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Starcrossed (2014)
Visualization
I did enjoy this movie, but is was only after long consideration afterwards. That said I am looking forward to watching it again sometime soon.
I guess this is where the spoilers alert might come into play, but not really sure.
The film clicked, finally, for me when I considered the premise that the opening scenes at the beach and at the typewriter, and those same location scenes at the end of the movie were actually the only "reality" scenes in the movie. This is perhaps best presented by the lack of pages in the opening shots to the large stack of pages and feeling of being done shown in the last view at the typewriter.
The only similar movie I could think of off the top of my head was "Princess Bride". The Grandfather reading the grandson a book and the boys visualization of it gives the "story" a wonderful innocent feel throughout.
The rest of the movie is the authors visualization in his mind of the story as he is writing it. If the movies various scenes are given this premise then the problems of pacing and the one dimensional feel of many of the locations and such take on that "as written" and not "as viewed" feel over and over again. The scene of Ben and Cat meeting shows it best. It is their meeting that is important. The starkness of the area keeps one focused on the dialog. I would guess that the vast majority of fiction novel writers "view" the same sort of movie format as they write.
If the film was indeed from the perspective of the "authors minds eye", the story might have subtly slipped in a scene back at the typewriter mid movie. Just a thought.
All that being said I felt the cast did a fantastic job of portraying their "characters" in the authors imagination. I also felt that the musical choices for the entire film were excellent as well.
Finally I would like to mention that the movie really needed a different title. Just do an internet search for Starcrossed and it is self evident why.
Emil und die Detektive (1931)
Amazing discovery
I was 10 years old when the 1964 version of Emil and the Detectives came out. I loved that movie. I even had a recording of the soundtrack that I played over and over again when I was alone.
Then, just last night, I happened to catch an interview with Billy Wilder on television. It mentioned his early work on an "Emil and the Detectives". Today I sit astounded that there is not just one other earlier version of the film, but three earlier adaptations and one newer one (that I have found out about).
I like to think that I am a minor film buff, but this discovery that this film exists goes to show that the vast treasure of film worldwide is to be saved and cherished.
I can hardly wait in the coming years to try and see all of the versions and compare the great and heartwarming story.