Post by Sara on Feb 18, 2008 18:41:35 GMT -5
Well, it was a Neil Gaiman holiday weekend for me, as I watched both Stardust and Mirrormask. I really enjoyed both of them, each for entirely different reasons.
Stardust is quite different from the novel it's based on, and yet I think it succeeds just fine on its own merits. No, the production values aren't quite up to the level of your average Hollywood film. Yes, the story's structure is much more conventional than the novel in a way that borders on the cliché (substituting the low-key resolution of the novel for an fx-heavy battle royale between the heroes and the baddies). But it had a straightforward, good-natured, maybe slightly cornball vibe that just worked for me. The performances were excellent from top to bottom, with the actors walking that fine line between fully committing to their role and yet not taking it or themselves too seriously. Standouts included Michelle Pfeiffer, deftly balancing the comic and the creepy; Charlie Cox, making a potentially bland character both likable and relatable; and Claire Danes, flawlessly conveying both the worldliness of someone who's watched humanity for centuries and the naivete of a being who is, for the first time, a participant instead of an observer. Besides, how can you not love a movie that has Robert DeNiro dancing to the can-can?
Mirrormask is, quite simply, one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen. Even the opening credits are fascinating to watch, much less what comes afterward. The story is deceptively simple, as all good fairy tales are, and yet you know it's one of those movies you could see a dozen times and still take away something new from each viewing (for one, I guarantee you'll never hear a particular Carpenters' song the same way again). The performances are terrific, especially considering how much of the acting was done on a blue-screen set. The only real... drawback, I guess, is that the visuals are so striking and fascinating you can actually get a bit distracted, thus losing your ability to remain emotionally connected to the story and characters. Although that didn't stop me from being on the edge of my seat toward the end of the movie when the question of the fate of a RW character was about to be answered.
All in all, two thumbs up.
Stardust is quite different from the novel it's based on, and yet I think it succeeds just fine on its own merits. No, the production values aren't quite up to the level of your average Hollywood film. Yes, the story's structure is much more conventional than the novel in a way that borders on the cliché (substituting the low-key resolution of the novel for an fx-heavy battle royale between the heroes and the baddies). But it had a straightforward, good-natured, maybe slightly cornball vibe that just worked for me. The performances were excellent from top to bottom, with the actors walking that fine line between fully committing to their role and yet not taking it or themselves too seriously. Standouts included Michelle Pfeiffer, deftly balancing the comic and the creepy; Charlie Cox, making a potentially bland character both likable and relatable; and Claire Danes, flawlessly conveying both the worldliness of someone who's watched humanity for centuries and the naivete of a being who is, for the first time, a participant instead of an observer. Besides, how can you not love a movie that has Robert DeNiro dancing to the can-can?
Mirrormask is, quite simply, one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen. Even the opening credits are fascinating to watch, much less what comes afterward. The story is deceptively simple, as all good fairy tales are, and yet you know it's one of those movies you could see a dozen times and still take away something new from each viewing (for one, I guarantee you'll never hear a particular Carpenters' song the same way again). The performances are terrific, especially considering how much of the acting was done on a blue-screen set. The only real... drawback, I guess, is that the visuals are so striking and fascinating you can actually get a bit distracted, thus losing your ability to remain emotionally connected to the story and characters. Although that didn't stop me from being on the edge of my seat toward the end of the movie when the question of the fate of a RW character was about to be answered.
All in all, two thumbs up.