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Chicago
2003
Renee Zellweger , Catherine Zeta-Jones , Richard Gere
If there is one movie you had to see this year make it Chicago! I had no idea what the story line was when I walked into the cinema but when I walked out at the end all I wanted to do was watch it again! From the start to the end I sat their saying to my self "wow!" it was amazing. Murderesses Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who blanked out and killed her cheating husband and Roxie Hart(Renee Zellweger) who killed her boyfriend in a jealous rage strive for fame at any costs including scandal, lies and back-stabbing. Both of them employ silver tongues lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) in order to get out of jail and back on the stage. Velma and Roxie both battle to have the next days head lines, and with the press loving the new face of Roxie Hart, Velma tries to do any thing she can to get the press on her again. Awarding winning performances by all, hard to tell who shone more Renee or Catherine, my personal opinion I think Catherine but it was close. The director put alot of thought into how to link both the stage and film to the movie it was done brilliantly. Sound track is fantastic songs that shall stick in your head for days you come. If you don't like surreal movies or musicals, don't expect to love it as much I as I did, but I recommend you go and see it any way - you may love it. Fanatic to watch and listen, all of the actors involved will be big business now expect to seem me every where!
10/10 - and all that Jazz!
The Hours
2003
Nicole Kidman , Meryl Streep , Juilanne Moore
When I went to see the Hours I had no idea what was in store apart from the fact the cast was amazing. With Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman, John C. Reilly, Ed Harris and surprise appearances from Claire Danes and Jeff Daniels its worth seeing just for them. But the film has more to it that a star studded cast. Virginia Woolf (Kidman) is a young woman living in the 1920's suffering from depression and mental problems but with a gift to write novels, the film starts with her writing a novel titled "Mrs Dalaway". Laura Brown (Moore) is a 1950's housewife and seemingly a more than prefect mother but is really hiding her true fears and stuggle of her family life - she is reading "Mrs Dalaway". And Clarissa Vaughan (Streep) is a modern day woman who i s coping with her sexuality and throwing a party for her dying author friend (Harris) who is living the book "Mrs Dalaway". All stories are cleverly interwoven, with seamless changes from one story to another. As Virginia is writing something, Laura shall be doing reading it and Clarissa shall be doing it. Nicole Kidman has her Oscar already lined up for her performance , there is no doubt she shall win best actresses from this moving performance - and its easy to forget that its her. Streep is her usual 110% effort actresses; she is perfect in every way. A new comer to my viewing was Julianne Moore, she shone in this movie I am inspired to see more of this lady! She was every part of her character and even with out her Oscars she shall now be A-list. With the sound track helping to build up tension and FANTASTIC supporting roles from everybody this movie is a rare hit seeing its main roles are 3 woman and the story line touches on sexuality, suicide and is a genially good story about woman - hard to find.
10/10 for the 2 Hours
Adaptation
2003
Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper
Is what seems to be a basic story of a script writer called Charlie who is having trouble script writing (Nicolas Cage), his twin brother Donald who is also a script writer who lives the way he writes with reckless abandon (Nicolas Cage again) and a author Susan Orlean who tries to write about life when she hasn't really experienced it (Meryl Streep). Charlie must adapt Susan's book "The Orchid Thief" about a true to life man (Chris Cooper) who would risk even his freedom to pick a wild rare flower called the Ghost orchid. But he ends up falling in love with her words and eventually her, even without meeting her in person - but the author is not all what she seems and seems to have fallen in lover her self.

The story flicks between Charlie attempting to adapt the book to Susan trying to get inside the Orchid thief him self. All roles are fantastic with Nicolas Cage pulling off a successful performance as to different twins, Streep plays a different role from her usual and does this fantastically. Chris Copper plays the no-teethed longhaired hippie brilliantly, all main parts shine and have heard favourites of all of them, mine is Streep but that's personal! The film is all about irony with in the plot and what happens to the characters seems almost unimportant in the end. With Charlie trying not to write a script about the very thing is life becomes.

Wonderfully Weird 8-9/10
X2
2003
Hugh Jackman , Halle Berry

After a smashing first hit of the X-men I wasn't expecting the sequel to top the first one - but it did.

To all those who are new to mutants they are an evolved version of human kind each possessing a unique power. Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) runs a school to help young mutants control their power and hopefully use them for the greater good. Helping him is Scott Summers aka Cyclops (James Marsden) who can spray red lasers at will, his wife Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) who can move things with her mind and finally Oreo aka Storm (Halle Berry) who can control the weather. Also young mutants Rogue who can steal other mutants powers, Pyro who can control fire and Ice Man With late and new comer Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming)who can disappear in a blaze of smoke and reappear some where else and is unforgetable with his blue skin and self mutilated scars. Not forgetting Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) with healing powers and basically big metal spikes out of his hands!. However not all mutants wish to live in peace there is a small group who wish to kill all non-mutants the leader and once great friend of Prof. X, Magneto (Ian McKellen) who can control metal and side-kick Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos)who can shape shift from her normal blue-scaly body to any body at will plus new bady Lady Death Strike the lady version of wolverine. But in this movie it is time for the 2 teams to join in forces and fight against anti-mutant politician William Stryker who has built a machine that could possibly kill all mutants at once.

With love triangles between Wolverine, Jean Grey and Cyclops and a possible start with Storm and NightCrawler there are plenty of sub-stories to keep non-action fans amused too. An even stronger story than the first, with more tension between X-Men and human kind it often seems like a comic-book version of real life racial tension. Young kids will like it for the action and adults on a more deeper level of the difficulties of being different (and the action as well!) its a big hit. Masses of bangs and smashing and funny one-liners, also with little hints of the comic book version of the X-men to keep fanatics happy - with appearances of Beast - in human form and names (although no appearances) of Gambit.

New comers and fans will love it alike with enough to keep both sides happy, with a tragic and unexpected ending it shall keep you on the end of your seats until the end of the whopping 2hours 10min. And leaving things open for an almost definate sequel!

An X-trodenary 10/10