On a recent date night, Kathy and I caught Moulin Rouge at the $2.00 theater in town. Though bawdy enough that it can by no means be considered a family-friendly film, I was hugely impressed with it, especially the wonderfully creative music. (Who knew young Obi-Wan could sing like that?) The film borrows freely from the pop music of the last three decades, interspersing The Police’s “Roxanne” with The Sound of Music theme with Elton John’s “Your Song” and many others. Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman carry off their leads so well that the music just seems a natural extension of what’s going on in the story, lending emotional heights and depths to the straightforward story that would otherwise be unachievable. An artful combination of humor, drama, and pathos makes this a film well worth watching — you’ll come away singing compulsively.