Tuesday January 7, 2003 michigandaily.com/arts mae@michigandaily.com A~Ulbetdigau Bafg RTS 5 I FAMOUS FosSE MUSICAL HITS BIG SCREEN Take no notice of Grant, Bullock in 'Two Weeks' By John Laughlin Daily Arts Writer our"esy o"'ira" ax Come On (Come on). Baby don't ya wanna go? Back to same old place, sweet home Chicago. DEATH AND DANCING IN CHICAGO' By Tara Billik Daily Arts Writer In 2001, Baz Luhrmann brilliantl ed the movie-musical genre wit] Rouge," undoubtedly paving the w Marshall's spectacular movie adapta 1975 stage production "Chicago." comer to motion pictures, Marshall t with this new musical and succeed with flying colors. Though the film mimics the stacc and highly stylized cinematographyc Rouge," the musical interludes are unobtrusive, and the clear-cut nar- rative makes "Chicago" more palatable for audiences. The film's surreal song and dance numbers pay slight homage to Lars Von Trier's more experimental musical film, "Dancer in the Dark." Still, "Chicago" is accessible to both the mainstream and film artists. This musical's content can be easily appr women and men alike being dousedv ly clad but self-confident women. From the opening sequence, Mars out the eye candy and sets the energe us to indulge in for the next 113 mi one warning: don't sit too close tot Catherine Zeta-Jones, as Velma Kell our attention with a seductive perfo the infamous "All That Jazz." Frenetically, the camera cuts between this and the ensuing narra- tive about Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger). y resurrect- The film follows the starry-eyed chorus girl h "Moulin wannabe who shoots her lover after he threatens ay for Rob to leave her. Roxie winds up in prison where the tion of the former vaudeville sensation and fellow murder- As a new- ess Velma Kelly already resides. With the help akes a risk of the matron "Mama" (Queen Latifah), both s, literally, women acquire the assistance of the lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), reputed for never ato rhythm having lost a case. Roxie's dimwitted husband of "Moulin (John C. Reilly) pays Billy enough to take Roxie's case, and Billy plans to S Iwin no matter what. As Roxie gains public sympathy through the *7k*7k media, her place in the spotlight leaves Velma in the shadows. The CHICAGO women prove they will do any- At Showcase thing for stardom, caring more about recognition than their own Miramax lives. Though set in 1920s vaude- villian Chicago, these themes of a reciated by scandalous justice system and crimes-made- with scanti- entertainment remain timeless. Though the storyline stays simple, it pro- hall dishes vides an adequate structure for Marshall to tic tone for decorate using his elaborate cinematic tech- nutes. Only niques. The film is funny, flashy and sexy, the screen! yet, the dark subject matter elegantly weaves y, captures its way throughout. Lighting shifts from the )rmance of dark seductive ambience of leather bound women on death row to the luscious colors of a glitzy circus sequence. "Chicago" is domi- nated by the juxtaposition between the real and surreal. The fantastical song and dance sequences are displayed through characters' subjective fantasies, giving Marshall com- plete power of artistic freedom. "Chicago" can also be praised for the expert performances of its all-star cast. Catherine Zeta-Jones is the appropriate candidate for the sultry vamp, Velma Kelly, yet Renee Zellweger seemed a questionable choice. Nonetheless, Zellweger's screen presence dominates the film and is equally, if not more, alluring than Zeta- Jones.' She gives Roxie Hart an enticing dimen- sionality with her vulnerable yet underhanded guise. Marshall provides the perfect opportuni- ty for these actors to break out of their tradi- tional roles. Who would have expected to see the fumbling Bridget Jones as a seductive mur- deress, or the well-reserved Gere in sparkles and tap shoes? Also added to the mix is a fabu- lous, and hilarious, performance by Queen Lati- fah, Reilly's heart breaking rendition of "Mr. Cellophane," and Taye Diggs spicing up the atmosphere as a jazzy emcee. "Chicago" awards the feel of a live stage production,'and the cinematic qualities allow each spectator the best seat in the house. Rob Marshall's masterful choreography of music, dance and cinema will surely be no stranger at the Academy Awards this year. "Two Weeks Notice" continues Hugh Grant's forays in the romantic comedy genre. Grant plays George Wade - a wealthy man, but more simply, the pub- lic face of a large corporation. Lucy Kelson (Sandra Bullock) is a lawyer who always seems to be fighting for a cause to aid humanity and counters Wade's attributes. Their relationship is contrasted from the very beginning of the film with a beautiful title sequence that displays comparative childhood photo albums. When Wade's brother forces him to find a new lawyer (one that Wade will not sleep with), fate steps in with Lucy, who approaches him in hopes of convincing him not to destroy a historic building in Coney Island. Lucy is swept into Wade's limo, and before she knows it, finds herself work- ing for the man she stands morally against. Her hope is that by working for George she can help save the building, thus doing some good in exchange for working with her enemy. A series of flash-forward sequences ensue detailing the minor disasters leading Lucy to give her "two weeks notice" to George. These vignettes come to a cli- max when Lucy is pulled Two away from a friend's NO wedding to help the At Show absent-minded million- Qual aire pick out a suit. Since her contract is quite bind- Warn ing, and George has made it impossible for her to find work elsewhere, Lucy tries to get fired. George tells her he knows the game she is playing. Only when she agrees to find a replacement does George concede. "Two Weeks Notice" starts at a quick pace by means of its fast-forwards, maintining a decent comedic atmos- phere. Through subtle nuances in the dialogue and actions, the relationship potential between the seemingly polar opposites is foreshadowed. The film is not a Pygmalionesquer tale, or a variant'of "Pretty Woman" as one might expect from two such charac- Courtesy or Warner Bros. Wanna see my Ted Kennedy impresion? ters. The strong will and independence of Bullock's character keeps her at a distance from such a trap, but at times her "sweet innocence" comes through and compromises some of her internal values. However, this flaw does not nec- essarily weaken Bullock's character in feminist terms, but more simply shows her as a woman with too much love and compassion for others while just want- ing someone to love her for a change. The chemistry between Grant and Bullock never seems to gel completely. Through the addition of a "third wheel" - the woman Bullock hires as a replacement - the film is finally able to create the tension required to make the main characters explore and realize their feelings for each other. Perhaps the most tragic mistake of the film, y it chooses to use another woman to create a VEEKS "crowd." By choosing to ICE make the third wheel ase and another woman, "Two s 16 Weeks" turns into the stereotypical male fantasy Bros. of two women vying for his love. This type of cir- cle downplays the female lead, height- ens the male ego and is something that a romantic comedy should not try to do. George crawls back to Lucy in the end, which places the characters in their nec- essary positions, but this becomes noth- ing more than a means to an end. Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant are both great players of romantic comedy, but their chemistry in "Two Weeks Notice" never seems to foster anything close to a "Love Potion #9." "Two Weeks Notice" is at times witty and most definitely comic, but the romance never reaches its full potential. W T rc it ier 0