| Moulin Rouge, probably the most INVENTIVE musical of all time. Either loved or hated, no one ever seemed indifferent about this wacky production. It was great to see a musical movie for today and seemed to breathe new life into old music. Combining medleys of old popular music, the very tallented Ewan McGreggor and Nicole Kiddman really made the show. The Romeo and Julietesque movie is about the Bohemian revolution on the turn of the 20th century. It is about a young writer named Christian who came to France to write a beautiful play but gets involved in the hijinks of a local performer, Toulouse and he ends up going to the Moulin Rouge, the trendiest nightclub of the time. This is where he meets Satine, the hottest prostitute in all of Paris. Due to a case of mistaken identity, Harold Zidler, the owner of the Moulin Rouge, sends Satine over to seduce Christian thinking that he was a rich duke. Satine and Christian fall in love, a big mistake. "Never fall in love with a woman that sells herself, it always ends BAD!" Satine is supposed to be seducing the Duke, but she can't because she loves Christian and Christian can't stand to let his woman be with someone else so obviously there's a lot of heart ache. In the musical is a story about them writing a play that's similar to the events they're living through. This entire movie is one big musical but here are a few of my favorites: One Day I'll Fly Away: Satine's solo song about how much her life sucks. Sweet though. Your Song: The song that Christian sings to win over Satine, absolutely beautiful. A take off of Elton John. Elephant Love Meledy: The unforgetable duet that Christian and Satine sing on the top of a big elephant shaped building. Many parodies from old love songs can be found here. Come What May: Satine and Christian's song to ensure each other that they'll always be true. Like a Virgin: The hilarious Madonna song sung by Ziddler and the Duke. Comedy relief. El Tango De Roxanne: A take off from a Sting song, this is the most powerful piece in the movie, great. The Show Must Go On: My personal favorite, a take off of the incredible Queen song, very moving. |
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| The cast of Les Mis in the fantastic group song One Day More |
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| Marius on the baracade |
| Val Jean and his nemisis Javert |
| Les Miserables, probably the most world renowned and best musical ever. Although it is not my absolute favorite, it is still fantastic.I'm eagerly awaiting the day when someone makes a musical movie out of it like they did Chicago, so I can finally watch this play whenever I want. It takes place in France in which the main character, Jean Valjean, was imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving nephew. Now released, he still finds life tough as he gets second class treatment for having been in prison, but is given a second chance by a saintly Bishop. He goes on to meet Fantine, a dying prostitute who begs him to take care of her child. Valjean did Fantine wrong by firing her from his workshop which lead her to her demise and forced her into prostitution. He then finds the child Cosette and raises her as his own. Cosette grows up to be a fine woman in Paris and catches the eye of Marius, a youthful school boy who is plotting revolution with his peers to end the unfair condition of the poor. Cosette gets involved in all of this while all through out the many years, Javert, a police man and old enemy of Valjean hunts him down for breaking his parole so many years ago. And of course, probably everyone's favorite character, Eponine, can't be left out of mention. She loves Marius but he doesn't see her in that way, and she sings the song On My Own. I won't ruin anything more, except to let you know that it's fantastic. Highlight songs: I Dreamed a Dream: The heart breaking song by Fantine about how she expected life wouldn't be so hard. Confrontation: Javert corners Valjean and they exchange words in this cooly complex duet. Castle on a Cloud: Sung by young Cosette dreaming of a nicer world. Stars: The hugely famous male song about Javert swearing to catch the convict. Master of the House: The dirty underhanded inn keeper who takes care of Cosette. Hilarious song though. One Day More: The incredible group song containing a sung line from just about every character. On My Own: The amazing song Eponine sings about how lonely she is since she can't have Marius' love. Bring Him Home: The incredibly sweet song of Valjean praying to God to save Marius' life. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables: A personal favorite sung by Marius about all his lost comrades. Of course there is a ton more music in this musical, but these are just the main ones that everyone knows. |
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| Christian and Satine singing Come What May |
| Pretty much all the important people in the movie lined up trying to convince the Duke into liking their play |
| A scene from El Tango De Roxanne |
| Harold Ziddler (most people's favorite character, mine included) with his hoes at the Moulin Rouge |