Based on Bob Fosse’s 1975 stage musical, “Chicago” is set in the 1920s and tells the story of Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger), a wannabe nightclub star who finds herself in Cook County prison with a murder charge. Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a song-and-dance girl who Roxie idolizes, is also behind bars for knocking off her cheating husband. The film’s musical numbers (excluding Zeta-Jones’ ravishing opening rendition of "All That Jazz") exist mainly as fantasy, with each sequence presented from two separate perspectives: one depicting regular scenes in the courtroom and prison, and the other an alternate musical rendering intercut with the dialogue. The music in “Chicago” is vibrant and alive; the musical set pieces are nothing short of show stopping, with dazzling choreography and visuals that are pure eye candy. The film’s pulse never slows and its high spirits never waver. It’s the most fun I’ve had in the theatre in a long, long time.

The cast eases into their roles with a knack for both song and dance. Roxie, who wants to build her music career out of the fame and attention she will gather from her court case, is brought to life with the usual bubbly charms of Zellweger. Zeta-Jones can belt out a wicked tune, and Richard Gere has great fun (and this may include, yes, tap-dancing) as sheister lawyer Billy Flynn, who is so good that he maintains that he could have taken on Jesus’ case and won. Rounding out the ensemble is Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly, whose solo rendition of "Mr. Cellophane" is another one of the film’s many highlights.

A darkly satirical look at showbiz and the meaning of celebrity, “Chicago” is the movie musical to end all movie musicals. And no, you shouldn’t resist applauding after each song comes to a close, as long as others follow your lead – that way, you won’t look like an idiot.

FAR FROM HEAVEN


Starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid,
Dennis Haysbert and Patricia Clarkson
Director Todd Haynes
Canadian Classification 14A
Released by Focus Films - 11/02

“Far From Heaven” is like one of those great paintings; every stroke upon the canvas is one of grace and intelligence. Director Todd Haynes’ (“Velvet Goldmine”) throwback to the idealistic filmmaking era of Douglas Sirk manifests itself in a strange and beautiful film. Haynes not only depicts the social values, serene settings and the “gee golly gosh that’s swell” mentality of 1957 Hartford, but adopts its style of filmmaking as well, from the opening title cards and onward. Some people may find the plot and dialogue cheesy and stiff. That’s intentional, however; the film assumes the naïve façade of old-fashioned Hollywood, thus making its prevalent dramatic statements seem all the richer.

Julianne Moore, who is up for an Oscar for her role, plays housewife Cathy Whitaker, who finds herself in a growing friendship with her kindhearted, coloured gardener Raymond Deagon (the terrific Dennis Haysbert) that is causing talk around the town. Her husband Frank (Dennis Quaid) is battling homosexual tendencies and is torn apart by his unspeakable desires. He begins seeing a doctor about having “heterosexual conversion therapy” to save his marriage and his family (the Whitakers have two children).

“Far From Heaven” explores society’s taboos and prejudices, but doesn’t try to make a bold statement about racial injustice or its other subjects. It’s quieter than that. The performances power the drama, with Moore giving an amazing turn as the broken yet tolerant housewife, a just woman in an unjust time and place, while Quaid is devastating as the husband driven to the edge by his longing for something that society had deemed reprehensible. The film, in the end, depicts a picturesque community - one where children listen to their mothers, gardens are well tended, and white picket fences line the sidewalks under the changing leaves of autumn. On the surface, it seems perfect, but to look closer reveals a time and place that is far from heaven.

FINAL DESTINATION 2


Starring A.J. Cook, Ali Larter, Michael Landes,
Terrence Carson, Jonathan Cherry and Keegan Connor Tracy
Director David R. Ellis
Canadian Classification 18A
Released by New Line Cinema - 01/03

In 2000’s “Final Destination”, a horror movie in which the chance survivors of a plane crash are hunted down by Death itself, John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High plays in the background as one of the characters meets their gruesome demise. How delightfully twisted. In “Final Destination 2”, as the characters are about to merge on to the highway, one of them has a premonition that a devastating traffic accident will claim the lives of she and her friends. The song playing on the radio is AC/DC’s Highway to Hell. Not so subtle, is it? Such would describe to this sequel, which is stupid and downright perverse in that its main purpose is to orchestrate elaborate scenes of gory murder. In “Final Destination 2”, people die in an outlandish series of chain reaction coincidences involving things like sheets of glass and leaking fish tanks.

And yet - despite the fact that the characters and dialogue are utterly inane - when these characters do die, it's so joltingly effective that viewers will either gawk at the screen in shock or laugh in nervous surprise. This movie features some of the most inventive deaths in horror movie history. A slickly made piece of trash, “Final Destination 2” is acceleratingly suspenseful, scary and ridiculous, which makes the film a rather entertaining ride almost in spite of itself.

The movie opens with Kimberly (A.J. Cook) and her friends about to head off on vacation when she experiences a premonition of a spectacular pile-up that originates with a logging trunk losing its cargo (it’s one of the most startling crash sequences I’ve ever seen). Terrified, Kimberly blocks the on-ramp onto the highway because she thinks everyone is doing to die. And everyone does. But the people that she saved were meant to die, you see, and she has tampered with death’s design. Now, death is coming after the survivors to even the score.

“Final Destination 2” is little more than a rehash of the first film, but it has devised such creative and unspeakable new ways for stupid teenagers to die that I can’t help but like it. I know, I’m a sick bastard. The gore and violence level in the film is through the roof. The acting, meanwhile, leaves something to be desired – although Michael Landes and Terrence Carson are likeable as the sympathetic cop and the token black guy, respectively. Ali Larter returns as the hilariously named Clear Rivers, the surviving member of FD1, who knows all the tricks on how to cheat death. Or something. The premonitions and “signs” that the characters experience are taken so literally that it’s ludicrous (“They’re going to be killed by pigeons!”).

The movie throws us a few clever twists, however, and is great junk food for the horror movie aficionado like myself. After all, there is such a thin line between clever and stupid. Spinal Tap knew it and so do I.