Moulin Rouge (2001)

Baz Luhrmann's frenzied Best Picture nominee is one of my favorite musicals. Moulin Rouge is a clever, frenetic mix of dance, romance, and drama. The music, at least for the most part, is not original, but rather an update (actually, quite the opposite) of newer songs. Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor are great. Luhrmann being one of my favorite directors, never fails to astound me.

Moulin Rouge is the story of Christian (Ewan McGregor), a young man searching for love in Paris. One day, a bunch of Bohemians literally crashes through his roof and he becomes involved in a play. The lead actress they want is Satine (Nicole Kidman), a seductive dancer at the Moulin Rouge, a famous cabaret. They go there to ask her, but Christian runs into problems when he falls in love with her, but she has already been sold to the Duke even though she loves him back.

The best part of the movie is the first trip to the Moulin Rouge. The energetic scene where the characters sing "Lady Marmalade" as remixed by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, and Pink is amazing. Watching the update on the Nirvana song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is fun. It's great to see people dancing to modern music 1900's style. Then again, it's all so Luhrmann-esque.

The characters are also what makes this movie so great. Toulouse Lautrec, played by John Leguizamo, who was the famous poster artist, is beautifully acted. Also, Nicole Kidman is charming as Satine, even when the film turns ugly towards the end. Ewan McGregor is also adorable as the innocent Christian.

Quirky and charming, Moulin Rouge is a stunning classic. Updates on songs and at times corniness, Baz Luhrmann has created a great musical. Though the mood changes a lot in the second hour, it still remains good and touching. I have to say, I'm the first in line when Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby is done!

Movies You Shouldn't See: Mamma Mia! (2008)

It's too bad this film is bad because it looked really good. Unfortunately, the star studded cast wasn't even close to enough. Some of Mamma Mia's scenes were fun, but some were just energetic and boring. I will commend the film for Amanda Seyfried, but I will not commend it for making the musical into something much worse than it deserves.

Personally, I can't understand why you would make a movie anyway, but...there's Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), a girl who isn't sure which one of her mother's (Meryl Streep) three bedmates is her father. She then decides to invite the fathers (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, and Colin Firth) to her wedding. Definitely Maybe, anyone?

The casting for the movie is very spotty. It ranges from Seyfried who is the upcoming big actress of 2009 to Pierce Brosnan who should never sing. When he opens his mouth to sing, it makes me want to scream. They could have at least done what West Side Story did and dub his voice! Meryl Streep is so so, but it is hard to believe she had operatic training.

The biggest problem I have is that the movie is overly peppy and somewhat exhausting to even watch. You watch one musical number and you're just tired from watching it. All the women are all just so peppy to the point where it is annoying. The guys are barely in half the movie, but when they are it is just disastrous.

Mamma Mia is a blockbuster, but I honestly don't know why. Maybe because it has ABBA music in it, but I'm not sure. Surely one of the worst letdowns of last year, Mamma Mia makes me want to just hit one of those overly energized women in the movie who randomly break out into song. Believe me, I don't care about that usually, but it just doesn't make sense!