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.
Rating:
Summary: BAD REVIEWERS - LEARN HOW TO SPELL
Review: Morons. Anyways, I'm noticing that the bad reviews generally have little to say apart from mindless griping, while the positive reviews can point to many aspects of the movie that they loved. It seemed the point is that bad reviewers seem to dislike the movie either a) Because everyone else LIKED it or b) Because it didn't fit snugly into a cookie-cutter Hollywood movie that is generally put out (and is easy to digest) No, this movie does not really have a plot, nor does it use original lyrics for the songs (the score and re-orchestrations, however, are all original). What the negative reviewers don't tell you in their whining, is that the director and composer, through the orchestration, create incredible musical continuity throughout the entire show (bordering on leitmotifs - something negative reviewers seem to know nothing about). Thus, this show, in spite of being erratic on screen, has inherent in it tremendous continuity and smoothness. Second, the movie is not really supposed to be about the plot. It's instead more like seing a portrait, or listening to a non-programmatic symphony. The movie is a movie for its own sake. Yes, it is a meditation on love, but did anybody REALLY care about the plot? That's not a bad thing, but no. This movie is special and incredible because it barrages one's senses in a turn-of-the-century cabaret style show. You almost want to clap when Nicole Kidman is done singing. Furthermore, the acting is great. Kidman, McGregor, and company all put on marvelous performances (Halle Berry won? What the hell?). The most underrated part is that of the Duke, beautifully carried out. Anyways, buy it and love it. If you don't, then you are watching it with the wrong intentions in mind. If you still don't love it, at least come up with convincing arguments for why not (and learn to spell, unlike many of them).
Rating:
Summary: IF you can last throught the first 20 minutes...
Review: A great idea which does turn into a pretty good movie once the first 20 minutes of chaotic jumble is past. Luckily I sat through the first 20 minutes AND made it to the real film which calms down a bit and takes on a decidedly better tone as the plot develops. This is fantastic cinematography, creative "lyrical recycling" from many pop anthems of the last 30 years, and an inspiring love story to boot. I was put off initially by the down-the-rabbit-hole approach of the beginning where I found the non-stop movement to be annoying, but after that I ended up really getting into this movie. I found the ending very emotional! Check it out, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: GREAAAAAT MOVIE
Review: This is one of the BEST movies I have ever seen. The music was incredible. The directing was out of this world. Nicole & Ewan's performances were amazing. I never thought Nicole had it in her. They both are blessed with beautiful voices that they show off in this flick. It is a must buy for any collector.
Rating:
Summary: The best movie of 2001
Review: How interesting that a movie such as Moulin Rouge could have such a deeply divided audience - you'll rarely hear anyone say they "liked it," only that they loved it or hated it. Assuming you're even looking at this product and/or its reviews insinuates that you're on the "loved it" camp, so I will skip the obligatory thematic review and skip right to the plusses of the format. The DVD version of the film lives up to expectations, as this was quite a technically stunning film. Lots of work went into all aspects of the movie, and the extras on the DVD showcase this extensive work quite nicely. There are extended looks behind the costumes, the unique and refreshing music (who but Baz Luhrmann could turn "Smells Like Teen Spirit" into a cabaret number?) and the myriad other technical intricacies of this fine film. Interestingly enough, I felt the strongest performance in the film was that of Ewan McGregor, so it was a shame that he was left out of the Oscar nominations. Nicole Kidman shines and Jim Broadbent, who also should have been nominated for his performance of Harold Zidler, often steals the screen. Another great Ewan McGregor film to check out (for those who are interested) is Velvet Goldmine, a 70's era punk rock musical that also features his fine vocal abilities.. maybe someday he'll cut an album. Until then, Moulin Rouge on DVD is one of the best packaged DVD's out there, and for the money, a 2-disc set is well worth the asking price.
Rating:
Summary: Who said the musical was dead?
Review: I initially avoided this film on the basis that Nicole Kidman was in it. But my friends, who know what a sucker for a musical I am, finally coaxed me into watching it. Now, they're sorry they did -I'm obsessed with it! I couldn't be more pleased that it won for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design at the Oscars last night; they were certainly deserved. This is one of the most beautiful films, just aesthetically speaking, that I've ever seen. Take into account the music, to say nothing of the beautiful and talented Ewan McGregor (whose films Moulin Rouge prompted me to catch up on; I highly recommend you do the same!), and you've got an unbeatable film that's got it all - beauty, humor, drama, and music.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible, if you can get past the first twenty minutes.
Review: I, for some reason, enjoyed this film more than I should of. I mean, the film is masterfully directed. It's one of the best of the year. And the fact that Baz Luhrman wasn't nominated was a damn shame. It's okay, though. It got a Best Picture nomination. Even though it didn't win, it still picked up Art Direction and Costume Design. The film would be too complicated to explain all together here, so I'll do my best. A young man sets out to Paris to become a writer about love. But he's never been in love, which proposes a problem. But when he meets a group of playwrites/producers under humorous circumstances, he learns they are putting on a play. About what at first, we're not exactly sure. But they don't have funding for the play, so they head down to the infamous Moulin Rouge where they plan to put the play on and from then on out, you'll just have to figure out for yourself. As for the film itself, it's amazing. The first twenty minutes of the film is frantic, to say the least. At first, it appears as though they're just trying to introduce as many characters as possible in the beginning of the film, while splicing such pop culture staples together, such as songs from Nirvana and Marilyn Monroe. And of course the popular remake of the song Lady Marmalade. And yes, I said Nirvana. I really don't want to tell you too much more about the film. Discover it for yourself. The video transfer on this disc is amazing. There is some EXTREMELY slight edge enhancement, but you'd have to be really looking for it to notice it. Then why did I? Well, I watched this disc four times, which I'll get into in a bit. As I said before, the film won the Oscars of its art direction and costumes, and rightfully so. All the colors come to life with vibrance. It's the next best thing to actually being there. Watch this disc on the biggest TV you can find and you'll see the light. Now, when I said that I watched the movie itself four times, once was for the movie itself, the second time was for the picture quality, the third time was to analyze the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, and the fourth time was to analyze the DTS 5.1 mix. Much like the video transfer, the audio is basically flawless. On the Dolby Digital, it was hard to hear some of the lyrics, but nothing incredibly distracting. The DTS is better, as expected and there were actually some good moments where the subwoofer gets some action that wasn't during a musical number. And as for the extras, I don't know where to being. Talent profiles, documentaries, outtakes, music videos, and just about everything else you could think of. It'll take a while to get through all of them. I know because it took me around six hours to watch every extra. All in all, Moulin Rouge is the best DVD of the year in every aspect and definitely worth owning.
Rating:
Summary: Still.....The True Winner
Review: This is my 3rd review for this film, and I just want to say again, that MOULIN ROUGE is THE BEST MOVIE EVER! I can't get enough of this movie, though it didn't win Best Picture and everything it got nomminated for, it still, managed to get the awards, for Best Costume and Best Art Direction. I am very happy for Moulin Rouge is still going to be in the Best Movie Category on my list, forever.
Rating:
Summary: SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR
Review: One of the greatest movie musicals of all time. Winner of the Gloden Globes Best Musical/Comedy and two Academy Awards this is a DVD everyone must see!
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