ACADEMY AWARD WINNING MOVIES-V01 (DVD) DVD

Chicago
A starry-eyed would-be star discovers just how far the notion that "there's no such thing as bad publicity" can go in this screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Chicago, originally directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse. In the mid-'20s, Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) is a small-time chorus dancer married to a well-meaning dunderhead named Amos (John C. Reilly). Roxie is having an affair on the side with Fred Casley (Dominic West), a smooth talker who insists he can make her a star. However, Fred strings Roxie along a bit too far for his own good, and when she realizes that his promises are empty, she becomes enraged and murders Fred in cold blood. Roxie soon finds herself behind bars alongside Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a sexy vaudeville star who used to perform with her sister until Velma discovered that her sister had been sleeping with her husband. Velma shot them both dead, and, after scheming prison matron "Mama" Morton hooks Velma up with hotshot lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), Velma becomes the new Queen of the scandal sheets. Roxie is just shrewd enough to realize that her poor fortune could also bring her fame, so she convinces Amos to also hire Flynn. Soon Flynn is splashing Roxie's story -- or, more accurately, a highly melodramatic revision of Roxie's story -- all over the gutter press, and Roxy and Velma are soon battling neck-to-neck over who can win greater fame through the headlines. A project that had been moving from studio to studio since the musical opened on Broadway in 1973, Chicago also features guest appearances by Lucy Liu and Christine Baranski. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Frida
After being attached to a number of actors, directors, and producers, this long-gestating biography of one of Mexico's most prominent, iconoclastic painters reaches the screen under the guiding hand of producer/star Salma Hayek. Hayek ages some 30 years onscreen as she charts Frida Kahlo's life from feisty schoolgirl to Diego Rivera protégée to world-renowned artist in her own right. Frida details Kahlo's affluent upbringing in Mexico City, and her nurturing relationship with her traditional mother (Patricia Reyes Spindola) and philosophical father (Roger Rees). Having already suffered the crippling effects of polio, Kahlo sustains further injuries when a city bus accident nearly ends her life. But in her bed-ridden state, the young artist produces dozens upon dozens of pieces; when she recovers, she presents them to the legendary -- and legendarily temperamental -- Rivera (Alfred Molina), who takes her under his wing as an artist, a political revolutionary, and, inevitably, a lover. But their relationship is fraught with trouble, as the philandering Rivera traverses the globe painting murals, and Kahlo languishes in obscurity, longing to make her mark on her own. Frida was directed by Julie Taymor, whose Broadway production of The Lion King won her international acclaim. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Life Is Beautiful
In this WW II tragicomedy, famed Italian funnyman Roberto Benigni (The Monster) portrays Guido, who moves during the '30s from the country to a Tuscan town, where he is entranced by schoolteacher Dora (Nicoletta Braschi, Benigni's real-life wife). Dora likes Guido, but she remains faithful to her pompous fiancé, so Guido has an uphill struggle. Meanwhile, anti-Semitic attitudes lead to attacks against Guido's Jewish uncle (Giustino Durano). Leaping ahead to five years later, during WW II, Guido and Dora are married and have a son Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini). After they are imprisoned in a concentration camp, Guido goes to elaborate lengths to keep his son from understanding the truth of their situation. He tells the boy that they are competing with others to win an armored tank -- so everything from food shortages to tattoos is explained as necessary for participation in the contest. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Cast Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly Renée Zellweger as Roxie Hart Richard Gere as Billy Flynn Queen Latifah as Matron Mama Morton John C. Reilly as Amos Hart Christine Baranski as Mary Sunshine Lucy Liu as Go-to-Hell-Kitty Taye Diggs as Bandleader Colm Feore as Assistant District Attorney Martin Harrison Dominic West as Fred Casely Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo Alfred Molina as Diego Rivera Geoffrey Rush as Leon Trotsky Ashley Judd as Tina Modotti Antonio Banderas as David Alfaro Siqueiros Edward Norton as Nelson Rockefeller Valeria Golino as Lupe Marin Mía Maestro as Cristina Kahlo Roger Rees as Guillermo Kahlo Patricia Reyes Spindola as Matilde Kahlo Saffron Burrows as Gracie Margarita Sanz as Natalia Trotsky Diego Luna as Alejandro Gomez Arias Roberto Benigni as Guido Nicoletta Braschi as Dora Giustino Durano as Uncle Sergio Bustric as Ferruccio Marisa Paredes as Dora's Mother Horst Buchholz as Dr. Lessing Lydia Alfonsi as Guicciardini Giuliana Lojodice as Headmistress Giorgio Cantarini as Giosue

Crew Danilo Donati - Art Director Shaila Rubin - Casting Danilo Donati - Costume Designer Gianni Arduini - First Assistant Director Roberto Benigni - Director Simona Paggi - Editor Mario Cotone - Executive Producer Nicola Piovani - Composer (Music Score) Tonino Delli Colli - Cinematographer Gianluigi Braschi - Producer Elda Ferri - Producer Tullio Morganti - Sound/Sound Designer Vincenzo Cerami - Screenwriter Roberto Benigni - Screenwriter Danilo Donati - Art Director Shaila Rubin - Casting Danilo Donati - Costume Designer Gianni Arduini - First Assistant Director Roberto Benigni - Director Simona Paggi - Editor Mario Cotone - Executive Producer Nicola Piovani - Composer (Music Score) Tonino Delli Colli - Cinematographer Gianluigi Braschi - Producer Elda Ferri - Producer Tullio Morganti - Sound/Sound Designer Vincenzo Cerami - Screenwriter Roberto Benigni - Screenwriter Danilo Donati - Art Director Shaila Rubin - Casting Danilo Donati - Costume Designer Gianni Arduini - First Assistant Director Roberto Benigni - Director Simona Paggi - Editor Mario Cotone - Executive Producer Nicola Piovani - Composer (Music Score) Tonino Delli Colli - Cinematographer Gianluigi Braschi - Producer Elda Ferri - Producer Tullio Morganti - Sound/Sound Designer Vincenzo Cerami - Screenwriter Roberto Benigni - Screenwriter

Chicago
If Moulin Rouge heralded the triumphant return of the movie musical, Rob Marshall's rhapsodic rendition of Chicago takes that tendency a welcome two-step further. Using the best capabilities of both stage and screen, Marshall mounts a rousing cinematic achievement that may trump Baz Luhrmann's -- he's filmed a conventionally structured musical that needs no tricks, only its own tight mechanics, to reach across generations of moviegoers. A Broadway chestnut written in the 1970s about the 1920s may not seem ripe with 21st century relevance, but an astonishing cast of performers breathes new excitement into the lyrics and music of John Kander and Fred Ebb and the swagger of playwright/choreographer Bob Fosse. And in Chicago, "performer" is no term of backhanded praise. Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere sing every impressive note and cut every impressive groove across each dance floor, their heretofore unknown talents prompting bouts of surprised applause throughout the audience. That they deliver award-worthy acting on top of it is a bonus. But Chicago is as much a triumph of editing as any other attribute. The production numbers run steadily throughout, so Marshall deftly weaves expository passages into the score's quieter moments, the lyrics and images offering a perfect symbiosis of storytelling methods. Martin Walsh's editing also gets its own chance at center stage, notably during the thrilling sequence in which Gere's climactic courtroom speech alternates with footage of the actor engaged in a rapid-fire tap dance. That Chicago also functions as a familiar but juicy indictment of the bloodthirsty media and its fickle readership...well, it leaves a reviewer about as breathless as Zeta-Jones after a spirited romp across the set. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
 

Frida
The life of an uncompromising, iconoclastic artist has never seemed as rote and inevitable as it does in Julie Taymor's Frida, an intermittently engaging but wholly ordinary biography that wouldn't be out of place premiering on a basic-cable channel. Ticking off the events in Kahlo's life like a grade-school filmstrip, Frida's screenplay -- credited to no less than four writers, not including the purported rewrites from Ed Norton -- is full of clumsy passage-of-time indicators and halting, expository dialogue. Luckily, the performers manage to bring it alive somewhat: Though notably lacking in the kind of mythic swagger Kahlo requires, Salma Hayek digs into her long-gestating "role of a lifetime" with vigor. Better yet is Alfred Molina's Diego Rivera, who threatens to swallow the movie whole (both figuratively and literally). To her credit, Taymor attempts to infuse Frida with the kind of broad, expressionistic strokes she lent 2000's Titus -- the movie is nothing if not lush. Cinematographer Rodrigo Pietra renders Mexico as a paradise of reds, blues, and greens, playing up the contrasts between Kahlo's homeland and the steely, blue-gray New York sequences. But however brilliant they often are, Taymor's directorial flourishes are just that, and Frida -- which by all accounts could've been as daring as Vincent and Theo or Before Night Falls -- never rises above standard bio-pic fare. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
 

Life Is Beautiful
Life is Beautiful caused more than a little controversy when it was released: any attempt to make comedy out of the Holocaust is going to inspire strong reactions from critics and audience members. Love it or loathe it, Life is Beautiful inarguably made an international star out of Italian comedian Roberto Benigni, who wrote, directed, and starred in it. One of his country's most celebrated comedians, Benigni was previously known for his work in numerous Italian comedies, as well as Johnny Stecchino and Jim Jarmusch's Down By Law and Night on Earth. Life is Beautiful's Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, followed by Benigni's Best Actor Oscar and acceptance speech (in exuberant, skillfully broken English), made Benigni possibly Italy's most famous export since the Fiat. Although some viewers found the film's second half, set almost entirely in a concentration camp, to be well-meaning but misguided, the film's first half is indisputably enjoyable. Revolving around the courtship of an aristocratic lady nicknamed the Principessa by Benigni's Guido, it makes a refreshing, elegantly hilarious love story. Somewhat ironically, the film's wittiest and most accurate commentary on fascism and religious oppression is contained here, rather than in the concentration camp setting. Benigni's comedy here becomes a tool for side-splitting yet razor-sharp criticism, and this first section powerfully establishes the reality of everyday life disrupted by the war. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
 

Disc Title: Chicago - People Awards: Bill Condon: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Adapted Screenplay (nominated) Bill Condon: Golden Globe, Best Screenplay (nominated) Bill Condon: Writers Guild of America, Best Adapted Screenplay (nominated) Catherine Zeta-Jones: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Supporting Actress (winner) Catherine Zeta-Jones: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress (winner) Catherine Zeta-Jones: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress (nominated) Catherine Zeta-Jones: Golden Globe, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or C (nominated) Catherine Zeta-Jones: Screen Actors Guild, Best Supporting Actress (winner) David Lee: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (winner) Dominick Tavella: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (winner) Fred Ebb: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Song (nominated) Gordon Sim: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Art Direction (winner) John C. Reilly: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominated) John C. Reilly: Golden Globe, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominated) John Kander: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Song (nominated) Michael Minkler: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (winner) Queen Latifah: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Supporting Actress (nominated) Queen Latifah: Golden Globe, Best Supporting Actress (nominated) Queen Latifah: Screen Actors Guild, Best Supporting Actress (nominated) Renée Zellweger: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Actress (nominated) Renée Zellweger: Golden Globe, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or C (winner) Renée Zellweger: Screen Actors Guild, Best Actress (winner) Richard Gere: Golden Globe, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com (winner) Richard Gere: Screen Actors Guild, Best Actor (nominated) Rob Marshall: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Director (nominated) Rob Marshall: Directors Guild of America, Best Director (winner) Rob Marshall: Golden Globe, Best Director (nominated) Rob Marshall: National Board of Review, Best Directorial Debut (winner)

Chicago - Film Awards: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Art Direction (winner) Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Cinematography (nominated) Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Costume Design (winner) Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Editing (winner) Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Picture (winner) American Film Institute, Top Ten Movie of the Year (winner) Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Acting Ensemble (nominated) Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Ensemble Acting (winner) Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Picture (winner) Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Picture (nominated) Golden Globe, Best Picture - Musical or Comedy (winner) National Board of Review, Best Picture (nominated)

Disc Title: Frida - People Awards: Alfred Molina: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominated) Alfred Molina: Screen Actors Guild, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominated) Elliot Goldenthal: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Song (nominated) Hannia Robledo: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Art Direction (nominated) John Jackson: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Makeup (winner) Julie Taymor: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Song (nominated) Rodrigo Prieto: American Society of Cinematographers, Best Cinematography (nominated) Salma Hayek: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Actress (nominated) Salma Hayek: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Actress (nominated) Salma Hayek: Golden Globe, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (nominated) Salma Hayek: Screen Actors Guild, Best Actress (nominated)

Frida - Film Awards: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Art Direction (nominated) Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Costume Design (nominated) Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Makeup (winner) Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Score (winner) American Film Institute, Top Ten Movie of the Year (winner) National Board of Review, Best Picture (nominated) Telluride Film Festival, Film Presented (nominated)

Disc Title: Life Is Beautiful - People Awards: Nicola Piovani: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Dramatic Score (winner) Roberto Benigni: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Actor (winner) Roberto Benigni: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Director (nominated) Roberto Benigni: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Original Screenplay (nominated) Roberto Benigni: Directors Guild of America, Best Director (nominated) Roberto Benigni: Screen Actors Guild, Best Actor (winner) Roberto Benigni: Toronto Film Critics Association, Best Actor - Runner-up (winner) Simona Paggi: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Editing (nominated) Vincenzo Cerami: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Original Screenplay (nominated)

Life Is Beautiful - Film Awards: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Foreign Language Film (winner) Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Picture (nominated) Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Foreign Film (winner) Cannes Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize (winner) Chicago Film Critics Association, Best Foreign Film (winner) French Academy of Cinema, Best Foreign Language Film (winner) Screen Actors Guild, Best Ensemble Acting (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French, Italian Subtitle Options: Spanish Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DTS: Digital Theater Systems (akin to 5.1) Additional Features: cc Chicago: Deleted musical number "Class," performed by Catherine Zeta-Jones & Queen Latifah Behind the scenes featurette Commentary with the screenwriters and director Rob Marshall Life Is Beautiful: Behind the scenes "Making Life Beautiful" featurette Academy award tv commercials Theatrical trailer Frida: Behind the scenes footage Interviews with Salma Hayek, director Julie Taymor and musician/actress Chavela Vargas Feature commentary with Julie Taymor and composer Elliot Goldenthal Salma Hayek's recording sessions The vision, design & music of Frida DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 4 DVD Sides: 4 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 352 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- Chicago 1. And All That Jazz [7:04] 2. Killing Fred Casely [3:55] 3. Funny Honey [5:51] 4. When You're Good to Mama [6:07] 5. Cell Block Tango [7:40] 6. All I Care About [8:36] 7. Sweetest Little Jazz Killer [5:49] 8. We Both Reached for the Gun [5:46] 9. Roxie [6:43] 10. I Can't Do it Alone [2:01] 11. Go to Hell Kitty [:46] 12. Mister Cellophane [5:23] 13. Flash in the Pan [5:39] 14. Razzle Dazzle [4:48] 15. Velma Takes the Stand [3:48] 16. A Tap Dance [6:30] 17. The Verdict [5:52] 18. Nowadays [3:06] 19. Hot Honey Rag [3:32] 20. End Credits [4:22] Side #2 -- Life Is Beautiful 1. Program Start [:14] 2. "Good Morning, Princess!" [:12] 3. "We're in the City!" [3:31] 4. A Great Escape [3:31] 5. The New Waiter [1:42] 6. "Schopenhauer Willpower" [3:35] 7. "When I Suddenly Appear" [1:35] 8. "A Light Meal" [:27] 9. "The Superior Race" [2:12] 10. "Turn Around" [1:41] 11. Stealing the Princess [1:28] 12. Signs From Heaven [2:54] 13. The Jewish Horse [1:04] 14. A Wedding Announcement [4:37] 15. Two Became Three [2:26] 16. Grandma [5:05] 17. The Birthday Party [3:03] 18. "Where Are We Going?" [:50] 19. First Prize [3:07] 20. Learning the Rules [5:35] 21. The First Day [2:08] 22. The Showers [3:36] 23. The Doctor [2:54] 24. "Buttons & Soap" [2:04] 25. "For Life" [5:50] 26. "The Journey That Had to Be" [3:30] 27. End Credits [3:58] Side #3 -- Frida, Disc 1 1. Memories [3:04] 2. "I Always Wanted a Son" [2:00] 3. The Accident [2:59] 4. Plans for Recovery [:39] 5. Diego's Compliments [3:09] 6. Another Pretty Girl [:32] 7. "Comrades, Colleagues and Friends" [5:26] 8. Diego and Frida [3:12] 9. Diego's Ways [:55] 10. More Affection in a Handshake [3:56] 11. The Invasion of Gringo-landia [4:43] 12. Miracles and Tragedy [2:19] 13. The Price of Integrity [:35] 14. Portrait With Cropped Hair [1:45] 15. Offering Asylum [1:47] 16. Alone in Pain [2:04] 17. Without Loyalty [3:22] 18. From France [:54] 19. Imprisoned [1:58] 20. Broken Column [3:19] 21. To Frida! [:24] 22. Burn it Blue [2:03]