Mormon Movie Review: ****Saints and Soldiers (2003) (mmboe)

This movie is very intense.  It is almost as intense as "Saving Private Ryan."  It starts with a group of American POWs, who are being guarded by a group of Germans.  Things get out of hand, and the Germans open fire on the Americans, in the confusion, a small group of Americans gets away.  They manage to get one gun.  However they are well behind enemy lines. Deacon is a sharp shooter, but he is suffering from lack of sleep and war trauma.  He tossed a grenade into a home, which turned out to be full of women and children.  This is now haunting him.  He sometimes has visions of the women or the children.  He is also LDS, a former missionary to Germany.  They rescue a British pilot, who says he has important information.  He needs to be taken to where he can report and give this information.  They are behind enemy lines, but start making their way to where he can report.  However they get snowed in.   They come upon a French home, and are able to take a meal but are snowbound. The English pilot decides he cannot wait for the storm, and leaves the party.  However a couple German soldier also chance by.  They surprise them.  One is killed, but our soldier who never misses, misses and the other gets away.  The Englishman brings him back.  He had gotten cold and decided to turn around, and was able to capture him.  Turns out he is known to our German missionary, who taught his family.  They talk, sharing old times, but the soldier lets him escape during the night, but not before they get some information about where to go to avoid the German soldiers.  The Medic confronts him for being too close to the enemy.  The talk about the Book of Mormon and religious beliefs.   This works for a while, but eventually they are in an area with many Germans, and they are in the midst of a fire fight.  Again they come upon the German friend who helps them.  They are able to command a jeep, with German uniforms, and go through a roadblock.  The Germans are now onto them and the front, but so are the Americans, who quickly realize their mistake.  Deacon holds them off, while the medic makes it back to the American lines with the pilot.  After the medic seeks out Deacon's body, and removes the Book of Mormon from him.

Mormon Movie Review: Joseph Smith: The Man

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aZU4t09XSM
This is a short video, just over nine minutes, produced by the Church in 1980.  This movie presents Lethe Tatge, as she welcomes a group of Primary children into her home, feeds them cookies, and talks to them about Joseph Smith.  She recounts how her great-grandfather had met the prophet Joseph Smith, and then had passed this experience on to her, and she in turn to the children.  Lethe saying, “You have had your hand held in a hand that was held by the prophet Joseph Smith” is very effective.  Her message is that Joseph Smith was a real man and a prophet of God.  She also says Jesus was a real man, but not only a real man but the son of God.
The Spirit has born witness to me that these two things are true, Jesus is the Christ and Joseph Smith was a true prophet.  I invite those who may be seeking for Jesus to check out Mormon.org

Mormon Movie Review: The Mail Box

This is a classic BYU Movie made for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It shows Lethe, a widow, living in her house alone.  The highlight of her day is to walk to her mailbox and wait for letter from her three children.  But they never come.  Even a bill is better than nothing.  She does have association with her neighbors, five-year-old Rachel and her mother.  But that is not adequate because they are always having to go home.  Lethe makes cookies for cookie day, and Rachel comes by to eat them.  She is getting up in year, her husband leaving her a widow long ago.  The most poignant line is "I am so lonely."  It really touches you.
Now the movie was made to help us not forget our older parents and grandparents.  It is easy to do while we go about our daily lives.  Life is so busy at times, there is hardly time to do anything else.  But just the same, we cannot forget those who have given us so much.  As Lethe points out, a letter is so much better than a phone call, because you can read it over and over, and make it last.
My mother is now the age of Lethe.  We have been struggling with what do do.  She so much wants to be independent; but she isn'e any more.  She has been losing her memory.  Some days are better than others, but most are pretty bad.  My sister, Connie, who still lives in Cache Valley, visits her daily.  She ends up with the greatest responsibility.  We would have her come and live with us, but she does not want to.  She likes her home, even though most of her friends have passed away or moved on.
This movie is excellent to get one's priorities in line.  I highly recommend it, but not too often.  It left me very emotional.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1srLpGaXsBU&noredirect=1

Movie Time: ***^Battle for Terra

Battle for Terra is a 2007 computer animated movie.  The drawing are very similar to "Ants."  This movie bits the remainders of the human race vs the original inhabitants Terra.  At first they arrive in a large space ship as explorers, collecting some of the native inhabitants.  A group of small ships come collecting.  Mala seems them take her father, and tries to get them to also take her, but she is left, so she pursues a ship.  She is seen as being hostile and the ship begins shooting at her.  Using her knowledge of local terrain, she causes the ship to crash, but then rescues the pilot, Stanton.  She and the pilot form a relationship, as she nurses him back to health.
He takes her to the human ship, to inform the people of what the natives are like.  The humans are torn about how to proceed, with the military wanting to bully their way in.  The military effects a coup, determined that the only choice is war.
There is some logic to this.  The air of Terra is not suitable for humans.  It has to be changed, which would make the air not suitable for Terrians.  The humans have only a three month supply of oxygen, not enough to go elsewhere.  There is a tremendous battle as the humans employ a machine to change the air.  The air is almost changed, when Stanton realizes what exactly is happening.   He turns on the machine, blowing it and himself up.
 The movie ends, with a few of a domed city on Terra, where the humans are able to live, while also allowing the continued existence of the Terrians.  A win for diplomacy.  This won the Toronto Film Festival for animation.  I found it mildly entertaining, but Tony was drawn to it when I started watching, and watched it with me.

positive thinking Movie Night: *****Rudy

This is one of my most favorite movies.  It lets you know that it is what you do with what you got that is important.  This movie is based on a true story of Rudy, Daniel Ruettiger (Sean Astin).  Rudy does OK on his high school team, but has no college prospects, just dreams.  He takes a job a the mill like his father.  When his friend dies, he decides to follow his dream at Notre Dame.  He doesn't get in, but attends a smaller school, while he prepares to get in.  There is a cute scene where he participates in the ritual of painting the helmets, reserved for Notre Dame students.  He finally gets to Notre Dame, and makes the practice squad as a walk on.  His job id to be a target for the regulars.  He takes his knocks, waiting for his chance.
This movie tells a few basic concepts, you should always pursue your dream, and sometimes it takes help from a third person to get there.  This show has an incredible ending.  I watched this game live in 75, and saw the team carry Rudy off the field, not really knowing the story.

Movie Night: ***** Hoosiers

Hoosiers is one of my favorite shows.  It came out in 1986.  It is a movie about a small town basketball team.  It is fictional, but loosely based on the story of Milan High School, 1952 and their state championship run.  In small towns, basketball can be the only show in town, and is followed by everyone.  At the same time, a person's whole life can be tied up with those few years of their high school playing years.  Coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) is coming back to the coaching profession, after a twelve year hiatus.  His last coaching was at the university level, and he was suspended for punching one of his players.  He had spent ten years in the navy.  He teaches fundamentals, starting with basics, and insisting the players follow what he says.  However, by the end of the year, he is listening to the opinion of his players, but is still the coach.  Dennis Hooper was nominated in a supportive role for his role as the assistant coach, Shooter.  His son plays on the team.  He has a drinking problem.  Even so he assists.  The pressure gets to him and he relapses.  He is in the hospital as the team plays for the state championship.  Shooter's reaction to the game as he listens on the radio are just classic.  I highly recommend this movie.

Movie Night: ***^ O'Henry's Full House

This is a movie which present five short stories of O'Henry and is narrated by John Steinbeck.  Some of the stories were familiar to me.  The first is "The Cop and the Anthem."  This is the basis for a Red Skelton sketch.  Briefly, the story is of a "bum" who is down on his luck.  Winter is coming on, so he determines three months in jail would be nice and warm.  However he finds it difficult to get arrested.  He throws a rock through a window, and they chase someone else; he eats a fine meal with no means to pay, and gets thrown out.  Nothing seems to work.  He finds himself in a church, and his heart is pricked and he decides he should get a job and start a new life.  However he is arrested for vagrancy, and thrown in jail for three months, he gets what he wants, the second he doesn't want it.

The Clarion Call is a police story which pits a detective against his old friend he grew up with.  His friend turned out to be a criminal, who has just killed a man in a burglary.  However he holds a mark over the detective, a $1000 mark of money he loaned the detective.  He knows the detective cannot repay, and cannot turn him in as long as he is in his debt.  The detective gets out of the bind by getting the reward money offered by a paper for his arrest, and giving this to the criminal.

The third is "The Last Leaf,"  I recently reviewed the BYU version of this movie.  This version is more a period piece.  It does not have such a close relationship between the painter and the girls, but mostly one of acquaintance.  However the sacrifice of the painter is just as real as he paints his masterpiece.

The Ransom of Red Chief is well done and very funny.  It is about a kidnapping.  The con men have an old car which is humorous all to itself.  I am pretty sure there is a Don Knots movie of the same theme (No Deposit No Return.)  This movie is very funny, as the family enjoys a couple days without their terror of a son, and the kidnappers are forced ts pay him parents to take him back. 

The last movie is "The Gift of the Magi."  There is a similar movie with Marie Osmond.  This version is very well done as well.  It does not show what their pride and joys are, but shows the anguish at getting money to but Christmas.  There is no bonus this year, but she has the barber cut her hair for a wig, and she is able to but a chain for his watch.  He sells his watch so as to get combs for her hair.  They know they love each other after they have given their most priced possession for the other.

This movie is worthy of watching.  I got it through Netflix DVD.  The first they sent was broken and they had to send another copy.

Movie Night: ****Star Trek (2009)

This is Star Trek takes an aside, because some Romulon (Eric Bana) makes Black Holes which allow him to go back through time, which he does to take vengeance on The Federation.  In the future, Spock attempted to save the Romulon World, and failed.  Major changes to history are the death of Captain James T. Kirk's father on the day of his birth; and the destruction of the Vulcan world, along with Spock's mother.  Spock (Zachary Quinto) is able to save only about 10,000 of the billion or so souls of Vulcan.  The other plot change is that Kirk (Chris Pine) is a junior officer, who is kicked off the ship for his brash ways.  Spock, who was first officer becomes the Captain as previous Captain is taken captive by Nero, the crazy Romulon.  A plot twist is the elder Spock showing up and coaching Captain Kirk, his oldest and truest friend.  Present day Spock and Captain have not been friends, but they need to if they are going to save Earth from the crazy Romulon.

Movie Night: **** Goodbye Mr. Chips

This is the 1969 movie musical which stars Peter O'Toole as Arthur Chipping (Mr. Chips) and Petula Clark as Katherine Bridges.  This a movie about two people from two different worlds, Chipping a school master and Bridges an actress, who fall in love with each other and make a life together.  This is a musical, but at times seems less so because many of the song have been relegated to to being sung under the action, rather than in the fashion of a musical.  Petula Clark is a terrific singer.  Peter O' Toole sounds like Don Quijote through most of the movie.  However this movie proved to be very effective with me.  I was drawn into the story, and was weeping at the end of the story.  This is a passing of time story, showing Mr. Chips before meeting his wife, falling in love, bringing her to the school, being over looked for promotion, and then going through the war and the death of his wife due to The Battle of London.  We then see him briefly after.  The coming of age song, I find very touching:

In the morning of my life I shall look to the sunrise.
At a moment in my life when the world is new.
And the blessing I shall ask is that God will grant me,
To be brave and strong and true,
And to fill the world with love my whole life through.

(Chorus)
And to fill the world with love
And to fill the world with love
And to fill the world with love my whole life through

In the noontime of my life I shall look to the sunshine,
At a moment in my life when the sky is blue.
And the blessing I shall ask shall remain unchanging.
To be brave and strong and true,
And to fill the world with love my whole life through

(Chorus)

In the evening of my life I shall look to the sunset,
At a moment in my life when the night is due.
And the question I shall ask only I can answer.
Was I brave and strong and true?
Did I fill the world with love my whole life through?

(Chorus)


I think this movie becomes more poignant as one gets older.  I really enjoyed it.

Movie Night: ****Carousel

This is a classical musical picture.  It is the 1956 adaptation of the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein Musical.  It has the classic song, "You'll Never Walk Alone" twice.  For this alone it is worthy of watching.  This show presents the unlikely marriage of Billy Bigelow (Gordon MacRae and Julie Jordon (Shirley MacLaine.)  Billy is a carousel barker and Julie a factory worker.  Some of the music is contrived and forgettable.  People singing about the clams they are eating doesn’t quite cut it.  However this musical has more great music than I remembered.  “If I Loved You” is fun as the characters explore whether or not the really would ever get married, and then they do.  MacRae does the "Soliloquy" after finding out his wife is pregnant in which he sings to his future baby.  When he realizes he might have a baby, he realizes he needs some money.  For some reason he is not willing to take a job in the fish industry.  He decides to go with his pal and rob a business man.  This doesn't work out, and he ends up dead.  However, he is given a chance to come back and influence his daughter for good.  The speech of Dr. Seldon at his daughter's graduation is classic:   I - I can't tell you any sure way to happiness. I only know that you've gotta go out and find it for yourselves. You can't lean on the success of your parents. That's their success. And don't be held back by their failures...

  Makes no difference what they did or didn't do. You just stand on your own two feet. The world belongs to you as much as to the next fella, so don't give it up. And try not to be scared of people not liking you, just you try liking them. And just keep your faith, and your courage, and you'll turn out all right. It's like what we used to sing every morning when I was a boy. Maybe you still sing it: "When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high." You know that one?
 The show then ends with "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Movie Night: *****Brave

Brave is a very popular Disney Pixar movie released in 2012.  I am seeing it through Netflix DVD.   This movie is set in the Scottish Highlands.  I love their accents.  The theme of this movie is mother daughter relationships, and overcoming pride. This movie has a very interesting plot.  Merida and her mother are at odds over her having to marry a young man from a different clan so as to strengthen relationships between clans.  Merida would like to fall in love, and choose her own husband.  In her conflict with her queen mother, she runs away.  While away she comes upon a witch, who gives her a potion to change her mother and thus her fate.  The potion turns her mother into a bear.  Her father hates bears, having lost his leg to a bear attack.  Merida has to get mother out of the house, and switch her back.  Meanwhile her triplet younger brothers also get turned into bear cubs.  Merida finds out the key to restoring mother is to mend her pride in terms of her relationship with her mother.  There are a couple stand out quotes, having to be responsible for our own futures:

Merida: [voice over] Some say our destiny is tied to the land, as much a part of us as we are of it. Others say fate is woven together like a cloth, so that one's destiny intertwines with many others. It's the one thing we search for, or fight to change. Some never find it. But there are some who are led.

Merida: [voice over] Some say fate is beyond our command, but I know better. Our destiny is within us. You just have to be brave enough to see it.

This is a feel good show.  It have a positive motivational theme.  Tony and I enjoyed it together.

Movie Night: ****^ Young Mr. Lincoln

This is a 1939 black and white movie available through instant Netflix.  It is directed by John Ford and Henry Fonda plays M. Lincoln.  This is not the way you would expect a Lincoln movie to go.  Instead this movie touches Lincoln as a man, a fallible, sometimes humorous, melancholy man.  He is truly an enigma.  There are those scenes where he can control a crowd with his wit and humor an courage; then there are those times when he talks down about himself.  This movie is truly a masterpiece.  Henry Fonda does a superb job.  I learned things about Abraham Lincoln I didn't know.  He likely had a love when he was young, who succumbed to typhoid.  He was melancholy, and subject to bouts of depression.  This movie also presents Lincoln as a lawyer, and it was as spellbinding as Perry Mason.  I recommend this movie.  Here is a longer review of this comparing it to another Lincoln movie.
http://www.criticsatlarge.ca/2012/11/abraham-lincoln-myth-and-man.html

Movie Night: ^ Saturday Night Fever

I ordered this movie from Netflix.  I must have not looked well as it was rated R.  I wanted to watch the music and the dancing, but couldn't get through more than 10 minutes because of the excessive F' word usage.  I could tell it was only going to get worse.  I do not recommend this movie.  I understand there is a PG version which is toned down, but didn't see it available through Netflix.

Movie Review: ***Imagining Argentina

I do not usually venture into R rated fare, unless it is for a historical presentation that I feel it is important to see--"Killing Fields," "Schindler's List" etc.  This movie is rated R and I recommend it for me, but not necessarily for others.  I watched it because it deals with a bad time in the history of Argentina--The Dirty War.  It was a bad time, because it pitted the government against the people.
This movie shows some pretty bad stuff, but I think it was worse in real life.  It shows the use of rape, electricity, water and blunt force as means of torture.  It shows throwing someone from a helicopter over the River to drown as a means of death.  It also shows machine gunning people in a group.  I know these things happened.  The government claimed they were fighting terrorists.  In the movie it showed the net extending beyond terrorists.  Emma Thompson and Antonio Banderas play husband and wife, Cecilia and Carlos Rueda.  Cecilia is a journalist, and writes an article about some youth who disappeared.  She herself becomes part of the disappeared as a result.  Carlos looks for her.  He discovers an ability to psychically see what was happened to some of the disappeared.  His business, the theater becomes a target.  People are taken from a church, who are trying to bring to light the disappearances. 
In real life I was told about the people teaching the illiterate being a target as a group.  I met a doctor who had been taken, because he treated someone who had been shot.  Often those taken were young people.  I saw a government out of control, stopping people at random with no cause.  Spying on their own citizens.
I tried to see if people were actually taken from a church, but could not verify this.  However I have heard, through a documentary movie of people being tortured with rape, and thrown from airplanes.  The movie also shows people being tortured during soccer games.  I was there during the World Cup, and heard people were tortured while the torturers listened or watched the matches.
This movie comes to a resolution.  I would not say a happy ending, but a type of resolution.  Those were bad times in Argentina.  They have come out the other side.  Some of the military officers were trialed and sent to life in prison.  However as of 1989 Presidente Menem pardoned those on both sides saying it was time to move on.  As far as the movie goes, Bandera does a good job, Thompson does not have much to act about, she is kidnapped early, and always seen in a beaten down trodden state.  There are others from the theater, one of whom is killed, and their daughter.

Movie Night: **^The Marvelous Land of Oz: You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuX8Jzv6_ZA
This is a dramatic production from Children's Musical Theater of Minnesota.  It was presented in 1981.  This musical follows pretty well the book, leaving out a few parts as would be expected.  It has all the characters important in the book, Tip, Scarecrow, Nick Chopper the Tin Woosdman, Jack Pumpkinhead, Woogle Bug, Glinda, Jinjur, Jellia, Mombi. I really disliked Mombi's character.  She was too witchy and had too large a part.  In reading the book she was more a mean sorceress, although she was ugly.  She dominated the show in an ugly way.  However the Tinman, Scareacrow and Tip were very good.  The music was forgettable.  I did find the song of Glinda talking to Tip enjoyable.  "Look to your own heart for there you will find the courage to face tomorrow.  There's no other heart that knows, look to your own heart."

Movie Night: ***McLintock! (1963)

This is a classic John Wayne movie.  It also stars Maureen O'Hara.  It is a Western remaking of the "Taming of the Shrew."  It tells the story of a cattle ranching area accepting into the community homesteaders.  G.W.'s (McLintock) wife left him a couple years earlier, but has returned to petition for divorce, and to take their daughter with her to the territorial capital.  G.W. refuses.  He is still not sure why she left, but things are not right between them.
Things are also not right between the Native Americans and the area settlers, and the government.  They have released the chiefs of the Comanche, but want them to move to a different reservation.  There is a negotiation, which was decided before the hearing, that the move had to take place.  The Native Americans saw they will not go, and would rather die in battle.
Add to this is the courtship of their daughter, with a college educated dandy, versus a young man her father has hired.  This movie has lots of nice characters, but the two that sparkle ware G.W. and his wife.  In fact it boils over with a good beating in the end.  The chase scene, on foot no less, with G.W. in pursuit is a classic.
These events take place around the town of McLintock.  We see the Fourth of July celebration with races and games and dances.  There is the city fight in the mud.  McLintock helps the Indians to escape, with the hopes of forcing an investigation, and thereby exposes the poor treatment they have received from the governor and the agent.
Drawbacks to this movie are the caricature of an elderly Native American as a drunk always looking for a party with whiskey.  There are also portrayals of white individuals with drinking issues, including McLintock, but not as caricatured.  Also I do not condone spousal abuse. (It was a different era.)

Movie Night: ****^ High Road to China

This movie is Tom Selleck at his best.  This is a 1983 adventure  movie based in the 1920s.  It was put out by Golden Harvest/Warner Brothers.  This movie was made in the wake of "Raiders of the Lost Ark."  Tom Selleck plays Patrick O'Malley, a pilot who teaches lessons, drinks too much and womanizes too much.  He and his two planes are offered employment by Eve Tozer (Bess Armstrong) who needs to find her father (Wilford Brimley) and get him to a British court, or he will be proclaimed dead by her father's partner in business, Bentik.  His partner is with out morals, and will do anything to get his way, including murder.  Jack Weston portrays Struts, his mechanic and drinking buddy. 
The movie is filmed in Yugoslavia.  O'Malley and Tozer fly all over, having great adventures looking for her father.  They fall into the hands of Suleman Khan, who wants to use the plans to drop bombs on the English.  This does not work out and O'Malley drops bombs on the Khan's camp instead, allowing his friends to escape.  They go farther and farther into the back country, arriving in Nepal.  The elder who tells them where to go to find her father advises, "The oz is slow, but the earth is patient."  Bentik sends a fighter pilot to stop their travels.  He destroys one of the planes, but O'Malley meets him in a dog fight with the other, which he wins of course.
They then travel to China where her father is conducting a war against a Chinese emperor.  Father explains that the company is not where the wealth is, but in the patents which are still in his and daughter's name.

This movie is fun.  It turns out to be romantic comedy in addition to adventure.  The two planes used are vintage, and not actually destroyed.

Mormon Movie Review: ****Star Child

 Star Child is a recording of a dramatic performance (1999). It  is the sequel to Saturday's Warrior.  Doug Stewart wrote the book and lyrics.  Gaye Beeson wrote the music.  There are things to not like with this movie, but also things to cherish.  As I watched several times I was moved to tears.  At times the lyrics are very moving.  (lyrics from my memory as I could not find them on internet.)

I promise, I promise, I promise to bring,
On the day that we marry, hands that are clean
That angels may help us achieve every dream
Of endless forever, with you are my queen.
I promise I promise, of this I am sure
I promise to bring you a heart that is pure
That angels may help us achieve every dream
Of endless forever with you as my king.

Oh if there's a person, who can give my life meaning
Then please reach out, take my hand

Follow the light that's in you
Don't be afraid it will guide you
Follow and you'll know
The safest way to go,
If you follow, follow the light.

For the most part it is well presented.  Elder Green however was painful to listen to.  He was off key too often.

I must admit, looking at the college dating scene was not fun, and caused me to have nightmares.  It was a hard time for me.  I don't think people are so focused on finding a mate, even if they are at BYU.  It was a shallow cliche for everyone's character.

This movie does not end all happy like Saturday's Warrior.  Chuck and Marie don't marry, as they promised each other in the preexistence.  But Chuck does find Larry, and he is converted to the gospel.

I saw a stage production in college.  My date didn't like the ending.  I was OK with it.  It is more important to remember we are Heavenly Father's children, than whose child we are on Earth. 

Movie Night: ***^Man in the Iron Mask

This movie is very enjoyable.  It stars Lenonardo DiCaprio in a dual role as King Louis and his twin brother, Prince Phillip.  The pretest of this movie, is that Prince Phillip has been hidden since birth, as there can only be on heir.  When King Louis is crowned  , he has his brother imprisoned, with an iron mask over his face, so no one can see his face and see that he looks like the king.  He is never told why he is imprisoned.  He does not know he is the king's brother.

And there enter the musketeers.  They have been given a much smaller role, and in fact are mostly on the outside looking in, except for D'artagnan who is captain of the guard.  He is also a secret lover of the queen.  King Louis betrays the son of Athos, (John Malkovich) sending him to the front lines where he will be sure to die in war.  He does this, so he can have his fiance, as he uses many women.  Porthos, who needs adventure, and Aramis, who leads the rebellion determine to bring down the king.  Aranis is privy to information about Prince  Phillip, and the steal him from jail.  They hope to replace the king  with the prince.  However, can they teach him to be regal in just a few weeks, the time they have before a masquerade ball, when they hope to make the switch.

This movie is suspenseful and intriguing.  Malkovich is always good, and as the father who loses his son does a good job.  There is some sexual inuendo, and the King seems to be often in bed with different women.  I would recommend this movie, and will probably view it again.

Movie Night: ****^ Love Never Dies

I watched this through Netflix DVD.  It is a 2012 production.
Love Never Dies is the continuation of Phantom of the Opera.  It is an Andrew Lloyd Webber production.
There are a couple of songs that stand out, and summarize the musical.  The Phantom fled Paris to Coney Island in New York.  Ten years later he gets Christine Daae to follow.  She brings her husband and ten year old son.  In the second song, "Love Never Dies" is the hint of the ending.

Look With Your Heart by Love Never Dies Cast
[Christine]
Love's a curious thing, it often comes disguised
Look at love the wrong way, it goes unrecognized

So look with your heart, and not with your eyes
The heart understands, the heart never lies
Believe what it feels, and trust what it shows
Look with your heart, the heart always knows
Love is not always beautiful, not at the start

So open your arms, and close your eyes tight
Look with your heart, and when it finds love, your heart will be right

Learn from someone who knows, make sure you don't forget
Love you misunderstand is love that you'll regret

[Gustave]
Mother?
Look with your heart, and not with your eyes
The heart can't be fooled

[Christine]
The heart is too wise

[Gustave]
Forget what you think

[Christine]
Ignore what you hear

[Christine and Gustave]
Look with your heart, it always sees clear

[Gustave]
Love is not always beautiful, not at the start

[Christine]
But open your arms, and close your eyes tight
Look with your heart, and when it finds love, your heart will be right

Love Never Dies by Love Never Dies Cast
Christine:
Who knows when love begins, who knows what makes it start
One day it's simply there, a life inside your heart
It slips into your thoughts, it infiltrates your soul
It takes you by surprise, then seizes full control
Try to deny it and try to protest
But love won't let you go, once you've been possessed

Love never dies, love never falters
Once it has spoken, love is yours
Love never fails, love never alters
Hearts may get broken, love endures
Hearts may get broken, love endures

And soon as you submit, surrender flesh and bone
That love takes on a life much bigger than your own
It uses you at whim, and drives you to despair
And forces you to feel more joy than you can bear
Love gives you pleasure and love brings you pain
And yet, when both are gone, love will still remain

Once it has spoken, love is yours
Love never dies, love never alters
Hearts may get broken, love endures
Hearts may get broken...

Love never dies, love will continue
Love keeps on beating, when you're gone
Love never dies, once it is in you
Life may be fleeting, love lives on
Life may be fleeting
Love lives on