Stardust:
Boy oh boy can Neil Gaiman concoct a story! Although it may seem like your typical fairy tale, Stardust is far more fresh than the time period it's set in with an artfully crafted plot line to boot. Granted, it is newly hatched out of theatres, but nevertheless Stardust made my inner seven year old shudder with dreams of princes and enchantment.
Promising his vain and vapid valentine to cross the wall surrounding their small English town and bring her back a falling star, Tristan Thorne begins an expedition in the name of love. He finds himself in the pit of an oversized crater, staring down a beautiful maiden (Yvane) who explains herself to be the falling star. Confused but contented with his findings, Tristan happily chains the wounded maiden with enchanted bindings and begins a long journey back towards his aptly named town of Wall. But where would a story be without hazards? Three evil witches, transfixed on the idea of ripping out Yvane's heart to regain their lost youth, conspire mercilessly to kill the star and her traveling companion.
In conversation it sounds like your average fairy tale with love, loss, and adventure all around, but really what you have is a majestic thrill-ride that, if nothing else, gives you Robert DeNiro in a dress.
Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer:
As enchanting as the title sounds, I promise that Perfume truly does have a fairy-tale charm about it. Told in one of those faux-historical "It Happened But You've Just Never Heard Of It" styles, Perfume circles around the life of the curiosity that is Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. An orphaned youth born in a Parisian fish market, Grenouille was blessed with a terrifying olfactory sense that would put Bloodhounds to shame. A social outcast because of his ironic lack of personal smell, he begins a mission to capture what he sees as the perfect scent: that of young women. And so begins the bloodbath, yet graciously there's nothing bloody about the murders that take place. Instead, all deaths are presented in a strangely majestic manor with pale-faced women lying on the gravel, looking more like sleeping beauties than attack victims.
The movie is a beauty, with both lush visuals and an enchanting story line. Quintessentially an adult fairy-tale, Perfume captivates the inner romantic in you and your inner child all in one foul swoop.
Next post: Required watchings for the philosopher in you.
Related: Praise The Box And Pass The Remote
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