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.

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.

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

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

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

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