Rating: 
Summary: buy pepto to watch
Review: I will not damn this movie with faint praise, the movie just plain sucks. Although not the worst I've seen, I only suffered through it by fast forwarding (to see skin). It will be one of the ones I remember- to compare movies to. Their attempt at humor isn't, and gets worse after 300 repetitions. There are adult scenes, situations, violence, and drug use. Bad & boring.
Rating: 
Summary: Rent before buying, definitely
Review: There's a musical sequence in the movie (can can) that is very, very impressive. It's a tremendous achievement and obviously a full culmination of a unique vision on the part of the director. That's the only exceptional part of the movie. Most people admit the story isn't anything new, but that only scratches the surface. Not only is it not anything new, it's just plain boring. For all the wow! and glitz and visual touches in film, I found myself completely bored after about 45 minutes. I really couldn't figure out why until I realized I'd almost been duped by all the shiny objects, which were desperately trying to cover up the extrordinarily dull script. After a bit over an hour it seemed that the director, and the film, simply ran out of steam, and were just trying to wrap up the film in such a way as to not call attention to the lousy storyline. The actual direction, once the really big numbers are over, is pretty awful. Every single time, literally, something "heavy" or dramatic happens he resorts to a blurred slo-mo of the characters in question. After seeing this same trick 5 times I was officially sick of the movie. It played out more like a few really exceptional music videos pasted together by someone who has no dramatic directing talent at all. The music didn't bother me at all. I didn't find it innovative or daring either, it's just pop music after all, so what if it's set at the turn of the century? That doesn't make it brilliant, just different. This is one of those films where there's just so much "new" or "innovative" stuff in it that people tend to view it as a spectacle rather than a film. As a spectacle it works fine, but then "COPS" is a spectacle too. As a film it's severly lacking, and severly dull without being much fun at all- which is an accomplishment considering just how brash and flashy it is.
Rating: 
Summary: A brilliant symphony of incongruities
Review: My reaction to the first 15 minutes of this film was, "Oh, no. This is going to be a two hour music video, and from the looks of it, it is going to be like MTV on LSD." I actually shut it off and went to bed. I returned the next day and vowed to keep my personal policy never to leave any movie unfinished, no matter how much I dislike it. I'm glad I have that policy because wow, was my first impression wrong. Baz Luhrmann has delivered us a piece of filmmaking genius with this avant-garde film. It combines disparate elements that seem incompatible, yet they work magnificently together. Music video style is combined with the moorings of the traditional theatrical musical to create a piece that is simultaneously revolutionary and old guard. This film is about incongruity. Modern popular music is woven into a turn of the century story. The sets, lighting and costumes are designed to create garish color clashes. The presentation is sometimes camp comedy and at others very straightforward and melodramatic. Normally, none of these elements work together, but Luhrmann orchestrates them into a symphony of visual and auditory harmony that is nothing short of overwhelming. The story itself is nothing special. It is an old fashioned tragic love story where true love is pitted against practical realities. The impoverished writer (Ewan McGregor) loves the courtesan (Nicole Kidman) and she loves him, but the Duke (Richard Roxburgh) desires her and will stop at nothing to get her. She promises to be with the Duke, and he agrees to fund the "Spectacular Spectacular", refurbishing the Moulin Rouge for the event and promising to make her a great star. She agrees but continues to dally with the writer behind the Duke's back. Of course, this leads to a confrontation where she must decide between true love and great wealth. The music is outstanding. The arrangements of familiar pop songs as well as the original music are fantastically done. The dance and choreography are Broadway quality. The costumes and sets are, well, Spectacular. The presentation is sometimes zany and at other times solemn, but always entertaining. While Luhrmann may not have redefined the movie musical, he has certainly expanded its limits by a couple of galaxies. In many ways it reminds me of the kind of effect shows like "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "The Wiz" had on theater, taking risks to go to irreverent places and traverse unspoken boundaries. The acting is terrific. Ewan McGregor continues to expand his considerable acting talents into new and varied areas, and with each new project shows his adaptability and facility. In addition to giving a gut wrenching performance as the forlorn writer he also shows a reasonably good singing voice. However, as good as McGregor is, he is blown off the set by Nicole Kidman. Kidman astounds with powerful vocals of recording artist caliber that literally raise goose flesh. Her acting is multi-textured with amazing range, handling the comedy, the romance and the tragedy with equal aplomb. This is by far her best performance and her shining moment. Jim Broadbent is phenomenal as the over-the-top owner and ringmaster of the legendary night spot. The entire cast (especially the dancers) delivers a high energy performance. This film is a treat for anyone who loves theater, popular music, great dance and an old fashioned love story. I rated it a 10/10. Yes, it is sappy and silly and overly melodramatic, but it is done with style . . . Spectacularly!
Rating:
Summary: SAVE YOUR $$$$$$$$$
Review: What is the big deal with this movie?!? I've had more fun at the dentist. I could only stand it for 30 minutes. I knew it would be a musical- the music is ok. But the story is not good, the camera shots are bizarre, and it is an overall annoying movie. It was really out-there like a Clockwork Orange. If this is supposed to be a great artistic movie, then I am happy with made-for television movies.
Rating: 
Summary: If Jerry Lewis, T. Gilliam and R. Lester fused together...
Review: Moulin Rouge almost immediately reminded me of Terry Gilliam's Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989). It's excessively loud, garish, brash theatrical, and full of over-the-top slapstick. The film also uses the talents of dozens of film technicians to put everything they can afford onto the screen. The film never quite gets down-right vulgar--but you wonder how far this film will go. The only clue is that its rated Pg-13... but it seems like it's going to push through that barrier at any moment anyway. It evokes Keystone Cop slapstick and Allan Carr's (Can't Stop the Music, Broadway's La Cage Aux Folles) excesses sometimes at the same time. It's frenetically edited like an MTV video on speed, but creates such a detailed period opulent fantasy world anyway. It's got the subtlety of a porno-film, but you may just let it run right over you and as you catch you breath decide for all it's faults you like the thing... you really, really like the thing. Moulin Rouge 2001 is a musical by borrowing and twisting, in sometimes hilariously, sometimes alarming and sometimes unabashedly campy ways, pop music of (mainly) the last thirty years. What it does with Elton John's Your Song, Madonna's Like a Virgin, Paul McCartney's Silly Love Songs, and The Police's Roxanne is utterly audacious. If you hold these songs as sacred you will HATE this film. No, it is not because all the songs are trashed and ridiculed, sometimes the the tone and attitude of the original song is embraced, though framed differently. Others are definitely turned on their ear. This idea of mining popular songs to use for a musical is a concept that struck gold in the classic: Singing in the Rain; which only contained a couple of original songs and found several classics to revitalize so successfully as to make them nearly definitive versions. It's unlikely you'll consider any song performances from this film as definitive versions of the song however. There's nothing as brilliant as a Donald O'Connor doing the original, Make 'Em Laugh, or as memorable as a Gene Kelly doing Singing in the Rain. Although Jim Broadbent and Richard Roxburgh's Like a Virgin is a number you won't ever forget). There is however enough energy in every performance and every musical sequence to make you momentarily forget for a while that this film is entertaining but it's an utter mess. The film is a lot like a funny drunken acquaintance whose appeal is infectious if you want it to be, but you know it will eventually wind up tiresome. There's so much color and cinematic technique on the screen at times you'll feel like Jackson Pollock is splattering film paint at the screen but its not being splattered with hate or anger or contempt. There's nary a drop of cynicism anywhere in this film and I think anyone who claims the film displays any kind of condescension or contempt for the audience is bringing too many pre-conceived notions into the theater with them. The movie begs to please the audience in its own giddy over-the top way. Of course the truly cynical will hate it for just that reason. Intentions, energy and spirit are only part of what makes for a successful film experience. Unfortunately for all the go for broke excess and inspired lunacy the film embraces completely in its first hour, by the film's last forty minutes or so, it decides to actually concentrate on its melodramatic plot and corny sentimental love triangle to deliver an overly familiar poignant message about love. It buckles down and stops throwing everything but the kitchen sink at you. For a little while it concentrates on trying to breath new life into the chestnut of a plot it has saddled itself with by coming up with a couple of minor twists, which feel more repetitious than clever. The film tries desperately to find a way to cleverly thrust its plot and resolution at us. We already know exactly where it is going, and pro-longing it doesn't help. As the film gets quieter, we're reminded how exhausted we are by what we've seen. Though it's actually a failure this is a film made by people who love not only what they do, but also what film has done in the past. They celebrate their love and passion for film by updating and partially re-inventing the movie musical. Purists be damned. As over-done as the film was in the movie theaters... so is the DVD. The image on the disc is impressive, the sound quality a little less than perfect, but the extras are piled on.... and there's even easter eggs to find for even more. You can watch the film with the BEHIND THE RED CURTAIN FEATURE which will reval a series of short vignettes that cover the film's production design and special effect features. There is even a deleted scene complete with commentary. When a green fairy appears in the corner of the screen, viewers can watch the additional eight segments (which add up to about 23 minutes) and then return to that point in the film when the segment is finished. It's like the Infini-film features another studio has. Two feature length commentaries tell how the film was made and then another how it was written. Exhaustive.. yes... interesting... actually very much so. Disc 2 is loaded with extras of interest to those who truly enjoy this film. There's not enough room to even quickly describe all
that you get. If you like the film even a little bit, you'll
find this disc worth getting. If you are curious about the film, there's bound to be some features here that you'll find interesting even if you wind up not liking the film very much. Christopher Jarmick, is the author of The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder a critically acclaimed, steamy suspense thriller.
Rating:
Summary: The best of Nicole Kidman
Review: If you have never seen this movie and are a little questionable about buying it, don't hesitate! This is the best movie I have ever seen. The drama and suspence keeps you at the edge of your seat. A wonderful musical and a all in all great movie. The music is the best of our time all mixed together.
Rating:
Summary: Immerse Yourself in Emotion....Spectacular film, great DVD
Review: "This story is about love...the woman I loved is.....dead." That's the first line of this film, and sets the tone. But first let me tell you about the DVD. Great DVD! LOTS of features. There are 2 CDs and the second one is purely bonus features. I haven't been through all of them yet. One of my faves is the ongoing commentary from either the production designer, director, writer, or cinematographer, you can turn on while watching the film; and the multicamera angle and uncut dance sequences. This is a milestone in DVD making. It's loaded. As for the film, this is a better movie than I imagined. It sells itself as a colorful drama, but it's a musical through and through. It's officially a TragiComiDramaMusical, or that's what the critics call it, but it gets to your heartstrings and senses and kicks them. Baz Luhrmann had a theory for this film, that music and razzle dazzle and color will create a heightened experience, and it worked. People may pay more attention to it for it's astounding technical abilities, but I was mainly captivated by it's music, acting, and it's storyline. Not to say I didn't like the color and razor sharp editing, quite the contrary. I was purely amazed at what they achieved. But that they could go over that and send a clear cut and emotional story with superb acting, is something you rarely see in any "super charged" films. The story is loosely based on the Greek Tragedy about Orhpeus. It revolves around the young Christian (Ewan McGregor) who enters the world of the Moulin Rouge and Montmarte to become a great writer. He befriends some strange Bohemians and is assigned to write a show for the MR called "Spectacular! Spectacular!". He has to recruit the courtesan Satine, but falls in love with her. Eventually they both become enmeshed in their love for each other, the dirty and treacherous goings on of the MR, and the making of the show. After betrayal and intrigue, the film ends with a tragic ending you knew was coming from Christian's first line: "This story is about love...the woman I loved is.....dead." The acting is much better than I expected. People had been talking about how Kidman could get a Oscar nomination for her performance in this, but I had thought "Why? It's a musical. There's no such thing as good acting in musicals." Nicole shines. She goes through several stages in the film and is always believable at the level she chooses. Especially in her TB scenes, where she plays sick, she does a very unglamorous and ugly portrayal of the disease. She does comedy and seduction and heroism in one role, and it's not at all cliche. McGregor particularly surprised me. I had known he was a good actor, but not as good as he is in this film. He also goes through stages, and pulls it off with his ability to act completly natural. He's by far one of the best natural actors I've ever seen, and some of his body language and facial gestures do the role a great deal of good. It's hard to act "innocent" without getting terribly annoying, and he's never annoying, but maybe because he's more of a decent and kind character than the stereotypical "innocent". Supporting characters shine, and John Leguizamo deserves a thumbs up for a particularly painful but strong performance (if you hear how they shortened him). Jim Broadbent, who plays the enabling and sweet pimp Zidler (it's tough to call him that, but that's what he is), is fantastic, and Richard Roxborough who plays the Duke, is notorious and does a wonderful job at being completely and one hundred percent devious. This movie shines, and it addicts you. Many people have said you either love it or hate it, and I'd say it's true. It will either overwhelm you, or you'll like it for all it is. It's supposed to be overboard. It's supposed to have that "If it exists we'll use it just because." That's the whole point. It's a beautiful film, and it's very true, it follows how life works. There are people who'll be bad to you, and people who will love you, and not everything works as you want it. It's supposed to be an experience, not just a date at the movies.
Rating:
Summary: Best Movie Around
Review: I will be the first that going into this movie I thought it would probably be a waste of my time, and when it first started I thought the critics were right, WRONG as the movie continued it started to get better and better. As a well of fact I even started to care for the people so much so I cried at the end. I even went so far as to see it twice once by myself and once with my boyfriend who wanted to see it too.
Rating:
Summary: The High Chair reviews "Moulin Rouge
Review: Any film that is as simple as the line "The Meaning of Life is Just to Love and Be Loved in Return" automatically gets credit. I suspected I was going to be a terribly big sucker for this Baz Luhrmann film, and Christ was I ever. You might remember Luhrmann's other films, the 1996 stylistic update of "Romeo and Juliet" and the early nineties charmer "Strictly Ballroom," both of which were artistically wonderful to watch. "Moulin Rouge," however, is a whole different ballgame. One thing that is important to understand before going to this film is that it is a musical - and it adds a bit more camp to his repertoire than any of his earlier works. Some of the less romantically-inclined members of the audience who were sitting right behind me were not privy to this information - and thus were not the happiest campers in the theater. None the less, even a few heartless bastards could not ruin this electric film. The film uses a myriad of different songs - some are original, but most are revamped pop songs. What makes these songs work in the context of a movie musical is how Luhrmann arranges them, and splices them into his visually stunning backdrop. To give you an example of what you can expect: when we are first introduced to the Moulin Rouge (which is a nineteenth century French brothel/night club) Luhrmann mixes "Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend" with both "Miss Marmalade" and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." This is all happening as Nicole Kidman is swinging high above a cast of hundreds of lavishly-dressed men and women. Glitter is falling from the sky, there are more colors leaping from the screen then you can shake a stick at, and the camera seems to be doing things that no camera should be able to do. It really is challenging just to catch your breath in moments like these, and this is just the beginning of the film. The story is simple but endearing - a writer (Ewan McGregor) falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge (Nicole Kidman.) Not all is rosy in la-la land, however, because Kidman's character has been promised to the Duke who funds the Moulin Rouge. The Moulin Rouge, of course, just happens to hold the dreams of many of the characters - including both Kidman and McGregor. A moderately predictable but tremendously enjoyable romp ensues, giving the audience the right amounts of laughter and tears to fill their dreams for at least the next week. McGregor and Kidman light up the screen with their surprisingly good voices and their undeniable chemistry. When he would turn to her and sing, and you watched her face light up, it was as if you could actually see them falling in love. It was this passion that breathed life into the rather clichéd storyline. The other "undeniable" in this picture was the truly visionary style of Baz Luhrmann. The world that he creates in "Moulin Rouge" is something that I have never seen before - and it really left me awestruck. From the costumes to the special effects shots, everything in this film fits the world Luhrmann creates for his 1890's Paris backdrop perfectly. Dipping sometimes into the surreal, and then other times into post modern, Luhrmann finds a way to use many styles in a seamless marriage of visual and sonic genius. Every aspect of this film dances - and it is all you can do not to dance with it. thehighchair.net
Rating:
Summary: Top of the pops ROUGE
Review: Two Thumbs up for this Breathtaking Kidman and Mcgregor filkm. Don't moan over the fact that its a musical, if you like Elton John, Madonna and Manroe, You'll love Red windmill(moulin rouge)!!! Nicole was lovely, and sang very well followed by a succesfully played role in THE OTHERS. You can watch this spellbinding, heartbreaking film and just melt. Place your bets on Moulin Rouge being up for atleast one oscar. Kidman plays the lovely Satine, head moulin rouge dancer, Diamond collector, who is set up to marry a duke by the hilarious Harry Zidler, and mistakes him for the penniless English writer. This is all made into a play. The only bad thing about this film is it is filmed so fast that you don't get to see the gorgeaus costumes they spent so much money on. Anyway I highly recomend this movie!!!
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