olivia_sutton | Entries tagged with richard roxburgh

This review was posted to my movie review blog on 1 Jan 2012.

Title: Moulin Rouge
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Date: 2001
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Musical, Romance
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham (Cameo)
Format: Color, Widescreen
DVD Format: R1, NTSC

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and to be loved in return."

"You expect me to believe that scantily clad, in the arms of another man, in the middle of the night, inside of an elephant, you were rehearsing?" -- The Duke

"Hurt him to save him. There is no other way. The show must go on, Satine. We are creatures of the underworld, we can't afford to love." -- Zigler

Moulin Rouge is an incredible, incredible film. The color, music and dancing all reflect a surreal, hyper-reality feel. Yet the story is a simple story about love -- an impossible love. Christian is a young naive Englishman who makes his way to Paris, to the heart of the Bohemian Revolution to become a writer and experience love. He quickly falls in with a group of Bohemian artists, and is chosen to write their new show. Needing backers, they go to the Moulin Rouge and Howard Zigler, and his head courtesan, Satine.

Through a misunderstanding, Christian meets Satine, and they fall in love. However, Zigler needs money to convert his nightclub and bordello to a real theatre. He promises Satine to the Duke. The Duke even gets Zigler to sign over the deeds on the Moulin Rouge to him.

Satine is shocked to discover the man she's really falling in love with isn't a rich Duke after all, but a penniless Bohemian writer. The plot revolves around their love triangle -- Christian and Satine and Satine and the Duke. And the question is: Will Satine, a Courtesan, choose true love with Christian or go for the money she can get from the Duke (which Zigler also encourages, since he'll lose the Moulin Rouge if she doesn't). The love triangle is even built into the show that Christian is writing to debut on the new stage of the Moulin Rouge. It may seem like a simple and traditional plot -- but what pulls Moulin Rouge out of the commonplace is it's style and look. A style that's surreal, hyper-reality, more real than real. And Ewan McGregor as Christian and Nicole Kidman as Satine really do give the performances of their lives. And my gosh can they both sing!

The majority of the music in Moulin Rouge is modern music. Rather than keeping to a historical look and feel to the film -- Baz Luhrmann goes completely in the opposite direction -- accentuating the way it would feel to someone in 1899-1900 to be in such a remarkable place. The opening dance number is a whirl of lights, color, movement and loud music. One knows this won't be your typical musical when the can can girls and the men in white ties and black tails are singing and dancing to "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

Satine's song that she performs as a courtesan is a medley of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" and "Material Girl", though the song she sings when she's on her own is, "I'll Fly Away", because her ambition is to be a real actress - or at least to get out of the Moulin Rouge. Christian first courts her with Elton John's "Your Song", but he's most impressive with the song he writes for her, and the only original song in the film, "Come What May". (Though "The Pitch/ Spectacular Spectacular" could be argued as original - only the lyrics are, the music is The Can Can.)

But it's surprising and even amusing to hear the modern music in the film, though the mood always fits. "Elephant Love Melody", for example, is an argument between Christian and Satine where they throw lines from romantic pop songs at each other. Zigler gets to sing "Like a Virgin" to the Duke, when he's trying to come up with an excuse as to why Satine has missed a date. There's also a very impressive Latin Tango done to "Roxanne". And many others. It's also common for lines of dialogue in the film to be quotes from famous music (Christian even gets his writing job by quoting "The Sound of Music"). Yet, somehow, it fits, it's like when you and your friends quote lines from movies you've seen or books you've read. Christian, Satine, and even Zigler quote lines from music.

There are also some remarkable special effect sequences in the film - and as showy as they are, it merely emphases the point at the time.

But the most remarkable aspect of this musical is the end - it really is astounding and surprising. I've seen this film now several times and I always enjoy it and appreciate it more with every viewing.

Recommendation: See it!
Rating 5 of 5 Stars
Next Film: Network

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Title: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Director: Stephen Norrington
Date: 2003
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Action, Adventure
Cast: Sean Connery, Shane West, Stuart Townsend, Richard Roxburgh, Peta Wilson
Format: Widescreen, Color
DVD Format: R1, NTSC

"I'm a representative of Her Majesty's government, the Empire needs you." Sorenson
"But the question is, Do I need the Empire?" -- Allan Quartermain

"You're missing a picture, Mr. Grey." Allan Quartermain to Dorian Grey

"I've lived long enough to see the future become history, Professor. Empires crumble, there are no exceptions." -- Dorian Grey

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen starts with a steampunk bang as a tank bursts out of a building, crushes a bobby, and then bursts through the walls of the Bank of England to commit a robbery. However, the object of the robbery isn't just money, gold, or even jewels -- it's documents. The robbery seems to have been conducted by the Germans, but next on the hit list is a German Zeppelin factory -- which is blown sky-high. Thus Britain blames Germany and Germany blames Britain, while in the background the mysterious Fantom seems to be orchestrating everything. The film is set in 1899.

And thus, M, the mysterious leader of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen assembles the extraordinary men and women of the League to prevent a war -- he says. And the League is assembled: hunter and adventurer Allan Quartermain (Sean Connery), Mina - the vampire lover of Jonathan Harker, a thief named Skinner who has stolen the formula for invisibility, American Secret Agent Tom Sawyer, Dorian Grey, Captain Nemo (and his Nautilus) and Hyde (and his alternate identity Dr. Jekyll). Now assembled M tells them they must prevent the mysterious Fantom from sinking Venice and killing the world leaders assembled there for a peace conference.

Reaching Venice, the League discovers they are too late, Venice is already starting to fall. They manage to stop the destruction, and discover that they were set up. Dorian betrays the crew, he's working for M who's stolen something from him. Skinner (aka the Invisible Man) whom the League thought was guilty is innocent, but steals aboard the small Nautilus excursion pod with Grey. Skinner is able to send a message to the League and they are off to stop M where he's using the unique talents of the League members (Vampirism, invisibility, Jekyll's potion, etc) to create new superweapons, as well as his tanks, mechanical men, etc.

The League reaches M's new hideout and manage to win the day. Allan Quartermain dies but passes the torch to Tom Sawyer whom he calls a "hero for a new century" (Quartermain being the hero of the old century). M is revealed to be behind the Fantom, and also to be Professor Moriarty.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a good film, but I think it could have been better. I loved the Victorian literary references (other than Tom Sawyer who seems too young and out of place in the film). Besides the main characters, Quartermain makes a reference to Phileas Fogg going around the world in 80 Days. Sorenson is a Sherlock Holmes reference, it's Holmes alias during part of his "missing three years" after Reichenbach Falls. That M is really Professor Moriarty is also another Sherlock Holmes reference. There are some marvelous quips as well. Sean Connery is brilliant, and the rest of the cast does a competent job. However, I can't help but wonder how much better the film could have been with a more experienced and better known cast. Also, far too much time is spent assembling the League -- time that could have been spent firming up the plot. I didn't like the obvious CGI Hyde (and the "super-Hyde that fights Hyde at M's fortress is just silly-looking). The initial CGI effect for the Invisible Man as he smears on cold cream to show his face is extremely well done, but the very next scene in the car has the actor with white greasepaint on his face that's applied so badly you can see his beard stubble. One or the other effect would actually have worked, but switching between both is distracting and screams "we didn't have the money to do this right". The Nautilus is gorgeous, but is apparently solar powered, which makes no sense for a sub. In Jules Verne's novel it's a nuclear sub -- maybe the filmmakers were afraid to say so? Nemo's car is also beautiful. Overall, this film felt like a nice intro, but its a real shame no further sequels were made. I almost think it would have been better as a television pilot than a film, especially as a television series could have brought in even more fictional and real Victorian characters.

There is plenty of action, however, and the look of the film is actually really, really gorgeous. And I did like the cast, they all do a competent job (I just think they could have done better in casting). In a sense the film suffers from unfulfilled promise.

Recommendation: a fun movie for teens and adults, see it
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Next Film: The Lost Weekend

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