"Milon, what are you looking at?" Judy skipped to the door, carrying her schoolbag like a little rabbit.
She wore a blue sweater with a white shirt underneath, a red pleated skirt, white long socks, and small leather shoes.
When she entered the empty classroom, she immediately spotted Milon.
At that moment, he was sitting in a chair, flipping through a magazine.
"I'm looking for a movie to watch this weekend... Judy." Milon looked up, gazing at Judy, and then said with a slight surprise, "Wow."
"What's up?" Judy, with her hair in a side ponytail and yellow plastic earrings, looked like a character from an American teen movie.
"I think... uh, you're a bit cute today."
Milon's verbal skills had improved a lot lately; at least now he was able to honestly express his feelings to Judy, though he was still far from confessing.
However, their relationship had progressed rapidly, and Milon enjoyed the attention as a well-known figure at school.
Now, whenever the basketball or football players saw him, they were a little angry, always feeling like he had stolen Judy from them.
"Movie? Hmm, is there anything good?"
Judy pulled a chair over to sit next to Milon and took a sip from the water bottle in front of him.
"The movie critics say Chicago is good. You should take a look."
Milon handed her the Movie Reviews magazine, and while she read the magazine, he casually took his water bottle back and took a sip.
Judy didn't notice his small move. She was already silently reading the review by the editor, Nikita.
"Written in the preface: When God takes away our sense of security in food, then our luxury is left with only sex – Marilyn Monroe."
"Before I watched this film, I never imagined I would stare at the screen for an hour and a half without blinking."
"In fact, before the movie started, because I had read about the behind-the-scenes conflicts in the production, I had very low expectations and didn't think it would surprise me at all."
"Plus, after Moulin Rouge became famous, a lot of musical films flooded the market, but only a few have been remembered, so I once thought Chicago was just trying to copy the success of others to achieve commercial box office value."
"But after the movie ended, I couldn't help but stand up and applaud with the others, amazed by how brilliantly the crew presented the original Broadway show."
"Forgive me for jumping to a conclusion early, but Chicago will definitely be the best musical film of the year, without exception. Let me explain why from three aspects."
"First, the most important thing in a musical is the dance, which is the most dazzling exterior of 1920s Chicago's decadent lifestyle."
"Laugh, come, keep laughing, dance, keep dancing, spin, spin, spin! Every scene in Chicago is accompanied by enthusiastic dance steps, even when it's something terrifying like murder, it becomes lighthearted under these captivating dance moves."
"So for choreography, I would give it 9 out of 10. The creative team re-choreographed the original show to make it more suitable for film, and there are some highly imaginative dance sequences—puppets, human floats, dream sequence transitions. I still feel amazed just thinking about them."
"But that's only worth 7 points. The other 2 points I would give to the cinematographer. His camera work is different from the usual stage performances. In Chicago, the shots are very bold, giving more detailed depictions—sweat beads on the forehead, tense fingers, and tight arches of the feet. These moments, interspersed with intense solos, further highlight the performers' expressiveness."
"The opening long shot is also mesmerizing, lasting a full three minutes without a single cut. Even when it turns sharply, there's no sense of awkwardness, and I couldn't help but gasp in surprise. This clearly isn't the 'sloppy' work described by the previous cinematographer, and it kept me excited throughout the movie, always anticipating the next brilliant shot or dance."
"One could say that the adaptation of this film is the most perfect of all the adaptations of the Chicago play."
"Additionally, the media's earlier judgment was unrealistic. This isn't a rushed product following the success of Moulin Rouge. It's unique, and with the superb and sensual dance skills of Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones, it absolutely deserves the title of a musical classic."
"After discussing the dance and cinematography, let's talk about the color scheme. In my opinion, the use of color in this film is exquisite and even outstanding. Whether it's Renee's solo in white, the black and red colors in the prison ensemble dance, or the wooden tones when manipulating the media, each represents the background and psychological state of the dancer. Especially Catherine's solo in red, which turns her into a silhouette, leaving only her intense physical movements. This experience is undoubtedly new and groundbreaking."
"It also allows me to see every movement of Catherine's with more clarity and nuance. It's a great idea, and whoever came up with it deserves my praise. We've finally broken free from old-fashioned thinking in musicals and welcomed fresh changes."
"Lastly, about the plot, I can't say too much to avoid spoilers, but I can summarize the movie in a few sentences."
"The rules of Chicago are never decided by these sexy women. It's absurd, bizarre, filled with materialism and mad ambition. Many people live for a moment of spotlight, and die when the spotlight fades. To borrow Dickens' words, it's the noisiest of times and the quietest of times."
"So, no one is a winner. The victor takes everything. The women on stage shine only for a brief moment, and right after they sing 'Fifty years unchanged,' they will face 1929, the year of the Great Depression after the Wall Street crash."
Judy finished reading the last line and looked up at Milon: "Let's go see this movie this weekend."
"Sure!" Milon agreed without hesitation.
In addition to the long reviews in Movie Reviews, The Hollywood Reporter also had a related comment on the front page.
Reporter Russell wrote: "Contrary to everyone's expectations, this Chicago film has been presented to us with far better quality than anticipated. From the performances of the actors, choreography, artistry, and cinematography, it ranks among the best in its genre. Director Rob Marshall, previously unknown, will certainly become a household name after this film."
"There are also many unforgettable moments in the film, like Renee Zellweger's solo, the switching between reality and dream sequences in the court scenes, and the sexy yet powerful nightclub dance in the opening. All of these are highly enjoyable."
"A one and a half hour movie feels so short when watching this film, which indirectly confirms its brilliance."
"So, if you don't know what to do this weekend, why not go enjoy a musical feast at the cinema? Compared to the hundreds of dollars in ticket prices for Broadway, Chicago is undoubtedly the better choice."
Meanwhile, some entertainment tabloids were publishing more radical and personalized opinions, criticizing Dion's earlier statements.
"Who said this movie was poorly made, that the management was chaotic, and that the original show was wasted? Why do I see something completely different—brilliant stage designs, imaginative dream transitions, amazing dance performances, and fantastic cinematography? This is absolutely a top-tier musical film!"
"I'm in love with it! It holds the same place in my heart as Moulin Rouge! This is what a musical should be! This is the movie we've been waiting for! The previous cinematographer's comments were nothing but lies."
"From the actual experience of watching the film, this former cinematographer was undoubtedly lying. Perhaps due to jealousy over being pointed out for mistakes in his work, he chose to slander the crew and deceive journalists and audiences."
Naturally, Dion couldn't stand these comments. He accepted interviews from several newspapers to refute such claims.
But soon, more criticisms emerged from various media outlets, with some even questioning if Dion had been paid by other films released around the same time to smear Chicago.
Although these were just from small tabloids or minor reporters, Dion still felt his life was falling into a cesspool—dark, suffocating, and impossible to escape.
Reluctantly, he stopped arguing and withdrew from public view, refusing further interviews.
Meanwhile, Miramax increased its publicity budget, frequently featuring the cast and director on various media outlets and TV shows.
Ethan and Jimmy saw the two lead actresses and the director appearing on three different talk shows in just a few days.
As critics continued to praise the film and advertisements bombarded audiences, expectations for the movie reached their peak.
On December 10th, Chicago was officially released. The eager audience rushed to cinemas, waving their dollars.
In just one week, Chicago grossed $38.9 million in the U.S., ranking first among films released during the same period!
At the same time, audience and website reviews for the film poured in.
"Rotten Tomatoes fresh rating: 91%! IMDb score: 80!"
"Media outlets say this movie will be one of the strongest contenders for next year's Oscars!"
"Ha!" In CAA's office, Carl tossed the newspaper into the air and laughed out loud. Although this movie's high box office had nothing to do with him, it did concern Ethan, whom he managed.
But Ethan was his responsibility. The more famous Ethan became in Hollywood, the higher his status as a manager would rise.
If Ethan were to win an Oscar, he could proudly claim to be the Agent of an Oscar winner, and that feeling was incomparable to any praise within the company.
So, after Carl finished reading the latest reports, he hurried to the elevator, planning to go to the vice president, Edinson, to discuss the next steps.
....
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