, the girl miraculously lands the Boeing 727 by herself, all the while remaining calm and still having time to make jokes. The wonderful actor Joe Mantegna also stars in the film as the girls distant father. It's sad to see an actor of his magnitude sink to the level of this film, even though most of it took place at 35,000 feet. A complete waste of time, and unsettling after 9/11.