Chicago

Director/choreographer Rob Marshall establishes such a sublimely vivacious speakeasy atmosphere of hot jazz, cigarette smoke and showgirls within the first five seconds of the first musical number in this year's Oscar winner for Best Picture that you'll feel as if you're truly backstage at a posh 1920s cabaret. Reality, fantasy, and stage performance blend together through brilliantly creative (and Oscar-winning) precision editing as murderous vaudeville vixens Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) compete with all their showbiz acumen and feminine wiles for the attention of Billy Flynn (Richard Gere)--the expensive, unbeatable, headline-grabbing celebrity lawyer who has taken both their cases but seems interested only in whichever one can be manipulated to generate the most publicity. Adapted for the screen by Oscar-winner Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters), whose innovative alterations take full advantage of the cinematic medium, Chicago is, quite simply, one of the best movie musicals I've ever seen. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon, a 28-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, the four-minute deleted musical number “Class” featuring costars Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones, a soundtrack spot, and trailers. Bottom line: one would have expected more for this Best Picture Oscar winner, but maybe there's a special edition coming later.] (R. Blackwelder)[DVD Review—Dec. 13, 2005—Miramax, 2 discs, 113 min., PG-13, $29.99—Making its second appearance on DVD, 2003's Chicago (The Razzle-Dazzle Edition) sports a great transfer and DTS or Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. DVD extras include the same commentary, deleted musical number, and “From Stage to Screen: The History of Chicago” behind-the-scenes featurette as on the previous release. New material on the second disc includes nine extended musical performances with multi-angle scenes and rehearsals (56 min.), a “VH1 Behind the Movie” episode (36 min.), “An Intimate Look at Director Rob Marshall” (20 min.), a 13-minute featurette on “When Liza Minelli Became Roxie Hart,” featurettes on Academy Award-winning production designer John Myhre (6 min.) and costume designer Colleen Atwood (6 min.), “Chita Rivera's Encore” (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a razzle-dazzle extras package for an Oscar-winning film.][Blu-ray Review—Feb. 25, 2014—Lionsgate, 113 min., PG-13, $14.99—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 2002's Chicago sports a great transfer and a DTS 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary by director Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon, a "Chicago in the Spotlight” retrospective with behind-the-scenes segments including “Developing the Screenplay," "Casting the Movie," "Rehearsals," and more (142 min. total), 13 extended musical performances (57 min.), and a bonus DVD (which includes previous special features), as well as bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: an excellent bargain-priced Blu-ray edition of this Oscar winner.]