Film Fixations

So, over the course of last week and the previous week, I have been fixated on a couple of films: Phantom of the Opera and Love Actually. Mostly because the previous week, I was on vacation, and this past week, I have basically been confined to home base the past 3 or 4 days with a case of bronchitis.

(The antibiotics seem to be doing their thing, thank you; I am not yet close to being 100 percent, but I am getting there. Hopefully, anyway. It truly sucks being sick.)

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So, yeah, I have watched Phantom 5 times over the last 2 weeks. Not 5 times all the way through (give me a break, I am not THAT obsessive!), but every time I see that it is on, I am compelled to pick up wherever it happens to be and watch for as long as I am able.

I actually went to see this movie when it was in the theater but somehow got sidetracked. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I love the story and the music.

Interestingly, I found a wishy-washy review written by Roger Ebert, in which he tried to pan the film but kept praising it for how good everything looked. And then he actually ripped on THE MUSIC! Even went so far as to suggest the filmmakers should have come up with some new songs!

Uhm, Roge, pardon me, but Phantom has at least 3 songs (“Angel of Music,” “Music of the Night” and “Say You Love Me”) that I would classify as excellent and a couple of others (“Think of Me” and “Masquerade”) that I have found myself humming over the last few days! And you think they should have changed the music?

Gimme a break.

As far as Love Actually: I just love it.

The movie consists of all these different relationships as part of one big interwoven story. And the music, of course, is, at times, just perfect. Like when kinda cute guy has just been found out for secretly being in love with Keira Knightley and we hear Dido singing “I Am What I Am” as he leaves his apartment, or when the Pointer Sisters sing “Jump” and Hugh Grant, a.k.a. the Prime Minister, does a dance reminiscent of Risky Business Joel from so many years ago.

Mostly, though, when Emma Thompson breaks down as Joni Mitchell does her slowed-down version of “Both Sides Now.” Perfect.

OK, time for some Tylenol.

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