Command Performance

With out-of-town company to entertain and end-of-summer errands to run, this blog has got little to show for itself today—nothing, for sure, that's remotely on the level of Nathaniel's extraordinary, exhaustive, and entertaining scene-by-scene commentary on Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! I love this movie, too—full review here—but I adored and appreciated Baz's masterplan even better after reading Nathaniel's piece. Which is also funny, and beautifully illustrated. And!, even if you're a Moulin Rouge! skeptic, you should know in advance that while Nathaniel is an out-and-proud disciple, he is not blind but rather quite savvy to the movie's lapses and questionable calls. Rejoice, all who enter here!

Speaking of nineteenth-century France (!), the latest full review on Nick's Flick Picks is my write-up of 1937's Best Picture Oscar winner The Life of Émile Zola. You may have gathered, hither or yon, that Zola is one of the least accomplished films ever to swipe Oscar's top honor. Sadly, you heard right, despite a hammily good performance from Paul Muni as Zola and a straightforwardly good one from Joseph Schildkraut as Alfred Dreyfus. Lament, all who enter here—though the side-benefit is that I only have two more Best Picture winners left to see, before this website can treat you to yet another list!

Speaking of lists, now that Bring It On has launched us into the next bracket of Picked Flicks, here's a preview of coming attractions between #31 and #39:

A word to the wise: no more cheerleading movies.

Enjoy your weekend!

(Images © 2001 20th-Century Fox; © 1937 Warner Bros. Pictures, reproduced from the American Rhetoric website.)