Tag Archives: 2004

The Phantom of the Opera  (2004)    73/100

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Rating :   73/100                                                                     143 Min        12A

To be fair, I’ve never seen the musical, nor any of the previous film versions, but with Andrew Lloyd Webber on both production and screenplay duties it’s probably fair to say this film was made in much the same spirit as his stage version that captivated audiences around the world and has become the longest running and most financially successful show in Broadway history, claiming many such accolades from around the globe (just to be clear, this is the cinematic version of that same show, as opposed to another film adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s 1909 novel, from which the musical is adapted). It’s directed by Joel Schumacher who not only manages to fit in a Batman reference with one of the masks in the masquerade scene, but injects a certain fiery passion into the whole. From the lustre of the rich and vibrant set design and costumes, to the sense of naïve innocence rocking in the wake of the Phantom’s damned passion, (here played by an intense Gerard Butler with Emmy Rossum and Patrick Wilson as Christine and Raoul respectively) it’s a tale of social isolation and interminable lust that proves vivid and alive enough to enthral even those normally turned away at the prospect of watching a musical.

Dear Frankie  (2004)    87/100

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Rating :   87/100                       Treasure Chest                     105 Min        15

The Red Dragon challenges you not to be moved by this film. ‘Dear Frankie’ tells the story of a single mother living in Greenock, played by Emily Mortimer championing a pretty convincing Scottish accent, and her deaf child (Jack McElhone) and the scenario she has created to explain the absence of the boy’s father. Emily Mortimer was the perfect choice for the role as her performance fully embodies a restrained and possessing sadness and indeed the entire cast display real emotion throughout, with touches of comedy from Mortimer’s mother in the guise of Mary Riggans, and the appearance of a certain well known Scottish actor whom you may be able to recognise from an early voice-over… Reportedly receiving a fifteen minute standing ovation at Cannes, the film retains the feeling of a real scenario throughout, and watch out for possibly the longest ‘pause while you think about doing it’ scene in cinema history.

Melinda and Melinda  (2004)    59/100

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Rating :   59/100                                                                       99 Min        12A

Woody Allen begins his picture with a discussion of whether or not life is essentially comedic or tragic. This occurs as a conversation between friends having drinks, and the point is made that it perhaps simply depends on one’s point of view. The director then illustrates this through the rest of the film by telling one story in two different ways, each with the central character of Melinda (played by Radha Mitchell).

It’s an interesting point. How often do we see in romantic comedies fairly tragic events being glossed over – perhaps using comedy to alleviate circumstance is a wonderful thing, thus the phrase ‘you have to laugh don’t you?’. Unfortunately for the sake of the film, the two stories have parallels but are actually quite different from each other, somewhat defeating the purpose of the exercise. The tragic storyline is most definitely more tragic than the comedic one. Some of the technical ploys stay true to the purpose, the use of music telling us to be in a good mood, the different cinematography to put a slightly glossier sheen on the comedic story etc. But the main flaw is too large, though the individual stories do hold the viewer’s attention for the most part.