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      <title>Film:Strictly Ballroom</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/films/Strictly_Ballroom/33291/default.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<table width='100%' style='font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><tr><td><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t75551qavxv.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' /></td>
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<strong>Title:</strong> Strictly Ballroom<br/>
<strong>Year:</strong> 1992<br/>
<strong>Director:</strong> Baz Luhrmann<br/>
<strong>Plot:</strong> This wildly off-beat comedy is about a male dancer (<a href="/players/P____48517/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Paul Mercurio</a>) who refuses to follow the accepted rules of ballroom dancing and creates his own style of choreography, which infuriates the ballroom dancing establishment. Before he's scheduled to compete in the Pan-Pacific ballroom championships, he's forced to take up a new partner (Tara Morice), a beginner who initially seems without promise. With his help, she turns into an assured and wonderful dancer. <a href="/players/P___100353/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Baz Luhrmann</a>'s visual style may be too bright, gaudy and exaggerated for some tastes, yet he treats his characters with compassion, which makes Strictly Ballroom such an engaging comedy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide<br/>
<strong>Times Tagged:</strong> 6<br/>
<strong>Number of Lists:</strong> 14<br/>
<strong>Number of blog posts:</strong> 2<br/>
<strong>Number of discussion threads:</strong> 1<br/>
<strong>SpoutRating:</strong> 3<br/>
</td></tr></table>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:46:24 GMT</pubDate><spout:Title>Strictly Ballroom</spout:Title><spout:Year>1992</spout:Year><spout:Director>Baz Luhrmann</spout:Director><spout:Plot>This wildly off-beat comedy is about a male dancer (&lt;a href="/players/P____48517/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Paul Mercurio&lt;/a&gt;) who refuses to follow the accepted rules of ballroom dancing and creates his own style of choreography, which infuriates the ballroom dancing establishment. Before he's scheduled to compete in the Pan-Pacific ballroom championships, he's forced to take up a new partner (Tara Morice), a beginner who initially seems without promise. With his help, she turns into an assured and wonderful dancer. &lt;a href="/players/P___100353/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Baz Luhrmann&lt;/a&gt;'s visual style may be too bright, gaudy and exaggerated for some tastes, yet he treats his characters with compassion, which makes Strictly Ballroom such an engaging comedy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide</spout:Plot><spout:TimesTagged>6</spout:TimesTagged><spout:taglevel>Taggedy Taggged (6-10)</spout:taglevel><spout:Numberoflists>14</spout:Numberoflists><spout:NumberOfBlogPosts>2</spout:NumberOfBlogPosts><spout:NumberOfDiscussionThreads>1</spout:NumberOfDiscussionThreads><spout:SpoutRating>3</spout:SpoutRating><spout:FilmCoverURL>http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t75551qavxv.jpg</spout:FilmCoverURL><spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL>http://www.spout.com/films/Strictly_Ballroom/33291/default.aspx</spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL><spout:type>Film</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Re:Weekly Theme for April 6: Everything Aussie</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_April_6_Everything_Aussie/625/41513/1/ShowPost.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t75551qavxv.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/119628/default.aspx'>mercurial</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/625/discussions.aspx'>Weekly Theme</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 4/8/2009 4:46:24 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> I want to wait on writing any critiques about Australia before I see it again. It was a beautiful film, but there was just something that was holding it back from being a truly magnificent film. I really liked Baz Luhrmann's other Aussie centric film Strictly Ballroom. It was interesting to watch it after seeing all of his later films and seeing how his personal style blossomed from his first film. A film that completely transformed my life was Muriel's Wedding. It was one of those movies that I could totally relate to at the time of my life that I first watched it and remains a favorite to this day. Toni Collette (pre-Sixth Sense), Rachel Griffiths (pre-Six Feet Under) and an ABBA score, gotta love it. You can't mention Australian films without mentioning Paul Hogan and the indelible Crocodile Dundee. One of those horribly bad yet awesomely good films that you can't help but love. Lest we forget that it was nominated for a Best Screenplay Academy Award. Something to think about. Somersault was a really interesting independent flick from down under. Abbie Cornish was insanely good as the emotionally and physically scarred runaway looking for herself in a chaotic ski town. Worth checking out. Yes, I'm going to say it: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. A bunch of drag queens consisting of Agent Smith from The Matrix, Leonard Shelby from Memento, and General Zod from Superman driving through the outback in a pink bus. 'Nuff said. One that ALWAYS make me tear up is Babe. Cute little talking pig trying to be a dog. For the longest time I thought this was an English film but eventually found out that it was an Aussie pic. Another family friendly Aussie film is The Rescuers Down Under. Interestingly, both of the Rescuers movies deal with extremely dramatic issues of kidnapping and child abuse which I really respect considering they are Disney films. Preempting American History X with the remorseful, introspective Neo Nazi rethinking his life, Romper Stomper had Russell Crowe and quite a bit more emotion. And I'm gonna go ahead and mention Dead Alive since I doubt we're going to get around to doing a Weekly Theme on New Zealand films. It is probably my favorite slapstick comedy / horror film. Love Love Love it. Quigley Down Under - I vaguely remembering my parents dragging me to this at the movie theater when I was 8 years old. All I remember was that my Gummi Bears were a helluva lot more interesting that the movie.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:46:24 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>mercurial</spout:postby><spout:postto>Weekly Theme</spout:postto><spout:postdate>4/8/2009 4:46:24 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>I want to wait on writing any critiques about Australia before I see it again. It was a beautiful film, but there was just something that was holding it back from being a truly magnificent film. I really liked Baz Luhrmann's other Aussie centric film Strictly Ballroom. It was interesting to watch it after seeing all of his later films and seeing how his personal style blossomed from his first film. A film that completely transformed my life was Muriel's Wedding. It was one of those movies that I could totally relate to at the time of my life that I first watched it and remains a favorite to this day. Toni Collette (pre-Sixth Sense), Rachel Griffiths (pre-Six Feet Under) and an ABBA score, gotta love it. You can't mention Australian films without mentioning Paul Hogan and the indelible Crocodile Dundee. One of those horribly bad yet awesomely good films that you can't help but love. Lest we forget that it was nominated for a Best Screenplay Academy Award. Something to think about. Somersault was a really interesting independent flick from down under. Abbie Cornish was insanely good as the emotionally and physically scarred runaway looking for herself in a chaotic ski town. Worth checking out. Yes, I'm going to say it: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. A bunch of drag queens consisting of Agent Smith from The Matrix, Leonard Shelby from Memento, and General Zod from Superman driving through the outback in a pink bus. 'Nuff said. One that ALWAYS make me tear up is Babe. Cute little talking pig trying to be a dog. For the longest time I thought this was an English film but eventually found out that it was an Aussie pic. Another family friendly Aussie film is The Rescuers Down Under. Interestingly, both of the Rescuers movies deal with extremely dramatic issues of kidnapping and child abuse which I really respect considering they are Disney films. Preempting American History X with the remorseful, introspective Neo Nazi rethinking his life, Romper Stomper had Russell Crowe and quite a bit more emotion. And I'm gonna go ahead and mention Dead Alive since I doubt we're going to get around to doing a Weekly Theme on New Zealand films. It is probably my favorite slapstick comedy / horror film. Love Love Love it. Quigley Down Under - I vaguely remembering my parents dragging me to this at the movie theater when I was 8 years old. All I remember was that my Gummi Bears were a helluva lot more interesting that the movie.</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Movies about Australia that were better than "Australia"</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/indieabby88/archive/2008/11/30/37756.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t75551qavxv.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/46030/default.aspx'>indieabby88</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/indieabby88/default.aspx'>Bloggish review blog</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 11/30/2008 2:30:31 AM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> So, I guess this is more of a list than review, but here goes: While "Australia" itself is not a bad movie (indeed, Baz Luhrmann has done much, much worse), it references a ton of movies that the casual viewer may not pick up on, but that hardcore fans of Australian cinema will notice, and movies that should not go unseen. So, here's a rundown of movies related to "Australia" and general Australian films that should be watched. I couldn't care less if you choose to see Baz Luhrmann's latest release, or skip it. But if you've got any interest in the land down under at all, do yourself a favor and check these movies out. The Man from Snowy River Rabbit-Proof Fence Ten Canoes The Proposition Picnic at Hanging Rock The Last Wave The Year of Living Dangerously (related more to Australian cinema than to the country itself. But give it a watch!) My Brilliant Career Strictly Ballroom (Luhrmann's first film and, in my opinion, his best) That's my list! All of them are fantastic movies. For my money, the best director to come out of Australia is Peter Weir. His movies have been pretty diverse, ranging from his early indie cult classics to blockbusters like his last movie, "Master and Commander." But he's really capable, and it's hard to go wrong with him at the helm.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:30:31 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>indieabby88</spout:postby><spout:postto>Bloggish review blog</spout:postto><spout:postdate>11/30/2008 2:30:31 AM</spout:postdate><spout:body>So, I guess this is more of a list than review, but here goes: While "Australia" itself is not a bad movie (indeed, Baz Luhrmann has done much, much worse), it references a ton of movies that the casual viewer may not pick up on, but that hardcore fans of Australian cinema will notice, and movies that should not go unseen. So, here's a rundown of movies related to "Australia" and general Australian films that should be watched. I couldn't care less if you choose to see Baz Luhrmann's latest release, or skip it. But if you've got any interest in the land down under at all, do yourself a favor and check these movies out. The Man from Snowy River Rabbit-Proof Fence Ten Canoes The Proposition Picnic at Hanging Rock The Last Wave The Year of Living Dangerously (related more to Australian cinema than to the country itself. But give it a watch!) My Brilliant Career Strictly Ballroom (Luhrmann's first film and, in my opinion, his best) That's my list! All of them are fantastic movies. For my money, the best director to come out of Australia is Peter Weir. His movies have been pretty diverse, ranging from his early indie cult classics to blockbusters like his last movie, "Master and Commander." But he's really capable, and it's hard to go wrong with him at the helm.</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Baz Luhrmann’s Australia: Five Reasons The Critics Are Wrong</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/26/37686.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t75551qavxv.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 11/26/2008 3:01:22 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> I might as well get this out of the way first: I loved Baz Luhrmann’s epic Australia. I was on the fence about seeing this, especially once I heard about the 165 minute running time, but I gave in and boy was I glad. It’s a sprawling epic with nods to classic films of the 30s and 40s, and besides featuring the eye candy combo of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, it also introduces Brandon Walters, who is possibly the cutest child actor alive. If there was some sort of scientific cuteness scale, he’d break it.
Despite the beautiful vistas and the sweeping storyline, not everyone is loving it. After the press screening I attended, a bunch of us gathered on the street outside the theater to debate reactions. It was oddly dividing: people either hated it or loathed it. I’d spent part of the week with a friend from Australia, and he’d denounced it as cheesy, because they have two Aussies in the lead roles: Jackman doing a faux “crikey!” Australian accent, while Kidman actually has a faux British accent. He said most of his friends in Sydney felt the same way.
Here in the States, Australia’s detractors are saying a lot of the same things. So, I’m taking the top five critiques of Australia and refuting them. I might not be able to change the critics’ minds, but I’m hoping you’ll at least give the movie a chance in theaters. Spoilers ahead!

Somewhere Over The Rainbow
“Umpteen choruses of “Over the Rainbow,” the Wizard of Oz tune that is sung whenever a tear needs jerking.” Peter Travers - Rolling Stone
“You’ll also get a bit tired of hearing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and references to Oz again and again.” Tricia Olszewski - Washington City Paper
There’s a pretty strong effort by Luhrmann to link Australia to The Wizard of Oz, and not just with this song. However, I have to take issue with these two critics. Maybe they don’t remember the movie that well, but it’s not sung often. Kidman first performs a comical rendition of the song because she can’t remember the words to it, and later Nullah sees it on the screen, basking in the glow of his first movie ever. It is played on a harmonica several times, but that’s because it becomes the song linking Lady Ashley and Nullah together. When he tells her, “I’ll sing you to me,” he means with that song. When he inherits the harmonica from the ill-fated accountant, of course he’s bound to play it –a nd yes, your heart is made of black ice if you don’t feel a twinge or two whenever he does.
The Running Time
“Long before the second hour of Australia (which feels like the fifth)…” Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly
“When this storyline is resolved at only ninety minutes, the film gets another fresh hour out of the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese in 1941…” Matt Goldberg - Collider
Yes, we get it: the movie is long. But where was it ever written that films should always be two hours long at max? If I’m being entertained and I’m still drawn in by the story, then I don’t mind how long it stretches on. Although I’m not lobbying for a director’s cut version of Australia that rivals Che in length, I certainly didn’t find the movie to be too long. Yes, there are separate story arcs throughout, but even when the movie is over, you’re still wondering what’s going on the the main characters. Especially Nullah, who heads off into the Outback on walkabout with his mystical grandfather.
It’s Sappy
“You may find yourself drowning in high-fructose Aussie corn syrup…” Michael Phillips - The Chicago Tribune
“Australia is what you get when the film projector overheats and the only thing that comes out is pure corn syrup.” Brandon Fibbs - BrandonFibbs.com
Can you name one Baz Luhrmann film that isn’t sappy and overtly saccharine at times? Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge… they’ve all had those moments, so why would Australia be any different? It’s a sweeping epic fantasy love story, and if you can name any massive romance movie for me that doesn’t have even the tiniest bit of schmaltz in it, then I’ll buy your movie popcorn for a month. Several main characters get murdered in this story, aboriginal children are ripped from their homes, and the Japanese bomb Darwin, including a mission full of kids. If a filmmaker can’t balance that out with loads of happier moments and some cinematic sugar, then you’d just wind up with a depressing mess. You look for those cheesy moments to balance the mood, and even though in Luhrmann’s case you can see them coming from a mile away, they’re just as welcome.
The Special Effects Are Bad
“The CGI sequences – the cattle stampede, the        Japanese bombing raid – that look so glaringly, absurdly fake” Tom Maurstad - The Dallas Morning News
“The BLUE SCREEN EFFECTS WERE DOWNRIGHT AWFUL.  I felt like I was watching 10,000 B.C.” - Kevin McCarthy - Big Daddy Kev’s Movie Reviews
This was one of the big ones that people were talking about outside my screening, and I also wonder if these same people saw Moulin Rouge. That didn’t really look like a nightclub in the middle of Paris, it looked stylized and cartoonishly fake. Likewise, Australia goes to great lengths to create scenes that aren’t meant to look “fake” exactly, but they’re meant to imitate the style of films from the 30s and 40s that often featured fake sunsets and night skies. Luhrmann is creating fantasy here, so why would he try going for photorealism? It’s meant to look larger than life, grand, and completely garish and fake at times. You’ve taken the twister into Oz, and it’s not meant to look like a documentary that was shot on location. Besides, the CGI attack on Darwin, which many people say looks fake, looked pretty darn realistic to me. It looked better than Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor, and that wasn’t so shabby either. Maybe everyone should just go back to using miniatures so people will stop talking about CGI.
Nicole Kidman Can’t Act
“Why won’t Nicole Kidman’s face move?” Stephanie Zacharek - Salon
“Think Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen, without the facial expressivity. Geoff Berkshire - Metromix Chicago
These truly baffle me. I mean, Zacharek becomes so obsessed with Nicole Kidman’s face that she ends her review by talking about the nearly magical qualities of her ultrasmooth forehead. Either I didn’t pay enough attention to Kidman’s face or else it didn’t annoy me, but she had plenty of facial expressions to go around. She has looks that range from shock, to surprise, to anger, to adoration, to sadness… what do these people expect? No, she’s not as rubberfaced as Jim Carrey, but she certainly doesn’t look like a Botoxed angel made of alabaster. The last time I checked, this is the same Kidman who won an Academy Award for her role in The Hours. Do they think she’s had her facial muscles severed since then? I thought she did a bang-up job throughout the film, and yes, her face does indeed move quite a bit. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:01:22 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>11/26/2008 3:01:22 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>I might as well get this out of the way first: I loved Baz Luhrmann’s epic Australia. I was on the fence about seeing this, especially once I heard about the 165 minute running time, but I gave in and boy was I glad. It’s a sprawling epic with nods to classic films of the 30s and 40s, and besides featuring the eye candy combo of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, it also introduces Brandon Walters, who is possibly the cutest child actor alive. If there was some sort of scientific cuteness scale, he’d break it.
Despite the beautiful vistas and the sweeping storyline, not everyone is loving it. After the press screening I attended, a bunch of us gathered on the street outside the theater to debate reactions. It was oddly dividing: people either hated it or loathed it. I’d spent part of the week with a friend from Australia, and he’d denounced it as cheesy, because they have two Aussies in the lead roles: Jackman doing a faux “crikey!” Australian accent, while Kidman actually has a faux British accent. He said most of his friends in Sydney felt the same way.
Here in the States, Australia’s detractors are saying a lot of the same things. So, I’m taking the top five critiques of Australia and refuting them. I might not be able to change the critics’ minds, but I’m hoping you’ll at least give the movie a chance in theaters. Spoilers ahead!

Somewhere Over The Rainbow
“Umpteen choruses of “Over the Rainbow,” the Wizard of Oz tune that is sung whenever a tear needs jerking.” Peter Travers - Rolling Stone
“You’ll also get a bit tired of hearing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and references to Oz again and again.” Tricia Olszewski - Washington City Paper
There’s a pretty strong effort by Luhrmann to link Australia to The Wizard of Oz, and not just with this song. However, I have to take issue with these two critics. Maybe they don’t remember the movie that well, but it’s not sung often. Kidman first performs a comical rendition of the song because she can’t remember the words to it, and later Nullah sees it on the screen, basking in the glow of his first movie ever. It is played on a harmonica several times, but that’s because it becomes the song linking Lady Ashley and Nullah together. When he tells her, “I’ll sing you to me,” he means with that song. When he inherits the harmonica from the ill-fated accountant, of course he’s bound to play it –a nd yes, your heart is made of black ice if you don’t feel a twinge or two whenever he does.
The Running Time
“Long before the second hour of Australia (which feels like the fifth)…” Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly
“When this storyline is resolved at only ninety minutes, the film gets another fresh hour out of the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese in 1941…” Matt Goldberg - Collider
Yes, we get it: the movie is long. But where was it ever written that films should always be two hours long at max? If I’m being entertained and I’m still drawn in by the story, then I don’t mind how long it stretches on. Although I’m not lobbying for a director’s cut version of Australia that rivals Che in length, I certainly didn’t find the movie to be too long. Yes, there are separate story arcs throughout, but even when the movie is over, you’re still wondering what’s going on the the main characters. Especially Nullah, who heads off into the Outback on walkabout with his mystical grandfather.
It’s Sappy
“You may find yourself drowning in high-fructose Aussie corn syrup…” Michael Phillips - The Chicago Tribune
“Australia is what you get when the film projector overheats and the only thing that comes out is pure corn syrup.” Brandon Fibbs - BrandonFibbs.com
Can you name one Baz Luhrmann film that isn’t sappy and overtly saccharine at times? Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge… they’ve all had those moments, so why would Australia be any different? It’s a sweeping epic fantasy love story, and if you can name any massive romance movie for me that doesn’t have even the tiniest bit of schmaltz in it, then I’ll buy your movie popcorn for a month. Several main characters get murdered in this story, aboriginal children are ripped from their homes, and the Japanese bomb Darwin, including a mission full of kids. If a filmmaker can’t balance that out with loads of happier moments and some cinematic sugar, then you’d just wind up with a depressing mess. You look for those cheesy moments to balance the mood, and even though in Luhrmann’s case you can see them coming from a mile away, they’re just as welcome.
The Special Effects Are Bad
“The CGI sequences – the cattle stampede, the        Japanese bombing raid – that look so glaringly, absurdly fake” Tom Maurstad - The Dallas Morning News
“The BLUE SCREEN EFFECTS WERE DOWNRIGHT AWFUL.  I felt like I was watching 10,000 B.C.” - Kevin McCarthy - Big Daddy Kev’s Movie Reviews
This was one of the big ones that people were talking about outside my screening, and I also wonder if these same people saw Moulin Rouge. That didn’t really look like a nightclub in the middle of Paris, it looked stylized and cartoonishly fake. Likewise, Australia goes to great lengths to create scenes that aren’t meant to look “fake” exactly, but they’re meant to imitate the style of films from the 30s and 40s that often featured fake sunsets and night skies. Luhrmann is creating fantasy here, so why would he try going for photorealism? It’s meant to look larger than life, grand, and completely garish and fake at times. You’ve taken the twister into Oz, and it’s not meant to look like a documentary that was shot on location. Besides, the CGI attack on Darwin, which many people say looks fake, looked pretty darn realistic to me. It looked better than Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor, and that wasn’t so shabby either. Maybe everyone should just go back to using miniatures so people will stop talking about CGI.
Nicole Kidman Can’t Act
“Why won’t Nicole Kidman’s face move?” Stephanie Zacharek - Salon
“Think Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen, without the facial expressivity. Geoff Berkshire - Metromix Chicago
These truly baffle me. I mean, Zacharek becomes so obsessed with Nicole Kidman’s face that she ends her review by talking about the nearly magical qualities of her ultrasmooth forehead. Either I didn’t pay enough attention to Kidman’s face or else it didn’t annoy me, but she had plenty of facial expressions to go around. She has looks that range from shock, to surprise, to anger, to adoration, to sadness… what do these people expect? No, she’s not as rubberfaced as Jim Carrey, but she certainly doesn’t look like a Botoxed angel made of alabaster. The last time I checked, this is the same Kidman who won an Academy Award for her role in The Hours. Do they think she’s had her facial muscles severed since then? I thought she did a bang-up job throughout the film, and yes, her face does indeed move quite a bit. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:love</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>love</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 12477</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 336</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 1475</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:13:41 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>12477</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>336</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>1475</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:romance</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/romance/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/romance/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>romance</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 7160</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 169</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 1002</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:50:40 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>7160</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>169</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>1002</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:fun</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/fun/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/fun/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>fun</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 459</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 142</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 296</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:23:09 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>459</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>142</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>296</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:brilliant</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/brilliant/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/brilliant/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>brilliant</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 179</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 137</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 285</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:28:43 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>179</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>137</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>285</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:competition</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/competition/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/competition/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>competition</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 1282</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 42</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 95</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:49:19 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>1282</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>42</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>95</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:lovely</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/lovely/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/lovely/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>lovely</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 32</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 24</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 36</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:26:15 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>32</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>24</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>36</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:underdog</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/underdog/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/underdog/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>underdog</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 134</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 20</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 27</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:50:39 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>134</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>20</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>27</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:partner</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/partner/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/partner/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>partner</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 788</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 6</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 19</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:27:29 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>788</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>6</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>19</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:ballroomdance</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/ballroomdance/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/ballroomdance/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>ballroomdance</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 54</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 4</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 4</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:04:22 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>54</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>4</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>4</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:off-beat</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/off-beat/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/off-beat/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>off-beat</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 3</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 3</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 3</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 04 Apr 2007 11:51:54 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>3</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>3</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>3</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:uglyduckling</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/uglyduckling/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/uglyduckling/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>uglyduckling</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 32</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 2</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 3</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:11:27 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>32</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>2</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>3</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:fran</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/fran/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/fran/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>fran</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 1</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 1</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 1</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2006 03:01:12 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>1</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>1</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>1</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:steps</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/steps/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/steps/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>steps</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 1</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 1</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 1</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2006 03:00:59 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>1</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>1</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>1</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:practice--preparation</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/practice--preparation/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/practice--preparation/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>practice--preparation</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 63</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 0</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 0</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:07:18 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>63</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>0</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>0</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
  </channel>
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