‘Stardust’ sparkling adult fantasy on DVD

“Stardust,” described in the extras as ” ‘The Princess Bride’ meets ‘Midnight Run,’ ” is one of the year’s little gems. Sure it’s laced with flaws — dead spots, gags that flop — but the adult-oriented fantasy has so many clever facets that the nitpicks get lost in the storytelling.

Based on an imaginative short novel by Neil Gaiman, a more esoteric Stephen King, the film follows three intersecting story lines, each embellished with the kind of droll humor the British seem to specialize in.

A clumsy but courageous young villager (Charlie Cox) must enter a land of magic and bring back a fallen star — so he can make time with a pretty but shallow townie (Sienna Miller).

Turns out the fallen star is a radiant and playful young woman (Claire Danes).

A witch (Michelle Pfeiffer, delighting in playing a villainess) wants the star for its gift of eternal youth. And a nasty prince (Mark Strong) wants the jewel worn by the star so he can rule a kingdom.

Adding spice: Ghosts of the prince’s late siblings do great deadpan, and Robert De Niro’s notorious pirate delivers as much swish as swash. The effects enhance and the story satisfies.

Extras: A making-of featurette details real-life influences on props and sets (the witch’s house is modeled after the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles); deleted and extended scenes (worth a look) spotlight more ghost antics; gag reel disappoints.

Donuts, drool and Spider-Pig

All the movie trailers in the extras, as well as a teaser to the TV series, are crack-ups on “The Simpsons Movie” DVD. Granted, the film lacks the crispness of the show.

No matter. There are enough funny off-kilter gags (”Spider-Pig, Spider-Pig”) and one-liners to please “Simpsons” loyalists.

In the plot, such as it is, Homer causes an ecological crisis in Springfield and he and the family go on the run to Alaska. (Don’t ask, just enjoy.)

Extras: Two uneven but amusing commentaries detail the whys of certain jokes and joke setups, and alternatives (the sign outside church almost read, “Stolen Bibles: Amnesty Day”); shorts show Homer bombing on “The Tonight Show” and judging “American Idol”; funny “Let’s all go to the lobby” takeoff.

A fine romance
Quirky and a charmer, the musical love story “Once” was made for only $100,000 in Dublin, Ireland, with some guerrilla filmmaking (we shoot where we want without asking) and improvisation adding to its aura of authenticity.

The story is about a boy and girl who learn to make beautiful music together — literally. He’s a busker, or street musician, who also works in his dad’s vacuum-repair shop. She’s a Czech immigrant doing odd jobs to make ends meet. He’s still licking a huge wound from a bad breakup. She’s got relationship stuff, too.

The busker is played by Glen Hansard, lead singer in the group The Frames, and all but one of the songs is his.

Marketa Irglova, a musician who’d never acted before, plays the woman, and she’s a natural. Their tale unfolds as it should, and ends the same way. Their chemistry is terrific.

Extras: Worth your time. The stars and writer-director John Carney discuss making-of details, impromptu songs and lines that stayed in the film. Carney used to play with The Frames. Hansard and Irglova are friends; he recommended her for the role.

The making-of and music documentaries — the music takes up 60 percent of the film, which is about “tones and moods and song …,” Carney says — convey the project’s “Hey, kids, let’s put on a show” attitude.

Also on DVD

“The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones”: Sean Patrick Flanery is the teenage Indie in this nine-disc second volume of George Lucas’ classy TV series, this time set in World War I, Albert Schweitzer’s Africa and revolutionary Russia; gobs of smart docs in the extras.

“Balls of Fury”: Inert, unfunny martial-arts spoof set in the world of underground Ping-Pong tourneys; with Jack Black wannabe Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken and two laughs.

“Blade Runner: The Final Cut”: Restored, remastered sci-fi classic looks great and clarifies Harrison Ford’s cop character; comes in two- , four- and five-disc (all four versions plus workprint) sets.

“Braveheart: Special Collector’s Edition”: Mel Gibson’s Oscar winner remastered in high-def video; on two discs.

“Bring It On: In It to Win It”: Rival cheerleading squads learn it takes a village.

“Carmen Electra’s Aerobic Striptease: Vegas Strip” and “Carmen Electra’s Aerobic Striptease: In the Bedroom”: What you see is what you get.

“Cinderella II: Dreams Come True”: Post-honeymoon antics with Cindy, Prince Charming, her step-relatives and her animal friends.

“Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron”: Drama about corporate greed, with Shannon Elizabeth, Brian Dennehy and Christian Kane.

“Illegal Tender”: Mother-son drama about blood feuds and family ties in a Latino family; with Wilson De Leon Jr. and Wanda De Jesus.

“National Treasure: Collector’s Edition”: Two-disc teaser to “National Treasure 2,” which opens Dec. 21; includes new making-of shorts.

“TED: The Future We Will Create”: Technological Entertainment Design (TED) Conference presentations by Al Gore, Peter Gabriel and others about world-changing ideas.

“Underdog”: Experiments by an evil scientist give the beagle Shoeshine superpowers and the ability to speak like Jason Lee; live action plus CGI.

TV on DVD

“The Mod Squad: Season One, Volume One”; “One Tree Hill: The Complete Fourth Season”; “Rawhide: Season 2, Volume 2.”

Coming attractions

Dec. 25: “Eastern Promises”
Jan. 8: “3:10 to Yuma”

I was once accused - more than once, actually - of giving any movie with Meg Ryan an extra half-star; I may have mentioned that in a previous blog.

Naturally, the accusation was unfounded despite my having a crush on Ryan at the time.

Also, the prime accuser was TV columnist Susan Young, a colleague who’s always been quick with the needle.

Now I find I’m questioning my judgment about Claire Danes movies.

I interviewed her once. I liked her. She was a little eccentric, seemed a semi-free spirit, and she was gorgeous.

Still, when the interview was over, it was on to the next person, project and thing for me.

I appreciated her in “Shopgirl” despite some misgivings about the picture.

And I found her radiant - although some of the radiance was computer-generated - in “Stardust,” the new adult fairy tale in which she plays a fallen star - the kind from the sky, not the tabloids.

Other reviews have trashed her performance; too artsy was the gist; couldn’t buy the Brit-speak was a specific criticism.

I didn’t pick up on any of that, which suggests: a. they were wrong; b. i was biased; c. i was too absorbed in the story to notice. (The answer is a.)

Whatever the case, her performance didn’t bother me.

I wanted to get caught up in the magic. And other than a couple of story lags, “Stardust” was one of the most enjoyable adult fantasies I’ve seen in ages.

I never got into the Neil Gaiman novel it’s based upon; didn’t care for the writing.

But sliding into the film was a breeze. I appreciated its “Princess Bride”-ish flavor, the cast - De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer along with male lead Charlie Cox - as well as the tasty dark humor, the whimsy and the sweetness.

In a world where magic, witches and ghosts co-exist with normal people, a handsome but clumsy villager is told by the spoiled but pretty woman (Sienna Miller) he desires that she’ll give him a tumble if he brings her a star, and fallen would be just fine.

So off he goes to the mystical land beyond the wall that separates the two worlds and pursues the celestial thing that turns out to be Danes.

In parallel but overlapping tales: a king’s (Peter O’Toole) surviving sons search for the ruby that caused the star to fall, because the one who retrieves it will be the next king; and an ages-old witch (Pfeiffer) searches for the star, because its heart holds the secret to eternal youth.

Pirates and other knaves also play into the shenanigans.

Bottom line: The picture’s a wonderful diversion and an excellent choice for a date movie.

Promoters and some critics compare it to “The Princess Bride.” That’s true as far as the humor, cameos, romance and giddy storytelling.

Which is a lot.

One difference: “Stardust” includes pop-culture references; “Princess Bride” includes Billy Crystal doing shtick.

Both are captivating adult fantasies that should play well with savvy children, too.

There aren’t many perhaps because Hollywood doesn’t think they sell.

Films like “Pretty Woman,” “The Princess Diaries” and “Notting Hill” don’t count because, comparatively, they’re grounded; no witches except metaphorically.

Guess we’ll find out if there’s a future for the real thing by seeing how “Stardust” does this week (the critics-proof “Rush Hour 3″ will top the box office) and next; the key being how the adult fantasy does the second and third weeks, which will reflect word-of-mouth and repeat business.

Whatever happens, the film should score a bundle overseas and on DVD, especially if the disc’s released in time for the holidays. It would make a great gift. I know I want one.