Rating: 
Summary: UGH!!!!!
Review: this is one of the worst movies i have ever seen in my whole entire life! It dragged on and on! The best part was when it was over! There a few good parts but not good enough to even rent the movie! It was so stupid and corny everyone was dancing around and singing and in a way it's kind of scary with all the wierd props and actors with wierd make-up! I thought it would be more!
Rating: 
Summary: Um...so-so
Review: 'Moulin Rouge' started out light-hearted and funny. Like the play up stairs from Christians bedroom to the "Spectacular, Spectacular!" song. But then after that it turned into another chick flick, all mushed up with love. So my advice to you is to see it if you want to laugh and then get borded.
Rating: 
Summary: Breathtaking and so romantic!
Review: This is definitely one of the best movies that I have ever seen. Kidman and McGregor give stunning performance both while acting and singing. Leguizamo is an absolute scream as the dwarfed Latrec. The others are great as well.The story is a simple love story to which we can all relate. Have your tissues ready! The costume design, set design, and choreography are the among the best that Hollywood has ever seen. And the choice of music! Where else can you find Madonna, Nirvana, Elton John, and Dolly Parton songs in the same movie? The DVD extras are extraordinary. I especially liked the choreography rehearsals. I could watch the one for "Hindi Sad Diamonds" a billion times.
Rating:
Summary: It's as if Movies Were New Again!
Review: Moulin Rouge hearkens back to a time when movies had the fresh feeling of adolescence, intoxicated by their own possibilities. It's a deliciously offbeat film, completely aware of its own audacity. Not only does it reestablish the movie musical with verve and sincerity, but it does so in a unique and defining way. By mixing turn-of-the-century and contemporary icons, the craziness of the Moulin Rouge is updated for today's desensitized viewers, giving us an idea of just how liberating and frightening it must have been to visit that infamous dance hall all those years ago. It really "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
Christian (Ewan McGregor) comes to the Paris of 1899 an idealistic youth, searching for the materialization of his firm beliefs in truth, freedom, beauty, and love. Like a prodigal son he strays to the forbidden world of the Moulin Rouge, a decadent world of sex, glamour, prostitution, and bohemian indulgence. It is there, through the frenetic tempo of extravagant sets and costumes, that he finds Satine (Nicole Kidman) a beautiful but jaded courtesan. Falling into a boyish infatuation, Christian confronts Satine, realizing his love, and her's in return. But their hope is dwindled, as Satine has sold her body in contract to the terrible Duke. Besides that, she is embittered with a horrible and ultimately tragic secret.
The story is clichéd to be sure (it's similarities to Camille often make you wonder if writers weren't merely using an old cliché, but an old movie), but it seems to work, if only because of director Baz Luhrman's wholehearted belief in its values. He digs down into the deeply hidden heart of his story, replacing the dirt of a hundred cheap melodramas with a visual artistry unrivaled by anything in years. In this way it expresses the sincere, almost raw emotion these stories once contained in a completely new way. Did we say completely new way?!
The visual artifice of Moulin Rouge is astoundingly fresh! It's painterly but kinetic in a way only a movie could be. The fabulous choreography, music, set design, performances... all blend to form a visual, aural, and emotional experience like no other! It has the Technicolor richness of a 50's Hollywood musical, but often the feel of a music video. The visual style ranges from somber pop-up book, to giddy cartoon, to lilting romantic dreamworld, to fantastic Bollywood production, and everything fits! That director Luhrman has managed to bring this all to the screen with such clarity is somewhat astonishing.
But of course we could not write a review of Moulin Rouge without mentioning the bizarre choice of music. Luhrman has unusual confidence in his eccentricities. But then again who else could take "Roxanne" and turn it into a beautiful, erotic, haunting tango? And who knew "Like a Virgin" as sung by Jim Broadbent could serve as a goosepimply, if ironically bitter, release?
Of course it could also help that most of these songs are sung by the rapturous voices of Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. Their performances are beautiful and sincere, particular Ewan's (that I feel the need to call him by his first name only proves how close to him I became). He becomes his role with unbelievable passion and heart. He has a bit of something that goes beyond acting, he has the magic of a great performance. He can embody youth, charming goofiness, and shattered idealist, and if he wasn't in love with Nicole Kidman! All this he expresses with an absolutely angelic singing voice (even its occasional weaknesses serve as charming strengths). You fall in love not only with him, but for him. The Academy not honoring him with at least a nomination would be a great disappointment.
Nicole Kidman is both sexy and beautiful, like the film itself a daring blend of old and new. She's part 30's glamour queen, part pop star, a little Marlene Dietrich, a little Madonna. When discussing Moulin Rouge I've found that many would not see it solely because Nicole was in it, and this is sad. Her performance here is excellent, displaying her full range of talents. She expresses her usual cool seductiveness, but also a surprising comic flair, and at times an aching emotion. And did we mention her singing? Like Ewan, Nicole has a hidden vocal talent. Her voice puts resounding meaning into something that was once just something dumb on the radio. Her efforts have resulted in numerous awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and at least and Oscar nomination is certainly on its way.
The way all these unique visuals, and performances are organized is also extremely unique. The editing style has been criticized as frenetic, and poorly structured, but I would have to disagree. If one watches this film carefully enough they with realize that each cut serves in the dance, by punctuating each note. This becomes most apparent in the previously mention Tango de Roxanne, one of the many brilliantly choreographed, grandiose dance numbers. As the momentum and emotion expressed by the dance and song builds, the editing follows, rapidly increasing in cuts until finally bursting like a heart overwhelmed by its own beating. Similarly, when Christian first enters the Moulin Rouge the frightening madness of it all is perfectly captured by Luhrman's crazed scissors.
That Moulin Rouge has completely polarized critics is of no surprise. A large group of great films have done so, and I think this one is both a socially, and artistically important one. There are many who have called it a ridiculous piece of "pop trash." What these critics seem to forget is that Astaire and Rogers were the biggest pop icons of their era, and their stories were no more original. Ok, maybe Ewan and Nicole aren't exactly Fred and Ginger, but you get my point. Still it is exactly these critics who complain that American film studious never churn out anything original, and then turn to panning a film like this.
But regardless of how anyone else sees it, I would call Moulin Rouge a great film, and doubtlessly my favorite of the year. It is easily deserving of awards in the majority of Oscar categories. Acting, editing, set and costume design, direction, everything is in its own way unique and beautiful. It may look like Busby Berkeley on acid, but beneath the extravagance is a beating emotion. In a film industry dominated by cynicism, it is relieving to find a movie that dares to be sincere. Say what you will, but this Oscar season I'll be rooting for the most opulent, energetic, emotional, beautiful, brilliant, audacious movie of the year. Moulin Rouge anyone?
Rating:
Summary: The return of the movie musical!!!
Review: I bought this dvd simply by word of mouth and I have to tell you that I was not disappointed. People seem to view musicals as boring and don't often give one a chance. This one is worth your time. Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor both give wonderful performances as well as revealing to us that they both have beautiful singing voices. The direction of the movie is brilliant and the vivid colors along with the fast pace of the musical numbers give the movie a MTV feel (but better than anything you see on that channel). The dvd is full of extras (including the dismal "Lady Marmalade" video, which I won't hold against them) so I highly recommend this 2 disc dvd to anyone. I hope that we will see a return of good musicals thanks to this excellent piece of work.
Rating:
Summary: #1 on my list!
Review: This movie has replaced "Titanic" and "The Matrix as my all-time favorite movies. This is the only movie that I have seen that I have cried at the end--even after seeing it 6 times. The choice of music and cast is amazingly done, and Ewen McGreggor is SUPURB! A must-see for Ewen fans, as well as Nicole Kidman [She did a really great job too ;)]
Rating: 
Summary: Not Just A Chick Flick
Review: OK, so this isn't the sort of movie I'd normally watch. I was hesitant to see this movie, and the first 10 minutes weren't encouraging. But I'm glad I made it through the first part, because the movie was, well-really good! The cinematography was excellent. I loved the use of vibrant reds that surrounded the Moulin Rouge, while the rest of the town was painted in drab grays. The soundtrack was distracting at times, mainly because I'd try and figure out the song they were remaking. But the way they blended love songs together in the medley's was fun and very well done. I may have to go out and get the soundtrack. As for the actors, Nicole has outdone herself here. Very well acted, and she sings suprisingly well. As does Ewan (although I kept expecting to see Yoda appear around him!) See this movie. Go into it with an open mind and you will be very pleased! And guys--this won't lower your testosterone levels!
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: Despite a friend's hatred for the movie, I rented it. I went into it thinking I was going to hate this movie and through the first 30 minutes I did. After that, I was hooked. This movie was just amazing and I couldn't help but watch it over and over again. Ewan and Nicole were spectactular and the chemistry between the two is what did it for me. For you hopeless romantic types, this is the movie for you. This will definately be one of my all time favorites.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!!!
Review: This movie totally surprised me and blew me away! When I saw this movie, I had no idea what it was about and after 20 minutes, I thought it wasn't for me and was about to give up, but I'm glad I didn't. The story became clearer and the singing and the visual were tremendous! This movie is one-of-a-kind and one of the most spectacular movies I'd ever seen. I was astonished of the singing ability of Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. This movie is simply a great love story, and probably one of the best movies I have ever seen.
Rating:
Summary: Frenetic and Frenzied
Review: This is a film that you will either really love or realy hate; there is no in between. I really hated it, and like a fool, I bought it based on the critics enthusiam for it without viewing it first. I truly cannot understand why the critics raved about it. I lost interest in the film in the first 20 minutes, but stuck with it to the very last to see if there was anything redeeming about this "musical." There was not. From the first surreal, frenzied, overpowering production number to the last breath of the heroine, it was a mish-mash of nothing more than whirling colors, music that drowned out the vocals, and pathetic acting. This director should stick to MTV music videos. Some critics have said that this film is the "new musical genre for the 21st century"....I sincerely hope not!! What a waste of time and money!
|
