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Reviews by Matt Heffernan <matt@filmhead.com>
This week my picks are
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
(2001 - 
) and
Moulin Rouge
(2001 - ).
This week, I decided to pick two new releases, but not out of
indecision. These two films represent the beginning of
movie musicals in the 21st Century. The first is
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, based on the stage
musical of the same name. It tells the life story of
a quasi-transgendered rock singer through song. Throughout
the film, Hedwig (John Cameron Mitchell, who also wrote
and directed the film) stalks her former lover, Tommy
Gnosis (Michael Pitt), who is on a U.S. stadium tour, playing
songs that Hedwig wrote but did not receive credit for.
Despite its low budget, this film delivers with both
slick visuals and a great rock score, written by Stephen
Trask (who also plays a member of "The Angry Inch" -- which
refers to what is left of Hedwig's masculinity).
Full review by Evelyn Gildrie-Voyles from October 4, 2001
Moulin Rouge is the second pick because no film
should have to follow Moulin Rouge in a double
feature. Director Baz Luhrmann re-creates the famous
Parisian night club as he wishes it was in 1899. Nicole
Kidman plays a singer/dancer/courtesan who falls in love
with a wannabe Bohemian poet (Ewan MacGregor) even though
she is promised to a wealthy aristocrat (Richard Roxburgh).
It's a conventional love triangle within a very unconventional
film. The music that is played at the club and the poetry
that MacGregor writes are actually popular songs from the
20th century. It's a dizzying mix of high camp, low farce,
and the most outlandish production numbers ever caught on
film. If you can think of Hedwig as the new
Show Boat, Moulin Rouge is the new
Singin' in the Rain.
Full review by Evelyn Gildrie-Voyles from May 21, 2001
For more information, visit the Internet Movie Database:
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Here's some merchandise for sale at
| Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) | -- VHS |
| Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) | -- DVD |
| Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a play by John Cameron Mitchell with song lyrics by Stephen Trask | -- Hardcover |
| Hedwig and the Angry Inch: Film Soundtrack | -- Compact Disc |
| Hedwig and the Angry Inch: Original Cast Recording | -- Compact Disc |
| Moulin Rouge (2001) | -- VHS |
| Moulin Rouge (2001) | -- DVD |
| Moulin Rouge: The Splendid Illustrated Book That Charts the Journey of Baz Luhrmann's Motion Picture | -- Hardcover |
| Moulin Rouge: Soundtrack | -- Compact Disc |
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