Past Tense - Boy Becomes A Man, Becomes A King Part I


[An earlier version of this PT was originally posted on May 21st, 2015 on JoBlo's "DVD, Blu-Ray & Home Theater Discussion" forum.]

This outing we get a sleeper gem; how magic with heart can create a modern classic - "Stardust"...



The motion picture opened on August 10th, 2007. It was made with a budget of $70,000,000 (estimated) and grossed over $38 million during its U.S. theatrical run; counting foreign receipts it made $135,560,026. The film opened number four at the box office, the following week it dropped to number five.

The feature opened against "The Bourne Ultimatum", "The Simpsons Movie" and "Rush Hour 3".

There was no slipcover issued, nor any inserts. This streeted on December 18th, 2007 for $29.99.

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Bought my copy not on street, but in January 2008 - a blind buy, based on overwhelming positive reviews.

There was a single exclusive from from Wal-Mart.



This was an added slipcover, post release. A tactic that Wal-Mart is well known for... tricking you into thinking an older release was new. I am sorry, fuzzy on the release.

Can't give an exact date. I should've, but didn't make notes, I apologize. I can tell you it happened in 2010 and sold for $9.98.

This was only seen for two weeks on the racks. Poof, gone - like it never happened; have no idea how rare this thing is. The backside is different from the case's wraparound.



Above is the regular DVD cover.

And yes, I was naughty once again to acquire. *cough*

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Rant.

While researching I made some discoveries - which saddens me.



Movie was released on February 25th, 2008 in the United Kingdom for £19.99.

This region 2 DVD came with an extra missing from the U.S. release - commentary by writer/director Matthew Vaughn and co-writer Jane Goldman.

Came on Blu-Ray (region 1) on September 7th, 2010 for $29.99. This carried over the commentary and added a five part documentary, "Crossing The Wall: The Making Of Stardust". Plus a featurette, "Nothing Is True" along with the rest of the DVD extras.

*sigh*

Too bad this wasn't re-released on DVD as a deluxe edition - would buy in a heartbeat; two disc set?

Found some other trivia, that most have forgotten. *nods*

Paramount announced the home video release on August 27th, 2007 - two weeks after the film opened across America. That's pretty damn quick. Perhaps it was done since they felt, at the time it was bombing. Get it out as fast as possible to recoup their losses. Not the case when counting foreign box offices.

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Invisible reflections now rendered in blood.
- Dust Is Noise

This was the failed big screen adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel of the same name. The movie is different than the book, but in a nice way.

I am not alone - this is such an endearing movie. I put it into the same category as "The Princess Bride" (1987). It's just that good, lightening in a bottle. Hell, that's even a plot point; can not say enough good things about this.

At its heart, this is a coming of age story. Since not that many or enough have seen...

It is the late 1800s in England, the English village of "Wall". The place is named after a long wall that's near the locale.

Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox) is infatuated with the prettiest girl in town, Victoria (Sienna Miller). But he's a wannabe and is one of many who seek Victoria's attention. Tristan sees a falling star and thinks this will be his way in. She agrees to marry him if he brings the fallen rock to her. She knows he has a zero chance and was said to make him stop pestering her.

Tristan is delighted he will finally get the girl of his dreams and goes to seek the meteorite, but his path is blocked by an old man who guards the stone wall next to town which is named after. And gets beaten up by the elderly fellow, 'you can not pass'.

There is a good reason - that stone barrier is actually a real barrier... to an alternate Earth. A place called, Stormhold. A place where magik exist.



Tristan manages to jump over the wall and ends up on the other side. Too stupid or innocent to realize, he continues his quest to find that rock. He locates the impact site, but not a meteorite - a young woman, Yvaine (Claire Danes). She's an Eternal who has come down - to live life like a mortal, an act of rebellion.

The promise remains - Victoria will marry him when presented with the falling star. Okay, this is a person. He chains her and forces her to go with him, saying he promises to let her go once shown to his would-be wife.

While this is going on, the king of Stormhold (Peter O'Toole) is dying, on his death bed. As is their custom, the royal enchanted jewel necklace is ejected from the castle. It's somewhere in the kingdom. The king has several sons who want the throne.

The first who finds it - of royal blood will become king. The hunt for the jewel begins.



The ruthless of the sons, Septimus (Mark Strong) murders his siblings to increase his odds. Seeking info on where the jewel might be, he learns of Yvaine and the legend that accompany such an event. If Yvaine's heart is taken (cut out) and eaten, the person will become immortal... an immortal king. His quest goes into two directions from that point; find that necklace and that Eternal.

Adding to the trouble is a trio of old witches - "The Lilim" who want Yvaine too. Their alpha, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) wants the fallen star to regain her beauty, forever young. Forever powerful.

While finding the spot where Yvaine fell was mostly easy. Tristan gets lost in Stormhold and discovers what's going on and does his best to protect her; far more than a wedding gift/meeting. This takes the couple on an adventure over land and in the air once they meet a sky pirate, Captain Shakespeare (Robert de Niro), a fellow traveler from Earth who decided to stay in Stormhold, it was profitable. He has a cool arc.

It is during this time that Tristan grows and sees his quest as a foolish one. He didn't really love Victoria. Yvaine grows as someone he admires and fallen for... the feeling is mutual. But this coupling takes a back seat because of Septimus and Lamia.



It culminates in an epic, yes used correctly - 'epic' sword fight between Septimus and Tristan at the castle; quite inventive. I'll stop here. There's a lot more that happens.

Still amazed this remains a sleeper, so under rated. Years from now folks will be wondering 'why didn't we hear about this earlier?'

By the way, a pre-famous Henry Cavill plays Humphrey, one of the sons. And Ricky Gervais steals his scenes as Ferdy The Fence, turns out most of his lines were ad libbed.



Above; Lamia seeking information from Ferdy about the whereabouts of the fallen star. The movie is fried gold, do seek it out. And no Shakespeare isn't Shakespeare, he took that name since it sounded violent; shake-spear to cut up and kill. *wink*

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Void.

I have so many to write about. But I want to focus on just two this time. Welcome to Volume Four of "Dead TV Shows Not On Home Video". Yes we're in filler country, taste the void - it has hints of cinnamon. *nods*



"OceanQuest" - This former show aired on NBC in 1985. It was a pseudo-documentary, hour long series. Sea adventurer/underwater cinematographer and documentarian, Al Giddings wanted to do a show focused on ocean environments and conservation. How to get the public on board?

Get a person with zero diving experience - put them in a crash course SCUBA training and free style diving. And take this novice around the globe; film on location (not video tape). We experience these undersea explorations through their eyes. That person... a hot girl, who spends most of her time in high cut swim wear. *nods* A winning combination that - didn't. It was panned by critics and failed to find an audience.

Who did they get? The 1980 Miss USA and [B[Miss Universe[/B] (won both in the same year) - Shawn Weatherly, above. She played an active role, not simply eye candy. She was serious about her involvement.

For purposes of dramatic clarity, some scenes have been re-created and the order of events rearranged.
- opening narration

A beautiful woman is pushed to the limit when she trades a year of her life for a lifetime of adventure.
- NBC promo voice over

It was a single season, all five episodes aired. What sticks in my mind was Weatherly appearing on "Late Night With David Letterman" (NBC) promoting the show. Her appearance was near Christmas. The set was adorn with festive decorations.