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Title: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: h.p. love on April 02, 2005, 04:41:35 PM I'd love for this to be beyond just good. The cast looks good and Adams wrote the screenplay. I never saw the tv adaptation but have the book and am currently listening to the audio book, which I recommend. The reader, Alexander Adams, is brilliant with the characters' voices. His Marvin the depressed robot and the enthusiastic computer are hilarious. I know it has to appeal to non-"geeks" at the box office these days, but I don't think this can be anything less than good or better with the people involved. It would be great if more sci-fi films come to theaters (or anything interesting for that matter). Guess I'm growing tired of crap like sterile computer animation (robots), romance comedies (hitch), and indescribable crap (the pacifier).
Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: trekgeezer on April 02, 2005, 04:45:26 PM I'm hoping this is good. I have read most of the books and seen the BBC version. The book was actually written after the BBC radio play.
Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Wence on April 03, 2005, 07:56:55 AM This is one of the two movies I am waiting for this year.
The other one is StarWars Episode 3. I hope that I will be disappointed by just one of these films - I expect this disappointment at Episode 3... Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Archivist on April 03, 2005, 07:02:56 PM I loved the TV series, and read the three then-available books right after I saw it back in the early, early 80's. I also bought the radio series tapes produced by the BBC at that time.
In the 90's the BBC released a six-disc box set of the original radio series, and I discovered that there were changes in the tape version. Get the box set if you are able, it is just superb. The stereo effects and clarity of the sound are just phenomenal for an 'older' work. The TV series has been released in Britain, so if your DVD setup is PAL-capable, see if you can get it. It's old, campy, but a complete blast. Can't wait to see what the future has in store. Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: h.p. love on April 03, 2005, 10:37:29 PM I checked out the official movie site and the trailer. I'm officially looking forward to this one. If you go to the site, allow pop-ups or you won't get to torture Marvin.
I don't want to get my hopes up too high but I think it's about time us movie-goers were treated to a fun and intelligent new "classic" with some imagination. Growing up I remember Star Wars, E.T., Indiana Jones (before he could get a senior citizen discount), etc. Now if those are even re-released they are edited and diced into inferior versions. Nothing wrong with new movies, if there were any. The word "terrorist" was removed from E.T. I guess because that would offend..uh...terrorists? And government agents' guns were changed into walkie talkies. Very scary. To make it really scary they should have had E.T. chased by a digital-obsessed director temporarily insane due to political correctness. Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Flangepart on April 04, 2005, 10:04:41 AM We shall see.
As i came at the story by the radio show, i'm leary of some of the changes. Rickman sounds good as marvin, but an American Ford and Zaphod? Its just ain't right! The visuals look stunning, and the "Movie trailer parody' Trailer is a hoot. Still.... Ford :"Its almost a bad as being drunk." Arther : "Whats so bad about being drunk?" Ford : "You ask a glass of water." Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Vermin Boy on April 04, 2005, 02:00:09 PM I might be misremembering, but hasn't Zaphod always been portrayed as an American?
Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Scott H on April 04, 2005, 03:31:53 PM I don't care about much else other than it better be funny. The book is great like that, and if this movie isn't funny, why would they make it? FUNNY DAMNIT! BE FUNNY!!
HAHAHA!!! Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Archivist on April 04, 2005, 09:13:37 PM Zaphod as American? Seems to be so. The TV series actor, who also did the voice in the radio and tape shows, had an American accent. Can't recall if he actually WAS American, though.
~a~ Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: h.p. love on April 04, 2005, 11:18:13 PM I'm currently listening to the tapes and I don't think Z is defined as American but yeah, the reader sure gives him an American late-70s swinger sounding accent. I've got hopes for Mos Def as Ford. After all, Ford wasn't British really...he was from Beetlejuice.
Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Yaddo 42 on April 05, 2005, 03:14:12 AM Finally saw the preview for this, have to say I'm encouraged even with the changes, but I can understand why. The preview made me laugh, and got me more excited to see the film than I would be to see the new SW film. Maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up. I even liked the different take on Zaphod's two heads. When I first heard Mos Def was Ford I was wary, but he comes off pretty well in the trailer.
I first saw the TV version on PBS (having never heard of any version), which lead me to the books. Between gifts for others and replacing copies that got loaned out and never came back, I've bought the first book at least four times. I now have one of those "all the books in one" omnibus versions that I don't loan out. Even enjoyed the uneven Dirk Gently books. Sorry to say I've yet to hear the whole radio series, especially since that's the version Adams considered "canon" if HHGTTG can have a canon version. Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: peter johnson on April 05, 2005, 10:49:38 PM Fun fact:
If you are a British production company, you cannot hire an American to play an American, unless you are willing to sign a slew of documents attesting to the fact that you auditioned numerous Britons for the role & they were all unsuitable. England has one of the most protective Trade Unions for actors on the planet. If you are watching a British TV production, or most films -- unless with International backing -- you are watching Brits doing American accents. So, Zaphod certainly had his "Amurricanuurrr"-isms, but the actor is most definitely a Brit. * * * Yes, please work, movie. TV show was grand -- radio show even better. Please don't suck, movie. Bad thing: I've seen stills of the new Marvin. Do not look good. Panicy reaction setting in . . . peter johnson/denny crane Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Fearless Freep on April 06, 2005, 10:00:30 AM I think the idea of using non-British actors could be a good thing. Arthur Dent's the only one who ever came across to me as having a distinctively British point of view. The rest were aliens and seeing a bunch of Brits play a bunch of aliens works in a small scale all-British production. If you are going to have a bigger budget and bigger production, might as well make it more realistic in the sense of being more cosmopolitan. Ford, Zaphod, and Trillian never really struck me as seeming to British in their actions and attitudes, at least in the books. As a matter of fact, the name "Ford Prefect" was a joke that *only* the British would get and if you are going to expand it, they could even change his name to something that would work better with the joke.
It was the juxtaposition of the casual with the absurd that made "Hitchiker's.." work; the realization and observation that the universe is a really silly and non-sensical place if you stop to think about it, so most are better off just not dwelling on it too much. If they can keep that focus and that feel, it could turn out really well; regardless of actors and accents and special effects and what the robots and characters look like Post Edited (04-06-05 10:01) Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: DaveMunger on April 08, 2005, 12:43:12 AM Arthur Dent: Alice in Wonderland?
The comercials I've seen so far don't seem to indicate that it's a comedy. Might this thing be intended to be just for people who're already into it + people who're into anything with lots of special effects? Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Mr_Vindictive on April 08, 2005, 07:29:23 AM The TV spots don't really portray it as a comedy, as Dave said. I did happen to catch the trailer though before Sin City last week and it certainly has a lot of comedic elements. I've pretty much talked my wife into going to see it. She's never read any of the books and has only vague knowledge of the basic story. We use Trillian as our IM service at home and she didn't believe me when I told her that Trillian was a character in HHGTTG. Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: DaveMunger on April 08, 2005, 05:12:51 PM Did you tell her about Babelfish?
Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: h.p. love on April 08, 2005, 05:21:22 PM Trillian, babelfish. Is it strange to think that maybe IBM's Deep Blue somehow descended from Deep Thought?
Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Fearless Freep on April 08, 2005, 07:14:20 PM If you recall from the books, the books are funny but the humour is neither slapstick nor one-liners, nor often visual. Given the nature of previews with fast edit cuts, I'm not surprised if the previews would not come across to overtly as a for a 'comedy'
Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Yaddo 42 on April 09, 2005, 05:30:38 AM I realize I'm familiar with the story already, but the trailer I first saw on E! seemed very obvious that it was a comedy. From Arthur's bad morning, to the apology for destroying Earth and why, to the appearence of Zaphod's other face, to Ford apologizing to the LARGE woman for falling out of touch ("You've grown." cracks me up every time I see that trailer), to the smacks in the face. So that ad seemed pretty clear it was a comedy. Even including the "Don't Panic" phrase at the end when the opening date was displayed.
The more recent ad I've seen certainly played it more as adventure, which might backfire on them. And didn't include the "Don't Panic". I know that line is something that only means anything to people already familiar with the story, but since it stands out why not get it into the public's head. That way when they find out what it means if they go see it, they can latch onto a part of the story and just what the Guide really is. Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Mr_Vindictive on April 09, 2005, 07:07:13 AM Yaddo,
In quite a few of the first trailers and spots, they did use "Don't Panic" in each one. With the newer spots and trailers they have pretty much dropped it. The first teaser was by far the best ad they've had. It showed earth exploding and then as all the bits were flying through space everything froze and "DON'T PANIC!" appeared on the screen. Now that is genius. Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Yaddo 42 on April 09, 2005, 07:41:57 AM Thanks for the info, I missed most of the early ads until I caught the first one I mentioned on E!'s trailer show about two weeks ago. As buggy and slow as my computer is, trying to download or watch early trailers online in more trouble than it's worth.
So I try to catch the trailers on that show several at a time, plus sometimes the cute hostess girl (Casey Kasem's daughter, as she mentions all the time) screws up the stuff she reads on the Teleprompter. The first ad I saw for "Sahara" on there she called the lead character "Dick Pitt" the entire time. Must have sent Clive Cussler up the wall to hear the name of his mid-life crisis wish fulfillment alter ego/registered trademark cashcow being mangled over and over like that. Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: BoyScoutKevin on April 09, 2005, 12:35:35 PM This film has been along time coming, I can remember back in 2001 or 2002 talk of doing a big screen adaptation of the film. Indeed, it has been such a long time coming, I thought they had dropped the idea of doing it.
Finally, last night, I saw the trailer for it on the Sci Fi Channel. And while I have not seen, read, or heard any other adaptation of it, what I did see, did look good. And not to scare anybody off of it, but it is a Disney film. At least through their adult subsidiary Touchstone Pictures. As is the upcoming big screen "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Well, anyway, we'll get to see what we'll see, when it is finally released on Friday, April 29. Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: h.p. Love on April 10, 2005, 06:00:15 PM Today (Sunday 4/10) on slashdot.org there is a story about the movie. The blurb contains links to reviews by Adams' longtime biographer and a list of things not included in the movie. He does NOT like the movie. One article contains spoilers and another version does not.
Both links did not work for me due to a typical slashdot.org problem. Small sites getting way to much traffic and blowing their bandwith. Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Vermin Boy on April 10, 2005, 09:03:40 PM Not terribly strange-- the first model of Deep Blue was named Deep Thought. :)
Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: DaveMunger on April 12, 2005, 09:56:15 PM Here's a review that was linked at fark:
http://www.planetmagrathea.com/shortreview.html Pretty negative, but it sounds kind of like the reviewer was looking for a straight remake of the TV show or something. I was kind of hoping it would have some new material in it. (He says that there is, but it sucks). Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: h.p. Love on April 13, 2005, 12:08:38 PM This is the article mentioned at slashdot. The worst thing sounds like the beginning is almost nonexistent and that the book's dialogue has been changed, with many of the quotable lines and jokes changed or dropped entirely. The examples of parts of jokes left in but the payoffs changed sounds pointless. The article makes the point that Adams worked hard to craft dialogue. The book had a British feel, sort of like Monty Python. Imagine MP dialogue rewritten by someone else. Impossible. So, it seems that expecting any vibe like the book at all is an unreasonable expectation.
Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: Archivist on April 13, 2005, 07:05:02 PM I just saw a preview on TV for the theatrical release last night. Opens April 28th. I think I might have to go catch that one along with xXx2!
Title: Re: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Post by: JC on April 15, 2005, 04:42:27 AM I can't WAIT for it to come out.
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