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.

Gentlemen prefer blondes [1953]

On Sunday, I was lucky enough to attend a Timeout special free screening of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a classic 1953 film starring the beautiful Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, held to celebrate the release of a special 4 Monroe films in a BluRay box set (GPB, Seven Year itch, Some like it hot and How to marry a millionaire). Special guest: Suzie Kennedy, the famous starlet impersonator, but more about that later.

The film itself was very entertaining and light, and, as you would expect from a Monroe picture, it was sultry, flirtatious, quirky, funny and sweet. Howard Hawks directed, from a script by Charles Lederer, a film about two friends, Lorelei Lee (Monroe) and Dorothy Shaw (Russell) who travel to France, pursued by many admirers, including a private detective who was hired by Lorelei's fiancé's disapproving father to keep an eye on her, an Olympic team and a rich, sweet old man. The storyline was interesting, the quick developments helped move the film forward and give new sides to the character, and although the end might have been a little predictable, it was still very enjoyable. I loved the musical moments, especially Jane Russell's Olympic number by the pool and of course, the famous Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend scene near the end.

All sets and costumes were stunning- the ladies wardrobe was so beautiful, classic,but daring and very flattering- the red dresses in the beginning, the black jumpsuit at the pool, or the orange dress come in mind. The music, mostly orchestral, was upbeat and provided a perfect score for the lively action.

Casting wise, they did a great job for the two supporting male roles. Tommy Noonan as Gus Esmond Jr makes you smile as he is the loveable guy who is head over heels for Lorelai, and Elliott Reid as the Humphrey Bogart type for Ernie Malone provides a strong, masculine and worthy image as a man who changes his ways because of love. As for the two ladies, both were just perfect. Jane Russell kept us on our toes, giving a sharp, sarcastic, but kind performance of Dorothy, trying to be a good friend to Monroe's character, who, as usual, shined every time she was on screen. Talent, grace, sultriness, mixed with a touch of sweetness, naivety and a few facial expression to highlight them, and you have your Marilyn, in beautiful colours- you can't really stay away or hate her, even if you tried.

Gentlemen prefer blondes was a perfectly enjoyable movie for a lovely Sunday morning and I'm glad I got the chance to see it on the big screen.  

The screening was held at the Curzon Mayfair cinema, and although there was some problems with the bluray, overall I had a wonderful time and I'm also glad I got to see Suzie Kennedy, as well. Her job is, basically, to impersonate Marilyn Monroe at any kind of events she is invited to, be it a private party for Eva Longoria were she has to sing, or a TV commercial. We had a little Q&A and she talked to us about her life, how she got to do this and what she likes and dislikes about Marilyn; I must say I was a little bit impressed by her- she is a smart, beautiful girl (yes, she does look like Monroe).

Musical Saturday: An American in Paris[1951]

I saw An American in Paris at the British Film Institute on a cold end-of-October day and it brighten up my day! It was such a pleasure seeing it, after endless dramas at the London Film Festival before (which I enjoyed also, but in a different way).

The movie tells the story of Jerry Mulligan, a struggling American painter in Paris and his relationship with two wonderful women: Lisa(played by Leslie Caron) and Lilo(played by Nina Foch).

There were many beautiful aspects that I loved about this movie. The first scene, introducing the characters, which is rather atipical and simple; the description of Lisa by Henri, featuring the amazing Leslie Caron dancing in all of her splendor- she is very graceful; all of the costumes and the sets; the piano scene of Oscar Levant, showing us his talent in a dream sequence and many others.

Gene Kelly is probably one of the most charming men I have ever seen on screen. That, plus his dancing skills and the way he makes it seem so easy and enjoyable, you've got yourself an A start actor. He has believeable chemistry with both Leslie and Nina and smoothly switches from actor to dancer in each scene. The musical numbers were sweet, but not very memorable (like the ones in West Side Story, for example), and the final dancing scene stretches a bit too long, but all is forgiven just for that shot of him and Leslie on the yellow, glowing background and the intro/outro editing. Beautiful!

I found myself smiling my way through the movie and it was, like I said, very enjoyable! It's a classic and you should see it!

Musical Saturday: All that jaz[1979]

I don’t know about you, but I usually have certain expectations about movies, especially if they are classics or if I heard they are very good.

Whenever I thought of All that jazz, I was sure I was going to get a lot of dancing, music, Broadway style performances and maybe a little romance to keep the story going. I imagined a happy, entertaing movie. Was it? Not at all.

Don’t get me wrong, the best parts of it involved dancing and the fact that Roy Scheider perfectly interprets the character, being charismatic and loveable, but it has so many flaws.

There are so many subtleties that the story and the director wants to put in, and the bad thing is you can easily tell which are them...a great movie doesn’t let you see that. Sometimes it gets confusing (the hospital scenes), but in the end I understood what he was trying to say, I just didn’t like the way he did it. The creator had so many ideas and he just didn’t know how to put it all together in a flowing, interesting way...it was a mess.

Now I know it is based on Bob Fosse’s life and it really is an interesting story, but for me it just didn’t do any justice to it. Maybe because I’m european and I probably don’t get the whole Broadway-American feel to it (although I usually like it). I’ve seen so many reviews saying it is the best musical of all time....I must beg to differ; they probably haven’t seen Singin’ in the rain or Chicago or An American in Paris.

It may be a classic and if you are a movie buff, you will find certain great points in it, but I wasn’t very impressed by it...I really had to use my patience to get through all of it!

p.s If you are a dancer or like the art of it, please do watch it, if only for the dancing parts...everything is wonderful in that aspect: the choreography, the people, the slow, sexy way they move their body...it is a pleasure to watch!

Musical Saturday: West Side Story[1961]

West Side Story- where do I begin?

Well, the first 10-15 minutes were interesting, as I kept waiting for the characters to say more then 3 words: it was all a mix of dancing, claping, miming, singing....but it got my attention and it set up the whole story.

I won’t say much about the actual storyline and what happens, that you will have to watch and see for yourself. But I will pin point some great things about this movie.

Because it was great. I just love Tony, as a character, as an actor (although I had my second thoughts during some scenes) , as a guy (he’s good looking).And Maria is so lovely and sweet (played, as I found out at the end, by Natalie Wood) and is perfect for the part...she embodied all of those feelings so well, it was very beliveable.

Some memorable scenes include the first get-together dance (I’m thinking about the choreography and the way it was shot),  the „We’re in America” scene on the roof top and last scene, the pivotal moment which ended the movie in a splendid, yet somber way. Also, I have to mention the hot tamale girl that is Anita (Rita Moreno) and the loveable Doc, who, although tries, can’t help those kids.

I can definately see West Side Story on Broadway, it was created for it and I’m sure it’s one hell of a show there. Actually, I’m kinda sure the play is better then the movie, but the dance scenes are better showcased on the movie as you can see it in different angles.

Letting aside all the Broadway-drama-over-the-top feel to it, it is a great movie and a classic and I hope you like it, too!

Musical Saturday: Chicago[2002]

I've had some musical reviews lined up for the blog for months, waiting to do a Musical week, but I decided instead to feature one musical per week, since my film viewing habit has not been very active during these last few days. So, first in line, CHICAGO!

Chicago is one of my favourite musicals of all time and I am glad to have the chance to talk about it!

Directed by Rob Marshall, it tells the story of Roxie Hart, a young woman who shoots her lover and ends up in prison. She tries to get out by hiring Billy Flynn, a big shot lawyer who always wins (played by Richard Gere), but has a few "bumps" in the road (Velma Kelly- Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mama Morton-Queen Latifah and others).

Let's start from the beginning. Catherine Zeta Jones opens the show, with a great performance of All that jazz and mantains her fierce, sassy, sexy, strong act throughout the movie. She delivered in a big way and deserves her Oscar as supporting actress- she is fantastic in every shape or form, acting, dancing and singing wise!

Then we meet Roxie Hart- not as pretty, not as sassy, but with a certain charm. Renee Zellweger is good and correctly portrays her character, but it wasn't 100% for me. I do have to mention the shot of her from toe to head whilst singing, she does have some nice legs and gives her all during the dance numbers.

Queen Latifah is Mama Morton; I think the casting was spot on and I loved her in this movie. ("When you're good to mama, mama's good to you"). Other memorable mentions are Christine Baranski as the reporter and Taye Biggs as the announcer/pianist.

And then we go to my favourite scene of the movie, featuring one of the best songs, well musical songs, ever. It's called the Cell Block Tango and I love it.

Richard Gere is charming- I never thought I would be seeing him in underwear singing "All I care about is love", but he is surprisingly good and has a palpable chemisty with both Zellweger and Zeta-Jones. Same goes for John C.Reilly, who is a fantastic actor, but always underused, in supporting parts, as a silly, stupid character.

The direction is wonderful, the transitions between the action and the dream stage sequences are well done, the singing and dancing numbers are flawless, flashy, visually beautiful and lovely to see, the sets and costumes take you back to the 20s, the actors deliver in every scene and all in all, it is a memorable movie.

As I said, one of my personal favourites musicals. Hope you like it, too!

FUNNY GIRL [1968]

Director: William Wyler

Writers:  Isobel Lennart (play), Isobel Lennart (screenplay)

Starring:  Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif and Kay Medford

It is such a pleasure to discover old, timeless movies that enchant me. Funny Girl is a perfect example of that. 

It’s a sweet, rather simple, yet very entertaining and well done film, starring Barbra Streisand as a young Jewish girl trying to be a star. She is often condemned for her looks, but never gives up and always gives heartfelt, funny performances. Omar Sharif, her love interest, is very charming and has that special aura about him, one that only few actors have (Marlon Brando, Gregory Peck, Humphrey Bogart and others).

„Hello, gorgeous” says Fannie Brice at the beginning, showing us, for the first time, a very beautiful, sultry, yet funny and appealing in her own way Barbra Streisand. She isn’t the most beautiful girl in the movie, but, damn, she is charming and commands the stage every time she gets up there. I can’t find a flaw in her performance or look: big hair, short hair, night gowns, silly dresses for shows or amazing party dresses (like the one he wore on the bout), nothing feels out of place. It’s natural, real and I loved it!

The ending is a little bittersweet, but her closing song, when she sings „Oh my man I love him so” is perfect in every way- performance wise, look-wise and sound-wise!

Please do see it, especially if you like musicals or classics, like I do!

p.s. Special mention for one my all time favourite performances, Rain on my parade! It’s a beautiful, strong song!