wake me when it's over
for lack of something better to do, i finally watched The Phantom of the Opera this weekend. i knew i was in trouble when the fucking drum machine kicked in during the chorus of the title song. i was able to endure about 45 minutes of the movie before the portion of my brain responsible for controlling emotions such as "dignity" and "self-respect" kicked in and forced me to go read instead.
this is exactly why Broadway musicals should not be turned into feature-length films. the resulting product always comes out trite and contrived. tis movie garnered a whopping 34% over at Rotten Tomatoes, which is usually warning enough to keep me away from films such as this. a few notable critics had the following things to say about this disaster:
"The big-screen rendition of The Phantom of the Opera resembles a ridiculously expensive installment of Masterpiece Theatre."
"Even the most die-hard "Phantom" aficionados might be struck dumb by the sheer level of the crescendo and camp Schumacher achieves here."
And my personal favorite:
"Lloyd Webber’s dated songs are like goth-lite for the Michael Bolton set."
the funny thing about all of this is that if you try to point out to someone who liked this film that it was actually a piece of over-stylized shit, they will most likely counter by saying that you simply do not appreciate musicals. thw logic in this claim is essentially the same as telling someone who hated the film Desperado that they just don't get Mexican culture.
people who actually classified this film as "true to the source material" don't understand the first fucking thing about theatre (the kinds with a curtain or the kind with a screen).1 the only reason for Andrew Lloyd Webber's hefty bank accounts is due almost exclusively to the fact that this country is filled with people who think they know something about what qualifies as 'art.' truth is, crap like this is no better than professional wrestling.
1. i don't know the first thing about musicals, but i do know when i am talking with someone who has their head up their ass.
this is exactly why Broadway musicals should not be turned into feature-length films. the resulting product always comes out trite and contrived. tis movie garnered a whopping 34% over at Rotten Tomatoes, which is usually warning enough to keep me away from films such as this. a few notable critics had the following things to say about this disaster:
"The big-screen rendition of The Phantom of the Opera resembles a ridiculously expensive installment of Masterpiece Theatre."
"Even the most die-hard "Phantom" aficionados might be struck dumb by the sheer level of the crescendo and camp Schumacher achieves here."
And my personal favorite:
"Lloyd Webber’s dated songs are like goth-lite for the Michael Bolton set."
the funny thing about all of this is that if you try to point out to someone who liked this film that it was actually a piece of over-stylized shit, they will most likely counter by saying that you simply do not appreciate musicals. thw logic in this claim is essentially the same as telling someone who hated the film Desperado that they just don't get Mexican culture.
people who actually classified this film as "true to the source material" don't understand the first fucking thing about theatre (the kinds with a curtain or the kind with a screen).1 the only reason for Andrew Lloyd Webber's hefty bank accounts is due almost exclusively to the fact that this country is filled with people who think they know something about what qualifies as 'art.' truth is, crap like this is no better than professional wrestling.
1. i don't know the first thing about musicals, but i do know when i am talking with someone who has their head up their ass.
posted by brandon at
9:56 PM
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