The Five-Minute Forums  

Go Back   The Five-Minute Forums > FiveMinute.net > News

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #41  
Old 09-23-2007, 04:02 PM
mudshark's Avatar
mudshark mudshark is offline
Is he ever gonna hit Krazy Kat, or what?
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: UMRK
Posts: 1,738
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by catalina_marina View Post
The film is kind of bad though, isn't it?
I'd not seen it until very recently, but I thought parts of it were quite entertaining.

Yeah, there were a number of things significantly altered from what was in the books (or the TV series, which I only vaguely remember, or the radio dramas, which I've only read bits of the first and none of the second) or omitted entirely, and then there was a bunch of other stuff which was never in any of them, that I can recall (Humma Kavula?! ) Aaand then, there was Marvin's appearance (which I thought was a case of poor judgement) and Zaphod's second head (which was several different kinds of disturbing and wrong) and there were probably some other things I'm not remembering right now.

Even considering all of that, I thought most of it could have believably fit in with what's in the books, somehow or other, and I thought it far from a complete waste of my time.

Go ahead, Valium; I brought my own cross and the nails are right over there. Yes, that's it -- the large mallet. Good!
__________________
Methinks Ted Sturgeon was too kind.

'Yes, but I think some people should be offended.'
-- John Cleese (on whether he thought some might be offended by Monty Python)
Reply With Quote
  #42  
Old 09-23-2007, 06:42 PM
Sa'ar Chasm's Avatar
Sa'ar Chasm Sa'ar Chasm is offline
Our last, best hope for peace
Staff
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Sitting (in Ottawa)
Posts: 3,425
Default

I loved Bill Nighy as Slartibartfast, and Alan Rickman as the voice of Marvin. There were some bits, though, that could have used more exposition. The background story for the paddles on Vogsphere would have explained a lot, plus they're the source of the joke about why the Vogons' noses are on their foreheads.
__________________
The first run through of any experimental procedure is to identify any potential errors by making them.
Reply With Quote
  #43  
Old 09-23-2007, 09:58 PM
NAHTMMM's Avatar
NAHTMMM NAHTMMM is offline
Noodles And Hot Tofu! MMM
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: St Louis, MO, USA, . . .
Posts: 2,959
Send a message via Yahoo to NAHTMMM
Thumbs up

They definitely could have done with a few minutes more. Still, I give them an A+ for effort. Lots of little touches, like the red corded phone at the far end of the Magrathea showroom. And a lot of the changes, I think, were consistent with an honest desire to translate the book well to film. (In particular, the plot point about *ahem* Zaphod's signature was entirely in Adams's style. )

I hadn't considered Valium's assertion that it 'looks just like any other wacky British comedy' (I'm paraphrasing). He might have a point, I don't know.
__________________
My 5MV webpages My novel fivers list

Yup

“There must have been a point in early human history when it was actually advantageous to, when confronted with a difficult task, drop it altogether and go do something more fun, because I do that way too often for it to be anything but instinct.” -- Isto Combs
Reply With Quote
  #44  
Old 09-23-2007, 11:30 PM
Nate the Great's Avatar
Nate the Great Nate the Great is offline
You just activated his Trek card
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 4,859
Default

Let me put it this way; on a scale of one to ten:

Radio h2g2: 7. I've read the scripts, and although there are some good bits, the radio-only stuff really had no business being on radio, and the plot DID have a tendency to spiral out of control.
Book h2g2: 9: Has the most gags, and it does hold itself together well.
TV h2g2: 10. For me, the perfect iteration, but only if you pay attention to the minutae that people can miss, particularly during Guide entries.
Movie h2g2: 6: Finally Trillian gets a decent plotline, but Zaphod is too wacky, and...and...they filmed the Mostly Harmless entry, but didn't stick it in! Come on, one minute more! One minute for a CRUCIAL bit of Hitchhiker lore! Oh, and the Nonexistence of God was too good to not put in! They should've chucked Humma Kavula, though. For being the "villain," he didn't get the proper introduction or explanation of his motivations.
__________________
mudshark: Nate's just being...Nate.
Zeke: It comes nateurally to him.

mudshark: I don't expect Nate to make sense, really -- it's just a bad idea.

Sa'ar Chasm on the 5M.net forum: Sit back, relax, and revel in the insanity.

Adam Savage: I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Crow T. Robot: Oh, stop pretending there's a plot. Don't cheapen yourself further.
Reply With Quote
  #45  
Old 09-24-2007, 02:13 AM
NAHTMMM's Avatar
NAHTMMM NAHTMMM is offline
Noodles And Hot Tofu! MMM
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: St Louis, MO, USA, . . .
Posts: 2,959
Send a message via Yahoo to NAHTMMM
Default

My suspicion is that they didn't include the "Mostly harmless" bit because it would have gone against the theme of the movie. (By which I mean Arthur's little speech while in the "hot seat" near the end.)

It's just a suspicion, of course.
__________________
My 5MV webpages My novel fivers list

Yup

“There must have been a point in early human history when it was actually advantageous to, when confronted with a difficult task, drop it altogether and go do something more fun, because I do that way too often for it to be anything but instinct.” -- Isto Combs

Last edited by NAHTMMM; 09-24-2007 at 02:14 AM. Reason: + clarification
Reply With Quote
  #46  
Old 09-24-2007, 07:41 AM
Nate the Great's Avatar
Nate the Great Nate the Great is offline
You just activated his Trek card
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 4,859
Default

Huh? How are those connected?
__________________
mudshark: Nate's just being...Nate.
Zeke: It comes nateurally to him.

mudshark: I don't expect Nate to make sense, really -- it's just a bad idea.

Sa'ar Chasm on the 5M.net forum: Sit back, relax, and revel in the insanity.

Adam Savage: I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Crow T. Robot: Oh, stop pretending there's a plot. Don't cheapen yourself further.
Reply With Quote
  #47  
Old 09-24-2007, 10:24 AM
Chancellor Valium's Avatar
Chancellor Valium Chancellor Valium is offline
Reasonably priced male pills
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Rhen Var, sitting on a radiator...
Posts: 4,595
Send a message via MSN to Chancellor Valium
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by catalina_marina View Post
The film is kind of bad though, isn't it? Compared to the books and the BBC audio series anyway... Still, it is tHHGttG... I seem to remember I hated how they portrayed Marvin, but the rest was okay. Oh right, and it was also over too soon. :P
To be honest, it feels more like Notting Hill to me. Which is why I think it was awful.
__________________
O to be wafted away
From this black aceldama of sorrow;
Where the dust of an earthy today
Is the earth of a dusty tomorrow!
Reply With Quote
  #48  
Old 09-24-2007, 06:15 PM
Nate the Great's Avatar
Nate the Great Nate the Great is offline
You just activated his Trek card
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 4,859
Default

Well, while I thought that the new Marvin wasn't as good as TV Marvin, I thought that it was okay. At least they kept the triangle eyes. I suppose the real problem is that the head isn't supposed to droop like that (he's not supposed to be depressed), but I can't see how that robot body could do anything BUT droop the head.

You'll have to explain this Notting Hill thing to me, CV.
__________________
mudshark: Nate's just being...Nate.
Zeke: It comes nateurally to him.

mudshark: I don't expect Nate to make sense, really -- it's just a bad idea.

Sa'ar Chasm on the 5M.net forum: Sit back, relax, and revel in the insanity.

Adam Savage: I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Crow T. Robot: Oh, stop pretending there's a plot. Don't cheapen yourself further.
Reply With Quote
  #49  
Old 09-25-2007, 01:17 PM
Chancellor Valium's Avatar
Chancellor Valium Chancellor Valium is offline
Reasonably priced male pills
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Rhen Var, sitting on a radiator...
Posts: 4,595
Send a message via MSN to Chancellor Valium
Default

It's the stereotypical 'wacky British comedy!!!!!!!'.

They're unoriginal, and a rather tripey attempt to inject bland, middle-class British manners into their equally sappy 'boy-meets-girl' US counterparts.

About the only good part is right at the beginning in the bookshop with Dylan Moran.
__________________
O to be wafted away
From this black aceldama of sorrow;
Where the dust of an earthy today
Is the earth of a dusty tomorrow!

Last edited by Chancellor Valium; 09-25-2007 at 01:20 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #50  
Old 09-25-2007, 06:39 PM
Nate the Great's Avatar
Nate the Great Nate the Great is offline
You just activated his Trek card
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 4,859
Default

Notting Hill is wacky? If you're arguing that it's bad that it follows every single B-romantic comedy cliche, well....

I certainly COULD argue that everything about ANY romantic comedy is cliche to some point or other. Consider a basic romantic comedy plot:

A. Introduce the guy and girl. They have some fundamental element that will automatically insert friction into a relationship, even though they're both adorable.
B. They meet cute.
C. Insert typical Three's Company misunderstanding here.
D. Insert well-meaning bungling from secondary characters here.
E. One overhears the other revealing how wonderful they are.
F. They confront the other with the inevitability of their relationship.
G. Glomping ensues.

Tweak it a little bit, and there you go. British, American, whatever.
__________________
mudshark: Nate's just being...Nate.
Zeke: It comes nateurally to him.

mudshark: I don't expect Nate to make sense, really -- it's just a bad idea.

Sa'ar Chasm on the 5M.net forum: Sit back, relax, and revel in the insanity.

Adam Savage: I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Crow T. Robot: Oh, stop pretending there's a plot. Don't cheapen yourself further.
Reply With Quote
  #51  
Old 09-26-2007, 02:33 PM
Chancellor Valium's Avatar
Chancellor Valium Chancellor Valium is offline
Reasonably priced male pills
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Rhen Var, sitting on a radiator...
Posts: 4,595
Send a message via MSN to Chancellor Valium
Default

Exactly. That is the primary problem with the Guide film.
__________________
O to be wafted away
From this black aceldama of sorrow;
Where the dust of an earthy today
Is the earth of a dusty tomorrow!
Reply With Quote
  #52  
Old 09-26-2007, 06:21 PM
Sa'ar Chasm's Avatar
Sa'ar Chasm Sa'ar Chasm is offline
Our last, best hope for peace
Staff
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Sitting (in Ottawa)
Posts: 3,425
Default

The first time I saw the movie, I was transfixed by the girl playing Trillian.

Then I watched it again and realised she can't act.
__________________
The first run through of any experimental procedure is to identify any potential errors by making them.
Reply With Quote
  #53  
Old 09-26-2007, 09:54 PM
Nate the Great's Avatar
Nate the Great Nate the Great is offline
You just activated his Trek card
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 4,859
Default

Well, I'm not sure I meant that the cliched romantic comedy plot is a bad thing. After all, that's precisely why I prefer romantic comedies to Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. With megaepics you have to use too many brain cells keeping track of the characters, their motivations, how they got from point A to point B so fast, how does character C know about plot point D already, that sort of thing. Lord of the Rings is NOT escapism. The Princess Bride and other "true" classics ARE escapism.
__________________
mudshark: Nate's just being...Nate.
Zeke: It comes nateurally to him.

mudshark: I don't expect Nate to make sense, really -- it's just a bad idea.

Sa'ar Chasm on the 5M.net forum: Sit back, relax, and revel in the insanity.

Adam Savage: I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Crow T. Robot: Oh, stop pretending there's a plot. Don't cheapen yourself further.
Reply With Quote
  #54  
Old 09-27-2007, 01:04 PM
Chancellor Valium's Avatar
Chancellor Valium Chancellor Valium is offline
Reasonably priced male pills
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Rhen Var, sitting on a radiator...
Posts: 4,595
Send a message via MSN to Chancellor Valium
Default

Err, wonderful opinions, but that doesn't explain why the Guide should have a sappy romance in it. It doesn't need one. It doesn't need half the crap they shoe-horned into it, in fact.
__________________
O to be wafted away
From this black aceldama of sorrow;
Where the dust of an earthy today
Is the earth of a dusty tomorrow!
Reply With Quote
  #55  
Old 09-27-2007, 06:00 PM
Sa'ar Chasm's Avatar
Sa'ar Chasm Sa'ar Chasm is offline
Our last, best hope for peace
Staff
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Sitting (in Ottawa)
Posts: 3,425
Default

Quote:
Err, wonderful opinions, but that doesn't explain why the Guide should have a sappy romance in it.
*cough* Fenchurch *cough*
__________________
The first run through of any experimental procedure is to identify any potential errors by making them.
Reply With Quote
  #56  
Old 09-27-2007, 08:42 PM
Nate the Great's Avatar
Nate the Great Nate the Great is offline
You just activated his Trek card
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 4,859
Default

Does Fenchurch really count as sappy? Besides, DNA gave you every option to divert that particular plotline, didn't he?

Of course, given that Fenchurch disappeared because she was from a Plural Zone and Arthur didn't, even though he's undoubtedly made ten times the hyperspace jumps she did.
__________________
mudshark: Nate's just being...Nate.
Zeke: It comes nateurally to him.

mudshark: I don't expect Nate to make sense, really -- it's just a bad idea.

Sa'ar Chasm on the 5M.net forum: Sit back, relax, and revel in the insanity.

Adam Savage: I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Crow T. Robot: Oh, stop pretending there's a plot. Don't cheapen yourself further.
Reply With Quote
  #57  
Old 10-01-2007, 12:05 PM
Chancellor Valium's Avatar
Chancellor Valium Chancellor Valium is offline
Reasonably priced male pills
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Rhen Var, sitting on a radiator...
Posts: 4,595
Send a message via MSN to Chancellor Valium
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sa'ar Chasm View Post
*cough* Fenchurch *cough*
Not as sappy as watching thingy Deschanel fail to act.
__________________
O to be wafted away
From this black aceldama of sorrow;
Where the dust of an earthy today
Is the earth of a dusty tomorrow!
Reply With Quote
  #58  
Old 10-01-2007, 06:55 PM
Sa'ar Chasm's Avatar
Sa'ar Chasm Sa'ar Chasm is offline
Our last, best hope for peace
Staff
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Sitting (in Ottawa)
Posts: 3,425
Default

Plus Fenchurch got naked.
__________________
The first run through of any experimental procedure is to identify any potential errors by making them.
Reply With Quote
  #59  
Old 10-01-2007, 09:03 PM
Nate the Great's Avatar
Nate the Great Nate the Great is offline
You just activated his Trek card
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 4,859
Default

Hey, Zooey did a fine job. She's supposed to be kooky, that's the whole point of the character. Trillian's got all sorts of issues related to her white knight complex, her being stuck in cubicle heck, being underappreciated for her intelligence, etc. etc.

Fenchurch...although I love the fact that the woman who finally figured out how the world could be made a good and happy place without nailing anyone to anything finally got a bigger share of the pie, she's almost a little TOO kooky. But that's what makes her perfect for Arthur. Besides, any reference to The Importance of Being Earnest, no matter how oblique, is okay in my book.
__________________
mudshark: Nate's just being...Nate.
Zeke: It comes nateurally to him.

mudshark: I don't expect Nate to make sense, really -- it's just a bad idea.

Sa'ar Chasm on the 5M.net forum: Sit back, relax, and revel in the insanity.

Adam Savage: I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Crow T. Robot: Oh, stop pretending there's a plot. Don't cheapen yourself further.
Reply With Quote
  #60  
Old 10-27-2007, 01:54 PM
catalina_marina's Avatar
catalina_marina catalina_marina is offline
Surfin' you say?
Member
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: North-West of the South-East of Nowhere.
Posts: 4,949
Send a message via ICQ to catalina_marina Send a message via AIM to catalina_marina Send a message via MSN to catalina_marina Send a message via Yahoo to catalina_marina
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the Great View Post
(he's not supposed to be depressed)
Eh?
__________________
~Bachelor of Science Marijke

I'm not the devil, I just work for her.

What spoon? There is no spoon. According to Zeke, it's a cat. ~NeoMatrix

"Apparently we're on the wrong side. Or the right side if you like winning." ~Spike

Sa'ar Chasm: Too far south you hit Belgium.
catalina marina: Not in Limburg you don't.
Sa'ar Chasm: You do if you go south in the right way.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 09:47 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.