John's Movie Musings

A moment of silence is needed. This week, Netflix shipped my last HD DVD. After Stardust, I'm all Blu...and blue.

On that note, for those of you with HDTVs w/ HDMI, the upscaling DVD players out there give an outstanding picture for your standard DVDs. At around $100, they make a great stopgap until Blu-Ray gets cheaper.

When Stardust was released last summer, the critics were calling it the next Princess Bride. Hellooooo blasphemy.

Look at that poster. See Claire Danes? Not Buttercup. See the effeminate man-girl in the tranchcoat? Not Cary Elwes. He tries, but fails. I have no doubt that Robert De Niro could play a believable Andre the Giant. But he doesn't, so it doesn't count. Oh, and the other lady up there in the corner is Michelle Pfeiffer. I have no idea what rock she's been hiding under all these years, but it sure kept her purdy.

So yeah, Stardust is not The Princess Bride. But on its own, it's an outstanding movie. It's quirky, it's fun, it's sweet, and you'll enjoy every minute of it (well, most of it).

Remember when you saw Claire Danes in Romero & Juliet and you fell in love with her? Then, when you saw her in Shopgirl, you kicked her to the curb? In Stardust, you fall in love with her again (You fickle bastard). Of everyone, she and Michelle Pfeiffer were cast the best.

The rest of the cast is great, too. Even though I made fun of him (her?) earlier, the main guy does a good job. And I won't spoil it, but De Niro plays one of his more memorable roles, hehe. Seeing the rest of the more famous faces pop up is great, with each getting a proper entry.

One thing I found odd is the director's choice to make this rated PG-13. There's nothing overtly offensive, but I thought it was an odd rating for what amounts to a fairy tale. Perhaps that's what killed it in the box office.

Anyway, go rent this. It's a few hours well worth your time.

Grade: A