Please Oh Please Oh Please, Let It SUCK

[filkertom]

I'm extremely hopeful for my holiday entertainment. We've got Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on DVD Nov. 23rd, Spider-Man 2 on the 30th, The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition) on Dec. 14th...

... and they let Joel Schumacher make another marquee film.

And not just any film, nooooo-ho-ho-ho-HO. Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera.

Regardless of how you feel about the show and its music (and I'm a bigger fan of the stage production than of the music by itself), this could be the anti-Incredibles of the holiday season. So, naturally, I'm jacked for it.

Get a load of the trailer (direct link to Yahoo, by way of Ain't It Cool News), and/or visit the official site. The film opens Dec. 22nd.

My god, he got nipples into the trailer.

Comments

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

Okay, the opening is cool.

But then one of the only part of the "Phantom" the stage play I liked was the opening. The whole theatre pulling itself back together thing was cool... too bad it went down hill from there.

I'm not going to be rushing to the theatre to see it, but probably will at some point.

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

ACK! The guy playing the Phantom can BARELY SING! And he's too young.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

That was the big thing I noticed. Well, besides all the standard Schumacher foofrah. I admit the guy has got some talent with camera angles and set pieces, but there's so much more to directing that he simply cannot handle, and the first thing is getting a good performance out of your actors.

And isn't Gerard Butler just the prettiest Phantom you ever did see?

[twfarlan.livejournal.com]

I want this movie to suck. I want it to be such a huge loser that they never let Schumacher sit in a director's chair ever again. That man ruined the Batman movie franchise, RUINED IT and had WB kissing his ass for the privilege. I want his career in revenge.

[cogitationitis.livejournal.com]

Though I've never seen the opera, _Phantom_ was always one of my favorite books since childhood. I don't recall any scenes outside the opera house, so I know the movie won't be faithful to the book (the trailer has snow scenes). But the trailer is visually appealing; I might see it anyway.

I agree that the actor playing Erik is too young, and too handsome: they should have covered more of his face.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

There was a debate going on at Ain't It Cool a few days ago, regarding whether or not they should've paid any amount of money to get Michael Crawford. I was firmly in that camp. He knows the part cold, has the voice, has the power, has the chops, and he doesn't have to be young and camera-pretty because the Phantom is supposed to be hideously disfigured! But apparently that notion, or at least the notion of the Phantom being anything but a shirt-ad type, was nixed by both Schumacher and Webber, not that I ever held his judgment for much.

And the sword fight in the trailer just made me giggle.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, yes, that would have been worth seeing! This... I don't know. I'll see how I feel when it comes out.

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

Well, to be fair, not covering more of his face is just them basing it off the stage show rather than the book. I've read the book too so I know what you mean (his entire face is disfigured, like a skull), but in the stage show it's only a little less than half his face that's disfigured (the famous half-mask being the symbol of the show), and looks more like some kind of burn when you get a glimpse of it. So you can't really blame that part on the movie, since it appears intended to be directly from the musical.

Not that the movie won't suck for other reasons. :)

[cogitationitis.livejournal.com]

Well, I'll go to the movie and see it for what it is, with no expectation that it will be like the book, simply because they have the same title, like _I, Robot_ had almost nothing to do with Asimov's writing.

[janet-coburn.livejournal.com]

And that idiot film with Kiefer, Charlie, et al. should have been called "The Adventures of Some Guys With the Same Names as the Three Musketeers."

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

Oh, as for the snow scenes (I only just now am looking at the pictures)-- I'm almost certain that's the graveyard scene from the musical. She goes and visits her father's grave, and the phantom shows up, and Raoul shows up. I forget whether that's in the book or not, but just in case you were curious. :)

(There wasn't a swordfight in the musical, though...)

[lapislaz.livejournal.com]

"Phantom by Disney...I can't believe it-o!"

Nope, sorry, SO not going there. I've seen the stage play done twice, once with Crawford and once with Robert Guillame playing the lead. Crawford was simply incredible - there were no words for the feelings he evoked in every last member of the audience. (Guillame can sing, but he was off his feed that day - his performance felt phoned in.)

Michael Crawford IS the Phantom. No substitute is acceptable.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but some of the songs are intoxicating -- I've got some bootleg audio of KISS's Paul Stanley(!) singing "Music of the Night" in a Toronto production. Kewl.

[lapislaz.livejournal.com]

Now that I'd like to hear. Paul Stanley has a pretty decent voice. Webber has written some incredible music over the years - I'm still in love with Murray Head from the original London production of Jesus Christ Susperstar.

[lapislaz.livejournal.com]

I'd also like to learn how to SPELL the word Superstar! {urg}

I was there, nyeah nyeah!!

[wormquartet.livejournal.com]

I got to see that, actually! The wife and I went to Toronto for our mini-honeymoon and checked it out. Paul kicked ass as the Phantom, though he had a bit of a lisp ("Muthic of the Night..." :) )

I'd love a copy of that bootleg....t'would be a great souvenir.

-=ShoEboX=-

[zenturbo.livejournal.com]

Oh gawd...my ears feel for you.

I heard part of that bootleg when he was singing 'The Phantom of the Opera' duet and I had to turn it off because it was too painful.

[kshandra]

(Guillame can sing, but he was off his feed that day - his performance felt phoned in.)

Interesting you should note that. My sister-in-law had much the same complaint about RG's performance when she saw him in LA...and that what emotion he did manage to bring to the part felt more like petulance than passion. One wonders if he just wasn't feeling the part....

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

Ay-Men, you got a Witness here!

Why is it that all the intelligent, independent women I know go gooey at the knees over Michael Crawford in this part? Myself included, I don't understand why.

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

Lon Chaney WAS Erik, the Phantom....
the music's better too!
The CD of the theatre production isn't "banded" but one long track each disc. Better get the Highlights - then you can avoid the dross.

[zenturbo.livejournal.com]

Actually, Webber wrote the part for Colm Wilkinson and wanted him to play the lead. Since he was obligated to 'Les Miserables,' he couldn't perform the role in the London production. He was not able to perform it until the run started in Toronto.

[rikhei.livejournal.com]

Aeire, of Queen of Wands fame evidentally agrees with you about the use of nipples in Joel Schumacher films...evidence here (http://www.queenofwands.net/d/20040716.html).

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. That is one of my favorite musicals ever. *worry*

Why exactly are we hoping it'll suck, now? I'm confused. Maybe it's just because I'm not up on directors.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Well, in my case, two of my very favorite movies of the 1990s were Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. Anne, huskiebear, and I went to see BF, and were astonished at how consistently, amazingly, completely and entertainingly bad it was. We went to see B&R actively hoping it would be as bad, and it was worse. I say this with all love and affection -- when he's on his... well, I don't want to call it his "game", but I'm not sure how else to put it... when Schumacher's in his element, he is our generation's Ed Wood -- and they give him big budgets!

The only thing that could make it "better" would be Akiva Goldsman (BF, B&R, Lost In Space) as screenwriter. (Yes, yes, I know he won an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind. And at some point I'll see that, out of sheer curiousity. But the three above are classic train wrecks.)

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

MINNIE DRIVER IS CARLOTTA?

That's kinda cool. She, at least, is also an actual singer. And I always liked her acting.

Now I've gotta go see this.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I know, I know. Minnie Driver and Miranda Richardson. Atsa big ol' glass of WTF.

[atalantapendrag.livejournal.com]

Dammit. I'm gonna have to haul my lazy butt to the theater for this one. Miranda-frickin'-Richardson? I'll be making Blackadder jokes in my head the whole time.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

Miranda Richardson plays Mme Giry. It's not like she's playing Christine. [Oog, there's a mental image, filled with shrill.] She could have been a bitchy Carlotta about 15 year ago maybe. I think she will be OK as Giry though.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Probably. On the other hand, now I have the image of 15-years-ago Natasha Richardson as Christine, and it's time for a long, cold shower.

[poltr1]

No! Must hold on to everything that is good and pure!

[autumnreign.livejournal.com]

Ahem!

Excuse me, you said there would be nipples. I saw no nipples. False advertising! SHENANIGANS!

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Look at all that nude golden statuary, my friend. Golden painted nipply goodness everywhere!

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

I really think this Schumacher person should stick to racing cars. I gather he's quite good at that...