CLAIRE DANES, left, plays Yvaine, a fallen star who embarks on an adventure with Tristan (Charlie Cox) in ‘Stardust.’
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Stardust shines; Jane bland
BY: Keith Cohen, Movie Reviewer
STARDUST
PG-13
The vivid imaginations of best-selling British author Neil Gaiman and director Matthew Vaughn combine in this thrilling fantasy adventure. This romantic tale shows how far a young man is willing to go to win the heart of his true love.
Country bumpkin Tristan Thorne (newcomer Charlie Cox in an impressive debut) is a shop boy by day and a peeping Tom at night. The object of his infatuation is Victoria (Sienna Miller), the hottest-looking gal in town. She promises to marry Tristan if he brings her back a falling star in one week. It turns out the star is transformed into a beautiful, spirited young woman (a radiant Claire Danes) with a broken leg. She was knocked out of the sky by a royal ruby necklace tossed by the dying king of Stormhold (Peter O'Toole).
The king's seven stupid and evil sons are vying to succeed to the throne. They are busy murdering each other. The three surviving princes are thorny obstacles to Tristan's quest. He is also up against a horrible old witch (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her two sisters who believe the heart of the star is the proverbial fountain of youth.
Robert DeNiro gets in on the fun with an over-the-top comedic performance as a cross-dressing pirate captain of a flying ship. Kudos also go out to David Kelly (“Waking Ned Devine” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) who plays the steadfast sentry posted at the cobblestone wall that separates the mortal villagers from a supernatural parallel universe.
This epic is done on a grand scale filled with tongue-in-cheek humor. Its winning recipe mixes ingredients from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Princess Bride” and “The Witches of Eastwick.”
Ian McKellen is a perfect choice as the narrator. The fabulous musical score is powerful. The stunning sets, breathtaking panoramic vistas, jaw-dropping special effects and expert makeup work are additional strengths.
The movie is full of important messages that include be yourself and be careful what you wish for.
There is never a dull moment as this attractive star-studded cast takes you on a magical journey. This movie puts an exclamation point on an unforgettable cinematic summer.
BECOMING JANE
PG
This movie loses credibility by being advertised as a biographical portrait of the early years of author Jane Austen and the love affair that gave her the inspiration for her writings. It is historically inaccurate and based solely on a couple of letters written by Jane to her sister Cassandra and an admission by Tom Lefroy in old age that he had once been in “boyish love” with Austen.
The movie is a speculative flight of unsubstantiated fancy. With this flimsy foundation, a clunky and formulaic script attempts to imitate Austen's literary approach to romance.
Anne Hathaway (“The Devil Wears Prada”) plays the lead role of a feisty 22-year-old country girl with a profound mind. She plays the piano and gives readings of her pen-to-paper scribblings. Her parents (James Cromwell and Julie Walters) want her to marry a wealthy man. Her mother's advice is that affection from a spouse is desirable, but money is absolutely indispensable. Jane believes that happiness can best be achieved by marrying for love instead.
She is attracted to a young Irish barrister (James McAvoy of “The Last King of Scotland”) who is penniless and charming. Wealthy local aristocrat Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith) provides her stuck-up nephew as a viable suitor. The movie takes a superficial approach offering no emotional depth.
Hathaway and McAvoy are nice to look at, but they lack the necessary chemistry to generate a rooting interest from viewers. The wow factor is missing since Hathaway is rather bland and doesn't possess a magnetic personality.
The movie's strengths are the photogenic Irish countryside (standing in for England), a glorious classical music score and the elaborately designed ball gowns and formal attire representative of the period.
There are some witty lines of dialogue and the exchange of a passionate kiss is a highlight moment.
Women in the audience will appreciate the flirtatious glances, proper manners and refined etiquette indicative of customary courting behavior.
The movie's major failure is its inability to make the words on a page from one of the greatest writers of English literature come alive on screen. You need to read Austen's novels to truly appreciate her genius in matters of the heart and soul.
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PG-13The vivid imaginations of best-selling British author Neil Gaiman and director Matthew Vaughn combine in this thrilling fantasy adventure. This romantic tale shows how far a young man is willing to go to win the heart of his true love.
Country bumpkin Tristan Thorne (newcomer Charlie Cox in an impressive debut) is a shop boy by day and a peeping Tom at night. The object of his infatuation is Victoria (Sienna Miller), the hottest-looking gal in town. She promises to marry Tristan if he brings her back a falling star in one week. It turns out the star is transformed into a beautiful, spirited young woman (a radiant Claire Danes) with a broken leg. She was knocked out of the sky by a royal ruby necklace tossed by the dying king of Stormhold (Peter O'Toole).
The king's seven stupid and evil sons are vying to succeed to the throne. They are busy murdering each other. The three surviving princes are thorny obstacles to Tristan's quest. He is also up against a horrible old witch (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her two sisters who believe the heart of the star is the proverbial fountain of youth.
Robert DeNiro gets in on the fun with an over-the-top comedic performance as a cross-dressing pirate captain of a flying ship. Kudos also go out to David Kelly (“Waking Ned Devine” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) who plays the steadfast sentry posted at the cobblestone wall that separates the mortal villagers from a supernatural parallel universe.
This epic is done on a grand scale filled with tongue-in-cheek humor. Its winning recipe mixes ingredients from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Princess Bride” and “The Witches of Eastwick.”
Ian McKellen is a perfect choice as the narrator. The fabulous musical score is powerful. The stunning sets, breathtaking panoramic vistas, jaw-dropping special effects and expert makeup work are additional strengths.
The movie is full of important messages that include be yourself and be careful what you wish for.
There is never a dull moment as this attractive star-studded cast takes you on a magical journey. This movie puts an exclamation point on an unforgettable cinematic summer.
BECOMING JANE
PGThis movie loses credibility by being advertised as a biographical portrait of the early years of author Jane Austen and the love affair that gave her the inspiration for her writings. It is historically inaccurate and based solely on a couple of letters written by Jane to her sister Cassandra and an admission by Tom Lefroy in old age that he had once been in “boyish love” with Austen.
The movie is a speculative flight of unsubstantiated fancy. With this flimsy foundation, a clunky and formulaic script attempts to imitate Austen's literary approach to romance.
Anne Hathaway (“The Devil Wears Prada”) plays the lead role of a feisty 22-year-old country girl with a profound mind. She plays the piano and gives readings of her pen-to-paper scribblings. Her parents (James Cromwell and Julie Walters) want her to marry a wealthy man. Her mother's advice is that affection from a spouse is desirable, but money is absolutely indispensable. Jane believes that happiness can best be achieved by marrying for love instead.
She is attracted to a young Irish barrister (James McAvoy of “The Last King of Scotland”) who is penniless and charming. Wealthy local aristocrat Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith) provides her stuck-up nephew as a viable suitor. The movie takes a superficial approach offering no emotional depth.
Hathaway and McAvoy are nice to look at, but they lack the necessary chemistry to generate a rooting interest from viewers. The wow factor is missing since Hathaway is rather bland and doesn't possess a magnetic personality.
The movie's strengths are the photogenic Irish countryside (standing in for England), a glorious classical music score and the elaborately designed ball gowns and formal attire representative of the period.
There are some witty lines of dialogue and the exchange of a passionate kiss is a highlight moment.
Women in the audience will appreciate the flirtatious glances, proper manners and refined etiquette indicative of customary courting behavior.
The movie's major failure is its inability to make the words on a page from one of the greatest writers of English literature come alive on screen. You need to read Austen's novels to truly appreciate her genius in matters of the heart and soul.
Comments on "Stardust shines; Jane bland"
Comments are limited to 200 words or less.Teresa wrote on Sep 7, 2007 8:49 AM:
" Based on information from your review of Goya's Ghosts, I'd like to see the film, however although indicated it is showing "exclusively at Leawood..." I have been able to find a show time or even confirmation that it has been released in our area. Will you please give more specific information so that I can plan a movie date? Thank you. "
Gary C. wrote on Sep 6, 2007 7:04 PM:
" Is it true that the temperature of Mars is rising?
If so doesn't it make all this hysteria about man-made global warming of Earth look pretty silly. Every generation has its Henny Penny.
Also, I heard that many in the 11th Hour audiance at Cannes fell asleep and so far it's generated only $400k in box office revenues. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. "