Rating: 
Summary: Should win an Oscar, but probably won't
Review: This movie, while using well-known music and a classic plot line, is thoroughly original, evoking what must have been the spirit of Montmartre bursting away from convention, flaunting itself in colors, noise, music, and unbearable-yet obsessive-romantic and passionate love: a forerunner of the 60s in its rebelliousness against decorum and tradition. The movie's opening with the curtain going up on the stage, the unconventional lighting and camera angles, the amazingly intelligent use of familiar music in a new way, the costumes, choreography, and filming all add up to a really innovative and exciting movie. I think this should win an Oscar as best picture of the year, but Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings will probably win, and while they are excellent movies, they do not have the freshness and sauciness this one does.
Rating:
Summary: So beautiful it will break your heart!
Review: Everytime I watch this movie I find a new nuance, a subtle meaning carefully orchestrated by genius Baz Luhrman. Granted, if musicals aren't your thing this movie might fly right over your head. But for those who love pure artistic beauty and the fantasy we all wish we could find in real life, this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. The orchestration of familiar songs is unbelievable, and the voices of Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, while obviously not professional, are perfect for the roles. This movie swings between the hilarious (Spectacular, Spectacular), the starkly dramatic (Roxanne) and the heartbreakingly tragic (What May Come). You'll come out of it feeling like you've been on a 2 hour roller coaster, but any ensemble of artists who can turn a one dimensional screen into this unbelievable 3-D melange of color, sound, and dance is definitely worth the ride. The fact the story itself it a bit unrealistic is entirely inconsequential. Anyone who sits through a movie simply to find more of the reality they live every day is entirely missing the point of entertainment. Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love!
Rating:
Summary: WHAT!?!??!?!
Review: I absolutely LOVE this movie! It's a feast for the senses! I love the singing and acting it's all just superb! The singing is actually quite outstanding particularly Ewan. He has a very strong clear voice and it's one of the best things about this movie! The acting is great. Nicole Kidman at her best. Ewan is always the best! This is definately oscar worthy material! And those who it doesn't appeal to...well I can understand that it doesn't appeal to everyone but I absolutely can't understand why! No offense meant. As a singer myself I can appreciate good voices when I heard them and these two, although not the best, are more than able to get the job done! Terrific flick go out and buy it now! Go!
Rating: 
Summary: One of Ten Worst Movies Ever
Review: I'll never trust a critic again. Looked like a poor MTV video covered by amateurs. I absolutely hated this. Maybe, I'm being unfair since after an hour, I could no longer stand the pain and turned it off. I promised my wife I would put a review on Amazon.com to let others know to beware! Anybody that says they liked this either has never seen a movie or is lying. Believe me, I love movies and am tolerant. I even found some good points in "Eyes Wide Shut" and watched "Far and Away" a couple of times. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS!!!
Rating:
Summary: IT BLOWS CHUNKS
Review: Yuck! This movie is a waste of time and money. Not even seeing Nicole Kidman in scanty clothes is enough to drag this movie from the slime. Was it different from the usual formulaic tripe that passes for movie making nowadays? Yes. But was it good? The answer is a resounding NO! I would rather watch paint dry or grass grow. A TV Test pattern has as much interest as this movie.
Rating:
Summary: The movie I wanted to hate, but couldn't.
Review: I watched this movie only after several people (whose opinions I really respect) recommended it to me, already cringing and ready to tear it to pieces. "Obi-Wan Kenobi and Tom Cruise's ex-wife in a musical? HA!" There was something so hokey about the trailers and the whole concept that I had already judged the movie and deemed it a piece of pretentious artsy-fartsy drivel before having ever seen it. It just seemed ripe for parody. Not only that, but I hate musicals. HATE THEM! I've tried to give as many of them a try as I could stomache, but all of the ones I've seen have been terribly cheesy. It's one of the resons I hate Disney movies. There's something just basically stupid about them that I've never been able to get past, and to me, Moulin Rouge was going to be just another stupid musical to add to the list. Then I saw it. Ok, now I have to admit how wrong I was. The music was excellent, the sets were amazing, the story was compelling and it was really funny. It was that last part that won me over. It was funny in a very unpretentious kind of way that I found endearing. It wasn't necessarily self-parody, but the director seemed to know exactly when to add humor to break up the melodrama, and the melodrama was just enough to not seem saccharin. For some reason all the flamboyant corniness ends up being charming instead of revolting. The flick just has heart. I was expecting something gaudy like a half-drunk, middle-aged drag queen belting out show tunes and grinding out the rent. Instead it has a sort of childlike innocence that wins you over like a kid whose voice is mediocre but sings with passion and sincerity and never blushes. For those of you who've already seen it in the theater, the DVD is excellent. It has lots of bonus goodies like deleted scenes, lots interviews with cast and crew (including one with Fatboy Slim who I had no idea was involved), feature-commentary, music videos and behind the scenes stuff. The DTS sound is amazing and sounded awesome on my system. Anyway, regardless of what I think, most of you are going to either love it or hate it, I think you should give yourself the opportunity to do one or the other. Don't make the same mistake I almost made. Watch it first, then judge.
Rating:
Summary: Best Movie Of All Time!!!!
Review: Well....Moulin Rouge is by far the best movie I have seen in ages. It is filled with action, humor, music, and most of all romance. The first time I saw it I was a little bit confused about what was happening, but the second time blew me away. Nicole Kidman's singing, dancing, acting, and overall preformance was outstanding. Her part really showed all of her talents. All of the preformers played their parts in an outstaning way also. I think the story, the choice of characters, and vocals really completed the film. The day after I saw the movie, I bought the soundtrack, and it had been in my cd player since. The people who did NOT enjoy the movie obviously have no true taste in what is good and what isn't. Well if you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you to, because you are missing out on a masterpiece!
Rating:
Summary: Seriously the best DVD of the year
Review: I have to agree with the rest of the reviewers who say that Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor leave something to be desired in the singing category, but there is so much about this movie, and whats more, the DVD that makes it easy to overlook the singing. Besides, even though Moulin Rouge is a musical, Baz Luhrman and Craig Pierce did not set out to create the next Phantom. Moulin Rouge is a clever movie, with witty, beautiful use of contemporary songs. They are a lark. They are not meant to be the next inclusion on Barbara Streisand's 15th Easy Listening album. The story is admittedly a send up of old opera story lines. How old can you get? Its plot is not tired, rather it is--if i may say again--clever. With elements of Offenbach's *Orpheus in the Underworld* (Christian comes from on high, and goes to the *underworld* of Paris, wherin he tries to rescue his love from there) and Verdi's *La Traviata* (complete with Christian throwing money at Satine, paying his whore, not to mention her tuberculosis)
I had absolutely no desire to see this film when i saw the promo MTV "Marmalade" video, and before i saw the film on dvd, i heard the soundtrack, and wondered what in the blazes was going on, Ewan wasn't the next Broadway star, but he at least sounded robust and strong, as opposed to Kidman, who nonetheless sounded sweet. El Tango de Roxanne is a great song, and the strongest element that got me to see the movie, besides reccomendations from friends. And from there, i was hooked. All of the music made sense, Kidman didn't even sound nearly as weak as in the soundtrack. The dances are phenomenal, and every element is truly, truly clever. The DVD makes it even better, with more extras than you can shake a stick at. Oh yeah, and Kylie Minogue makes a really nice green fairy.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Film Both Visually And Emotionally
Review: Luhrman, who in the past gave us the Leonardo Dicaprio/Claire Daines' Romeo and Juliet, who is known for his superb cinematography and use of MTV pop culture symbolism, has once again outdone himself in this remarkable love story. Set in turn-of-the century Paris, a bohemian poet Christian (Mcgregor) has joined the circle of writers, dancers and musicians who work for the comedic and dimunitive Toulousse Latrec(played by Leguizamo). During a making of a musical which they indeed to perform before the Duke who has threatened to close down the Moulin Rouge, Christian falls in love with the doomed courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman) who is at her best in the role. The love story is mixed with excellent dance numbers, such as the can-can in the Moulin Rouge sequence, and songs such with Kidman's "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend", the Elton John love song "How wonderful life is now you're in the world", "Tango of Roxanne" and a medley of 90's and 80's songs including a very comedic sequence using Madonna's "Like A Virgin." The Paris sequences are excellent, the tenement slums, the elegant Moulin Rouge and Satine's elephant house, with close ups and aireal views providing the backdrop for this tragic love story. In a subtle manner, Luhrman is giving a young audience their first taste of opera. Verdi's La Traviata is the story of a young man who is a lot like Christian who falls for a courtesan dying of consumption a lot like Satine is. The conflict between the Duke, his obsessive desire to claim Satine for his own, and Christian's pure love, is finally resolved in the last scenes, only to our dismay we realize that for Satine, it is too late. The Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Maya remake of the Patti Labelle classic "Lady Marmalade", which was the number song last summer, is fitting to the extravagance and decadence of the can-can dancers and entertainment performed at the Moulin Rouge. This film is extraordinary. You will be instantly in love with the music, the story, and the breathtaken beauty that is Moulin Rouge. Another triumph for Baz Luhrman. What will he come up with next ?
Rating:
Summary: A Destined Cult Classic
Review: The images flourishing in Moulin Rouge have only before graced the world of animation, and we finally have a live-action movie that has all the life, movement, color, imagination, and free play that a beautiful animated feature can produce. To call this movie irreverent is an understatement--we do not even question why Zidler hops and flies about like an enchanted gnat from a Disney flick. Sure the moon can sing! What's wrong with a pistol flying across France then striking the Eiffel Tower? Nothing! I don't find myself wondering, "Yes, but WHY do all the people in the room suddenly know the same song and dance number?" I know to ask that of musicals is to miss the point, but musicals so often seem forced and contrived because they just cannot blend realism with the fantasy that is a musical. Moulin Rouge never pretends to be realistic, thus, it is allowed to throw caution to the wind and overstep all boundaries. My breath catches when stars explode on the screen, when we're bombarded with a montage of images meant to tell the story, when it seems the demented Duc will catch Satine and Christian in the act of deceiving him. I really feel for the two main characters, and it's somewhat of a wonder why--their personalities weren't terribly well developed, no more so than other characters who seemed expendable to me in other movies. I think it is really the nuances that make them loveable. Their glances, their giggling, the earnestness in their eyes, and their chemistry culminate in unforgettable romance. Never once did the attraction between these two lovers seem forced. The musical numbers and visuals are for the most part, completely enjoyable. I found the duet between Zidler and the Duc a bit unnerving and weird at first, but watching it a second time, it's not quite so freaky. It's actually a bit funny and just another reason to dislike the Duc (he's evil, therefore, he cannot sing or dance worth lick, of course). I'm sure some people found the singing tiresome and thought Kidman and McGregor were ill suited to the task of singing. I, personally, found McGregor's voice to carry scenes amazingly, and it was full of such sincerity and emotion that I just had to love the character for his very innocence and passion. Kidman's voice was not as impressive, but she also was not given as many demanding tunes, so who really knows what she is capable of? Regardless, she is truly, truly captivating, enchanting, and wonderful in this film. Her flailing on the floor in a fit of poetry-inspired passion is worth the price of any ticket or DVD, and she perfectly personifies her role with her sparkling eyes, fiery cascading hair, lithe body, and porcelain skin. She commands the screen with true presence and charisma. She really is a "Sparkling Diamond" in this film. My heart ached for her when she accepts her role in life as a caged bird, and though she's a courtesan, I never see her as a tramp, undignified, or tawdry. I immediately sympathize with her and wish her all the success and love she so desperately tries to find in life. I cried during this movie, and Christian and Satine are two truly tragic figures. I knew a little of what to expect from this movie, but I was blown away once I finally saw it. I understand why some people find it ridiculous, overblown, reliant on pop-culture and whatnot. That's okay. The movie is just not middle-of-the-road enough to please everybody, but the payoff for those who CAN appreciate it is all the more rewarding because it provides a feast for the senses and the emotions that is rarely, if ever, dared in cinema.
|
