I was thinking Reese Witherspoon.
Posted on 04/28/2005 10:44:46 AM PDT by js1138
Starring: Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, Bill Nighy, Anna Chancellor, John Malkovich, Warwick Davis, Alan Rickman (voice), Stephen Fry (voice)
It opens with a perfectly choreographed dolphin musical number, and ends with the disembodied head of deceased author Douglas Adams. This is the long awaited adaptation of his novel, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” and as the dolphins flawlessly perform their rendition of “So Long and Thanks for All the Fish” you’ll realize you’re in for one hell of a ride. Don’t panic. It only gets a little weirder.
(Excerpt) Read more at cinemablend.com ...
I was thinking Reese Witherspoon.
Hi Hair!
Haven't got to see it yet...I want to but we'll have to see how the budget is...last weekend at the salvage yard was a bit of a shock to us! LOL
I'm not worried about the atheistic viewpoint of Adams...my goodness, the whole movie is pure fiction, won't be too hard to impress upon my kids that THAT part is fiction too! LOL
They've already seen the world blow up in the trailer at the library (high speed internet, don'tcha know.)
I think having NOT read the book might be a plus in this situation...I sometimes envied those who saw LOTR without having read the books...the silly little things that I missed were not missed by them, if you understand me.
Thanks, both of you...I don't think I'm too worried about taking the boys now at all...just getting us all there is going to be the hurdle! LOL
I think you'll like it... It's goofy and engaging...
And you should read the books! They're a fast easy read, and ~funny~.
I've been meaning to, you know...ever since I've known you!
I asked Steve if he'd read them and he said yes, but doesn't remember them.
Heh heh...
I remember the opening sequence really well, because I've gone back to look at it and quote from it on the HH thread so often. But I couldn't remember one other plot element before I saw the film ;~D
My pleasure.
But now you have to tell me what you think after you see it!
Dan
(c8
I will! Samwise wants to know too.
Also significant to me is the fact that the computer was not able/willing to calculate the ultimate question; s/he instead handed that on to: who? Man. Augustine told us the reason for that: "Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." God is the Goal and the Goad.
Finally getting around to reading the actual review article, and I am glad to see that this viewer saw it too! The addition of John Travolta is interesting, and I can agree. I might have said George W. Bush, John Travolta, and David Lee Roth.
Nope. I am going to take it out on idiots who bring it up in unrelated threads.
You can actually buy the series on DVD now... It's pretty expensive...
lol
Expensive but worth it to own that wench Servilan.
Finally getting around to posting my opinion of the movie, having seen a lot of negative reactions.
First of all, I am a fan. I have tapes I made of the original radio broadcast. I'm afraid I also have the official purchased tapes. And the DVDs. And the books. It's been about five years since I read or listened to any of these.
The most important thing to know is that these started out with the radio play. Everything had to be carried by the spoken word. Douglas Adams isn't Shakespeare, but he's a first cousin to Lewis Carole. When you make a movie from a work that depends on British verbal wit, you lose some of the words, and that hurts.
Aside from deleted speeches -- some of the best stuff -- the movie suffers from overly agressive editing. The good speeches are hurried up, which spoils the comic timing. The actors read their lines well enough, but the radio play gave some breathing room for the irony to sink in.
The only movie makers who didn't compromise on timing were the Pythons, and they did not have to recover a hundred million dollar budget.
The ending, of course, is quite different from the radio play, which was quite dark. Something to remember is that originally there were only six twenty-two minute episodes, and no plans for any more. The "plot line" for the original made no sense. Cliffhanger endings were just sometimes just dropped in the next episode.
Contrary to what you might have heard, the TV production is pretty bad. The Original radio actors were not particularly good on TV. Marvin, in particular, was wonderful on the radio, but did not translate well to TV. Zaphod was a mess. The actor had to lug around a thirty pound animatronic second head that never worked properly. The camera work and editing were second-rate. The sound mixing was a mess. Many speeches, including Deep thought's, are unlistenable. The only really great parts were the computer graphics for the Book.
The movie does a good job on Zaphod and on the Vogons. I also liked the Church of the White Hanky.
My test of a movie, particularly one that lasts two and a half hours, is: at any given moment do I want to see what's coming up next, or am I looking at my watch. This one was over before I was ready.
Quite frankly, I have never seen a movie that was as good as the book from which it came. Dr. Strangelove might be, but I haven't read the book. The original Tom Jones was a good movie, but not as good as the book. Clockwork Orange was a mess. LOTR, for all the care taken with its visual design, plays rather loose with some key plot points. And these are the good adaptations.
Good humor is a tougher accomplishment than even drama, and much harder than action. We may often agree on what's pretty, but there's always bound to be disagreement over what's funny. So I wouldn't sweat the critics. :~D
I thought it was great and exactly in keeping with the feel of the books. I didn't have trouble with the spacing... the parts that went by too quickly to get will give me more new things to absorb the second and third time around. :~D
I liked. I thought it should have been longer. The parts that worked, worked well. The parts that didn't moved along before I started squirming.
Adams was quite cynical, and much of that is downplayed. It's there for anyone who reads the books.
Thanks for your review. I've seen several on TV in the last couple days, and it seems reviews are pretty widely mixed.
I've seldom liked a movie that didn't get mixed reviews. The stronger the opinions, the better. Second-rate Douglas Adams is like second-rate Python -- better than anything else you are likely to see.
I've long ago given up on expecting perfect movie adaptations. Like listening to a poor recording of a great musical performance, I just "listen through".
I've got a system. 2 stars for comedy, sci-fi and horror, is like five stars for drama and four stars for drama is like one star compared to comedy, etc. Dramas seem to be mainly just tearjerkers these days, which I can't stand, so the entire statement above may only apply to my tastes, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I like your system.I won't go to a Hollywood drama movie unless I hear some specific things about it. Most dramas are disease/political cause of the month. Totably stupid and forgettable. TV with a budget.
Being a guy, I like explosions, and I will occasionally watch a movie just for special effects. As long as the plot doesn't take itself too seriously.
Almost all my purchased DVDs are comedies, the exception being Miyazaki animes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.