Phantom of the Opera Review

I wanted to write a review for the film version of Phantom, but since I had to put off our viewing, the review was also put off. But I recieved an email from my dear friend Drew Hunter. He wrote a reveiw so much better than I could. Here it it.....


Charles and I saw the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom" this evening. We'd been anticipating it ever since we saw the first previews last summer. I've seen the stage version four times and Chuck's seen it three times, and we love it (who wouldn't?!). But how would it translate to film?

Would they totally screw it up, as has been done in so many cases of taking wonderful shows which were fantastic on stage and hammering them to death on the big screen? For example, witness the film version of "The Fantastiks", which is a worse-case scenario, or "Man of La Mancha", which is pretty dreadful on its own account. And lest we forget the film version of "A Chorus Line" -- oh, go ahead, forget it. Or the old chestnut "Brigadoon" -- ever try to sit through that movie? (Theater folks tend to refer to ANY version of that opus as "Brigadoom", with good reason.)

Or --- would they actually improve on the stage show? It's been done, albeit rarely. How can anyone sit through a live theater-bound production of "The Sound of Music" with painted backdrops of the Alps and NOT wish you were soaring over Julie singing her heart out and spinning around in a mountain meadow? And take "Cabaret" -- they rewrote the play pretty much, switching the lead characters' nationalities in the process, and made the film a much tighter, more significant, more hard-hitting and more enduring work.

And then there are the few movies that are basically straight film versions of the stage versions. "The King and I" is a good example. Sure they "opened it up" a bit here and there, but really it's a classier film record of the Broadway show (and a magnificent record for all time of the role Yul was born to play).

Well, I'm happy to report that "Phantom" is a winner! It's true enough to its stage origins, yet has plenty of embellishments, surprise twists, new background info on some of the characters, and cinematic magic to take on a dazzling life of its own. If you know the score of the stage version almost word by word and note by note as we do, yes, there are differences. There are deletions, lyric changes, event timing changes, and more. Do these things hurt the overall impact of the show? We didn't think so.

In fact, the entire product becomes much richer. The prologue auction scene in the stage version is intact, but the way it's handled in the film, plus further developments on it and the character (Raoul) it focuses on are fabulous moments which broaden the range of the film and enhance the sentiment. The very end of the film -- a scene after the final scene of the stage version -- is remarkable, poignant and rather chilling.

Back to the auction scene at the very beginning ---- if you know the show, Raoul buys the little monkey music box. Why? Well, the film answers that question. How did the Phantom come to lurk in the opera house? We learn that as well. Plus a lot more!

And if you've heard that the film is "over the top" -- you've heard right. The scenery and costumes are incredibly breathtaking. No expense was spared, it seems.

Now -- what about the performances? Without going into any details, they are fine. I will say that if I hear one more person whine that the Phantom in the film isn't exactly like Michael Crawford's phantom, I'm gonna hurl my own crystal chandelier down on their heads! It's a rougher interpretation, more sensual, and more angry.

I have a few gripes about the movie, sure. But go see it for yourself. For example, if you want perfect voices and perfect singing, you won't find it in this "Phantom". What you will find is an all-round entertaining movie, a magnificent, emotional and insightful version of Gaston Leroux's timeless Phantom and Andrew Lloyd Webber's immortal musical.

See it on the big screen!

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!

Happy Holidays!

Drew

Neighbor disputes

Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits.
-- Mark Twain

The most frequent grounds for serious neighbor disputes -- trees, fences, boundaries, easements and noise -- There will always be something to set someone off with almost any other kind of neighbor problem, starting with friendly negotiation and, if truly necessary, going all the way to court.

We don't have the pleasure of choosing our neighbors -- they simply come with the territory. What a great joy it is to move into a strange city or new area and be warmly welcomed by a courteous and thoughtful person who lives next door. And what a terrible disappointment when instead, the next-door neighbor is thoughtless or given to some activity that is a constant annoyance.

In today's society, the limited space between properties magnifies even a small annoyance. Especially if it occurs every day, what starts out as a bother can turn into a nightmare for a neighbor. And sadly, neighbors (even those who are the cause of the problem) sometimes retaliate when they feel threatened or disturbed, fueling what can escalate into open warfare.

I am frustrated with my neighbors. I have lived in the country most of my life, and for the most part have had nothing but good neighbors. We, who have livestock, can pretty much expect to have them find a way out of your pasture no matter how good, or bad, your fencing is. We also expect to deal with neighbors livestock thinking that there must be better eating in our pasture or yard then what is proved for them in their identical pasture. We have chased pigs, cows, horses, goat and an occasional lama or emu. I have used my horses to herd long horned cattle, not an event my mare and I wanted to repeat frequently.

This is pretty much the price you pay for the joys of being outside the city limits. Most neighbors appreciate, and understand the dilemma of dealing with animals. That being said my frustration has nothing to do with my neighbors having animals that get out and travel to my pasture. It has to do with my mini horses getting into my neighbor’s pasture. It started with my tiny little mini babies walking UNDER the wire into the neighbors, lush, un-grazed pasture. The * lovely* lady blew off and air horn and then resorted to shooting her gun. The poor little things ran and ran until I finally was able to catch them and scoot them back under the fence. The rest of that hot summer day was spent redoing a different part of the pasture and putting all of the mini’s in a much smaller area for their protection.

Later on that same month, my tiny mini stallions got out, and of course, where do you think they went? Next door to the same lush pasture. Again, she shot her gun off repeatedly running the extremely tame minis around and around, until they fled down the road in the fog. Two hours later we finaly found them back in her pasture. She threatened to kill them the next time they “ate her prize flowers”!

Mind you, it's been a LONG hot summer with water rationing.... I didn’t see one blooming flower anywhere!

But this dispute didn’t really start with the miniature horses. The neighbors are gun happy. They shoot at anything. They shot and killed my wolf a few years after we moved here. Can I prove it.. No.

They have shot over the barn while I was working out there, they have shot over my son’s head while he was working on his car at the barn. He was playing his radio at the time, but the polite thing to do would be to ask he to turn it down ( wouldn’t ya think?)

They have shot at the big horses, they have shot through my house, the bullet broke the window in my studio, passed long the top shelf , I have ruined computer programs and books to prove it. The sheriffs came out to take the report, dug out the bullet and that was the last I heard.

Saturday Kelly, my youngest son was cutting firewood behind the barn while I working on redoing stalls in the barn before the artic cold front arrives. We were enjoying the radio tuned to Sounds of the Season when they pulled the lawn mower, tractor, and leaf blower over to the fence dividing our property and ran them so we couldn’t hear the music.Were they mowing... no. Were they blowing leaves.. no. Just running the machines for the noise they could make.

Ignoring them my son turned up the music.

BOOM! The neighbor shoots. The shell rattled down the tin roof of my barn.

Hey at least we weren’t singing out of tune!

On my net search I found this..

*The law offers protection from a neighbor's disturbing activities. Local laws and subdivision rules prohibit almost anything one neighbor can do that would seriously annoy another. And when there isn't a relevant law, a person can sue a neighbor who unreasonably interferes with the use and enjoyment of his property.*

I am thinking about sending them a letter something like this:

"Everyone has a different tolerance and a different concept of noise,"

I am playing music at the barn to recondition my mini horses. They have been unduly upset by your shooting at them. Your constant discharging of a fire arm can be considered criminal recklessness with a weapon.
I intend to show some my miniature horses, and it is necessary to acclimate them to music and noise they will encounter while at shows or in their role as therapy horses for children and the elderly. I would appreciated if you did not trespass on my property again.

SaturdayNight Musings

J.R.R. Tolkien: Lord of the Rings. You are
entertaining and imaginative, creating whole
new worlds around yourself. Well loved, you
have a whole league of imitators, none of which
is quite as profound as you are. Stories and
songs give a spark of joy in the middle of your
eternal battle with the forces of evil.


Which literature classic are you?
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Thanks to Lisha, I decided to take the Which Literature Classic Are You quiz. It’s fun, give it a try.

Then in a fit of boredom I took the other test in quizilla, “ Which Monty Python & the Holy Grail Character are you REALLY?” Gads! I am King Arthur of the Britons! I gotta get a real life.


You are King Arthur of the Britons! You let no-one
stand in your way, you are brave and strong!
Keep searching, you'll find the grail yet!


Which Monty Python & the Holy Grail Character are you REALLY?
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Sad to say I am not in the decorating mood yet. Usually by now I have the Christmas tree decorated, lights strung all over the place, candles waiting to be lit and the odor of Holiday spray hanging in the air. Hopefully the mood will hit me this coming week and I will go into a decorating frenzy. Holly and Lisha
(my dear good friends) are a real inspiration. They have their house looking all festive and ready for Solstice. But, frankly, I must admit they are the only friends / family I have visited that have made any attempt to capture the spirit of the season. Must mean that I have kept my head buried here at home. Must dig that sucker up! This whole thing is being to sound like something out of a bad Monty Python show. This is so pitiful I am embrassed that I have nothing better to write.....