So musicals made a return in 2002 when Chicagowon Best Picture (it won 6 awards altogether). What was a pleasant surprise to me was it wasn't a long musical. The film is about an hour and a half long. Now that hour and a half has a lot of songs in it, so despite that short run time, they really do pack in the singing and dancing.
The film seemed more of a celebration of the stage and jazz age than telling a story. A plot is present, but it's simple: Roxie Hart kills her lover, goes to jail, and then becomes famous because of her lawyer's quest to get a guilty woman free. Instead of developing Roxie's character (she remains shallow, which seems appropriate given what she did), the film creates big song and dance numbers that are stunning even on the small screen. My favorite was the ventriloquist act:
Renee Zellweger's timing in this scene is spot on. Richard Gere's charisma oozes from the screen in all its smarmy glory. What he lacks as a singer he makes up for in personality for sure.
My other surprise favorite part of the movie is the reporter Mary Sunshine (what a great name). Played by Christine Baranski, the reporter delivers a play-by-play of the trial at the end. Baranski plays the character as journalist who is out for the most sensational story she can find, and as she reports, her voice captures the scandal of what unfolds in the trial. It's fun to have a woman reporting on murderesses, as Mary Sunshine is also there for other press conferences and at the jail where all the women are awaiting trial. Between Mary Sunshine and Mama (Queen Latifah) the matron of the women's jail, it's clear that women are in control in this story.
Chicago was fun. Visually it certainly deserved an Oscar. And having women in strong roles makes its win even better.
Yes, I know Dunkirkhasn't won an Academy Award (yet, it's nominated but I think this year it will go to Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), but I was able to get it from my library and wanted to watch another nominated film just to have more context for this year's Academy Awards on March 4.
The story itself is fascinating: 400,000 British troops stranded in France, 300,000 of whom are rescued by small civilian boats. I was familiar with the historical event, but I didn't know the numbers or have any concept of what the experience was like for the troops or for the rescuers. Dunkirk puts the audience right in the middle. It's a film that you need to watch carefully at the beginning to understand the structure (there are three storylines). I didn't find myself connecting closely with any of the characters; instead, I was worried about all of them. And I think that's the point. All these troops, with no hope of rescue. And then the boats arrive.
Visually, the film is spectacular. The shots from the perspective of the fighter pilots put the audience in the cockpit. Cinematography has come a long way from the first best picture winner Wings. While some might want to see these scenes on a big screen, I'm glad I was at home as I think I would have been a bit queasy watching them, that's how realistic they seemed.
Dunkirk is worth watching if only for the visuals. Having an interesting structure only adds to the film.
If anyone is keeping track, I jumped into the 2000s without posting about American Beauty, released in 1999 with an impressive cast that includes Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, and Allison Janney. Those of you who have seen the film might note that I didn't include Kevin Spacey in that list. He's actually the main reason I'm not doing a rewatch of this film (or watching anything that he's in). Spacey's history of sexual harassment and assault is reason enough to avoid the actor.
I remember seeing American Beauty in the theater, and afterwards I thought "What did I just watch?" Well, that and I was thoroughly grossed out by Spacey's character. If that was my reaction then, I'm thinking it will only be worse knowing what the actor is really like.
So, goodbye to the 90s and the 20th century. It's time to move forward and continue with the 2000s. I've already covered three (Gladiator, Birdman, and Moonlight). It looks like I just might finish watching all the Academy Aware Best Picture winners this year!
