After reimagining William Shakespeareยs Romeo and Juliet as a Pulp Fiction-style shoot-ยem-up, director Baz Luhrmann applied the same swashbuckling production values to old-school MGM musicals for 2001ยs Moulin Rouge. The film has a score fashioned from a jaw-droppingly diverse array of pop and rock sources ย Elton John, David Bowie, T. Rex, Madonna, Offenbachยs ยCan Can,ย Nirvana, U2, the Police, The Sound of Music. Moulin Rouge never stops moving (or singing) long enough for viewers to notice its plot might be a bit thin (Nicole Kidman as a tubercular nightclub chanteuse torn between a gentrified suitor [Richard Roxburgh] and a poet [Ewan McGregor]). Still, the production numbers are as lavish as they come (especially the delirious opening scene), and McGregor turns out to have a decent set of pipes. Watch for Kylie ยCanยt Get You Out of My Headย Minogue as the Green Fairy. 11:55 p.m. Friday and Saturday. River Oaks Theater, 2009 West Gray. For information, call 713-866-8881 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com. $6 to $9.
Fri., May 16, 11:55 p.m.; Sat., May 17, 11:55 p.m., 2008
This article appears in May 15-21, 2008.
