3 Larry King quotes for a movie? (Re. The Phantom of the Opera)

Ok, is it just me, or is it a bad sign that the tv ads for the Phantom use 3 short quotes from King as if they're from different people?

What I mean is the ad shows one quote, flips to film, and then back to another King quote...and then all over again. After three King quotes the ad goes to other reviewers that just get one "quote flash" apiece.

I can't say that I look to King for his opinions on...well, really anything, but specifically movies.

Possible bad sign that the reviews weren't positive and the studio has to recycle King in the same ad?

I'm looking forward to the movie because I like the stage show so much, and if they pull it off it will be great. The previews are promising, but of course that's their job.

Gotta remember it was originally a real pot-boiler melodrama, and its success as a film in its original conception was due solely to the genius of Lon Chaney Sr. If this new version isn't respectful of that history, it will bite them.

they didn't let Michael Crawford reprise the role.

Or Meat Loaf, he'd have been good, too.

I read Crawford was going to be in the movie when the idea of a film first came about 15 years ago but then no one wanted to sign on to make the film so the idea sat on the shelf for all these years.


There was an article in USA Today on Wed. about the film, that's where I'm getting this info from.

This version is based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, so it will have no basis in the Lon Chaney version. The only thing they will have in common is that Chaney's film and the Musical will have had inspiration from the book, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.

They tried to do a faithful interpretation of the book, similar to the Chaney film, in the 80's with Robert Englund, I believe, as the Phantom, but it didn't do so well.

Phantom is one of the most successful musicals of all time and has many fans who have seen it on stage in NY, London, worldwide repeatedly. I myself have seen it twice when it's come to New Orleans. Their tagline on bus ads is: "You'll always remember your first time...."

So this movie, being based on the musical, already has a built in audience, so it should do well, especially being released around Christmastime.

Sometime this month. It wasn't too bad, iirc. It didn't leave that much of an impression, though.

I take his reviews with a grain of salt.

not to see it :)

and I thought it was terrific! Beautifully filmed, great performances, wonderful music! I saw the Broadway production for the first time in Austin last February and thought it was great, too. But the movie is even better, in my opinion.

I love Michael Crawford, too though. I read somewhere that Crawford took himself out of the running for the lead in the movie. I went to see the movie with my mother on New Year's Eve. I figured she'd be a good gauge as to how good it really was because she had seen the stage show three times. She absolutely LOVED the movie. I did too. I liked Butler in some of his earlier roles, but he really transformed himself in this one. His thick Scottish accent is barely detectable, and talk about sensual and sexy!!!

I don't know or care what King said. I rarely care too much for the little quips used in trailers and advertising....