I'm one cool hoopy frood,

Morning all,

Went to see Hitchikers guide last night. had to say it was panned by the press for being americanised and smaltzy. However as a long time fan of HHGTTG I loved it.

Alan Rickman as Marvin the paranod aindroid was excellent.

The only thing they really played up on that wasnt in the script was the interface between trillian and arthur... they zipped up the romance-o-meter between them... but it didnt affect the movie one bit.

Zaphod was awesome and they played up on his stupidity.... Im glad they did something about his extra head.

Arthur has grown a few pubes and has more balls about him... not in a soccer hooligan type of way but rather in a "volunteer for queen and country" type of way - he even faced up to zaphod rather than be a pushover...

They could have worked Slartibartfast (I love that name - I'm gunna name my next pet Slartibartfast) up a bit more.... he was more of a un understated david niven character...

Ford is a black man - he, I feel stole the show. the bit where he and zaphod drink pan galactic gargleblasters is a hoot.

Even the Vogons are cool.

Douglas Adams and the original Marvin make camio appearances..

the voice of the guide is the same as it was in the tv series too so had nice continuity there too... although they could have zapped up the graphics a bit better - the tc series graphics were better than this version of the movie.

there is room for a swag of sequels- they didnt get to the restaurant at the end of the Universe, although they did mention it at the end where ford says "I know a great place to eat"

YOu'll love it - go see it. if you've never read the books - get 'em they are some of the few books I've actually p!ssed myself laughing in mid read- most embarrassing in the train oh great sandwich maker...

Signed,


Your humble servant

Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz

Interesting.

Seems like the movie provokes mixed emotions.

Margaret and David loved it, yet Paul Byrnes in the Herald yesterday panned it.

I guess it's one of those ones you have to make your own mind up about.

Glad you enjoyed it though Zed. :)

I hate cinema's, uncomfortable and cramped, I'll wait for the DVD and watch it at home.
Can relate to the book incident, happened to me years ago when I was reading Milligans 4 book trilogy, bloody embarrassing.

Zed,

I heard Stephen Fry is the voice of book in the movie. Maybe he just sounds the same to you because he's a pom ;)

Looking forward to seeing it myself. I'm a bit of a fan of Martin Freeman from The Office. The movie has to be better than the TV version, which even Adams admitted was utter crap.

Thanks for the revue...I was afraid that it would get the American treatment and all subtlety would be lost, along with the humour. Looking forward to seeing it now in light of the good reports.

This really has me confused. I'd like to believe nice things about this movie, but it was recommended by ZED :eek: :eek: :eek:

Dammit. It must be good. :D
Anyone want to volunteer to go see it with me? :eek:

Cheers
Richard

Let's do a hijack.
Where did you first read Hitch hiker's guide to the Galaxy?

I read mine in a the car park of my sister's block of flats in Queenbeyan years ago. She'd given it to me for a birthday present and I'd driven up from Squidley. I read it in the car park, in my MG, while waiting for her to come home from wherever she was (with the ratbag who became and still is my brother in law). First time I've ever read a book in a car park and wished the person I was waiting for would be late enough for me to finish the book - she was :D

Cheers
Richard

I listened to the record first. Just loved it. Went out and bought the books the next day. 1982 from memory. The 80's were a little fuzzy.

Listened to it on radio (and recorded it, still got the hand drawn covers I made) 2JJJ in '78 or '79.

Mick

I honestly cannot remember where or when I read any of the series but I do recall the BBC series, I particulary liked the narration, the galactic police suicide courtesy of Marvin and the glasses that prevented anyone seeing anything that was likely to create fear.
Looking forward to another DVD for my collection.
Such a superb series there was not even a single reference to cats :D :D :D

I read it while in Year 12 at High School. It supplanted Monty Python as the source of the most quotable quotes for the rest of the year.

I first read it I dont know when way back in the eary eightys in my misspent youth, and periodically read it again and again. the day I got vol 1,2,3 in one volume was a happy day for me. I read it whislt on jury duty during breaks and it saved me from madness (AGAIN!).

My only critisizm is that douglas died too young and the end of the HHGTTG ended a tad poorly in book 5 (in the cafe in new york ??)... why didnt zaphod get a reprise ????

I particularly liked the matresses of squashonellius (?) delta that floolooped and fallollopped in thier marshy boggy way.

I have to go now... I have a pain in the diodes down my left hand side...

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Originally Posted by Zed

I read it whislt on jury duty during breaks and it saved me from madness..

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Sure???? :rolleyes: :D :D :D :D

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Originally Posted by journeyman Mick

Listened to it on radio (and recorded it, still got the hand drawn covers I made) 2JJJ in '78 or '79.

Mick

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Same here, but I didn't record it (or hand draw any covers :) )

The radio serial was vastly superior to the TV show too.

Much to my dads horror I watched the TV series. Which he soon started watching with me. Never missed a episode. Cant wait to see the movie.:p

Was loaned the 1st 3 books by a delightful young lady I'd met at a youth hostel. Bought copies, and they were the first 'adult' books we gave to the kids - oldest must have been about 10. I like to think those books shaped their senses of humour permanently.

We have the full radio series on Casette, used to play them endlessly on long car trips.....

Between the Guide and the taped version of The Princess Bride, it's hard to see the need for any other form of in-flight entertainment for kids or their parents for that matter.

Cheers,

P

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Originally Posted by AlexS

Was loaned the 1st 3 books by a delightful young lady I'd met at a youth hostel. Bought copies, and they were the first 'adult' books we gave to the kids - oldest must have been about 10. I like to think those books shaped their senses of humour permanently.

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Similar story, my eldest son loves the series, he is 22 in 2 weeks and his baptism of fire with adult(?) books was THHGGTTG and he was queued up in Melbourne to see it. A great way to introduce ones kids to reading which is a real passion/ addiction of mine.

Can't remember precisely when I first read the original book. Very early in the piece for sure because we were still living in England at the time and the original radio series was being broadcast on BBC radio. (Incidentally, the Guide's voice for both the radio and original TV series was, I think, Peter Jones).

I've read all the books several times since then. That's my personal test of literary worth: if I'm inclined to re-read anything it has to ring loud bells for me and Douglas Adams' work certainly does. I reckon he's had a significant influence on a fair number of contributors to this BB. Just read a selection of the posts on any subject and you pick up hints and nuances from the Guide. (... and as for the characters, plot lines and scenarios in the various Woodies' Yarn contributions - distinctly sub-Adams, without a doubt).

Having said all that and on a different subject entirely:

May The Schwartz Be With You!

Just returned from the pitchas.

The audience CLAPPED when it was over!

I almost cried when the first credit rolled, a black screen with a simple white "For Douglas", (but I didn't!).

Hope they don't follow it up.

P

:p :p :p

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I reckon he's had a significant influence on a fair number of contributors to this BB.

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No question about it. Until HHG came along, it was pretty much Monty Python and the Kenny Everett Video Show down my way. All very funny but very, very silly. When we got onto the guide, everyone had their noses in the book (which was a good thing because no-one wanted to read Wuthering Heights or The Glass Menagerie) for weeks, reading and re-reading the best bits.

Ideas like 'Somebody Else's Problem' and the war that started because of something Arthur said at a party being relayed through a worm hole and meaning something insulting in someone else's language - just so many funny ideas that were silly on the surface but twisted your brain in knots trying to work them out. Then when you got into the Dirk Gently books, there was a whole other level of stuff going on. I still don't think I get the ending of the first one.

Yep, definitely a genius. And he wrote episodes for Doctor Who too!! (one of his was on ABC recently). Here's a bit of trivia - his script for a potential Doctor Who movie called "Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen" eventually became the third book "Life, the Universe, and Everything".

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Originally Posted by silentC

Here's a bit of trivia - his script for a potential Doctor Who movie called "Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen"

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Here we go, a series on alien underarm bowlers :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by AlexS

Thanks for the revue...I was afraid that it would get the American treatment and all subtlety would be lost, along with the humour. Looking forward to seeing it now in light of the good reports.

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I wuz wrong :eek:

Just been to see HHG2G and am still P'ing m'self laughing. They've done an excellent job on this movie, and if you're a fan of the radio play, book etc., you'll enjoy this. Even SWMBO, who must be the last person on this earth who hasn't read the books, enjoyed it.