The Phantom of the Opera

During this Fall/Halloween season I wanted to watch something that channeled some of those themes, so I picked 2004’s Phantom of the Opera, a musical drama based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 play of the same name. This is the story of a man with a disfigured face, who falls in love with a chorus dancer, whom he turns into a Prima Donna through bullying the cast and producers. Everything soon turns for the worst, however, when she falls in love with someone else.

The musical was set primarily in the late 1800s with impressive costume design and sets as the backdrop to really help you feel connected to that era. The plot was a bit slow moving but interesting with a good twist at the end.

The cast was star studded with Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson and Minnie Driver in the lead roles. Rossum’s singing and acting were great and Minnie brought the comedy with her eccentric character. Over the years Gerard Butler has evolved into a physical, high action star in roles from the likes of 300 and the Olympus Has Fallen franchise, so it was interesting going back in the archives to see him in a musical. For me, he dropped the ball in the singing department but did a descent acting job.

Not much could be done about the soundtrack as it was taken from the original score. The majority of the numbers were corny and I did not particularly enjoy many of them but, there were a couple that squeaked in there that I liked.

After seeing movie musicals like Sweeny Todd, Les Misérables or even Chicago, this one didn’t quite meet the bar for me. With that being said, I’d still say it was worth checking out once.

Antebellum

Antebellum is a thriller starring Janelle Monáe as Veronica Henley, a well-respected and renowned, modern day sociologist and author, who ends up on a 19th-century slave plantation. 

The movie is branded as a horror but boarders more on the lines of a thriller. The previews were very misleading to what the plot actually ended up being about. The intensity wasn’t as heightened as I had expected it to be. It was still however, unpredictable and interesting. Keeping the ambiguity of the situation until the end kept me on the edge of my toes for the entire movie. It kind of gave me M. Night Shyamalan vibes. 

In their feature directorial debuts, Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, left much to be wanted in the terms of the script and character development. They did however do well in the cinematography department with the lighting, edits, vast landscapes.

Janelle Monáe was the star of this film. She did well in role bringing a lot of intelligence, poise, intensity and strength to the character. The film also stars Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, and Gabourey Sidibe. They all took on unique roles that were outside their typical wheelhouses which I thought was interesting. Sidibe’s small role as Dawn though was by far the funniest and most light-hearted part of this entire movie.

Even though Antebellum was missing a lot of key pieces for me, I still felt like it wrapped up well and gave me the closure that I needed. This isn’t a movie that I would watch again but I was happy to support Janelle Monáe and give it a chance.

Queen & Slim

Queen & Slim is a modern day Bonnie & Clyde drama draped in the current tensions surrounding police brutality and the murders of unarmed people of color. It follows a young man and woman who meet for the first time on a date, though the date was not particularly a success, things take a turn for the worst when they are pulled over for a traffic violation.

The screenplay was written by the brilliant Lena Waithe and it was directed by first time director Melina Matsoukas. The plot was timely, realistic, suspenseful and emotionally charged. It kept me on my toes from start until finish. The cinematography was powerful and gritty.

The movie primarily focused on the two main characters, Slim played by the talented Daniel Kaluuya and Queen played by new comer, Jodie Turner-Smith. They are both British but you wouldn't have known it as both of their American accents were spot on. They had great chemistry together and their performances were commanding on screen. The character development was just enough to get you to really care about these characters, but I felt like they could have gone a bit deeper.

I held off on watching this movie when it had originally came out because I knew I would have to wrap my head around it. And I was right, there were parts that were tough to watch and parts that were sad, but there were also themes of hope. I think that this movie is definitely worth watching, just know, for those interested, get ready for a roller-coaster of emotions.