20 Appropriate Ways to Celebrate "Moulin Rouge!" for its 20th Anniversary

by Nathaniel R

Moulin Rouge! opened wide in the US twenty years ago today. We had already seen it in limited release on opening night at the historic Ziegfeld Theatre in NYC, a night we will literally never forget. It was immediately polarizing but also instantly beloved to those on its wavelength. Nicole Kidman ascended. Ewan McGregor became the ultimate dreamboat. And Jim Broadbent won the Oscar (we pretend it was for this instead of Iris...  hey, it sorta was!) The hit musical made a huge difference for Hollywood, leading to a still-going-strong resurgence of a long dormant movie genre. It also made a huge difference to this very site; The Film Experience had been taking baby steps up until then in various forms and the rise of the movie coincided with a surge in popularity for the site that effectively put us on the map. We will love this movie until our dying day. 

Here are twenty ways to celebrate Baz Luhrmann's masterpiece this week. How many will you accomplish? Report back in the comments as to how it went...

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20 Appropriate Ways to Celebrate "The Talented Mr Ripley"

by Murtada Elfadl

1999 is considered by many to be one of the best years for cinema. The Matrix, Eyes Wide Shut, Fight Club, Election, Magnolia, All About My Mother, Run Lola Run, Go, Boys Don't Cry, The Sixth Sense, American Pie, Three Kings and Being John Malkovich. It is also the year that The Talented Mr Ripley was released. Ripley was well reviewed at the time if not ecstatically so. Perhaps that was because it came after the juggernaut that was The English Patient -- Anthony Minghella’s previous film was a big hit and won 9 Oscars. Since then Ripley has elevated in estimation in large part because of the subsequent huge careers of the then young actors who starred: Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cate Blanchett. Aesthetics have also stood the test of time; the clothes, the attitudes, sun soaked Italy. The story still resonates with its undertones of queer identity and its thriller framework. Today Ripley is rightly considered a classic and beloved by many cinephiles.

Released 20 years ago this week, here are 20 ways you can celebrate this fabulous film...

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50 Appropriate Ways to Celebrate Cate Blanchett on Her Birthday

by Nathaniel R

Blanchett last week at a Louis Vitton fashion showFuture screen giant and supreme actress Cate Blanchett was born in Ivanhoe Australia a half century ago on this very day. Happy 50th birthday, goddess!

Last year at this time we were enjoying the two time Oscar winner in Cannes every day as she led the most stylish jury ever assembled but this year in May we have no Cate Blanchett to enjoy! It's a weird lull in Blanchett-mania so perhaps she's celebrating her birthday somewhere private today? Or maybe she's in Cannes again? We'll see.

Her next picture, Richard Linklater's Where'd You Go Bernadette arrives in theaters in August but until that time, let's celebrate all the Blanchettian goodness we can. She's given us so much over the years, with her sharp celebrity wit, fashion savvy, and (above all else) her inspired screen performances. So herewith...

50 Appropriate Ways to Celebrate Cate Blanchett This Week
Try them and report back on your success!

01 Kneel before your queen.

02 Channel her by being intimidatingly perfect.

03 Wear something fabulous today but dont let it wear you; you ARE the red carpet. 

04 If you're not in the mood for beautiful dress, consider a stylish suit.

05 Describe someone you're crushing on as "flung out of space" and see how they react...

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10 Appropriate Ways to Celebrate "A Star is Born"'s $200 Million Triumph

We're skipping the box office charts this weekend since Christmas falls on a Tuesday. The last two weeks of the year are always heavy moviegoing times as families look for entertainment breaks in between their visits and feasts and shopping. New pictures Aquaman, Mary Poppins Returns, Bumblebee,  last week's champ Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse and costume pics The Favourite and Mary Queen of Scots (which both added hundreds of theaters) are all going to have big weeks. But the only news we care about right this very second is that, on this very day, 12 weeks into its run, A Star is Born crossed the $200 million mark on its leggy run into America's hearts.

❤️ 10 ways to celebrate A Star is Born's $200 million dollar milestone weekend

1. Stroke the outline of your boyfriend or girlfriend's nose
2. Sing along with your favorite song from the soundtrack again that isn't "Shallow"
3. Admit that A Star is Born has other great songs.
4. Watch Willam on "The Beatdown"
5. Decide who your favorite supporting character besides Sam Elliott is in the movie, even if they were shafted in the "Outstanding Cast" nomination.
6. Watch one of the other versions of A Star is Born because you probably haven't seen them all. 
7. Introduce each of your friends who enter the room with "Ladies and gentleman... Ally!" until someone makes you stop (someone surely will)
8. Wonder anew how Lady Gaga will ever top her world premiere in Venice look at the Oscars.
9. Go to a drag show.
10. Steal Sam Elliott's voice.

50 Appropriate Ways to Celebrate Nicole Kidman's Birthday

On this very day in Honolulu, Hawaii, 50 years ago, grad student Antony Kidman and his wife Janelle Ann welcomed a baby girl into their lives. Her Hawaiian name was "Hōkūlani" which means "Heavenly Star" and she turned out to be one. Twenty-two years later she was headlining motion pictures. A few years after that she was breaking through and in 2001 she ascended permanently into the canon of great film stars with the one two punch of Moulin Rouge! and The Others. Her name is Nicole Kidman. Perhaps you've heard of her? So happy birthday to the one and only at her half-century mark.

50 Appropriate Ways to Celebrate Nicole Kidman's 50th Birthday
Try them and report back on your success!

01 Have patience with the mere mortals around you who keep expecting you to prove yourself or don't "get" you. Humor them and keep on working because genius comes naturally to you.

02 Vote for Nicole Kidman on your Emmy ballot for her deep dive into Celeste's psyche in Big Little Lies

03 Drift in and out of an Aussie accent all day, mate

04 Kiss someone who can carry a tune or will sing you a country music song...

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