July 24, 2001
Moulin Rouge
I've been making excuses for not writing my review of Moulin Rouge (
imdb;
official site) for far too
long, so here goes. I'm very picky about dishing out 5-star ratings.
In fact, I can only think of one other movie from the past year that
deserves such a high endorsement, and that's Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon. But Moulin Rouge gets top honors and here's why.
Going in, I had no idea what to expect. I only knew that
Nicole Kidman and
Ewan MacGregor
were headlining, and that was no big draw for me. From the opening
credits, played out like the intro to an old Vaudeville show (complete
with a conductor directing an invisible orchestra pit) I knew that this
was not going to be the same old Hollywood Headliner.
What I wasn't anticipating was the shear quantity or "in-your-face" in
this movie. I spent most of the first 15 minutes or so trying to
decide whether I hated it, or whether it was one of the most enjoyable,
mind-bending film experiences I've ever had. It didn't take me long to
surrender and let the delightful
Mr. Luhrmann take me
on a most wonderous journey.
Moulin Rouge is about an aspiring young Bohemian (Ewan MacGregor) who
moves to turn of the century Paris in order to write about truth,
beauty, freedom, and love. It doesn't take him long to get twined up
with the diminutive Toulouse Lautrec (delightfully played by
John Leguizamo)
and whisked away to the decadent night club, Moulin Rouge. There, amid
lecherous old men singing "Smells Like Teen Spirit," he meets the
tempting courtesan Satine (Kidman at her seductive best). Mistaken
identity, comedy of errors, a secret love affair, and a stage
production that owes as much to Hamlet as it does to Madonna fill the
rest of the film.
This picture is a visual tour-de-force. The costumes, sets, and
computer animated backgrounds rush past, leaving the viewer gasping in
their wake. But the real star of Moulin Rouge is the music. This film
seamlessly blends Elton John, David Bowie, Dolly Parton, The Beatles,
and Rogers & Hammerstein...literally. And that's just the beginning.
The vocal performances by principal actors is stunning (I was
particularly impressed with the singing talent of Ewan MacGregor). And
there's no topping the raspy "Tango de Roxanne. You'll want the
soundtrack to this one for sure.
If you're of a mind that musicals are ridiculous fluff, you won't like
this movie. If you can't extend the suspension of disbelief to allow
the musical anachronism of a 19th Century writer crooning U2, you won't
like this movie. However, if you've ever dreamed of being on stage
with Judy Garland or Gene Kelley AND you have a Bohemian imagination,
Moulin Rouge will captivate you.
Posted by Mithrandir at
04:46 PM
July 12, 2001
The Fast and the Furious
A friend needed cheering up, so we hit the theatre and caught "The Fast &
The Furious". This movie doesn't make any pretenses about plot: it's got
fast cars, badass drivers, and a simple, fun story line. It makes for an
entertaining summer flick, and is definitely a guy's movie with themes of
trust, respect, and getting to the finish line first.
Some parts seemed rather glossed over, and a few details seemed
inconsistent or not sufficiently fleshed out (timelines, some actions taking
place that get abandoned at the movie heads in another direction). Overall
a fast, fun movie, but nothing that will challenge you.
-- by phil s.
Posted by Arcterex at
04:45 PM
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Review by RoundTop on 07/11/01
Runtime: Just over 1.5 hours (not including coming attractions).
I have been waiting for this flick ever since I saw the preview when I saw
Dungeons & Dragons... and I though it was good then... boy was I wrong... it
was AMAZING.
I had heard that the characters were almost lifelike...but I found myself
thinking the clothing had to be real, or some of the sets models or props, or
the faces were real.... absolutely amazing.
As for the plot... standard aliens on earth thing.... with a few twists. I'm
not going to give spoilers, but the director does not (for the most part)
succomb to the Hollywood "happy happy everything works out" ending. This is
what really makes the movie... that and Steve Buccemi (my spelling is probably
wrong) as one of the voice actors.
I would give this one a 10/5... it blew my mind.
-- by roundtop
Posted by Arcterex at
04:43 PM
July 10, 2001
Swordfish
Swordfish. Runtime: Just under two hours
Now, for the movie I have been waiting for for months. All of the stuff I
had
heard and seen couldn't compare to this movie. One thing Shawn mentioned,
about
their scene being worth the movie, was true. This is graphically almost as
good
in parts as the Matrix. The fact that it has the same director could be a
hint.
The timeline is a bit fuzzy, understandably, but there were only a few
missing
pieces in the end, and those I can guess pretty good. They likely would
have
ruined the feel of the movie, but not the logic. Oh well.
I should mention that one part that many people have made a big fuss
about,
Halle Berry's lack of formal clothing in a few scenes, is not all it is
cracked
up to be. I say this because I heard many men(and a couple women
whining about the lack of quality nudity. I did not go for this so it had
not
hit me. I had seen pictures of this scene, but it played absolutely no
part
in my decision to see it. Trust me, if that is the reason you will go see
it,
wait till video. Then you can see her naked all ya want, though she is
never
totally naked.
All in all, more then worth the $12 I paid. I recommend it to anyone who
is
even remotely computer oriented. I rate this 12/10 as I am a geek I admit
to
having drooled, but at the computer equipment, not the woman. I was left
with
only one question, which I did not expect the movie to answer. The car
that
Travolta drives, the sports car in the shooting scene, is that a Dodge
Viper?
some of the styling of it look like Viper, but it looks boxier.
Hmmm....
-- by dwight
Posted by Arcterex at
04:41 PM
Evolution
Evolution. Runtime: Just under 2 hours
This one was my second, and middle, pick of the day. It was likened by
some
reviewers as the alien version of ghost busters. The animation and
computer
generated aliens, from amoebae to primates were very well designed and in
such
a perfect detail that I found myself jumping were I would usually be
laughing.
The description from the papers was not too far off, but that is still a
great
plot, though the expected sequel(s) are hoped to be much better. I did not
check
for exact references to the period table of elements, but I will assume
that
Dr. Kane's(Duchovny) statement of the vulnerability is accurate. I give
this
film a 7/10 rating which would have been much less if not for the computer
graphics.
I would wait for a second run to see this again, as $12 was a little high
for
this film.
-- by dwight
Posted by Arcterex at
04:36 PM
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider. Runtime: Just under 2 hours.
Excellent graphics all around in this one. I seem to either have missed,
in
the trailer or the theater, some scenes I was expecting to see. I know
there
were some that I thought I saw but they could have been taken from other
parts
and not where I was expecting to see them.
The Cambodian temple and
Antarctic
dead zone were all wonderfully done. The inanimate statues coming to life
were
beautifully done, and has the perfect mix of fragility and mean looks.
Jolie
looked stunning and her accent was very well done. I, though, think there
were
a couple of scenes that could have been left out. For instance one scene,
just
after she leaves the bath and drops her towel, could have been left out,
and
made the movie much classier. 90% of the men ion the audience were
drooling,
but 95% of the women were fuming, thus alienating the females. I give it
three
days or less till that scene is on every site and P2P network around. All
in
all, an excellent film, with great graphics and nice action. Jolie and her
father
Jon Voight were excellent and the other main characters were nicely added
parts,
performed well. I also think the butler decked out in a bullet proof vest
and
still in pajamas could be left out in the sequel. I give this a 9/10
rating
and cannot wait for the sequels. Great adaptation for the queen of
computer
gaming.
-- by Dwight
Posted by Arcterex at
04:35 PM