…but not in that order. I figure I should hit you with the unpleasant, almost shocking, revelation then I will tell what I think of In Bruges.

My wife doesn’t allow musicals to be played in our home because I love them and can’t stop myself from singing along. When Moulin Rouge was released, I’m sure she dreaded seeing it with me but at the time she liked it more than I did…and I actually didn’t like it at all. It was hard for me to get past the stink of Baz Luhrmann. Last night during the previews at the Drafthouse, they played a trailer for their Moulin Rouge! sing-along and I was suddenly struck by the Broadway-esque stylings of Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. I actually got little chills at the idea of singing along loudly.

I just felt the need to confess that.

In Bruges — which oddly rhymes with Moulin Rouge! — has been taking a lot of flack for it’s lack of blending. At times it is a dark soul-searching tragedy, then a wide-eyed romance, and even a Tarantino-esque absurdly funny talk-fest. It is true that these pieces don’t transition smoothly but I really enjoyed the script and all the performances. It was funny, thought-provoking, and surprising. Colin Farrell, standing in the shadow of three Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire actors (not to mention the 10 crew members also in common), is the least of actors in the cast but he doesn’t detract from what I consider a brilliant film.