Official "Phantom Movie--If you can have your own thread, so can I" Thread

Posted: 12/26/04 at 4:51pm

Why bury this in someone else's thread?


re: The Official what you thought of the 'Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom Mov
Posted On:12/26/04 at 04:27:56 PM


The Phantom of the Opera is one of the best film adaptations of a stage musical in many years. Far, far better than Chicago, the film, which I dislike immensely eventhough the basis of the later is overall a better musical than Phantom.

Phantom believes in itself and presents itself for what it is, an overly ornate, unapologetic opulent melodrama with music. So it works because it doesn't try to be anything else. It creates its own world and the film viewer is quickly, easily, and for me, willingly, taken on a trip, something a good film does without the viewer even being aware until he/she is emotionally invovled despite logic.

Casting someone as good looking as Butler as the Phantom only heightens the emotional intensity and drama. Christine really has a problem now, doesn't she, boys and girls?

The casting is fine, with a good comic turn by Driver, a playing-striaght-because-I-believe-it turn by Richardson (she of the only, and honest sounding, French accent; the singing good, the score lushly presented, the sets and costumes wonderfully inventive and gorgeously stunning; the screenplay fleshenes up the story and makes it more believeable than the stage version. The creative flaws exist in the show itself-a score that offers not much variety, but this was easier to absorb and exuse on film because there is much to treat the eye.

An overly filled, sumptuous holiday fruit cake, and a damned good film musical.

They rarely make 'em like this anymore.

Yes, I'm going again. Yes, I'm buying the DVD.

Yes, I'm recommending it!

PSMD be damned!!

Updated On: 12/27/04 at 04:51 PM

Posted: 12/26/04 at 4:53pm

One thing that bugs me...

In the "official" poster the Phantom's mask is on the wrong side of his face.

If I buy one now, will it be worth somenting on E-Bay a few years from now?

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 5:03pm

No, it won't be worth more because they're NOT changing it. It's not a mistake. It's like that on purpose for some optical visual reason someone explained to me but I can't remember. Updated On: 12/26/04 at 05:03 PM

Posted: 12/26/04 at 5:12pm

But, if they're changing it then I should buy one now, cause it will be worth more. The original "mask on the wrong side of face" poster will be a limited edition!

Updated On: 12/26/04 at 05:12 PM

[zepka102]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 5:18pm

i think they took it that way cuz if they were facing the other direction, it wouldnt be "visually pleasing." i took a media arts class in hs that explained it that way. anything ont he right facing left means bad... its not pleasing to look at. just another case where we see left to right. not sure if thats the reason or not... but if it was going to be the right way with them facing in that direction, we wouldn't see the mask and the effect would be ruined. so they just did the mirror image to be more visually pleasing. i think.



ok, it made sense to me before, but right now i'm pretty much braindead... its been a looooong day at work... gotta love the after christmas sales...

Updated On: 12/26/04 at 05:18 PM

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 6:07pm

CORRECTION. They are NOT changing the poster. That was a really bad typo! I fixed it.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 6:09pm

Yeah that's right I think. Our eyes are naturally used to certain angles and directions and this is the kind of stuff these designers are on top of. You could also say it's a mirror.

[Albin]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 6:51pm

I loved the movie but have one question...

"All I Ask of You" was sung outside on the roof of the opera house in falling snow. Shouldn't we have seen their breath?

Posted: 12/26/04 at 7:12pm

Never occurred to me, you might be right. Still it never detracted from my enjoyment.

That's akin to realizing sometime after the film ends that Dorothy's pigtails are of varying lengths throughout The Wizard of Oz, or that the beam holding up Melanie & Ashley's porch shakes when Scarlet pulls away from leaning on it, in the final scenes of Gone With The Wind. None of these stop me from thinking highly of those films.

[BroadwayMonkey]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 8:03pm

I enjoyed it as well, Jose'.

[ShiksaGoddess2]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 8:25pm

I LOVED IT! Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! I'm dying to see it again. I loved every single aspect of it. It exceeded my expectations.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 9:22pm

i was also impressed at the vouging/hip hop dancing during the masquerade ball...so friggin cool...









NOT

what a joke...

[luvliza89]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 9:36pm

I agree completely. I loved this movie very, very much. Better then Chicago (which I did love). I'm seeing it once more again this week and hopefully more after that. I'll certainly be first in line to buy the DVD when it comes out. Just loved it.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 9:40pm

this movie will never be considered for a best picture oscar

Posted: 12/26/04 at 10:02pm

Marquise, chill. It's only a film.

A good one, but just a film.

By the way, I don't think it will be "best picture" contender, either. Hollywood isn't that smart.

[zepka102]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 10:04pm

it's the end of the world because it didn't turn out exactly like the show

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 10:06pm

I enjoyed it, too. A lot. I have to admit that I was bothered by Minnie Driver's performance. She sounded like she was channeling Hank Azaria in The Birdcage. What was *that* about?

It was the perfect movie for the day after Christmas. Musical, lush, melodramatic, and visually pleasing. There were things I could probably pick apart if I was in the mood, but I'm not, so I won't.

Posted: 12/26/04 at 10:35pm

Agreed, Iflit.

This was a perfect day for seeing Phantom.

I went thinking it was going to be bad, and really enjoyed it.

I went to see Finding Neverland hearing how magical it was, and well, very unsatisfying.

POTO is a good fun yarn that's great to view and hear. Very controlled and stylized production.

Posted: 12/26/04 at 11:26pm

I LOVED it, and I really didn't think I would. Though the Gerard's voice wasn't great, it still worked. I loved Emmy, I feel like she is perfect for that role. Her voice may not be incredibly strong, but it's still beautiful. I cannot believe a 17 year old pulled that off. What a beautiful film. It's been a long time since I have wanted to see a movie more than once in the theater. This is one of those movies.

Posted: 12/27/04 at 8:09am

I reacted the same way about seeing it again even before I finihsed watching it the first time.

It's rare that I return to see a film more than once in a theatre these days. That'll happen before the New Year. I may even go back to see the show again on B'way.

I am that taken with it.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 12:51pm

i do hope emmy rossum goes on to better things...
she's extremely talented

Posted: 12/27/04 at 5:06pm

Phantom SOLD OUT

today at Loew's Lincoln Center

Not Bad!
Updated On: 12/27/04 at 05:06 PM

[pab]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 5:10pm

I'm actually looking forward to seeing this movie. I'm hoping that it's one of those rare cases where the film is better than the stage production.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 6:46pm

There are some picky people on BWW! Can't see their breathe? Where did some of that hair go? These sort of "mistakes" happen in every movie.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 8:00pm

I just got back from seeing it for the second time and I all I can say is WOWZER!!! It wasn't perfect, but close enough to where I want to see it again and again and again. The only part I didn't like was the pacing towards the middle (it got kinda slow) and the managers..BLECH!!!! Emmy was sooooo good. Those people that said that she was boring and horrible, where we even watching the same movie? Also, Gerard is a GREAT phantom. A woman that sat beside me tonight said, "If I was Christine, I would have chosen the phantom and just told him to keep his mask on." I started laughing so hard. And directly after that, the woman behind me said, "If sitting through this movie wasn't torture, I don't know what is." I laughed at that too. But, all-in-all pretty much everyone seemed to really enjoy it. I think watching this movie both times has been the only movie going experience where the theater was dead silent. No one talked or made candy wrapper noises. It was bliss. Also, the theater was almost completely packed both times (and I am in South Carolina, people). At the end of last night's showing my fiancee and I looked at each other and we had tears streaming down our cheeks. It was great. *sigh*