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smarthomewk
Reviews
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
All that glitter is not gold!
Moulin was a big beautiful, energetic waste of time. I give it's makers credit for creating a rather interesting diversion, from the norm. This movie really stinks as a musical, even though the staging of the production numbers was well done. Whoever sang for Ewan McGregor, should be arrested for assault with a irritating weapon of a voice. Ewan McGregor was convincing as a young man, hopelessly, foolishly in love with a very shady lady, with a cough. Let's face it, he must have been totally unconscious, not to have noticed. Nicole Kidman, was drop dead gorgeous, especially for a woman on the verge of death, I felt a little offended at this intermittent cough was used soley for dramatic effect. This woman had one of the most contagious diseases of all time, and would have infected many people way before these events could have happened. Kidman's characterization was arresting, but not enough to forget that she was a user, a manipulator, a cheap, overused woman. Nicole Kidman is very talented, but if she actually had the charisma to pull this part off, it could have mad a very interesting movie.
Again, congratulations are in order for the movie's design. Generally high marks for the two major actors; for meeting the challenge of very difficult roles. I don't buy the idea of re-cycled music, even if it is fairly well utilized. With all the effort, that was put into creating a unique visual extravaganza; an equal effort to create a score to match, would have been an major accomplishment.
I agree with the person who said this would have worked better as a stage play. I think it could have made a great stage play, even lacking the full movie glitz. Perhaps, this would have made for a more personal work of art, with a heart.
The Strange Woman (1946)
More fun than most modern, more flamboyant film efforts!
For a generation hooked on special effects, and mostly shoddy updates of very old film cliches, 'Strange Woman' must seem like a very dated movie. Of course, that largely depends on generational film tastes. A good story; good if sometimes uneven performances, and of course Hedy Lamarr; one of Hollywood's best kept secrets. Poor Hedy usually got the short end of the stick, as most of the critical acclaim went to very over-rated actresses, who were not nearly as beautiful as Hedy. Critics could never get past her phenomenal beauty, and more often rewarded Bergman, Turner, Davis, and Crawford, because they looked like ordinary everyday people. Oh! the simple minded, one-dimensional critics who imposed their bland tastes on a public, that just craved good entertainment. Hedy as Jenny Hager represents a daring stretch for Hedy; and she delivers a somewhat hammy, but nevertheless engaging performance. George Sanders is excellent as usual, in one of his lesser roles, and the cinematography is first rate. This is a melodramatic melodrama folks! It represents a bygone era in movie-making; when movies were made to entertain, sometimes most effectively in black and white, very often with modest budgets, and without mindboggling effects, extremely loud soundtracks. This movie deserves a 7/10.
Enough (2002)
Enough Manipulative Movie Junk!
I love good movies. Enough was not only a bad movie, but it was a schlocky attempt to manipulate audiences. Of course every decent human being is against spousal-domestic abuse. However, this movie did not invest 'enough' intelligent attention to story and script development. It would have made decent Lifetime viewing; but using J-Lo to bait movie goers into paying $8-10! Insulting! The studio had the nerve to 'save' this film for a prime summer release, because they thought they had a clear winner. That just shows how much respect they have for movie goers. Spousal abuse is very serious stuff. I hate to see serious social problems treated in such an exploitive manner. I rate this movie generously with a 2/10.