Twentieth Century Fox Nicole Kidman in
"Moulin Rouge."
“Moulin Rouge” Starring Nicole Kidman and
Ewan McGregor Directed by Baz Luhrmann
“Moulin Rouge” boldly ventures into the realm of
musical cinema, daring to proclaim that the world has yet to have
its fill of silly love songs. The story centers around the
notoriously decadent Paris nightclub in 1899, where the celestial
Satine (Kidman) sings and dances for hordes of adoring men. In an
absurd episode of mistaken identity, the courtesan seduces the poor
and naive poet Christian (McGregor). Christian wants to write about
love even though he has never been in love. He meets a group of
Bohemians, including artist Tolouse-Latrec (John Leguizamo), who
rear him on their obsessive credo to pursue truth, beauty and
freedom. Satine becomes Christian’s muse through a musical
journey that tests the bonds of love and ends in tragedy. Director
Luhrmann (“Romeo + Juliet”) tells the classic love
story through familiar melodies and popular culture references. The
lavish and raunchy world of “Moulin Rouge” is
introduced by reckless cancan girls and blaring flashes of color
set to the provocative song “Lady Marmalade,” performed
by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya and Pink. While the
soundtrack features contemporary talent like Beck and Fat Boy Slim,
the movie also references classic sounds and images ranging from
Marilyn Monroe’s 1953 performance in “Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes,” to the Police’s “Roxanne.” For
moviegoers who couldn’t get enough of McGregor’s
crooning in the 1997 romantic comedy “A Life Less
Ordinary,” the actor performs a cover of Elton John’s
“Your Song,” as well as a duet with Kidman. Though the
musical numbers are inventive and dazzling on their own, they are
naturally worked into the dialogue of the story and never lose
sight of the plot. The lavish costumes and opulent sets further
contribute to an over-the-top production design that leaves
audiences in a fantasy world of heightened senses. While Satine and
Christian are busy exploring the rhythm of the night, a scheming
duke plots to grab the exclusive rights to Satine. While the duke
has enough money to turn the underworld brothel into a first-rate
theater, it is clear that he only wishes to own Satine as a
commodity. Though the story takes place in an artificially
elaborate world (in one scene Leguizamo is dressed as a giant
talking sitar), the love between Satine and Christian is genuine
and timeless. Part of the beauty of “Moulin Rouge” is
the freshness of classic melodies as they take on new meaning in
the film. Take away the radiant musical numbers, bright lights and
flashy costumes, and “Moulin Rouge” is still one of the
greatest love stories of all time.
Emilia Hwang Rating: 10
“Shrek” Starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy,
Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky
Jenson
While popular myths have generally portrayed ogres as
flesh-eating, vile beasts, “Shrek” sets out to lay
those stereotypes to rest with a message that ogres have feelings
too. Thanks in part to Myers’ humorous and warm Scottish
voice-over, this sweet but tongue-in-cheek fairy tale may be Prince
Charming at the box office. At first, Shrek, a loutish and gruff
curmudgeon who lives alone and makes candles out of his own ear
wax, seems like a most unlikely hero. But his hermit lifestyle gets
interrupted when dozens of outcast storybook characters, from the
Seven Dwarfs to Pinocchio, make camp in his swamp. A peeved Shrek
learns that the fairy tale denizens ran away from the kingdom of
Duloc because of its very diminutive and cruel ruler, Lord Farquaad
(Lithgow). Intent on getting people off his land, Shrek and Donkey
(Murphy), a loud-mouthed and neurotic sidekick, embark on a journey
to Farquaad’s castle, a Disneyland-esque self-homage. The
evil Farquaad convinces Shrek to rescue Princess Fiona (Diaz),
who’s been trapped for years in a tower by a fire-breathing
dragon, so that Farquaad may have her for his bride. This latest
gem of computerized animation certainly doesn’t disappoint in
the imagery department. The vibrant landscapes of Duloc as well as
the fierce dragon that Shrek squares off against provide plenty of
luscious eye candy. Also, the life-like complexion of the human
characters is technologically captivating. Considering the movie
targets kids as well as adults, “Shrek” manages to work
in a lot of subtle and not-so-subtle gross-out humor such as
flatulence and even penis envy. But the scatological jokes feels
over-used by the movie’s second half. As for witty dialogue,
the film doesn’t match up to “Chicken Run” or
“Toy Story 2.” With the presence of Donkey, there are
too many attempts to pun on the word ass. Also, the climactic
face-off between hero and villain falls a little short. Watching
the camaraderie between Shrek and Princess Fiona turn into a
saccharin courtship keeps the film grounded in fairy tale-morality.
Diaz fits perfectly as Fiona, a kick-ass heroine reminiscent of her
“Charlie’s Angels” role. Lithgow gets to ham it
up as the archetypal baddie. One of the film’s key selling
points is the myriad of cameos by familiar storybook personas. For
example, Lord Farquaad torments an imprisoned Gingerbread Man by
dunking him repeatedly in a glass of milk. “Shrek” is
an adorably funny tale. No doubt, the feature will stimulate
audiences’ desires for more computer-generated cartoons. But,
ultimately, the movie’s most appreciative fans will be
children. Although the screenplay misses the mark in terms of
acerbic jokes for the adults, the film’s heart is in the
right place.
Terry Tang Rating: 7
“Calle 54″ By Fernando Trueba
Spanish director Fernando Trueba takes a unique approach in
paying homage to his favorite Latin jazz musicians in a film that
has elements of a movie and a documentary. Through a series of
vignettes, Trueba introduces each of 12 musicians through a brief
biographical sketch. Then he shows them in their creative element:
in a studio doing a recording. The biographical locales for
“Calle 54″ are filmed mostly in New York, but also
feature short segments from Stockholm, Sweden, Havana, Cuba,
Cádiz, Spain and San Juan, Puerto Rico. All dialogue is in
Spanish with English subtitles. Through constantly moving shots and
timely cuts to different camera angles, Trueba captures the
musicians’ energy wherever it is on the recording stage. The
moving shots lend a dynamic feel to the film, although it gets
annoying after a while; it would be better to occasionally examine
one subject for a longer time. Sometimes Trueba’s camera
would focus on the smile on the bassist’s face or the
drummer’s sticks moving in steady precision or the fingers of
the pianist dancing across the keys of the studio’s Steinway
piano. Pianist Michel Camilo’s “From Within” has
the most inspiring sketch with his trio’s radiant energy and
head-nodding beat. The reunion of Bebo and Chucho Valdes, father
and son, in New York before the film’s engagement is
touching, as they sit down at adjacent pianos and play together on
“La Comparasa.” Another sketch with Bebo Valdes, and
bassist Israel “Cachao” López, is a pleasure to
watch with these two elder masters. Their duet, “Lagrimas
Negras,” is great because of their elegant and dignified
playing. Chano DomÃnguez kicks up the tempo with “Oye
Como Viene,” a fusing of Spanish flamenco music with American
jazz. With a cantaor (a flamenco singer) and a bailaor (a dancer),
the song is as visually exciting as it is aurally. While mostly
engaging, “Calle 54″ doesn’t feature much
background on the artists. Sometimes the viewer is barely
introduced to a character before the scene moves to the studio.
Trueba should have chosen fewer players and examine their lives
more fully, perhaps including some interviews from their peers.
“Calle 54,” however, is still is the next best thing to
actually being at the performance.
Chris Young Rating: 7