It was quite a wonderful weekend for busy people like me who hecticly spent the days entirely at work. Nothing else matters most than work. And its all the while always been...work...work...and work. Always work. How can't you be seduced by temptation of work when knowing the earning you'll be getting at the ned of the month? No work...no pay? The earning salary that really paays off in supporting a living in big city. And due to that reason, despite the idea of finding ways to pause my exhausted mind to slight rest, that had me pop up into the feeling of watching a movie last weekend. So I went and its the Stardust that I chose to watch, one selected movie title from the number of recent good movies listing on screening. Its just after the movie ended, felt like I just had a small deep breath and floating myself into a fairy tale movie of a fallen star, magics and in searching the values of 'true love' despite triggering my critical & practical engineering mind with the duo function of flying+sailing Cptn Shakespeare's Ship.
One of the main reasons people go to see movies is to escape the reality of their lives and immerse themselves in the story being told or to just simply be entertained. Instead of doing nothing or ended up in bed with lots of sleeps, I like to escape by watching a good movie. To me it’s like therapy. This one is a superb choice for doing just that. What a journey! Sure, this might not exactly be the best fantasy movie ever made, but it does the job of transporting you to another world full of magic and wonder. It’s like that bedtime story that you never got tired of hearing as a child. I would be so bold as to say that it’s the next best fantasy since the Chronicles of Narnia and the three sequels of The Pirates of the Caribean movies.Stardust provides the awe-inspiring fantasy that usually attracts
saucer-eyed young ones, but doesn't shy away from murder, dark magic, and adult jokes. It's a breath of fresh air after months of summer blockbusters aimed squarely at male teenagers. Stardust promises storybook adventure for grownups, who require (and deserve) a little fairy dust blown their way from time to time.It's not a blimp, it's a zeppelin!
A good measure of the success of a fairy tale film such as this one is the
connection one makes with its characters. This fairy tale does not fall short. The character development was just enough to get you hooked and to feel for each of them individually. From the star, Yvaine, to Tristan’s mother (Kate Magowan), down to the first mate on Captain Shakespeare’s (Robert DeNiro) vessel, you get attached. Speaking of Captain Shakespeare! Words cannot describe DeNiro’s role in this movie. You will not believe your eyes. Priscilla was speechless. Another shocker is seeing Michelle Pfeiffer look old and ugly. But as old and ugly as she looked at some moments, she looked just as beautiful in others. She is another case of someone who defies time. My favorite character has got to be Yvaine, the star. Even though this was not a flawless performance by Claire, and Yvaine at first was a little hard to swallow, Claire’s beauty totally illuminated the character, literally. There are few things more precious than making a beautiful woman glow.
The plot of this film was quite imaginative and yet simple enough to follow comfortably. The dialogue, however, did not keep pace at times. Luckily the talented cast helped you get passed the rough edges. The cinematography also helped. Beautiful views and sets along with a modest amount of special effects and CGI helped preserve the illusion of being transported to this place. Writer/Director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) as a director in only his second major motion picture is off to a great start. We can expect wonderful things from Mr. Vaughn. In the meantime, be on the lookout for any falling stars, no not Lindsay or Britney, I mean from the sky.
If people would keep on comparing the novel with the movies, no one would ever make a movie from a novel if it would mean they have to please all those hardcore fans. There are certain limitations to a movie as there are certain limitations to a novel.
Anyways its a great FUN movie to watch. Dont watch it as a (trying) film critic. But instead watch it like when you were a kid. Just enjoying every second of the story and not counting how many deviations and errors it has from the novel. :)
Watching a movie is supposed to entertain... not to trivialize. To each his own i guess. :)
Parents need to know that although this highly entertaining fantasy will appeal to kids with its mix of swashbuckling adventure and romance, it's darker than cinematic cousins like The Princess Bride. It's surprisingly violent, with several deaths and lots of fights featuring knives and swords. The scenes in which an evil witch unleashes her fury are truly frightening (one with a voodoo doll may make even older tweens close their eyes), as is her transformation into an old hag. The subplots, including one about brothers vying for their father's crown trying to kill each other, may be too disturbing for younger kids.
Families can talk about what makes up a really good
adventure/love story. Is it sword fights? Scary villains? Handsome leading men and ladies? What's the appeal of fantasy tales like this one? Are violent scenes any less scary when they take place in a world of witches and flying ships? Families can also discuss Tristan's relationships with Victoria and Yvaine. Is Victoria worth the trouble he goes to? How is she different from Yvaine? How does the movie show Tristan's changing feelings toward the two women? And why does Lamia want to stay young forever? Is youth valued above all, especially on film?
Violence
Surprising amounts of fantasy/swashbuckling violence, including swordfights, knifings, and sorcery that ends in murder (a man drinks poison and keels over, another man is pushed off a ledge) and destruction. In one particularly brutal scene, a witch drowns a man with a voodoo doll and uses his body to try to stab another. In another scene, she slits a victim's throat. Animals are also killed for witchcraft, and Yvaine is being pursued so a sorceress can eat her heart.
Social Behavior
Backstabbing, literally and figuratively, of Shakespearean proportions. A father pits his sons against each other. Brothers murder each other (with knives, poison, etc.) in a bid to take their father's throne. Witch sisters scream at each other as they try to find Yvaine and kill her. A young woman demands a present from a suitor she doesn't like that much. A young man engages in a one-night stand that produces a son. There are also homophobic overtones in terms of how a pirate is portrayed.
The film is very much a fairy tale executed with tried and true formulas. There is nothing especially new or outrageous here, but there is a tremendous cast, a good script and much laughter. It’s loaded with charm and romanticism.
If people would keep on comparing the novel with the movies, no one would ever make a movie from a novel if it would mean they have to please all those hardcore fans. There are certain limitations to a movie as there are certain limitations to a novel.
Anyways its a great FUN movie to watch. Dont watch it as a (trying) film critic. But instead watch it like when you were a kid. Just enjoying every second of the story and not counting how many deviations and errors it has from the novel. :)
Watching a movie is supposed to entertain... not to trivialize. To each his own i guess. :)
Parents need to know that although this highly entertaining fantasy will appeal to kids with its mix of swashbuckling adventure and romance, it's darker than cinematic cousins like The Princess Bride. It's surprisingly violent, with several deaths and lots of fights featuring knives and swords. The scenes in which an evil witch unleashes her fury are truly frightening (one with a voodoo doll may make even older tweens close their eyes), as is her transformation into an old hag. The subplots, including one about brothers vying for their father's crown trying to kill each other, may be too disturbing for younger kids.
Families can talk about what makes up a really good
adventure/love story. Is it sword fights? Scary villains? Handsome leading men and ladies? What's the appeal of fantasy tales like this one? Are violent scenes any less scary when they take place in a world of witches and flying ships? Families can also discuss Tristan's relationships with Victoria and Yvaine. Is Victoria worth the trouble he goes to? How is she different from Yvaine? How does the movie show Tristan's changing feelings toward the two women? And why does Lamia want to stay young forever? Is youth valued above all, especially on film?Violence
Surprising amounts of fantasy/swashbuckling violence, including swordfights, knifings, and sorcery that ends in murder (a man drinks poison and keels over, another man is pushed off a ledge) and destruction. In one particularly brutal scene, a witch drowns a man with a voodoo doll and uses his body to try to stab another. In another scene, she slits a victim's throat. Animals are also killed for witchcraft, and Yvaine is being pursued so a sorceress can eat her heart.
Social Behavior
Backstabbing, literally and figuratively, of Shakespearean proportions. A father pits his sons against each other. Brothers murder each other (with knives, poison, etc.) in a bid to take their father's throne. Witch sisters scream at each other as they try to find Yvaine and kill her. A young woman demands a present from a suitor she doesn't like that much. A young man engages in a one-night stand that produces a son. There are also homophobic overtones in terms of how a pirate is portrayed.
The film is very much a fairy tale executed with tried and true formulas. There is nothing especially new or outrageous here, but there is a tremendous cast, a good script and much laughter. It’s loaded with charm and romanticism.
In all, Stardust is a joy.
A philosopher once asked, "Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human?" Pointless, really...”Do the stars gaze back?" Now *that's* a question.
Words & sentences said by Yvaine, the Fallen Star, from the movie script that really triggered my exhausted mind and make me drifted away in a romanticism & humanism are:-
~~*~~
"The little I know about love is that it's unconditional. It's not something you can buy.
~~*~~"The little I know about love is that it's unconditional. It's not something you can buy.
"This wasn't about me trying to buy her love. This was to prove to her how I felt. And what's she doing to prove how she feels about you?"
~~*~~
"You know when I said I knew little about love? That wasn't true. I know a lot about love. I've seen it, centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain, lies, hate... It made me want to turn away and never look down again. But when I see the way that mankind loves... You could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful. So yes, I know that love is unconditional. But I also know that it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing, and... What I'm trying to say, Tristan is... I think I love you. Is this love, Tristan? I never imagined I'd know it for myself. My heart... It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it's trying to escape because it doesn't belong to me any more. It belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I'd wish for nothing in exchange - no fits. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine."
~~*~~
The pitch is: it's Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Princess Bride...It has the same sense of humor as The Princess Bride, but it also, hopefully, matches Pirates in terms of the swashbuckling action and [special] effects.
~~*~~
"You know when I said I knew little about love? That wasn't true. I know a lot about love. I've seen it, centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain, lies, hate... It made me want to turn away and never look down again. But when I see the way that mankind loves... You could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful. So yes, I know that love is unconditional. But I also know that it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing, and... What I'm trying to say, Tristan is... I think I love you. Is this love, Tristan? I never imagined I'd know it for myself. My heart... It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it's trying to escape because it doesn't belong to me any more. It belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I'd wish for nothing in exchange - no fits. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine."
~~*~~
The pitch is: it's Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Princess Bride...It has the same sense of humor as The Princess Bride, but it also, hopefully, matches Pirates in terms of the swashbuckling action and [special] effects.
Gazing at the shining stars at nite...is my best interest since my small years as a kid. It makes me feel the peace inside...and to look up at the open dark sky and makes me feel so free & humble... and in peace it teaches me to appreciate the greatest POWER of the Great Creator..
I thank God for making the entire universe so perfectly...and its us human who never know how to appreciate to its best.
