The Avengers at the Moulin Rouge

Intro/Overview

While Primeval: New World and Sinbad were on, I was watching Moulin Rouge with my family. I think I'm going to have to rethink finding them elsewhere online now that I've missed two episodes of each. I also think I'm going to give up on fully reviewing last week's Warehouse 13 and Defiance. That's apparently not happening.

Tonight, I have full reviews of Moulin Rogue and The Avengers, two movies I love very much.

SPOILER WARNING

If you have not seen Moulin Rouge or The Avengers please leave the blog and return when you have. I am horrible about keeping my reviews spoiler free.

The Avengers - Review

I really, really loved The Avengers when I saw it in theaters initially. When it finally showed up on Netflix today, I was ecstatic. Upon second watch I was able to fully appreciate some things about the movie I hadn't noticed before or had overlooked initially. Now, because The Avengers has been out for so long and because I have read/listened to a lot of different reviews, I won't be nit picking the movie apart. In fact, if you like nit picking you should just go away.

In speaking about nit picking, the giant battle at the end of the movie instantly comes to mind. It's been nit picked within an inch of its life by anyone and everyone who enjoys nit picking these things. I have never seen a reason to do anything other than sit back and enjoy the set-piece. I had fun watching it and that's pretty much all that matters to me.

I really, really enjoyed Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner and The Hulk. Edward Norton was my favorite Hulk before Ruffalo took up the mantle. Although I did love Norton, I'm not sure he would have worked for The Avengers. I don't think there would have been as much chemistry between Banner and Stark if Norton had been in the role. That said, the chemistry between Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. just flew off the screen. I totally saw all the shipper-fuel for all the Bruce/Tony fan-schtuff. I myself am more a fan of Black Widow/Hawkeye based on the movie, but to each their own.

I like how each of The Avengers were set up as characters and gathered together. Those who hadn't seen the previous films could easily pick up on what each character was about and how they worked with the others. Those who, like me, had seen the previous films could sit back and enjoy the characters interacting with each other and the various tie-ins to their individual movies. Yeah, some characters -- Black Widow and Hawkeye in particular -- got left in the cold as far as deeper characterization goes, but that's fairly par for the course in big ensemble movies like The Avengers. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing a movie about how Black Widow and Hawkeye met or something along those lines. Perhaps they'll make a surprise appearance in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. What? Thought I wouldn't mention that?

Speaking of which, The Council. They bug me. I get why they're there. They're your pretty standard Oversight Committee-esque people. I still don't like them and I enjoyed Fury blowing them off twice.

I would be remiss if I didn't give some mention to the Loki/Tony verbal sparring scene. Yeah, it's totally a "Iron Man is awesome and RDJ is getting a giant paycheck out of this movie" scene, but it made a lot of sense. Sure, Loki and Iron Man could duke it out, but their strengths really lie more in the realm of words. Tony can stall to get a less banged up suit and Loki can gloat a little. I thought the scene was brilliant and a nice change of pace between action scenes.

Final Thoughts:

• S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters pulled a Sunnydale and turned into a giant crater.
• Loki's long-distance call was pretty awesome. I loved the effects there.
• Everyone's got really interesting tech.
• Great action and character moments interspersed with classic Whedon dialogue.
• I like Loki as the villain because he's crazy, cocky, and witty to boot.

Favorite Scenes:

• Black Widow talking to Loki in the cage. It was brilliant. I was totally sold the first time through.
• Hulk vs. Loki. Nuff said.
• Pepper not picking up her phone while Tony's on a suicide mission. I about cried this time through.

Moulin Rogue - Review

I'm gonna start this off by saying: I LOVE THIS MOVIE. I watched it for the first time many years ago and it holds up spectacularly in story, character, and set-pieces.

I find the mish-mash of classic musical numbers combined with modern music turned into musical numbers works extremely well. I also really enjoy the shifts between normal movie bits and stage-production bits awesome. Moulin Rouge is just a wonderful mish-mash of everything you could want in a movie and that's part of what makes it work so well.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Ewan McGregor's performance. I think at the time I originally say this movie, I'd just come off thinking of him as Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, Ewan positively melts into Christian just within the first few scenes. I had no trouble separating the two in my head. Add to that Ewan's singing voice. It's spectacular.

The cast of other characters really serve more as a backdrop to the world in which Satine and Christian find each other. I also really enjoyed Nicole Kidman as Satine. She's sexy and cute and just magnificent in the role. I thought Richard Roxburgh as The Duke was easily believable as the villain and as the buffoon. I'm not exactly fond of John Leguizamo as Toulouse, but I loved Jim Broadbent as Harold Ziddler. The other characters, while most definitely there, are largely forgettable. But then, the story's not about them at all so, there's that.

I'd started this review thinking it would turn into one of my normal in-depth things, but really all I can think about is gushing over the spectacular-ness that is Moulin Rouge. It's one of those movies that you have to sit down and watch to really understand what's so magical about it. It's beautiful, tragic, funny, heartwarming, and tear-jerking. There's really not a lot I can say about it that won't sound like gushing nonsense.

I will say though: I constantly play songs from Moulin Rouge and just fall back into that world. They really convey the emotions of the individual scenes beautifully.

Love ya, Jessie.