Rating: 
Summary: A Triumph of P.R. and Marketing!!!
Review: I won't repeat the well-founded criticisms already stated below -- I'll only add that one frame of "Singin' In the Rain" contains more charm, talent, beauty and feeling than all two hours of "Moulin Rouge". And while we're at it, let's put the whole "This movie reinvents the movie musical" nonsense to rest. This was a P.R. contrivance that worked precisely because the studio could depend on selling this product to a movie-going audience that has absolutely no memory or real knowledge of movie history. "Pennies From Heaven" (just to name one example) did everything "Moulin Rouge" attempted to do, twenty years ago! (and did it better) It's dark, creepy, beautiful, and a masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: the Best Movie ever made!
Review: It is the best movie ever made!! i love it!
Rating:
Summary: Male review.
Review: I orginally got this movie for my mother. She forced me to watch it of course, since i bought it for her. well I love this movie! Nichole kidman is great. I love that John L... actor guy more! :) he is funny
Rating:
Summary: Insipid, anachronistic claptrap
Review: I've heard SO many people say that a person will either love or hate "Moulin Rouge." I absolutely hate it.I have nothing against movie musicals ("Hedwig and the Angry Inch" was *really* the best movie of last year), but this barely even qualifies. The once-contemporary, beat-into-the-ground pop songs just didn't work for me in the turn-of-the-century setting. A complete waste of Ewan McG's talent. And I'm not even going to go into the blasphemy of "Lady Marmalade" by all those skanky women in the video... ::shudder:
Rating:
Summary: Fall in love with love again
Review: Moulin Rouge is a cinematic masterpiece. Vibrant and spectacular, Baz Luhrman has created a fanciful world with the talents of Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. The story is based on the Greek Orphean myth. But if you're looking to buy the DVD you probably already know what the story is all about. A general review of the DVD is what I'm trying to write about here. The video is so clear and crisp that it finally does justice to Luhrman's imagination. Sound quality is just a little lacking, but overall, you get every note and lyric presented in this movie. You won't be amazed, but you certainly won't be disappointed. I only say it's lacking because as this is a musical, based on music and soung, I expected them to play extremely close attention to sound presentation. And I also hoped that some of the vocal drowning would be fixed, but it wasn't really. I guess it's my fault for being disappointed since I had high expectations. The director's commentary didn't really talk about the movie as it was playing as much as I wish it would have. They mostly went off on tangents about their writing process which you also heard them talk about again on the 2nd disc. I was hoping for insight into certain scenes and shots. The extra features are amazing. Being able to cut the tango sequence with the multi-angle view while it was streaming on the screen was amazing and seeing the extended version of the dances was great. Watching the backstage interaction between Kidman and McGregor was amazing and also made you realize how much effort they had really put into this and how normal these two people really are. The dance rehearsals really let you see how the dances developed, however I found there were some dances that Kidman had practiced in rehearsals but never made it to the screen and also weren't included in the extras. Kind of disappointed that they showed us glimpses and didn't let us have the rest. There is no doubt that Kidman certainly has a natural grace. I wish they would've put more interview time with the stars into the 2nd disc, and they included some stuff twice, but it was still great to get this glimpse of their thoughts. I loved that they included recording studio clips while the actors were having fun playing around and rehearsing. I was grateful they did edit out the version of "Come What May" they originally had, and very glad they changed the "Dance across the sky/Your Song" sequence because they detracted greatly to the feeling that the final sequences had. But it's still fun to see what they were originally planning and then going "Thank God they didn't use that." Having the Coup d'Etat dance sequence just reminded me that there was no Coup d'Etat on either of the two soundtracks, but that's for another review. This was in fact one of my favorite pieces of the movie because of the depth of emotion starting on Satine's first warbling breathy "Never knew..." till the very end when the curtains finally fall. However, it was still great to see this extended version. The Music videos were pretty good, but I expected them to include Elephant Love Medley and an extended Come What May video... Instead they stuck a video of the Come What May Josh Abrams Remix which essentially ruins the track considering it's supposed to be slow and watching the speed up the tape too is just a little wierd because they are the same shots but at a different speed. Watching the "Musical Journey" interview makes you entirely grateful that they finally choose the splattering of 10 or so songs for the Medley than the 2 they had originally. I have to say, I loved the photo gallery in the Marketing section of the 2nd disc. There are some candid shots, but most are from the actual shots and the quality and clarity of these pictures are amazing. The "Little Red Book" is also a very good guide and I highly recommend "flipping" through that. All in all this is an extremely loaded DVD even if it is a little disappointing at some points such as commentary as to why things were cut and as to a few more extras. Anyways, I would recommend this like no other DVD. There haven't been a lot of directors who've utilized the DVD, and I love that Luhrman knows his market enough to admit that the DVD is an amazing tool that he very well plans to take advantage of. And to his credit, he does take advantage of it. The setup for the menus are awesome. Watch the movie, love it, then buy the DVD for all the goodies as well as quality. No doubt this is a great buy. One final comment I have on this movie, is that no matter how many times I've seen it (no doubt somewhere in the thousands by now), it is a true testament to Baz Luhrman's directing that I always expect the movie to end differently. I know how the end will happen, but every single time I get towards the end of the movie I forget this is a tragedy and find myself caught up in the happiness. And that in itself is a sign of an excellently directed film. It's a shame Luhrman didn't even get a nomination for the Academy Awards.
Rating:
Summary: Interestingly Exciting
Review: This movie has been given bad reviews by some and good reviews by others... sort of like a hate or love it situation. I don't blame those who hate it- it was a confusing, new age, modern movie where it is very difficult to see the meaning and purpose to the entire script. But! I am young- I know what they're talking about, but I know the hidden meaning. Those of you who hate it only scratched the surface. You were expecting a musical- and you got a romantic, exciting comedy! Opposite of what you expected. When I watched this movie it is so interesting and different it was almost as if I was pregnant I had so many mood swings! (Just kidding) One moment I was sad... one moment I was confused, another moment I was mad or rejoicing wiht happiness. So here's my main message to all those who have watched it or are thinking of buying it: Rent it first, see if you like it. If you do GREAT buy it! If you hate it, oh well- try another movie. This one is not a musical- just a movie with music...But if you are in to all that excitement, confusion, fun, and love then rent or buy MOULIN ROUGE! I hope I helped you all a lot... your welcome. :)
Rating:
Summary: Maybe the Worst of 2001?
Review: Ok...maybe not the worst movie of 2001..but the worst of the ones I saw. I tried to give it another chance on DVD. I can now say it was the worst DVD I have so far seen in 2002. The story line..and I use the phrase loosely..is so bland that it will put you to sleep.It did have great photography though it was the one area in which this film could be termed outstanding. This film is a great example of why the musical, in film form, died. If this film is an attempt to bring it back, well they surely have failed. Leave the musicals to Broadway and live productions and spare us the film makers attempts at so called "art". This was a very hard film for me to take as I am a big Nicole Kidman fan. Most of my friends would say I would pay [money] to watch her brush her teeth for 2+ hours....
Rating:
Summary: moulin rouge, a magical ride through bohemian dreams
Review: baz luhrman is a true artistic genius and this is a glimpse into his inner world. A vibrant menagerie of truth, freedom, beauty, and love, Moulin Rouge with have you laughing one minute and crying the next. The storyline is old -fashioned but in this film sparkles with modern music and twists and pure irrelevancy that brightens the soul. Watch it over and over and still find new reasons to cherish it.
Rating:
Summary: Modern-day taste of bohemian living
Review: Decadent! Pure and simple, that's the word I would use to describe this movie. Never mind that the actors all sang their own parts (impressive enough), the acting is superb! I've never once liked Ewan McGregor in anything (what the hell was Trainspotting, anyway?) he did, but WOW! It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry, but I think it is a pre-requisite that you watch this movie as an open-minded person. After all, it is about bohemian principles! The only negative comments I've personally heard are from people who are so closed to the freedoms of expressions of artists that they would never be able to hold onto the meaning: The only thing you NEED to learn is just to love and be loved in return. What a fantastic ideology! This is a relatively clean, absolutely hilarious (the scene where McGregor and Kidman are first alone together is a riot!), childlike view of what could be perceived as a very dark and oppressive situation, and it brings it fantastically (and by that I mean "with fantasy") into your world by incorporating modern music into an age-old story. Very tongue-in-cheek, vibrant, colorful, magical. The cinematography, sets, language ... it is odd, don't get me wrong. But who the heck wants "normal" anyway?
Rating: 
Summary: Both sides are correct - it's all a matter of taste
Review: Moulin Rouge is most definitely a musical written for the MTV generation. The editing is wild and frenetic, to the point where many of the dance scenes are nigh unwatchable and the songs are all (excepting one written specifically for the movie) reworks of very famous pop and musical songs from the '40's right on up until modern times. The plot is about as deep as a rain puddle, and the writing goes absolutely nowhere that hundreds of writers haven't gone before. However, despite all this, the movie is quite original and incredibly fun. Every single aspect of the production - the costumes, special effects, make-up, art direction and set design - is absolutely top notch. The songs, while by definition are not original, are very well remastered and performed well. And while the script is nothing special, the acting and directing raise the text to a higher level than it manages to acheive on its own right. As to the DVD specifically, this is the greatest set of extras that this reviewer has personally ever seen on a DVD. You are able to watch the dance sequences from multiple angles, as well as in extended versions. There is dialogue on almost every single aspect of the making of the movie, commentary from the cast, the ability to watch the movie with glimpses behind the scenes - use of blue screens, rejected scenes, and so on - while the movie is still going without having to skip to a special features menu. And this is not even all. Definitely a top notch production of a DVD.
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