Admittedly, I'm a fanboy of the books, so I thought the movie was a soda that's gone flat. Mos Def was particularly bland as Ford. Trillian was a stock-cut "spunky" female lead, and I didn't buy into it.
But Sam Rockwell nailed Zaphod. I'm going to go back and check out some other films of his based on that performance, which I thought was great.
I liked the movie pretty well. The tacked-on love plot was pretty bad, but it was funny and followed the spirit of the books pretty well. Textual fidelity isn't a desideratum above all others.
Which is the final evidence I needed (along with the election of Bush and the pasting the Pacers received in Game 1 from the Cs) to conclude that you will, in fact, get to have sex with PG. I am now going to Amazon to order something existential and bleak.
in re 23: the page is not accessible outside the US. The notice says, "We at Showtime Online express our apologies; however, these pages are intended for access only from within the United States."
I'm not criticizing Zooey Deschanel for being pretty. Certainly not. I am lesbian Elvis, after all.
What I'm saying that Trillian's part was poorly written. In the book, both Trillian and Ford were really interesting characters. In the movie they were pretty generic. I wouldn't have minded if the movie had made them interesting (or narratively useful) in some other way.
I think it was poor storytelling to play up Zaphod and tone down the other two.
I'm not really a textual fidelity stickler, but I found long stretches of the movie to just be flat. They didn't get nearly enough humor out of the infinite improbability drive, for instance. And the guide itself was only funny about half the time.
Admittedly, I'm a fanboy of the books, so I thought the movie was a soda that's gone flat. Mos Def was particularly bland as Ford. Trillian was a stock-cut "spunky" female lead, and I didn't buy into it.
But Sam Rockwell nailed Zaphod. I'm going to go back and check out some other films of his based on that performance, which I thought was great.
Posted by mike d | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 4:40 PM
I'm going to see it in an hour.
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 4:43 PM
I thought Rockwell was very good in Matchstick Men, Heist, and Galaxy Quest.
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 4:44 PM
Mike D--Check out Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Hoo-wee. Made me want to go watch back episodes of The Gong Show.
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 4:47 PM
I liked the movie pretty well. The tacked-on love plot was pretty bad, but it was funny and followed the spirit of the books pretty well. Textual fidelity isn't a desideratum above all others.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 4:47 PM
Notwithstanding its overabundance of Tim Allen, Galaxy Quest brings the funny.
Posted by unf | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 4:48 PM
One might almost describe it as uncanonical in this case.
Posted by LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 4:48 PM
Textual fidelity, that is.
Posted by LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 4:49 PM
Deschanel, not Descahnel, ogged.
I find it quite frustrating that these threads are picking up now, and not three or four hours ago.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 4:49 PM
Wait! This was posted by ... unf! Not ogged! I take it all back.
Should have realized based on title capitalization.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 4:51 PM
That's not the only typo, wolfson. I'm disappointed you missed the other one.
Posted by unf | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 4:51 PM
Moview? Yeah, I'm really tired.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 4:54 PM
Plus ogged would have been choosing between Zooey Deschanel and Christy Turlington. Not that either of 'em are plow-pulling lasses.
Posted by L. | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 5:02 PM
ol' Zooey does nothing for me, L. A less pretty Mia Kirshner, and certainly not in Christy's league. For shame.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 5:05 PM
Background research for that last comment has uncovered one of the great photographs of all time. (Might even be work safe.)
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 5:06 PM
Considering that it's all over bus stops in NY (it's the ad for The L Word, right?) I'd call it work-safe.
Posted by LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 5:20 PM
I entirely in the thrall of Jennifer Beals. (She's in the L word, right?)
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 5:25 PM
Is you.
Posted by LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 5:26 PM
You meant "Is you?", right?
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 5:34 PM
Were I forced to choose between her and Sarah Vowell, I don't know what I would do
Well let's hope doesn't come down to a split decision, then. Like if they both hand you their hotel keys at the same time.
Posted by Michael | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 5:34 PM
Nah, it was more of a statement than a question.
Posted by LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 5:37 PM
Who's the woman on the bottom right, lips parted, in the picture ogged links?
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 5:58 PM
I believe her name is Katherine Moennig.
Me too with the Beals, Timmy.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:02 PM
I am ogged's bitter, choking bile duct.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:04 PM
Yes, yes you are.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:05 PM
You'd think I'd meet more Swedes, though.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:07 PM
Indeed. Two weeks ago, she brought a friend to our lesson.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:08 PM
Not cute, just torturing you.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:10 PM
Which is the final evidence I needed (along with the election of Bush and the pasting the Pacers received in Game 1 from the Cs) to conclude that you will, in fact, get to have sex with PG. I am now going to Amazon to order something existential and bleak.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:12 PM
Ah, cross-posted. Credit card saved, PG's future honor restored.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:12 PM
Anyway Tim, PG is too short for me, remember?
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:20 PM
She likes boots, my kewl Shi'a brother.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:22 PM
I'm all about the natural.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:24 PM
I feel obligated to stop this line of conversation (which I started) since PG isn't here to object.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:32 PM
Yes, the whole "ogged is gonna sleep with pg" thing is kinda weird, no?
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:33 PM
Little bit, yeah. Although, to give you credit, one thing it does is strongly increases the chance that you won't.
Posted by LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:34 PM
True. Tim is just living out his nightmares on the blog. Which is fine.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:36 PM
I think you want "increase", not "increases", but I wouldn't stake my life on it.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:36 PM
Gawd, I'd love to "stake your life" on something, Ben. At the Mineshaft.
(An homage to Apo.)
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:38 PM
in re 23: the page is not accessible outside the US. The notice says, "We at Showtime Online express our apologies; however, these pages are intended for access only from within the United States."
Weird.
Posted by Anonymous | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:42 PM
Huh. That is weird. Well, you can always move. Or google her. Up to you.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 6:44 PM
I'm not criticizing Zooey Deschanel for being pretty. Certainly not. I am lesbian Elvis, after all.
What I'm saying that Trillian's part was poorly written. In the book, both Trillian and Ford were really interesting characters. In the movie they were pretty generic. I wouldn't have minded if the movie had made them interesting (or narratively useful) in some other way.
I think it was poor storytelling to play up Zaphod and tone down the other two.
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 8:23 PM
I'm not really a textual fidelity stickler, but I found long stretches of the movie to just be flat. They didn't get nearly enough humor out of the infinite improbability drive, for instance. And the guide itself was only funny about half the time.
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 05- 3-05 9:25 PM
I feel I have to defend Zoe Deschanel a little. I haven't see Hitchhiker, but All the Real Girls is just a lovely piece of filmaking.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299458/
Posted by Claudia | Link to this comment | 05- 4-05 6:58 AM