Phantom of the Opera

I finally have seen the infamous film The Phantom of the Opera and since I’ve always seen a lot of controversay over a few subjects, I thought it would be fun to peg down my thoughts on the film just for the record.

No, I haven’t read the book. Well, not an unabridged version; I read a shortened version maybe a year ago (I can hear my best friend laughing at me in the distances–sorry, that was bit of an inside joke with myself) but I don’t remember the book very well, so my opinions will be coming from seeing the movie only. So, if you’ve read the book and your feathers get ruffled because I might not understand the characters to their full extent, that’s fine. Your problem, not mine. I can only judge by what I’ve seen and the book isn’t really at the top of my ‘need to read’ list right now. There we go, disclaimers taken care of.

So, the movie was a little like Les Miz in that it felt like most of it was singing. There was some dialogue, but not much. I generally prefer more dialogue to singing when it comes to musicals, but that is just personal taste. The sets and costumes for this film were beautiful and enchanting, even though some leaned towards the immodest side. I am pleased to say that I was already a fan of masquerade masks before watching the movie. The theme “Phantom of the Opera” is my favorite; it’s so harsh and opera-ish.

I was glad to watch this movie since I have been working on a mystery plot for about four months that takes place in an opera house in the late 1890′s, so, I really enjoyed seeing all the sets and productions in the film.

Okay, moving on to the real controversy.

Who do I like more, Erik or Raoul? And which do I think Christine should be with?

The controversy over these questions are huge in this fandom. There are die-hard fans of Erik and Christine being together. And then the fans of Raoul are so obnoxiously blunt about how crazy they think the other side’s opinions are that they just come off, as, well, they make it hard to like their side.

So, I will answer this as quickly as I can.

I like the Phantom, Erik, better then Raoul. However, I think the better relationship for Christine is to be with Raoul.

I do, I like the Phantom best. I felt really sorry for him by the end and he has a great voice and presence, his mysteriousness  thoroughout the film was awesome. I loved his mask and his costumes and just how familiar he was to the whole opera house.  He’s a tragic villain and, depending on how you look at it, a tragic hero. So, yeah, I liked him a lot better then Raoul.

However, by the end of the movie, I thought Christine would be way better off with Raoul. It was just way healthier and for better reasons. I think Raoul actually knew how to correctly treat Christine and was much better qualified to take care of her then The Phantom, who’s love seemed to come more from a passion then a real love that would keep two souls together.

So, there we go, I now have an opinion on the great opera love triangle! Whattyaknow!

Overall, this was a good movie but not one that I will be rewatching a lot because overall it felt kinda slow. If you enjoy musicals and romances and tragic love stories, this is a movie for you.

~Jamie

Favorite Movie Couples

So, my friend James had a great idea for Valentine’s Week to do a post on your favorite movie couples and he graciously let me steal the idea! So, today I’m going to just quickly highlight some of my top favorite movie couples.

Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter from Captain America: The First Avenger. I can’t do this list without the tragic love story of Steve and Peggy. I still get upset that they were separated forever and I hate the idea of a future movie putting Steve with someone else. Just. No. I wish they had a happily ever after.

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts from the various movies including Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. No list can go without the billionaire playboy and his girl. I’m not sure how to explain why I like this couple so much. They’ve just had several movies for their relationship to reasonable grow. I really like both of these character–Pepper is pretty much my favorite Marvel woman ever and Tony is my second favorite Avenger…. so, I just really like these two. I’m dying to see what happens to them in Iron Man 3.

Peter Parker and Gwen Stacey from The Amazing Spider-Man. I love this couple so much; they are way better then the ridicoulous unblanced rather unhealthy relationship in the former Spider-Man trilogy of Peter and MJ. At least in this movie, they become a couple sooner then later and Peter actually is honest with Gwen instead of keeping his Spider-Man secret from her like he did for two movies in the last trilogy. And they’re so cute together.

Han Solo and Princess Leia from the Original Star Wars Trilogy. HOW DO I DO THIS POST WITHOUT HAN AND LEIA?! They’re nearly the ultimate movie couple. The growth of their relationship and love throughout the three movies make for a well developed romance and ‘ultimate couple’ where you reach the end of the last movie and you know they will be together forever. They have some great banter and one of the most memorable love line in film histroy: “I love you” “I know”

Sam Witwicky and Mikaele Banes from Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. They’re a super cute couple and I wish their relationship could have continued in the third movie. It was fun watching Sam trying to win her affection throughout the first movie. The second movie’s ending left me thinking, “Okay, quick, before something else happens that might separate you two adorables for life, get to a church and get married! Quick! AHHH!” But it was for not. Anyway, they’re are still one of my favorite film couples.

Rocky Balboa and Adrian Pennino from The Rocky Series. Rocky and Adrian’s beautiful romance and then marriage really stood out to me. Rocky left a high standard bar for me in a lot of areas of what a man should be like, but speaking specifically with romance, he really left an impression that I will want to see if a man comes for me. Rocky, for as rough and tough as he looks and sounds and fights, really has a soft heart. As he was pretty unsuccessfully trying to court shy Adrian in the first film, he was very kind, very gentle, very loving. He pursued her even when she seemed to not like him. He never gave up on her. He loved her in a real way. Considering I have not seen love like this very much in real life, this part of his character really touched me because this wasn’t fake ‘fallen in love at first sight’ type of love. It was a real example of realistic love. So Rocky and Adrian’s romance one of my very favorite romances ever and set an example to me for what real love looks like. Gosh, I need to move on or I’m going to tear up.

Belle and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. I have a lot of nostalgia attached to this movie and it’s pretty much my most favorite Disney movie ever. I love everything about this romance, and I love Belle and I love how the Beast changes and the ending makes me cry every time AND I NEVER CRY FOR MOVIES and they’re just one of my favorites.

And last but not least, I adore Mickey and Minnie. Because how can you not.

So, Happy Valentine’s Day to you all, I hope you have a good day with your family and loved ones! And if you have time, check out James’ list of favorite movie couples if you have time!

~Jamie

to be wed young?

When you think about it, Valentine’s Day is a pretty big deal in our society. There are the married couples, the couples who aren’t married but are couples anyway, girlfriends and boyfriends and then the ‘forever alone’ group who buy themselves chocolate and watch sappy movies on their own.

Valentine’s used to be big to me too, and that’s a shame.

In the last church we attended, marriage was put on a very high level above a lot of other things that were deemed important. Looking back now, the church had pretty much made the idea of marriage one of it’s idols. In today’s societies where women go to college, have a career and then get married at age thirty, it was then communicated in our church that marrying young was the ultimate ‘awesome’ choice to make because you were–supposedly–putting God’s will ahead of your own. You were rebelling against the culture, you were making a statement. This added pressure to me; I needed to get married young and if I didn’t, then something must be wrong with me. And this was back when I was sixteen! I shouldn’t have been worried about marriage then, but I was.

And, I still get worried today.

My heart’s desire has been and always been to marry someone who was special to me and have lots of kids. But the idea that if I didn’t get married young made me anxious. What if nobody ever learns to love me like that; what if nobody ever wants to marry me; what if I’m a failure and I get married at the age of twenty-seven? And the idea made me ungrateful for where I was in life. Sixteen, seventeen, and now eighteen, I’ve spent too many hours worrying that I will never be good enough for someone, worrying that another month passes and I’m one month older.

I realize now that I should be happy for the times I have as a single woman.  But instead, I was unconsciously being burdened with the knowledge and need that I had to get married young. Looking back at those families, looking at the girls that I’ve left behind, I feel sorry for them. They, too, unconsciously made marriage an idol, it’s been set as the ultimate thing to strive towards. These girls are thirteen, fourteen years old!

I am trying to shake off this old worldview.

Yeah, it would be great to get married young, where I still will have all my youthful energy, and I’ll have more years to spend with that special someone. But I cant’ let that be my ultimate goal anymore, because I have no control over when I’m getting married. I have to wait for a guy to make his move, and before that, I have to wait for the right guy. This is all out of my control, so I need to just let this go.

God will bring that guy along at His good timing, and whether I’ve already met him, will meet him in six months or in eight years; it will be His good timing. And it will be the right guy. And I think God will bring him and his marriage proposal into my life when He knows I’m ready for it. Because, honestly, as much as I’d love to get married by next week, there is no way I’m realistically ready for marriage.

Because, frankly, who’s really and honestly ready to get married at age eighteen? Very few people, I should think.

My mom recently told me that God puts our heart’s desires inside of us for reasons; I’ve felt reassured that this desire, that wanting to one day give myself to the right someone, to have a family of my own, has been placed by God. So, I simply need to have faith that one day, in His good timing, He will fulfill that desire.

This Valentine’s Day, I’m letting this idol go. I’m going to stop worrying and wishing for something that is out of my control. I’m going stop worrying about needing to be married young. I’m instead going to wait on God’s timing.

And while I wait, I’m going to learn to be content with what I have now.

Because if I’m not content when I’m single, how am I going to be content when I’m married?

Am I going to stop dreaming and hoping about marriage? Nope. I will always still dream and hope and scheme wedding cakes and gowns after watching Four Weddings. It simply won’t be my life’s ultimate goal anymore.

And that’s a very good thing.

~Jamie

To My Future Love

Another Valentine’s Day comes and will soon go; I will have my dear little brother to hug and kiss all day, because that’s what brothers are there for. But my heart still wait for the one who God has picked out for me.

May he have courage to fight evil, like Robin Hood,

a self-sacrificing heart, like Steve Roger’s,

the manliness of Thor,

as strong a sense of protection for his family, like Ben-Hur,

the will to save others like Luke Skywalker,

the wit and bravery of Han Solo,

the grit to do good, like John Wayne,

the will to fight his temptations, like Dude,

a tender place in his heart for me and our future family, like Pa,

and, most of all,

a heart to serve God and others before himself.

~~~

I love you so much; where ever you are.

~Jamie

Love is a Verb

I was watching a series of Youtube videos Wednesday—all hilarious, sarcastic and well said by a young man named Jordon, a homeschool graduate. One really got me thinking again— it’s about the word love. He covers it here in THIS VIDEO which I beg of you to go watch after you finish reading this post. Or, go watch it now and you’ll know what got me thinking. Either way—JUST WATCH IT.

…moving on…

His point that got me thinking was that we, the American culture, have so overused the word ‘love’ that it’s meaning has just about been lost.  “I’m sure Jesus is extremely happy to be on the same level as grilled cheese your mind!” His point being, “Can we all just agree to default to “like” instead of saying that we loooove everything?”

And than he said this. “But maybe that’s the whole problem! Maybe we’ve forgot what love is suppose to be in the first place. Love is a verb. It’s something you actively do, not something you feel. It’s something you wake up every morning and decide to be.”

I was like. “Wow.”

Love is a verb.

Real love is action—you know when someone loves you when they’re willing to DO whatever needs to be done, when they’re will to die for you, when they’re will to LIVE for you. Anyone can ‘speak’ love, but only those who truly serve will actually give real love.

This really help give some glue to many of my opinions about the ‘love’ we see in many movies. There are always those films where the girl and the boy just ‘fall in love’ at first sight. Admit it, you’ve seen at least one movie like that; I know I have. And the girl and boy will do anything to be together, because they just know they’re ‘in love’. Even to the point of disobeying parents or even God. Because their feelings tell them they’re ‘in love’.

But if love is something you do, you aspire to be, is being a servant— than what kind  of love do they have if they only just met? (Example: Aurora and Prince Phillip of Sleeping Beauty).

No. That girl and boy in the movie (and sadly in many real life situations even) are not “in love”, even though they might think they are. I think it would be best to reworded this feeling as ‘becoming physically attracted’. What they’re ‘feeling’ is probably natural chemistry–but not real, Biblical love.

“Love is something you do.”

Think of Scripture: 1 Corinthians’ definition of love is a entire list of verbs/actions/things to do. Being patient, being kind, don’t be easily angered, ect. And even John 3:16, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.” Catch the verb gave.

I certainly am not saying that there is no room for the affection/chemistry type love—no way. That love will be there, because it’s natural. I’m just saying— DON’T MIX THE TWO UP! Because which one should have a higher priority?

I still do not understand everything there is to love—no one will ever perfectly understand it or be able to perfectly live it. But I will certainly keep thinking about it. What Jordon has stated in his video is very powerful and something I’ll certainly want to apply to life, especially when I enter a relationship with a young man. Because the verb love will certainly help a marriage last, rather than the chemistry love—because that love will eventually dull (this is one of the reasons why there are so many divorces, people). I want the love that binds and glues—ultimately Christ’s self-sacrifing love of serving others.

‘Cause that’s all that will matter in the long run and that’s what will last.

~Jamie