The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => Arts & Entertainment => Topic started by: slink on March 02, 2005, 06:21:24 pm
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http://home.gotland.com/totta/uktrailer.avi
New trailer. This being the UK version as far as I know.
I was skeptical for a long time, but I like the look of it now. very different, but then all the versions are. I always kind of felt that to make a movie of it, you'd have to have it not feel like a movie, just because of the inherent english sadness of it.
Stephen Fry as the book works for me, Rickman as Marvin too. Mos Def as Ford is for me the weakest link, but I think the rest of it looks like it can make up for him. I read a review of the preview which said he didn't quite grab the audience as Ford should. He should really be the character that drives the story afterall. I still think Rockwell isn't quite laconic enough for Zaphod, but again, I think it might just work.
Now, I'm finished being geeky. For now.
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I like that trailer, but the editing on it isn't as good as the other one I've seen with the guide in it. It was nice to see that the Vogons look and sound better than I thought, though. I'm not to worried about Mos Def playing Ford, because they chose my dream choice for Marvin. I remember the second I heard about this I thought to myself, "I hope they get Alan Rickman". And there he is.
Anyways, fuck Star Wars, this is the one I'm looking forward to.
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Errr... is that bobbly-headed white thing Marvin?
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Errr... is that bobbly-headed white thing Marvin?
Yea. My mom was a bit weirded out by that apparently. It's going to take some getting used to, but then Marvin changes the most in each one. The illustrated book he was totally different, all tall and thin and curvy.
I'm still unsure about the Heart of Gold too, or the giant eyeball... But still, I do really like the look of it, and it'll at least tide me over until Serenity even if it sucks.
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I think there is something funny about how Marvin looks like a depressed Mac product.
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I didn't have high hopes for this one, but it opens the week of my birthday so it will likely be my birthday movie this year.
I'm still a little annoyed about Mos Def playing Ford. It's not because he's black - it's because he's Mos Def.
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I'm still a little annoyed about Mos Def playing Ford. It's not because he's black - it's because he's Mos Def.
I have to say, this is the first time I even became aware of the man's existence. So it's his big chance for me.
Come on, Mos (Mos?), don't blow it!
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BUT HE IS PINTSIZE FROM QUESTIONABLE CONTENT.
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So I was freezeframing the new trailer (mega nerd) and I found this for a split second in the montage at the end:
(http://www.uwm.edu/~sdwarren/hhwtf.gif)
This is officially the best movie ever.
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This is officially the best movie ever.
Wow. Just wow!
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The trailer looks like a CGI EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!!!
So I've given up hope on anything from the book actually making it into the movie.
I did like though that the voice of the guide in the trailer (and possibly the film?) was the same guy who did the BBC series years ago, and also that the UK trailer uses the original TV theme at the end of the trailer (I wonder if the film will use the classic H2G2 tv theme or some new music).
Also, Rickman as Marvin: perfection.
My only concern is that the film will be more about its special effects than its story. We'll have to wait and see.
Also, the frame above is great - I'll have to watch again to catch that one.
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I'm still a little annoyed about Mos Def playing Ford. It's not because he's black - it's because he's Mos Def.
Does the thing against Mos Def result from the annoying phenomenon of rap artists getting acting roles? I understand your pain, but there are a few of them who actually do really well. Method Man is one such case. Apart from that sitcom, he's always enjoyable. He is really good on the Wire. So, give Def a chance. I haven't seen him in anything other than the Italian Job, and he seemed competent there.
Also, Ice Cube was good in Friday and Boyz n the Hood.
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So I was freezeframing the new trailer (mega nerd) and I found this for a split second in the montage at the end:
[frame]
This is officially the best movie ever.
What the heck is the context of that? At first I thought it was a side effect of the Heart of Gold but I remember the bridge being shielded.
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The trailer looks like a CGI EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!!!
So I've given up hope on anything from the book actually making it into the movie.
My only concern is that the film will be more about its special effects than its story. We'll have to wait and see..
Douglas Adams wrote the screenplay himself just before he died. So I wouldn't worry about that too much. An early review of the film said about 80 percent of it is direct from the book. And if we've learned anything from LOTR, it's that you can still make a film very faithful to the book even if you do add or change a few things.
The trailer highlights all the fancy special effects because they are trying hard to market this film to people who aren't hardcore HHGTG fans. If they showed people what they would actually be getting (excellent writing, dialogue, character interaction) they would be scared and confused.
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though that the voice of the guide in the trailer (and possibly the film?) was the same guy who did the BBC series years ago, and also that the UK trailer uses the original TV theme at the end of the trailer (I wonder if the film will use the classic H2G2 tv theme or some new music).
Nope. It's Stephen Fry. The voice in the series was Peter Jones, who did the first two phases of the radio show, but died a few years back. There was a possibility they were going to peice it together, but Adam's script changed so much of it again that they probably gave up on the idea pretty quick,
I do think Fry is the perfect choice though. They got William Franklin to do the Tertiary Phase of the radio show and the other two that come out soon.
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OK, I've posted a lot today, because of the not posting for awhile, and also the drinking. Stephen Fry rules. It's just that simple. Having said that, haven't we covered this? CJ?
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Having said that, haven't we covered this? CJ?
I think there may have been a thread about the movie happening, but I created a new one seeing as there were suddenly a glut (well, two) of trailers that actually renewed my hope in it being watchable.
Plus, indeed, Fry rules. I have been watching A Bit of Fry and Laurie lately, as well as Jeeves and Wooster (he certainly makes the perfect Jeeves). I like not watching TV, as it lets me watch good TV instead.
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Jeeves and Wooster, Black Adder, and the underappreciated work in the Young Ones. Stephen Fry is a stud. Plus, he's written books!
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I caught a frame of a falling whale in one of the trailers I watched. Excellent! Also, they pulled off Zaphod having two heads. That is wonderful. Simply wonderful. I'm unabashedly looking forward to this movie. After all the different renditions, it's not like this one movie can screw the whole thing up.
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I'm pretty much looking forward to this. No, I'm totally looking forward to this. But Marvin is going to take a little getting used to. He's so short and squishy. Oh well. I'm really excited about Zooey Deschanel as Trillian.
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But Marvin is going to take a little getting used to. He's so short and squishy.
I was only convinced after reading r_r_c's comment that he looked like a depressed Apple product. The design made some kind of sense to me after that.
I'm really excited about Zooey Deschanel as Trillian.
Who?
That's what I said when I first read the cast list oh-so-long-ago.
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I was only convinced after reading r_r_c's comment that he looked like a depressed Apple product. The design made some kind of sense to me after that.
That does make it somewhat better.
I'm really excited about Zooey Deschanel as Trillian.
Who?
That's what I said when I first read the cast list oh-so-long-ago.
She was Jovie in "Elf"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319343/
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I saw a paperback of the Ultimate Hitchikers Guide at B&N last night: all of the books, plus "Young Zaphod Makes Good." I might pick it up, since all of my copies have disappeared in those dastardly mists of time. It's like 17 bucks, which I think is probably a good deal.
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I saw a paperback of the Ultimate Hitchikers Guide at B&N last night: all of the books, plus "Young Zaphod Makes Good." I might pick it up, since all of my copies have disappeared in those dastardly mists of time. It's like 17 bucks, which I think is probably a good deal.
I got that in hardback about 6 years ago an it is wonderfully convenient. Plus it looks all impressive, like you're reading The Odyssey or something.
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Zooey was also the older sister in Almost Famous.
She's hell of cute.
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She's hell of cute.
Oh yeah. I meant to add that in there. I'm totally crushing on her. And Thora Birch.
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This thread has allayed great concerns I once had for the upcoming movie sucking so hard it ate my soul. I feel pessimistically optomistic now, leveled with a dose lethargic ambivalence. Mos Def still rings wrong for me, but what the hells and all.
This is exactly how I felt in the run up to Lord of the Rings. That one, it turns out blew me away. I think it's ok to raise your expectations. It's gonna be good, have faith.
~Paul
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The official site (http://www.hitchhikersmovie.com) is live. I like the little Marvin in the corner. They also get points for using a Bjork song in the background.[/url]
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Some dude in my math class did a project related to first weekend box office proceeds. He showed the trailer for this movie, and I guess he's organizing a class outing Friday night, right after the final. It's a weird class. I'll probably go if I don't have to work, mainly because it's been quite a while (for me, anyway) since I've been to a movie in a theatre.
Has anyone seen it yet?
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Nope. I really need to sort something out and go see it. I guess I am off on Monday, but I doubt I will get anything organised for this weekend. It won't get to this shitty little town for another couple of months, and nothing's worth seeing on the screen here!
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The Rotten Tomatoes Review page (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hitchhikers_guide_to_the_galaxy/)
This is pretty much what I figured would happen. The reviews are either "This is way off from the source material!" or "this movie follows the source material very well!" But it's good to see that it's got people on both sides instead of being resoundingly bad. It looks like your opinion of the film boils down to how much you wish they put every single word from the book on the screen.[/url]
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The Rotten Tomatoes Review page (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hitchhikers_guide_to_the_galaxy/)
This is pretty much what I figured would happen. The reviews are either "This is way off from the source material!" or "this movie follows the source material very well!" But it's good to see that it's got people on both sides instead of being resoundingly bad. It looks like your opinion of the film boils down to how much you wish they put every single word from the book on the screen.
Didn't the radio drama come first? Wouldn't that mean that the book is "wrong" thus ruining their entire basis of whining?
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Indeed, Cort.
Incidentally, read this article (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/04/26/1952248&tid=97&tid=133&tid=214) about the film.
Most of the changes to the material for the film were initiated by DNA, and he was always proud of the differences between versions of the story.
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Didn't the radio drama come first? Wouldn't that mean that the book is "wrong" thus ruining their entire basis of whining?
I agree, people complaining about change in a series where change is an established tradition seems kind of odd to me...
Anyways, we'll see how it is on friday.
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I think what concerns me about the trailer is that the movie doesn't look like it's going to be funny. If I knew nothing about it, I couldn't tell that it was a comedy from the trailer. That concerns me.
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I think what concerns me about the trailer is that the movie doesn't look like it's going to be funny. If I knew nothing about it, I couldn't tell that it was a comedy from the trailer. That concerns me.
it strikes the right off-kilter, humorous tone. Fans of the books and TV shows should be pleasantly surprised.
I hope so.
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To put it bluntly, they have cut most of the jokes out. I’m not being metaphorical here, they really have, in a very literal sense, removed the jokes from the story. There are scenes where all we’re left with is the set-up dialogue, there are jokes where we get the feed-line but not the punchline. It’s astounding.
I think this was the first review, written after a fan club screening last month:
http://www.planetmagrathea.com/shortreview.html
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I think this was the first review, written after a fan club screening last month:
http://www.planetmagrathea.com/shortreview.html
Yeah, I'm ignoring that one because it was the most nitpickey fanboy review I've ever read. (This is going to be a long post, people)
From what I understand, the guy who wrote it was a potential candidate to head the movie. So I'm sure he sat there the entire film thinking "I could have done this better!". I mean, the dude is pissed off that they didn't include the fact that the "Vogon ships were floating in the sky like bricks don't", which is a narrative description from the book. How could they convey that? Have characters say it?
Arthur: Those ships sure are hanging in the sky like bricks don't!
Pretty awkward if you ask me. And the whole review is like that. At one point he complains they gave the whale an extra line. Boo-fuck*ng-hoo.
Other such gems:
The Heart of Gold ends up on the planet Viltvodle (not Viltvodle VI, as in previous versions)
Dear Christ!
Zaphod, Arthur and Trillian enter Humma Kavula's temple, the entire design ethos of which is based around noses. That is supposed to tie in with the Great Green Arkleseizure theory although it seems odd that the Jatravartids would have considered the Arkleseizure to have a human nose
Secondly, it's lemons that make it work, not Arcturan mega-lemons or anything science fictional like that. Throughout the film, there are lots of throwaway jokes of this sort, involving Earth things (like dancing bloody hula dolls) rather than oddball variants of Earth things, which is what Douglas Adams' universe has traditionally been filled with. We see this with the Heart of Gold: every item that it transmogrifies into is an Earth item. A flower or a ball of wool or a teapot; not an alien-looking flower or a sentient ball of wool or a five-spouted teapot.
An audience would not understand they were looking at a Jartravid nose or an alien flower.
This review is four pages of a child throwing a temper tantrum because they didn't throw every word on the screen. This is hands down the worst movie review I have ever read and I read aint it cool news on a regular basis. It's just too bad that this review seemed to poison the well for a lot of people.
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Hey, I didn't say that I wasn't going to be sitting in the theatre watching this bitch tomorrow afternoon, just that from various reviews (I can't find the link, but the BBC web site has already reviewed it and found it unfunny and potentially confusing for people who haven't read the books too) that the movie is NOT a comedy. It's a slightly strange sci-fi movie with LOTS of big-budget effects that crowd the film.
From the trailer only I'd say that's an accurate accessment, although I'm still going to see the film and decide for myself.
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Hey, I didn't say that I wasn't going to be sitting in the theatre watching this bitch tomorrow afternoon, just that from various reviews (I can't find the link, but the BBC web site has already reviewed it and found it unfunny and potentially confusing for people who haven't read the books too) that the movie is NOT a comedy. It's a slightly strange sci-fi movie with LOTS of big-budget effects that crowd the film.
From the trailer only I'd say that's an accurate accessment, although I'm still going to see the film and decide for myself.
Oh, none of the bile was directed towards you. A lot of reviews are saying the same thing as the one I discussed in the above post, but they say in less words in a more mature and less angry fashion than that review. Whatever the movie turns out to be, even if that review is right, it's still a bad review.
But yeah, every bad review that hits on rotten tomatoes lessens my eternal optimism for this film a little more.
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Just got back from seeing the movie. While it wasn't quite as good as I was hoping, it certainly wasn't the trainwreck that many reviews suggest.
It was funny. Not hilarious, but it make me laugh a few times and smile throughout most of it.
Things I Liked:
The dolphins' song: A funny little tune that reminded me of Monty Python, which is exactly what this movie should do.
The guide entries. They were right out of the book, and the little animations that go along with them are excellent. I only wish there were a few more.
The overall visuals: The movie has a great design aesthetic. I really liked The Heart of Gold, Marvin, Deep Thought, and of course the Margrathea factory floor was spectacular.
Mos Def as Ford: He didn't have a lot to do, but he makes an excellent Ford.
The new scene where they visit the Vogon homeworld: I thought it was very funny and fit right in with the established material. It worked well to add a second act to a story that didn't really have one.
Slartibartfast: Wow. The best performance in the film, very charming and funny.
The changed ending: I know a lot of people will bitch up and down about the changes made to the ending, but I honestly liked (most) of them, except for the little bit when that love story subplot comes creeping in.
Things I did not like:
The love story subplot: it's not necessary, it doesn't work, but it doesn't ruin the film either. It'll make you roll your eyes a little bit, I'm sure, but it's mostly harmless.
The John Malkovich part: Pretty pointless. But it's hard not to like John Malkovich.
Zaphod: Sam Rockwell was great, but they could have toned him down juuuust a bit.
General incoherence: They rush some stuff and don't really explain some other stuff, so the movie feels kind of disjointed.
So what we have here is a very likeable film that's on the edge of being really good but never quite crosses it. I know I'll go see it again though. If you were forcing me to grade it, I'd give it a B. High marks for effort, but it could have been just a little better. Nonetheless, I think Douglas Adams would have walked out of the theater satisfied.
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Curses! You beat me!
I just saw it too, and my feelings are exactly identical to yours. Everything you said, I felt as well. I think this will actually get a bunch of people interested in the source material, which is good; when my girlfriend and I walked out afterwards, she immediatly asked to borrow my copy.
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I haven't yet seen it, but I've read all of DNA's books but two and the missus has just started them, and I'm going to see it tomorrow, but I'm going to respond to part of rrc's comments. Be forewarned with that terrible sentence.
Things I did not like:
The love story subplot: it's not necessary, it doesn't work, but it doesn't ruin the film either. It'll make you roll your eyes a little bit, I'm sure, but it's mostly harmless.
DNA initiated this change, partly to appease Disney, partly to shape the story for such reduction as a vast radio drama to a book-n-a-half to a film. I truly hope it works to make the film salable.
The John Malkovich part: Pretty pointless. But it's hard not to like John Malkovich.
You must not have seen Rounders.
Zaphod: Sam Rockwell was great, but they could have toned him down juuuust a bit.
Tone down Zaphod? As hoopy frood as Zaphod cannot be toned down. Sam Rockwell? It ain't tough to key him up, given his other performances. I'm excited to see him in this. Who would you have cast?
General incoherence: They rush some stuff and don't really explain some other stuff, so the movie feels kind of disjointed.
Which is exactly opposite the Guide and the novels. I've heard much of this, but the wife finds the guide entries boring, so it might be what the film needs to become a commercial success. You never know when people are going to attend in droves. (bad example, but, My Big Fat Greek Wedding.)
So what we have here is a very likeable film that's on the edge of being really good but never quite crosses it. I know I'll go see it again though. If you were forcing me to grade it, I'd give it a B. High marks for effort, but it could have been just a little better. Nonetheless, I think Douglas Adams would have walked out of the theater satisfied.
As long as I don't retch like some slashdot geek, I'll be satisfied. To hear an opinion that states DNA would approve is good enough for me.[/code]
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Tone down Zaphod? As hoopy frood as Zaphod cannot be toned down. Sam Rockwell? It ain't tough to key him up, given his other performances. I'm excited to see him in this. Who would you have cast?
I'm not saying I wouldn't have cast Sam Rockwell. He did an excellent job as Zaphod. He's just all over the place, especially when that second head comes into play. It's just that he's always set at 11, and you kind of wish they'd bump him down to 10 every once in a while. It's hard to explain. Maybe you'll see where I'm coming from after you see it.
I would just like to add that this movie had the worst set of trailers I had ever seen preceding it. The Steve Martin remake of the Pink Panther looks painful. There is also a new Herbie movie starring Lindsey Lohan's breasts. Rounding it all out was this awful new Martin Lawrence movie (is there any other kind) where he coaches basketball or something. The only thing more painful than these trailers was the fact that they were getting laughs from the audience.
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There is also a new Herbie movie starring Lindsey Lohan's breasts.
They were so good in Mean Girls!
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Saw it tonight and agree with most of what's been said here. It's a pleasent movie, but not very satisfying. If it had an overarching ideology I missed it. It seemed like they stretched a few of the jokes a bit thin. Marvin is depressed, the Vogons are hopeless beauracrats, yes we get it. It could have used a bit more exposition or maybe it wouldn't have mattered. I thought the journal entries and the opening song were the best parts of the movie.
~Paul
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There was that preview for that Will Ferrell movie "Kicking and Screaming", and then right after that was the preview for the Martin Lawrence one, and I was really hoping the title was going to be like "Kicking and Screaming 2: Runteldat" or something silly
i.e., more sassy
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I've just got to take some time out of this thread to say:
A shark with whiskey is mighty risky
but a shark with beer...is a beer engineer.
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I'm going tonight with some friends. Some blasphemous friends who couldn't care less about h2g2 but just want to see the Serenity trailer that's supposed to show beforehand.
But in the books I liked the guide parts. Especially the definition of the universe.
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OK, we had way different trailers. I got Sharkboy and Lavagirl, the "Don't Panic" trailer for Chicken Little, Batman, Herbie, and Jumangi In Space.
The movie, I liked it. Everybody else seemed to laugh out loud more than I did which was odd but it was enjoyable. Deep Thought looked wonderful and the Guide entries were great (although I did expect Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio to run accross them at any moment). The only thing I didn't like was the bad joke about The Restaurant, especially since that's not what it means by "end."
I can't decide whether never explaining the towel thing was good or bad.
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I thought the Don't Panic Chicken Little trailer was a Hitchhiker's Guide trailer, and so when "It's The End of the World as We Know It" started playing I got really pissed off.
Because I would not stand for that being in the Hitchhiker's Guide. I would not stand for that.
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The only thing I didn't like was the bad joke about The Restaurant, especially since that's not what it means by "end."
Ah, but Marvin said "It's at the OTHER end of the universe" which could also be the proper meaning. After all, the ship did do an improbability jump, it could have been going forward in time. I mean, he could have said "You're going the wrong way" or "it's the other way" but the fact that he said "the OTHER end of the universe" made me think they meant it in the correct sense.
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I thought the Don't Panic Chicken Little trailer was a Hitchhiker's Guide trailer, and so when "It's The End of the World as We Know It" started playing I got really pissed off.
Because I would not stand for that being in the Hitchhiker's Guide. I would not stand for that.
I got pissed off because I thought it was a Hitchhiker's trailer too. Because having a trailer for the movie you're seeing is retarded. And then I was more pissed off when I found out it was a Chicken Little trailer, just on general principle.
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I thought the Don't Panic Chicken Little trailer was a Hitchhiker's Guide trailer, and so when "It's The End of the World as We Know It" started playing I got really pissed off.
Because I would not stand for that being in the Hitchhiker's Guide. I would not stand for that.
I got pissed off because I thought it was a Hitchhiker's trailer too. Because having a trailer for the movie you're seeing is retarded. And then I was more pissed off when I found out it was a Chicken Little trailer, just on general principle.
Really? I thought it was somewhat clever, despite having no interest in actually seeing Chicken Little.
I walked in after the trailers had started, but I did see some of those mentioned above, along with Corpse Bride (I'm way to happy about this one) and Star Wars episode 3. I hate to admit that the Star Wars trailer was absolutely gorgeous, especially since I had assumed I would just skip this installment.
As for h2g2, much agreement with the above. My SO had never read the books, but she didn't find the film hard to follow, and both of us were pretty happy with out evening at the theater. If nothing else, the screening I went to was mostly DA fans, so no one talked through the film (the greatest gift of all....)
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I saw it at an art house so all of the previews were for foreign films.
~Paul
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I saw it at a Landmark, which is half mini-plex, half art-house. I saw trailers for The Fantastic 4, some Irish lesbian flick (!), and several forgettable descriptions.
Let me just say that I've read all but 2 of DNA's books, and those two I can't find in person;* I will laugh at any comedy, and a few bad jokes; third, I also read every bad review of the movie so I could go in with low expectations (I find it always goes best that way). I read a few good reviews, but 60% on rottentomatoes** usually means "Terrible Film." I read that folks who don't know the book(s) will enjoy the movie almost as much as those of us who do.
That's baldly false, and I've got a wife to prove it.
Now: SPOILER ALERT. It's tough to imagine a better translation to film as the source would allow. Humma Kavula was a good plot invention not only to replace both the styrofoam head which failed so mightily on TV and Zaphod's book-based Brain Surgery Inscription, but also to include the Great Green Arkleseizure. I thought Rockwell was on point as Zaphod, and Zooey Deschanel exactly fit the physical type for Trillian, though her hair should have been short, I thought. (Coincidences with Elf: the cheek-kiss was the same at the fancy-dress party and Rockefeller Center, and she was filmed showering in both films. God, no matter how much it sounds it, I didn't mean that creepy.) Mos Def was good as Ford, who was never much more than Arthur's impetus; speaking of whom, Martin Freeman was the perfect Arthur Dent.
Comparing the book(s) to the movie will always be disheartening: a Hollywood Film requires: story, tension, and either romance or resolution. The books, singularly or wholly, lack story, tension, resolution, and romance. Furthering Arthur's relationship with Trillian is something that is fated to happen in this medium. I thought they played it off well, and as a fairly minor point in the overall plot. If the H2G2 canon can be said to be about anything, it's about Arthur learning how to be himself in an area of undefined dimension. Trillian and Ford are his motivations to do so in this version... lest we forget that one dimension's Trillian bore some dimension's Arthur's baby according to a later book in the series...
Ye gods, I'm rambling. G'night!
*there's just something about going to a bookstore. more so: a library.
** I didn't read their linked reviews, but geek-and-fan reviews.
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Furthering Arthur's relationship with Trillian is something that is fated to happen in this medium.
Especially since they left out Fenchurch in the introduction.
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Furthering Arthur's relationship with Trillian is something that is fated to happen in this medium.
Especially since they left out Fenchurch in the introduction.
Exactly. They left a hell of a lot out, because -well, I don't know about you, but it took me more than two hours to read the first book- they had to fit it into a film of around two hours.
The only thing they left out that they should have left in is the explanation of the importance of the hitchhiker's towel. With the Guide they used in the movie, it would have taken a scant minute.
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The only thing they left out that they should have left in is the explanation of the importance of the hitchhiker's towel. With the Guide they used in the movie, it would have taken a scant minute.
True, but I thought they did a good job of showing instead of telling. It was used to break a steam pipe, to cover Ford's head when he was getting shot at, to towel off a hot naked space lady, and as a weapon (He's got a TOWEL! Run away!). There were a few others, I'm sure, and my girlfriend who never read the book still understood the importance of towels.
I would have like the guide entry though. If only for the fact that it would have been great to hear the term "frood" in the movie. I bet we can expect it and other omitted entries on the DVD director's cut, though.
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The only thing they left out that they should have left in is the explanation of the importance of the hitchhiker's towel. With the Guide they used in the movie, it would have taken a scant minute.
True, but I thought they did a good job of showing instead of telling. It was used to break a steam pipe, to cover Ford's head when he was getting shot at, to towel off a hot naked space lady, and as a weapon (He's got a TOWEL! Run away!). There were a few others, I'm sure, and my girlfriend who never read the book still understood the importance of towels.
I would have like the guide entry though. If only for the fact that it would have been great to hear the term "frood" in the movie. I bet we can expect it and other omitted entries on the DVD director's cut, though.
True, the towel frightened them off but they were also defeated by the locked gate.
I kind of liked have the towel as an in-joke for those of us familiar with the source material(s). I was originally torn about them not explaining but now I think it was the right choice as it was fun for us and eliminated some expostion that wasn't necessary to the plot.
I'm pretty sure Zaphod called Ford a frood a couple times but I could be wrong. He definitely used some of slang terms but I can't recall which and "frood" is the only one from the book I can remember right now.
Also, it turns out I've been pronouncing Zaphod wrong for years; I thought it was a short a.
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Also, it turns out I've been pronouncing Zaphod wrong for years; I thought it was a short a.
Me too, but I'm not about to change, dammit.
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Wait, it's not short-a?
And now I am flashing back to eighth-grade disputes about how precisely you pronounce "Gamgee."
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Wait, it's not short-a?
I've never heard the radio drama or see the TV show, but in the movie all the characters consistently say Zay-fodd
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True, the towel frightened them off but they were also defeated by the locked gate.
God, can we just say that that was a very funny part?
"He's closed the gate! We'll have to go around!"