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Film
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 16, 2003
Top Five Movies
1 Chicago -- The celebrated Broadway hit becomes a movie that really moves, full of co-creator Bob Fosse's sexy struts, a dynamic score and director Rob Marshall's ingenious methods of transferring the action from stage to screen. Renee Zellweger gives a terrific performance in the best film of 2002.
2 The Pianist -- Roman Polanski's vividly tragic story of a Jewish musician (Adrien Brody) escaping Nazis in the Warsaw ghetto is unlike any Holocaust-era film you've seen, concentrating on psychological terror rather than gruesome violence. No. 3 on my list of the best films of 2002.
3 Gangs of New York -- Martin Scorsese revisits a dark chapter of American history, when Civil War draft laws and intolerance of immigrants caused riots in 19th century New York. Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz share a Titanic-style romance against that backdrop while Daniel Day-Lewis steals the show as Bill the Butcher.
4 Adaptation -- Nicolas Cage plays a screenwriter suffering from writer's block on an arty project while his twin brother (also Cage) breezes through writing a cliched script. Spike Jonze's latest mind trip is even more dizzying than his first, Being John Malkovich.
5 Antwone Fisher -- Derek Luke's wonderful debut performance in the title role is the linchpin of a moving directorial debut by co-star Denzel Washington. One of the 10 best films of 2002.
Jan. 24: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, The Crime of Father Amaro, Max, Darkness Falls
Jan. 31: Final Destination 2
Feb. 7: The Quiet American, Talk to Her, The Recruit, Deliver Us from Eva
Feb. 14: Tully