stardust review

as of late, I've been a fan of making impulsive decisions when it comes to arts and entertainment...if my intuition tells me I would like it, I would check it out. so far, it's landed me with a copy of "the time traveler's wife", which I love dearly, and also watching "stardust" at the theatres.

I had never before heard of the book, but after reading the pajiba review for it...I felt a strong urge to watch it. knowing that wormball might like it too, I dragged her to the theatres with me. the story could be classified as a fairy tale/adventure, I suppose, but is particularly unique in its self-awareness of its film genre and sincere storytelling...it's strangely honest and "realistic", even though the narrative includes witches, fallen stars, and a division between the "real" and the "magical". to summarize the film briefly, it is about a young man (tristan, played by charlie cox) who goes on a quest to catch a falling star in order to bring back to the girl he loves, victoria. once he finds the star (in the human form of yvaine, played by claire danes), they go through a series of challenges in order to get back home. I won't get into too many details - don't want to ruin the excitement of the film for you all.

what I loved most about the film is how it's really about growing up. it reminded me of "big fish" in that sense (also because of the stunning visuals)...that sometimes, we need to appreciate what's right in front of us and be open to the change that it may bring. let me end with a quote from the film that I thought was quite beautiful...

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.

oh yes, did I mention that Robert Deniro plays a flamboyant pirate in it? it's AWESOME. The cast also includes people like Ricky Gervais and Michelle Pfeiffer...