Rating: 7.5/10

Tagline: With the right song and dance, you can get away with murder.

Summary: Chicago centers on Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, two criminals-of-passion who find themselves awaiting their trials for murder in 1920s Chicago. Velma, a vaudevillian, and Roxie, a housewife with aspirations of having the same profession, fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows.

Stars: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Christine Baranski, Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs, Colm Feore

It’s been awhile since I’ve reviewed a movie, well…because it’s been quite awhile since I’ve actually seen a movie. I watched two yesterday, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape ? (starring Johnny Depp and Leonardo Dicaprio), and Chicago. I’m a huge fan of musicals and had been dying to see this as well as Moulin Rouge! (which is still overdue) for a long time.

I have to admit that it was quite a fun movie – Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones are both great actresses and I really enjoyed their performances. The characters are not sympathetic at all, but their spiteful and cruel demeanors are fun to watch. Richard Gere was also good as the charismatic Billy Flynn, who somehow manages to twist everything to suit his defendant’s case. All in all, I enjoyed the dialogue and the storyline, as well as the characters of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, and their rivalry. Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu also had small little cameos, which I enjoyed.

What I really loved – not surprisingly enough – was the choreography and the soundtrack. My favorite song is definitely We Both Reached for the Gun. I reminded the recording at least five times to watch that number. I also really loved Cell Block Tango, especially the fierce looks on the actresses’ faces, as well as Roxie. I was really impressed with the two lead actresses’ voices, especially Renee, who had never had professional training prior to filming this movie.

All in all, if you’re a fan of musicals, you should enjoy this movie. If you’re not, I would probably stay away from it, since the songs are what really make it. After this movie, I would curious to see how similar the stage version is.

Have you seen Chicago? What are you thoughts?

Bright Star promotional poster

Caption: First Love Burns Brightest.

Starring: Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Paul Schneider, Kerry Fox

Summary: The drama based on the three-year romance between 19th century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne, which was cut short by Keats’ untimely death at age 25.

What I Liked: Abbie Cornish was absolutely amazing in her portrayal of Fanny Brawne – her talent was especially striking in the more emotionally heavy scenes of the movie. I was amazed at the chemistry that existed between both Ben and Abbie – I felt absolutely sucked into their romance. I found myself willing a happy ending for the two of them, even though you know full well that there will be none. I also enjoyed the random bursts of Keats’ poetry, especially since Ben Whishaw did such a wonderful job of reciting them. The film was also stunning on a visual level.

What I disliked: I know that the film was nominated for the Oscar for best costumes, but I just really loathed the costumes that Fanny was wearing most of the time – I found that they made her look quite frumpy and large. I liked the costumes that the men and some of the other women were wearing, but I just felt that everything that 75% of the costumes that Abbie wore looked terrible on her. I don’t think it was the costumes themselves that I disliked, but just the way that they fit Abbie’s figure. I also found the scene after Brown sends Fanny the mock-Valentine a little awkward.

My favorite moment: I loved the scene where Fanny and John are walking with Margaret, and are holding hands and kissing everytime she would turn around. Such a sweet moment. The scene where Mrs. Brawne takes his hand and tells him to come back and marry “their Fanny” really tugged at my heartstrings. As well as when Keats tells Fanny to pretend that he is really going to come back home alive from Rome, and they begin to talk about this make-believe life that they would have if he was healthy, all the while knowing that this is the last night that they will ever spend with each other.

Lasting Impressions: I actually just finished studying Keats in my English/poetry class that I have this semester. My teacher mentioned a couple of times that Keats was in love with Fanny Brawne while writing some of the odes we were studying, but I was never aware of this grand love story that has apparently been made available to the world through Keats’ letters to Fanny that she passed on to her children. I thought that his love for Fanny Brawne was unrequited, like most poets we studied; seeing this movie actually gave me a whole new level of appreciation for his poetry. Hearing Ode to a Nightingale recited so beautifully instead of reading it off of a sheet made me fall in love with the poem. I think I’m going to go and find a cheap copy of Keats’ poems off of eBay now to read them.  He really is an amazing poet.

Rating: 9/10

Special thanks to Krissy for the recommendation!

Starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Emma Thompson, Dominic Cooper, Olivia Williams, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike

An Education Promotional Poster

Summary: In the early 1960′s, sixteen year old Jenny Mellor lives with her parents in the London suburb of Twickenham. On her father’s wishes, everything that Jenny does is in the sole pursuit of being accepted into Oxford, as he wants her to have a better life than he. Jenny’s life changes after she meets David Goldman, a man over twice her age. David goes out of his way to show Jenny and her family that his interest in her is not improper and that he wants solely to expose her to cultural activities which she enjoys. Jenny quickly gets accustomed to the life to which David and his constant companions, Danny and Helen, have shown her, and Jenny and David’s relationship does move into becoming a romantic one. However, Jenny slowly learns more about David, and by association Danny and Helen, and specifically how they make their money. Jenny has to decide if what she learns about them and leading such a life is worth forgoing her plans of higher eduction at Oxford.

What I Liked (Spoilers): Carey Mulligan’s performance, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She was very genuine as Jenny, and I felt as if I connected to her every step of the way. She’s extremely talented, and I look forward to seeing any future performances. Graham (played by Matthew Beard) was also extremely adorable! I felt so bad for the poor boy as he watched David walk in and bring Jenny all those presents. He looked so crushed – what a cutie! Jenny’s parents (Emma Thompson and Alfred Molina) were also a great pair, especially Jenny’s father. I also thought that Rosamund Pke was convincing as the classy, but not-so-sophisticated bitch.

What I disliked (Spoilers): Never, throughout the whole film, was I attracted to either David or his friend. I think that Peter Sarsgaard is an attractive man, but I really didn’t understand why Jenny was so unbelievably in love with him. This made it harder for me to sympathize with Jenny and her love for this man. I thought that Dominic Cooper was a good actor, but his character just annoyed me. I also felt the “happy ending” was a little rushed, and not very believable. I find it hard to believe that Jenny was able to bounce back after dropping out of school and missing her exams, and still be accepted into Oxford. It would take a lot longer for this to happen in real life. I thought the ending was sweet, but it was a far-fetched to a certain extent. The worst moment was the whole “banana scene”; it’s hard to believe that a married and experienced man like David would be so stupid as to suggest something like that.

My favorite moment (Major Spoilers): It was heartbreaking to watch David drive away after Jenny told him to tell her parents that he was married. He had just revealed that he was living a double life, after she had given up any hopes of having a proper education and had thrown her life away for him. I wished for a moment that I was in the movie so that I could run him over with my own car. I didn’t really have any “favorite moments”, but I enjoyed the scenes where Jenny was with her parents, her friends, or with Graham. They were a nice comedic touch.

Lasting Impressions: I decided for the Oscars this year that I would try and watch all the movies that were nominated for Best Picture (which I succeeded in doing, with the exception of Avatar, which I’m not too disappointed about). Out of the movies that I was going to watch, I was anticipating that  An Education would be dull and lengthy to watch. Instead, I absolutely loved it, and it was second favorite movie from the Best Picture nominees for this year after Inglorious Basterds. I definitely recommend this one!

Rating: 9/10

Summary: Recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock is trapped into an affair with Mrs. Robinson, who happens to be the wife of his father’s business partner and then finds himself falling in love with her teenage daughter, Elaine.

What I Liked (Spoilers): I honestly really enjoyed this movie. What I found the most interesting was seeing Dustin Hoffman at such a young age – I think this is the first movie that I’ve seen him in that he was that young. I love how controversial this movie must have been when it was first released in the 60s. I really loved Ben’s character, who was just adorable, awkward and likable. He’s definitely a character that is easy to identify with. I also really enjoyed his relationship with Elaine – I don’t think I’ve ever seen Katharine Ross in any other film before, but I definitely enjoyed her performance. As I already mentioned, she and Dustin Hoffman made a cute couple. I also very much enjoyed the dynamic between Mrs. Robinson and Ben, even though it differed greatly from that which he had with Elaine. The music was also incredible, as was the directing (which I later found out won an Oscar). I fell in love with Simon&Garfunkel while watching this movie.

What I disliked (Spoilers): I didn’t dislike much about this movie, except for the fact that randomly throughout the film the female actresses would let out these really high pitched screams – Elaine at one point even through a fit on Ben’s bed. I thought that was an overdramatic portrayal of women; however, overall, it was just a small annoyance.

My favorite moment (Major Spoilers): Definitely the scenes where Mrs. Robinson was trying to seduce Ben; the scene where he drove her home from the party, and especially the scene where they are in the hotel room together. The moment where Ben places his hand on Mrs. Robinson’s chest and then walks away to bang his head on the wall was genius (which I later found out was actually a goof on Hoffman’s part that made it into the final cut of the film). The end of that scene, when Ben forcefully turns off the lights when Mrs. Robinson accuses him of being a virgin was also great.  I also thought the scene where Elaine returns to Ben’s room and tells him she’ll marry him was extremely sweet. And of course the ending, in which Ben rescues Elaine from marrying a guy she doesn’t love, only to have them jump on the bus and exchange a look that basically echoes the question of: “Where do we go from here?”

Lasting Impressions: The Graduate had been on my list of movies to see for awhile, especially after having seen 500 Days of Summer. This movie is pretty incredible considering the time that it was released in, when most movies that dealt with any type of sexuality were frowned upon. I’m definitely going to try and watch more old movies from now on. I’ve also become a bigger fan of Dustin Hoffman now!

Rating: 8.75/10