Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best Music Videos Ever!
Review: You can't really call it a Movie, but a heck of a video for sure. Nicole Kidman was certainly not the best actress this year (as we saw), and you really wanted to slap Ewan McGregor's character by the end. Jim Broadbent was the true highlight.
Rating: 
Summary: Overhyped and overrated
Review: Baz Luhrmann deserves credit for his bravado, but he scores zero points for making a chaotic, excessive, in-your-face movie which is essentially one big mess. The movie is frantic and jittery in its pacing and is filled with self-indulgent rapid-fire camera movements and editing which does NOT ENHANCE the story in anyway. Rather it DETRACTS from it.It gives the viewer a throbbing headache rather than touching one's heart or stimulating the viewer's intellect. Nicole Kidman is lovely and she has a beautiful singing voice. But Ewan McGregor, handsome as he is, has a loud, colorless voice which lacks any nuance or subtletly. On the plus side, the sets and costumes are quite spectacular, but the movie as a whole is trying too hard to "redefine" the musical so that "Moulin Rouge" loses coherence or poignancy. Sometimes less is more.
Rating: 
Summary: Spectacular Spectacular!
Review: This is the movie where you can find music from such diverse artists like Madonna (in a rather comic performance of "Like a virgin"), Queen ("Show must go on"), Police (a dazzling tango version of "Roxanne"), The Beatles (a brief mention to "All you need is love") and even... Nirvana (in a surprising version of "Smells like teen spirit" with slightly altered lyrics). The plot is as simple as it gets: A young and talented bohemian writer (Ewan McGregor) falls in love with Satin (Nicole Kidman), a dance hall girl who dreams of becoming a real actress. The bad guy of the plot, a.k.a. the Duke (Richard Boxburgh), is willing to realize her dreams, but only if he can win or buy her love. I have to admit it: I am not a big fan of musicals and therefore not sure if I'd enjoy the movie. But Moulin Rouge is a motion picture that requests your full attention, and if you choose to give it, then you are in for a thrilling ride. I was rather surprised with the fact that the director (Buz Luhrmann) was not nominated for an Oscar. Ok, the cinematography and the costumes surely deserve the acknowledgement, but such an extravagant spectacle could easily have gotten out of control, if not in the hands of a skilled director. In any case, enjoy the surprisingly expressive voice of Ewan McGregor, the comic touch that Nicole Kidman instills in her part, the so fitting over the top performances of the supporting cast. But at the end, just close your eyes and forget about the vivid colors and loud music, because Moulin Rouge is above all a powerful love story.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent..not for the Morons
Review: Whoever dubs this not a "true" musical is blind. The music in this film is beyond words...no, it's not original writing, but I surely couldn't have brought some of the best songs together in such a format. Were we to BELIEVE that this music actually took place in Paris, 1900?? NO! It was genius to say the least. This movie is over the top in every single way...and I think you really need to have that mindset to begin with to appreciate it. I loved it...I was glued to the screen the entire time..marvelling at the effects, the costumes, the music...it made me cry, and that says it all. Put your realism aside and absorb the beauty of this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: A frenzied noisy mess
Review: In this age of noise above subtlety and charm, this music video was a fitting touchstone. It is not a movie in the conventional sense but a jarring montage of fast moving glaring images and blaring sounds. It actually gave me a headache as I struggled through the first 10 minutes.If you are an afficionado of MTV and can endure seemingly random noise then this is the film for you, but alas not for me.
Rating:
Summary: Moulin Rouge A "Spectacular Spectacular" Movie!
Review: Moulin Rouge is a very beautiful movie. It's not like any movie anyone has ever seen. The DVD has all kinds of cool stuff like behind the scenes, music videos, and never before seen footage it's really great. Nicole Kidman is beautiful and a great actress. Ewan Mcgregor is very very cute and a great actor.I loved his singing. Baz Lurhmann did a Spectacular job. So far I've seen it 14 times.
Rating:
Summary: Passionately Postmodern or Seduced by Surrealism?
Review: There are scenes in this extravaganza that will remind you of Salvador Dali's The Sublime Moment. A surreal painting influenced by the ideas of Freud who sought to express the imagination as shown in dreams, unshackled by reason or convention. This idea was given literary voice almost exclusively in France. Surrealism depicts incongruous images in a realistic style. Not unlike the combination of playful illusion, scandalous intrigue, provocative dancing, brilliant images, debauchery, pure romance, flights of fantasy and cartoon-type characters presented together in Moulin Rouge. Is this movie a result of a desire to shock or a sign of a very gifted cinematic shaman who feels compelled to release his innermost frenzied passions for bohemian (a person, as an artist or writer, who lives and acts free of regard for conventional rules and practices) indulgence on screen? The idea of combining complex forms, fantasy and allusions is also very postmodern. This is cutting-edge and will also appeal to anyone interested in pop culture. I could almost hear Baz Luhrmann's voice speaking through his characters when I heard Christian saying that his poetry is new and modern and you might enjoy it if you are open minded. Baz Luhrmann takes man's most inner desires and splashes them across a surreal screen in lurid detail with wild decadence. The result is often comic to the point of absurdity. Desire, passion, suspicion, jealousy, anger, betrayal all blend into this musical fantasy about tragic romance and at times focuses on the darkest corner of man's soul. My emotions ranged from crying over how romantic the scenes were to feeling absolute revulsion for the frenetic cut-and-paste obsession. The mishmash of contemporary songs and classic musical tunes are voraciously interwoven and mysteriously arranged. They are the threads holding this movie together in a star-dust-sprinkled sapphire sky. While many of the scenes were stunning and visually erotic, the true beauty of this movie seems to come from the main characters hearts. Nicole Kidman plays Satine, a beautiful, well paid, but world-weary courtesan who dances at the famed Moulin Rouge cabaret in artsy 19th-century Paris. This Sparkling Diamond is caught in this fantastical underworld of Parisian nightclubs. When she meets Christian is it kismet. She falls hopelessly in love with the young playwright (Ewan McGregor). Christian is a penniless poet who believes in truth, freedom and beauty and above all things, love. He can spontaneously create love songs from the depths of his soul. Satine first mistakes him for Duke and by the time she meets Duke, Christian has already bewitched her with words. He is sensitive and emotional and the type of man women dream they could meet. A man who will follow them to the ends of the earth (or go to hell and back); just to gaze longingly into their eyes. In fact, this story does seem to resemble the most basic concepts of the Orphean myth. Orpheus charmed nymphs with his music just as Christian seems to charm Satine. He eases her tortured soul just as Orpheus's songs eased the torments of the damned. Orpheus journeys to the underworld to find his true love (wife Eurydice who died of a snake bite). He is told that Eurydice can follow him back to earth. However, he must not look back. After disobeying this order, Eurydice has to stay in the underworld. The ending of this movie is equally tragic. Satine is dying of tuberculosis and you know her fate early in the movie, which in fact, is quite clever. It seduces you into watching the movie just to find out how and why she died. There are also parallels one could examine from Puccini's opera La Bohème. This movie asks surprisingly deep questions about why life is worth living. Life is unpredictable and yet you learn from life and go on, or you give up. Saying "the show must go on," is in a way symbolic of life going on with or without love. The two main characters must rise above the difficulties of social standing, poverty and ill health they encounter to make the relationship work. Christian and Satine's forbidden love embodies the concepts of unfulfilled desires and a certain tortured agony of the soul. Nicole must choose between a young writer's inspiration and the psychologically warped investor, the Duke (Richard Roxburgh) who is obsessed with possessing her. He agrees to finance Moulin's latest ambitious show in return for her attentions. This is a prime example of a movie that has to be watched twice to understand the content of the first part. Otherwise, it makes no sense at all on the first viewing. You must first accept the obvious assault on the senses. This is really a reviewers dream movie. There is so much to analyze on so many levels. The satisfaction comes from delving beyond the fantasy and hearing the cries of the soul. "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." And that is the best line in the movie to be sure. Moulin Rouge is a euphoric fantasy which at times seems to be induced by quite a few glasses of Absinthe which is a symbol of the bohemian spirit. This mysterious vivid emerald liqueur was known to inspire many famous artists, writers and poets. Absinthe (French for wormwood) contains thujone is a toxic chemical that causes mind-altering changes and may lead to psychosis. The adverse effects of this habit-forming drink include hallucinations. Green in this case seems to either symbolize decay and jealousy or life and creativity. What surprised me most was this intense longing I felt to submit myself again to the visual torture. I watched it three times! I blame it on being a hopeless romantic. "Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place...Sing out this song I'll be there by your side. Storm clouds may gather. And stars may collide. But I love you until the end of time." Visually Stunning.
Hopelessly Romantic.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous Extras to Accompany Fabulous Film
Review: I already wrote a 5 star review of the film here so will not repeat my review comments. I immediately bought the DVD when it came out and Luhrmann went the extra mile with the DVD in presenting the best special features I've experienced on a DVD. There are extended dance sequences, interviews with virtually everyone involved in the film, an in-depth look at the creative process of writing the film, as done by Luhrmann and his co-author, his lifelong best friend, editorial choices showing the scenes kept versus scenes cut and more. The extended tango number to "Roxanne" alone is worth the price of the entire DVD. I've read this was voted the best DVD of 2001 and it is extremely deserving of that honor. You are also able to see the incredible differences between the actors in their real life personas and in their film personas. Only Nicole Kidman would be recognizable in real life as a movie star. McGregor, Broadbent and the actor playing the duke could blend into a crowd as anyone anywhere off camera. The actor playing the duke especially is almost unrecognizable from the character he portrays in the film. The metamorphosis that takes places on camera with these actors is incredible.
Rating:
Summary: a Big Screen Karoke that is out of Tune
Review: watching this Movie had me looking all crazy.Poor Script Cheesy Music Video Vibe.Cliched in every way to Make you run out of the room.One of The Worst Films that I Have Ever Seen.nothing about it Appealed to Me at all.only the Like a Virgin ROutine had Me Laughing a Bit.in fact this is a Cool Spoof Comedy.Yeah that's it.Avoid this...at all Costs.
Rating:
Summary: TRULY BRILLANT!!!!!!!
Review: Yeah, I know I know -Another boring musical right? WRONG!!!! Moulin Rouge is a wonderful story filled with dancing, singing, unique songs, exquisite color and is anything but boring. Even if u don't have a love for muscials you will find this one to be very interesting as well as entertaining. Baz Luhrman's passion and dedication in making this film really paid off, after all he spent about 9 months working on it!!!! This film has wonderful special effects along with a blend of songs that contain various comtemperary love songs mixed with a classical sound in the background. It is an absolutely wonderful soundtrack that you will want to hear again and again. The movie has everything that makes a film interesting-AMBITION, PASSION, GRIEF, OBESESSION, COMEDY, GOOD MUSIC, DANCING, AND MOST OF ALL TRUE LOVE!!!!!!!! Indeed it is a tragic love story between a cortesan and a poor writer. I guess I didn't like the tragic part but when you see tradegy in a love story it really makes the audience feel the story more intensely. Nicole Kidman must've worked her tush off with this one because she dances, sings and wears high heels along with wearing bone crushing corsets for 9 months!!!! Ewan McGregor will take your breath away with his incredible good looks, singing and charisma. He is a wonderful leading man. The rest of the cast is superb. What also makes this film interesting is that you can learn alot about Parisian life in the 1900's along with a real life character Tolouse Lautrec. In other words it has a little bit of history. Don't miss this film. SEE IT!!!
| 
