Gangs of New York (2002)

I finally watched Lars von Trier's Dogville last week and I loved it, so I figured it was about time to watch another of those movies I've been putting off for years because of its length, Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York. 

It is set in 1863 when gangs ran the streets of New York and the government couldn't or wouldn't gain control of the city, and it mainly focuses on Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio), a young man whose father (Liam Neeson) was killed sixteen years before by Bill "the Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), the leader of the most powerful gang in New York, and is now seeking revenge. 

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

There's something I've noticed over the past months as I started watching more musicals and reading what other people think about them; most of the time, people either love them or hate them. Moulin Rouge! too has such a divided audience, and, curious to see where how I'd feel about it, I decided to watch it.

The film is set in 1889 and tells the story of Christian (Ewan McGregor), a young English man who moved to Paris to pursue a penniless career as a writer. Once there, he meets a group of Bohemians, led by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo), who tells him he should write a musical show for them to be performed at the Moulin Rouge. While in the process of selling the show, Christian meets Satine (Nicole Kidman), the night club's star and courtesan, and falls for her. She eventually falls for him as well but the club's owner, Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent), is planning to sell her to a Duke (Richard Roxburgh) who will help him turn the night club into a theatre only if he can have Satine.

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director

Sharon Maguire

Countries

UK, USA, France

Cast

Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Celia Imrie, James Faulkner, Shirley Henderson, James Callis, Sally Phillips, Lisa Barbuscia, Donald Douglas, Charmian May, Paul Brooke, Embeth Davidtz, Patrick Barlow, Felicity Montagu, Neil Pearson, Dolly Wells

Storyline

32-year-old Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) is determined to improve herself while looking for the right man.

Opinion

I never cared for Bridget Jones's Diary but over the years I've heard a lot of good words about it and since recently I've been craving romantic films (don't even dare ask me why) I decided to spend a quiet evening, alone in my pyjamas, watching it. And I really enjoyed this corny but hilarious chick flick.

Don't expect anything new from this film because it tells a predictable story that has been done to death, it is incredibly clichéd and the twists, although there are a few, are just as corny as they can get, but frankly I didn't care because in spite of all those flaws the story was engaging and entertaining, and I found myself rooting for one of the guys.

However, what makes this film so different and quite charming is the main character, Bridget Jones. Her personality is simply spectacular. She is funny, clumsy, sincere, genuine, sweet and a total charmer. Plus Renée Zellweger gives such an amazing performance - you can see how much she committed to the role - it's impossible to dislike her. Also, Bridget is so normal it's easy to relate to her.

The guy characters are solid as well having, on the one hand, Daniel Cleaver, a handsome and charming womaniser, and on the other hand, Mark Darcy, an arrogant and rude man that will slowly win your heart and the credits go to Colin Firth for giving such a delightful performance.

Other than the character, arguably the best part of the film is the soundtrack. Although I've been given the impression not everybody shares my opinion, I loved each song and I think they really fit the film well.