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Moulin Rouge (Double Digipack)

Moulin Rouge (Double Digipack)

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Erratic, but alive with music and color
Review: "Moulin Rouge," directed by Baz Luhrmann, seems to be one of the most wildly polarizing films of its time; I get the impression that people either love it or loathe it. I found the film inconsistent, but ultimately both entertaining and technically impressive.

MR is a musical set in late 19th century Paris, primarily at the nightclub of the title. The story involves the relationship between dance hall girl Satine (Nicole Kidman) and bohemian writer Christian (Ewan McGregor). Luhrmann mixes into the story songs (and snippets of songs) from many different decades of the 20th century, ranging from The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" to Madonnas's "Like a Virgin" and much more. The result is like a wild ride on a chaotic musical time machine. This together with the outrageous costumes and wild visual effects makes MR at times a startling assault on the senses.

I found the opening portion of the movie to be far too silly and hyperactive. But once Kidman and McGregor's characters meet, the film really starts to soar.

The performances are on the whole outstanding. One performance that really didn't work was that of John Leguizamo as Toulouse Lautrec. The versatile Leguizamo, normally excellent in such character roles, is far too cartoonish and over-the top here. But this misstep is more than made up for by the rest of the cast. Kidman is a revelation as Satine; she becomes a true screen diva in this role. Jim Broadbent brings energetic fun to his role as showman Harold Zidler; his rendition of "Like a Virgin" is one of the unforgettable highlights of the film.

But the true heart of the film is Ewan McGregor's superb performance as Christian. He brings a palpable passion and tenderness to the role of the romantic dreamer. It's a brave, triumphant performance for this tremendously versatile actor.

"Moulin Rouge" is a daringly different film that succeeds overall as a piece of art. I give director Luhrmann a lot of credit for holding all of these elements together.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: truth, beauty, freedom, and LOVE
Review: I never expected to like Moulin Rouge. I despise musicals. Yet, of all the movies I have seen this year, I believe Moulin Rouge is my favorite (I liked the Fellowship of the Ring, but had quibbles--plus Moulin Rouge is an original piece of art).

The more I see of Ewan McGregor, the more impressed I am. He could have gone far too over the top with the role of Christian, but he is spot on. One gets drawn into his story and dragged away with him. He deserves the at least as much praise as Kidman is receiving.

Kidman is indeed worthy of the praise. This is a killer, yet delicate role that would have disintegrated in lesser hands. The mixture of knowing innocence she brings to the role of Satine is sheer genius. She also shows a great ability at comedy.

The supporting cast is delightful. John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, and Jacek Koman are all unforgettable. Kylie Minogue gets the festivities going delightfully as the green fairy. Richard Boxburgh is a wonderfully incompetent villain.

I'll admit I still do not like all the music in Moulin Rouge. What won me over when I first saw it, and continues to win me over today is that Moulin Rouge is a great love story. It is a great meditation on the meaning of love.

Baz Luhrmann has created a great story and wrapped it in a stunning cinematic vision (a revolution indeed). I have seldom been so impressed with a movie as I am with Moulin Rouge. This DVD version is packaged with all kinds of cool features and extras. I recommend it highly.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A fast pace and crazy loveable film
Review: I was hesitant to see this movie, it took months of my little sister begging me to watch it, and frankly I'm glad I did. Although I disagree with her proclimation of "best movie ever" I cannot deny the artistic inginuity that this film is drowning in, in fact, this strength may also be it's greatest flaw. The movie is sometime awekwardly paced and the cinimatography, while brilliant is at times odd and almost as nautious as the Blair Witch Project. Despite over doing it in artistic appeal the film is beautifully colred, and coreographed. For the casual movie gower it may be easy to loose track of the story at times, but for movie buffs like myself the over all brilliance and depth of this movie makes it a definate must own. Although I must confess that if this movie had hoped to breathe new life into the dead musical genre it would have been better if they had used original music, not bizzar remakes of classic pop/rock tunes.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A Bad Flick
Review: From beginning to end this movie went from bad to worse. The directing, acting and music were some of the worse I have ever seen.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Oscar nom. for Best Picture? Excuse me while I vomit....
Review: First the good-the set design is very good, and if Moulin Rouge wins an Oscar for Art Direction/Set Direction, or for Costume Design, those awards will be deserved. There, that didn't take long...

I'll admit that I was turned off when I heard Christian singing the line "The hills are alive...", but I let it slide initially. But when I then heard the throng at Moulin Rouge singing Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit" in unison, I was disgusted. Most of the reviewers have defended this move, saying it was "original" and helped resurrect the musical. Well, don't most musicals use their own original numbers? And if not, don't the musicals at least use contemporary music? The reason I'm fiercely criticizing the musical numbers (especially the use of Nirvana), is that these numbers, when you listen to the lyrics, simply do not transport you to 1900's Paris. Granted, Baz Luhrmann's Paris is a fictional Paris, but if you're going to use a set period piece, at least use music that evokes that time period.

I do enjoy good love stories, but unfortunately I was not convinced by this one. This is not the fault of the two actors, but Luhrmann's constant refusal to have a steady shot for longer than two seconds throughout the movie derails the love story. This is unfortunate, because I think both actors (Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman) are very good and deserving of a better script. I hope they're given the chance in a future film with a better love story and director. The love story is trite-it's not a major criticism, but combined with the aforementioned criticisms it sinks the love affair.

This "musical" is an artsy form of an MTV production. I have to agree with an earlier review who termed Moulin Rouge a feature-length MTV video. I believe that the musical can make a revival, but not based on this .... If you want to see a true musical, see "Singing In the Rain", "Oklahoma", or the underrated "Meet Me in St.Louis".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Incredible
Review: What a disc set ! I have never seen a Disc made for the visually impared. And the things you can do with the Green Fairy. Dances without editing and the auditions are great. But the best is Nicole Kidman. Go Ozzie Go Oi Oi Oi for the Oscars !

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: extremely dissipionting
Review: I thought this movie was supposed to be good it [stinks]. it was full of cliches and [bad] songs that they stole fom other places. It was stupid and really ... if i could give it zero stars i would. I think it is the biggest ... mistake that this movie is nominated for best pictue come on it a complete joke.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nicole Kidman's BEST Movie!
Review: Nicole Kidman did 100 times better in Moulin Rouge than in The Others. She did an EXCELLENT job singing and dancing in this movie. I was so happy that she got nominated for an Oscar in Moulin Rouge. If you want to see Nicole Kidman shine, FORGET THE OTHERS. SEE HER IN MOULIN ROUGE! Don't listen to the negative reviews!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A hodge-podge of stuff!
Review: This IS a "like or dislike" movie. I'm on the dislike side. All the talk about "Moulin Rouge" bringing back the musical genre is a bunch of hooey. The songs are relatively recent songs originally recorded by Elton John, Madonna, etc., and with these non-singers attempting them adds even more irritation to watching and listening to this film. The acting is okay, but I don't think it's breakthrough for anyone. After all the hype--and I do like "true" musicals (original songs, etc.)--I was completely disappointed. In fact, I watched it a second time to see if I was missing something. I didn't. Those who praise this movie as a musical haven't seen the great musicals of the past.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Has to be seen to be believed.
Review: 'Moulin Rouge!' is perhaps one of the years best films for a number of reasons. The first is that finally someone had the guts to remake the musical for a post-millenium audience. The post-modern eclecticism of the film may be off-putting to many, but those who can see past the amazing costume, wild music and often disorientating cutting will love the film.

We're in Paris at the turn of the century; the Bohemian revolution is taking the world by storm. We meet our young, heart strong protagonist Christian (Ewan McGregor) crying over his lost love. But wait! Hello now we're inside the Moulin Rouge, a nightclub where the rich and powerful mingle with the dark and beautiful. And everyone seems to be doing the 'Can-can' to Nirvana's 'Smells like teen spirit'... sound confusing? Well it is, and for good reason.

The film is essentially a love story, two star crossed lovers who are forced together by inextricable circumstances. This is coupled with Christian's efforts to win the heart of the sparkling diamond Satine (Nicole Kidman) however they must overcome an obstacle in order for their love to be recognized, and that is the Duke (Richard Roxbourgh). The film is a tragedy like many musical endings but the film's director Baz Luhrman has completely subverted the genre by adding a postmodern element.

Through using pop culture and mass marketing Luhrman makes a strong point about the problems with it. Thus the film is imbued with elements of Bollywood through the Hindi dance in 'Spectacular, spectacular' this splicing of styles allows Luhrman to convey much more meaning than if he had directed 'Moulin Rouge' as a straight modern musical.

20th century Fox has truly gone to town in presenting this amazing DVD. The number of commentary tracks as well as the green fairy version of the film (much like the White rabbit presentation on the Matrix DVD) is enough to make the fans drool. However it is in the second disc where some of the most in depth features available on any DVD can be found. Interviews with cast, crew, featurettes galore, and a host of Easter eggs truly make this DVD a benchmark of what we can hope DVD's will be realized as in the future.

The transfer is flawless onto the DVD format. The crystal clear picture is the best way to look at the vibrant, elaborate costumes and the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is utterly amazing and makes the viewer feel like they are part of the film.

Overall 'Moulin Rouge' is a sumptuous feast of vibrant color, elaborate set and opulent costume. It really has to be seen to be believed and is one of those films that if you haven't seen, needs to be seen for nothing more than pure spectacle.


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