Oh, Gatsby!

*Diana's head pops up over the surface*

"Hello? Anybody here? Where did everyone go?
Oh, I knew it, I knew this would happen. I go away for 1, ok maybe 2 and a half months and people just forget me." she starts pacing around, back and forth in her seemingly deserted blog.

"Although.....my blog visits are still rather respectable- 50 something per day? that's what I used to get before. I wonder why they come back, even if there's no new content...
Anyway, I wonder what everyone is doing? I'm so behind on stuff...film stuff!" she says frustrated and opens her iPad.

"I still read their blogs, but my Twitter is collecting dust and God...if they only knew that I haven't watched a movie in...." she bows her head but suddenly remembers.

"Oh wait, I did, actually! Just today!
The Great Gatsby! In 3D!

Oh my sweet Leonardo, Oh you, the Paul Newman of our generation, the smart, gentleman-y James Dean, the gorgeous man with big blue eyes and huge talent!" her eyes shine and she fondly remembers Jay Gatsby, soaked from the rain, entering Nick's house to meet Daisy for the first day in a long time.

"Stop it Diana, you're supposed to review the film, not Leo's appearance! (Although there would be so much to say about that, too...)
So yes, The Great Gatsby! I don't know what you most will say about it, but the Baz Luhrman fangirl in me loved it. Obviously, because it looked just fantastic, as all Baz movies look like, but also because of the story, the script, the music and some performances. Except maybe Carey Mulligan's underwhelming performance and Isla Fischer's over the top one, everyone came up to par. I especially loved Joel Edgerton's Tom and, of course, the master of ceremonies, the man, Leonardo DiCaprio. It's probably too much to ask or even to consider, but I would give him some awards for this role. The lovely lady playing Jordan Baker is the breakout star of the film, and it's nice to Jason Clarke around there, too, although in a poor state.
Now, I know the film didn't receive great reviews, but I don't get why people were so "mean" to it. Let's face it, the movie looked great- check, the music was fantastic- check, the costumes, sets and photography were breathtaking- check, and most of the performances rocked- check. As for the actual storyline, I always thought Gatsby's story was interesting and I really liked how they built and showcased his character throughout the movie. Honestly, for me it was a great movie! Oh, I just wish would enjoy movies more and analyze them less...."

"Pheww....See Diana, it wasn't that hard, you can still review movies (although if you could just use less adjectives and more verbs and reasoning, that would be nice)
Well, thanks for listening!" she says smiling and starts to wave at...

*Diana's smile disappears and looks sadly around her deserted blog and lets her head down, realizing that no one is probably listening*

Moulin Rouge [2001]

Directed by Baz Luhrmann and written by him and Craig Pearce, Moulin Rouge is a love story set in Paris 1899, between a young writer and a courtesan. A young English man (Ewan McGregor) travels to Paris to find inspiration and, most importantly, love, and gets mixed up with a group of artists who are looking to put on a show in Moulin Rouge, so they recruit the talented writer and end up convincing the owner and investor (the Duke) to do the improvised Indian play. All this time, the main actress (Nicole Kidman) falls in love with Christian, behind the Duke's back, and the complications threaten to put in danger not only the show, but also the lives of the people involved.

I've been wanting to see this movie for a long time, after I've heard so many great things about it, so I guess I can say I had high expectations for it. Did it rise to the challenge? Not entirely, but it is a very interesting and entertaining film, able to capture the love and attention of people of all ages.

The most appealing factors of this film are obviously the visual and musical aspects. Firstly, the music, a mixture of orchestra, old school pieces and contemporary songs (bold choice, putting a Nirvana song in a cabaret show), definitely raised some eyebrows and I was a little taken aback by it, but got used to it by the middle of it. I loved the use of Your Song and the one she played on the rooftop, after she met Christian, but some songs were weirdly showcased- Like a virgin comes in mind, that was a strange scene.

Secondly, the visuals. I have to say, Baz Luhrman always knows how to put on a good show- Moulin Rouge is no exception and everything looks amazing. I absolutely love the sets and the costumes, I thought Kidman's entire wardrobe was just breathtaking, and the art direction was very good. One thing that put me off was some of the very quick camera action in some scenes, like the audition one or the beginning of the film- I almost got dizzy and it didn't help the movie overall- I understand where he was going, but he overreacted with it just a little, in my opinion. I did like his direction, especially what he did with the Tango scene- that was beautiful. Although at parts crazy, the audition part in Satine's room with the whole cast was very well executed and entertaining to watch- from the poetry reading and its following hilarious scene where he wants to read his poetry and she thinks it's sex what he is after, to the singing and dancing and improvising the story for the Duke.

As for the casting, it was great for the script, although I would have liked more recognizable faces, especially for roles like The Duke or the artists group. Moving on, Nicole Kidman played Satine's sexy, sultry part to the T and I admired everything about her, from the performance, to the singing, to her fantastic dresses. Ewan McGregor was the equivalent of charm and grace and did his part perfectly- I saw the love in his eyes, I believed his tears at the end and I rooted for him and his quest for love throughout the film. I also have to mention John Leguizamo, who played Toulouse-Lautrec- he is a great actor who deserves more credit, and he was very sweet in his role.

In the end, Moulin Rouge is a love story, a tragic one, but one that gives hope. Not the best musical or romantic movie I have ever seen, but a very good one that mostly deserves its praise.