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larrybb
Reviews
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Phantom gets music
A version of this story with music is apropos, since the Phantom is a tortured soul who finds relief, release and expression in music. Music moves us in places where literature and the spoken word can't reach fully. This movie will touch anyone who hasn't withered inside.
Brilliantly done in every way. Much attention to details and the human experience, including our innermost conflicts and strangeness.
This is a tragedy in which there are no real winners. Christine and Raoul are forever haunted by the Phantom in this version.
Make no mistake, this is a romance that will tear your heart out.
There are stories in literature which are sad beyond the words used in their writing. One such story is this one. Another is "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Both stories have been given musical treatment. The Hunchback got to caper in a Disney cartoon. The Phantom fared better in this film.
Get ready for tears and a movie that bears repeating.
The Other Sister (1999)
Another look at mental disabilities and the desire for normalcy.
I've worked with kids and people who have what used to be called mental retardation, a term now under PC scrutiny. This movie shows able actors portraying mentally retarded young people who want to do the things society at large can do. This yearning for "normalcy" is something that most people (even movie critics) are able to understand.
There have been many portrayals of "challenged" people in plays, books and movies. Why is that? Is it a money maker, as some cynics claim? Is it the supposed lure of the freak show? Is it our love of the "underdog" striving? Collective guilt? Maybe there's a reason why these "flawed" people keep turning up over and over again that runs deep and touches our hearts.
I've read several reviews of this movie because it touched me and I wondered how it affected other people. Many reviewers have attacked this movie and it would be a shame if potential viewers based their decision to see or not see it based solely on such reviews.
This movie is not intended to be BIG. It's a story about people who want to have independent lives and be respected for who they are. It's story is constructed to allow the viewer to see these people in various situations. The characters are necessarily condensed as are the situations. Real life is different than a movie and it's up to us to fill in the movie if we want to pretend more vividly.
I recommend this movie to people who have the ability to let go and involve themselves in a story. This is not a movie for people who think they're experts on movie making or the varieties of mental disabilities.
Under the Volcano (1984)
One man's ruin
Albert Finney's performance of alcoholism is shattering and spot on. This movie should be required as adjunctive therapy in the field of alcoholism recovery. The feeling of hopelessness that permeates this movie makes it an experience the viewer should be advised about.
This movie packs a punch and Finney's performance is as exact and nuanced as is possible. His posture, his mental states, emotions, facial expressions, use of language, clothing, physicality are completely consistent with those of an alcoholic in an advanced stage of the disease.
Although it's a one-man movie, the other main players act exactly as real people do when dealing with alcoholics and portray the emotions and feelings that surround alcoholic situations.
This movie is definitely not a walk in the park.