Do you know where your towel is?

Posted by: tfabris

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/02/2005 13:44

Hint. The fact that it was called a trilogy but ended up as more than three books, was the joke.

Posted by: tonyc

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/02/2005 14:00

Quote:
Quite. It's a five-part trilogy, as any fule kno.

Or 5.01 if you count "Young Zaphod Plays it Safe" included in the hardcover "trilogy" put out prior to the release of "Mostly Harmless." Not that you should, because I think Adams really phoned that one in.

Posted by: JeffS

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/02/2005 14:33

Quote:
Any ideas if they'll do the full four-book trilogy

Adams said often that none of the Hitchhiker versions (radio, book, game) were consistent, and in fact weren't meant to be. As the story moved to each different media, he simply re-wrote it to better meet thata media. This is actually pretty smart, as what makes a good radio program is not the same as what makes a good movie or book. So we can expect the same charatecrs and similar situations, but the jokes might be different. And if that assumption is correct, since the story probably won't follow the book explicitly, making the same four follow up books probably doesn't make a lot of sense (not to say they won't make additional movies- they just might not match the books). We might even see some of the scenes and jokes from the sequals in the movie. Of course, this is all based on my assumption of what Adams has done with this story in the past, which all may have changed.

Posted by: peter

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/02/2005 14:46

Quote:
So we can expect the same characters and similar situations, but the jokes might be different.

At least one snippet from that trailer (where Trillian is being carried off by some large beast and shouts "Arthur!" and he responds "Tricia!") isn't in any previous version AFAIR.

Peter

Posted by: RobotCaleb

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/02/2005 14:49

the Heart of Gold fails at looking like a running shoe. but, it does feature some odd lights/windows.

The logo for Osiris Shoes very closely matches the design on the walls.
a vague reference to the text?

Posted by: tfabris

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/02/2005 15:18

Quote:
the Heart of Gold fails at looking like a running shoe.

In that running shoes aren't spheres, agreed. But stylistically, I think it definitely has that kind of feel to it.

Posted by: hybrid8

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/02/2005 15:31

It's probably a case of the running shoe narrative (in the book) being a lot funnier than actually seeing a running show as a ship with no explanation (in the movie).

So far I'm not digging the Marvin android suit. Though I'll reserve judgement until I hear Alan Rickman's voice-over for the character. I imagine he'd make an amazing Marvin.

I had always hoped they would cast Michael Keaton as Zaphod...

Bruno

Posted by: ashmoore

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/02/2005 16:06

Trillian seemed so much better as a blonde......

Posted by: tfabris

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/02/2005 17:01

Quote:
I'll reserve judgement until I hear Alan Rickman's voice-over for the character. I imagine he'd make an amazing Marvin.

Oh, I hadn't realized he was doing Marvin. Now that's utterly perfect.

Quote:
I had always hoped they would cast Michael Keaton as Zaphod...

Interesting choice. I'd have thought Robin Williams myself. But I have to say, I really like the character they've got in those trailers, he's different than I imagined, but still utterly cool.

Posted by: DWallach

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/02/2005 17:18

If you put Robin Williams in as Zaphod, he would be a most frood dude, but it might be uncomfortably close to playing Mork, which I think he's worked long and hard to get away from in his subsequent career.

I agree about Michael Keaton. If he could handle Beetle Juice, he could handle Zaphod Beeblebrox.

Also, where could you put Rowan Atkinson? Is there any role he couldn't play in HHGTTG?

Posted by: Phoenix42

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/02/2005 18:46

I'm sitting in VMware class reading this trying hard not to giggle. H2G2 has been a part of my life for quite a while and listening to others natter on about it is great.
Must dig out the book again tonight.

Posted by: Cybjorg

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 18/02/2005 10:53

Does anyone know where the trailer on Amazon went to?

Posted by: drakino

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/03/2005 18:36

Third trailer is up.

Posted by: tfabris

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/03/2005 18:59

Gets better and better.

Interesting things are revealed if you frame-by-frame that sucker.

Posted by: ricin

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/03/2005 19:25

That's the trailer we saw at WonderCon last month, along with a TON of behind the scenes footage and Robbie Stamp telling us stories. Good stuff.

Posted by: JeffS

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 11/03/2005 02:27

What a great trailer!

Thanks for the post.

Posted by: DWallach

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 12/03/2005 21:12

Indeed. I still don't get what they're doing with Zaphod's head-in-a-head, but I'm sure it will all make sense (or an appropriate lack thereof) at some point.

Posted by: lectric

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 14/03/2005 17:47

Agreed. I hate to pick nits, but that is NOTHING like I picture the heart of Gold, Marvin, OR Zaphod. Vogon's either, for that matter. Oh well, should still be good.

Posted by: ashmoore

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 16/03/2005 13:37

The mere fact that they have the falling whale is brilliant, I thought scenes like that would be dropped in a heartbeat. The ride though the planet workshop looks spectacular.
Having said (typed?) that, this is only the trailer, so may not actually appear in the released movie at all.

I notice that you can now get the TV show on DVD now. I'll have to be getting that....

Posted by: JeffS

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 16/03/2005 15:50

Quote:
The mere fact that they have the falling whale is brilliant, I thought scenes like that would be dropped in a heartbeat.

I figured they'd drop that as well- I'd can't see it being nearly as funny to watch as it is to read.

Posted by: andy

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/03/2005 11:31

Quote:
I figured they'd drop that as well- I'd can't see it being nearly as funny to watch as it is to read.

Bill Bailey is playing the whale, which should help.

Posted by: tfabris

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/03/2005 15:16

Oh, won't you come home?

Posted by: bootsy

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 19/03/2005 19:44

I just grabbed the BBC mini series on DVD and watched it last night... good stuff. The special effects are now quite dated, but the theme song still gives me a thrill.

I have yet to watch the extras, but there is something weird with the stereo mix. "The Book" sounds like he is coming from the rear right. There is also a "Troubleshooting" alert inside the case claiming if the sound for the narration disappears, change the audio to Mono. Odd, but mostly harmless.

Posted by: ashmoore

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 20/03/2005 00:19

cool!, my copy is on its on its way to me now from amazon.
I already have the two VHS tape set, but it is in PAL and my multi standard VCR is going on the blink.

Posted by: tonyc

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 20/03/2005 02:57

The special effects in the miniseries were dated the moment it was produced. I think that adds to the humor and overall campiness of the show.

Sucks that they goofed on the audio and haven't bothered to fix it.

Posted by: ninti

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/04/2005 14:36

The first review of the the Hitchhiker movie has come out....and it isn't good. Not good at all.

And I was so excited about this movie.

Posted by: andym

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/04/2005 14:53

That's not going to stop me from seeing it. I rarely agree with movie reviewers.

Posted by: tman

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/04/2005 15:15

If the review is accurate then it might be something you'd rent out on DVD at some point but otherwise wouldn't touch...

Posted by: ninti

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/04/2005 15:35

Well, this guy is not some random reviewer. He is a Douglas Adams biographer and writer of several books dealing with Hitchhikers and Adams. Read the review, it's pretty damning from any objective standpoint.

Posted by: andym

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/04/2005 15:37

I don't really see the difference between renting it and seeing it at the cinema. It's an evening out after all

Posted by: andym

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/04/2005 15:43

I skimmed it, to be honest, I've not seen/heard/read any of the stuff that's come before. Maybe I'll be able to approach it without any preconceptions.

Now when the League of Gentlemen film comes out, I'll probably be hyper critical given my love of the TV series.

Posted by: JeffS

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/04/2005 15:54

Ouch!

This not a good thing.

Posted by: JeepBastard

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/04/2005 16:45

I think this film is going to be quite cultish, and doesn't really translate readily into a feature film. Its sci-fi, its british, its british sci-fi, its thinking man's humor as well. Not exactly the right combination for a blockbuster or friendly to reviews.

I have the DVD of the original televised series and I went to school and still know Mos Def, and I don't know if this can work as a feature film.

Posted by: JeffS

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/04/2005 17:35

Quote:
I think this film is going to be quite cultish, and doesn't really translate readily into a feature film. Its sci-fi, its british, its british sci-fi, its thinking man's humor as well. Not exactly the right combination for a blockbuster or friendly to reviews.

But the review above isn't expecting it to be a "feature film". Above all else, for the movie to work it has to be funny, and he said it wasn't. And this is someone who clearly appreciated the humor of the books. Of course, it's just one review, but it's a pretty disheartening one.

Posted by: tman

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 10/04/2005 21:32

Gah! One for watching on the telly via normal free broadcast then

Posted by: hybrid8

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 11/04/2005 11:49

Did this review get Slashdotted? The site is blocking traffic due to bandwidth limits... Anyone manage to mirror the content?

Bruno

Posted by: tfabris

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 11/04/2005 12:55

Quote:
Did this review get Slashdotted? The site is blocking traffic due to bandwidth limits... Anyone manage to mirror the content?

Darn, and the Movie Review Query Engine doesn't have it listed yet either.

I skimmed the article and its author basically had the following problems with the film:

- It wasn't funny.

- It removed many of the original clever jokes and replaced them with unfunny sophomoric gags.

- It dumbed-down Douglas's original dialogue, making it less sharp and witty.

- Guide segments were too few, and too changed. Example: Babelfish guide segment explains what a babelfish is, but leaves out the "non-existence of god" joke at the end.

- Many of the plot elements got left on the cutting room floor, meaning at times characters would appear in the right place with the right stuff, but without a good reason for it.

I hope he's wrong and overreacting. So far he's just one reviewer. I'm still gonna go see it, I really have no choice. The article was conveniently divided up so that the spoilers were on a separately linked set of pages. I was grateful for that, I didn't look at the spoilers.

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 11/04/2005 13:09

Quote:
I don't really see the difference between renting it and seeing it at the cinema.

Well, renting it, you pay $5 for everyone to see it. Seeing it at the cinema, you pay $8 for each person. So for a group of four people, that's a difference of $31.

Posted by: JeffS

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 11/04/2005 13:58

Quote:
Babelfish guide segment explains what a babelfish is, but leaves out the "non-existence of god" joke at the end.

Was this a real example, or one you just made up? I didn't read the longer version of the article. If so, this just kills it for me. This is by far my favorite joke in the entire series; perhaps even fiction in general.

Posted by: Heather

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 11/04/2005 14:35

Quote:
Well, renting it, you pay $5 for everyone to see it. Seeing it at the cinema, you pay $8 for each person.

Movies are only $8 in NC?

Posted by: JBjorgen

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 11/04/2005 14:53

Less than that in SC. I think it's $7.50. My wife is in the military, so we get in for $5.50. Nice!

Posted by: tman

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 11/04/2005 17:03

The review is back up at the moment but if it's down later then try the Coral cached version.

Posted by: Heather

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 11/04/2005 17:08

Quote:
Less than that in SC. I think it's $7.50. My wife is in the military, so we get in for $5.50. Nice!

I was more surprised because the cost of living in Raleigh isn't exactly cheap. South Carolina I'd expect it, because other than the tourist traps, the place seems like a non stop fire sale to me as far as prices go. Even the tourist trap prices don't seem to bad to me in SC.

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 11/04/2005 17:36

$7.75 or $8, depending on which one of the two theater chains I still agree to go to I go to.

Posted by: ashmoore

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 11/04/2005 18:34

I just read the full -with spoilers- review. I really hope it is not as bad as the review paints it.
But he seems to have a point with his examples. Once funny two way dialogs are replaced with stupid one-liners.
It looks like that in typical hollywood fashion, all the best bits are in the trailler.
They seem to have missed the whole point of the series.

I had such high hopes.
Not much chance of the rest of the story ever making it.

Oh well......

Posted by: DWallach

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 11/04/2005 20:31

I saw a TV ad, and it was clearly all about eye candy rather than witty banter. Still, I'll go see the film. Maybe, just maybe, they came up with something worthwhile.

Posted by: FireFox31

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 12/04/2005 00:18

Here's another review, even though I didn't read it, or the other one. I'd rather make my own opinion and know nothing going in (since I still haven't read the books yet, but will after seeing the movie).

The above review may be a little old... written during HHGTG production? I'm not sure I'd agree with the review based on the one sentence that I did read, calling Star Wars Episode 3 "the bulldozer of box office cash that is Star Wars". Didn't everyone give up on that prequel nonsense? But that's for another thread. I'll go see HHGTG.

Posted by: JeffS

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 12/04/2005 01:21

Quote:
since I still haven't read the books yet, but will after seeing the movie

It's your business, but I'd read the books first if I were you. If the movie really is as bad as it seems, you'll want to read the books untainted. They are really worth it.

Posted by: DWallach

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 12/04/2005 12:45

Apparently, you can get a compendium of all five Hitchhiker books for only $12.89.

Posted by: mtempsch

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/04/2005 07:05

Quote:
Here's another review

Ang her's a third review - actually favorable... no real spoilers.

Posted by: tfabris

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/04/2005 13:50

If only it were actually a review, rather than a sight-unseen PR piece. Sigh.

Posted by: DWallach

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/04/2005 16:55

I'm torn. On one hand, HHGG is coming out next weekend, and I even just picked up all five books in one volume, so I could bury myself in intergallactic pandemonium. On the other hand, the new Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is also coming out next weekend and will be showing locally, mere spitting distance from where many of the Enron executives lived.

So, should I go watch a comedy about the destruction of the earth, or should I watch the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?

Posted by: tfabris

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 17/04/2005 16:57

I saw that coming a mile off.

Posted by: Robotic

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 21/04/2005 18:23

Here's the BBC review:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4461899.stm

You'll have already seen it if you /.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/04/21/1240217&tid=97&tid=214

I'm amazed at the production quality, but disappointed at the US-ness of the cast. I reserve my own judgement until I see it...

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 21/04/2005 18:52

I'd read somewhere that the reason that it was in "development hell" for ages is that Douglas Adams realized that he didn't want a Hollywood studio working on it and wrote what he considered substandard scripts for it so that he could reject them, which was a right he had gotten in the optioning. Apparently, the rights were due to revert to him at some point, but he died before that happened. Of course, I could be wrong about that, or it might have been a big ole fib.

Posted by: hybrid8

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 22/04/2005 01:44

I can't imagine the movie being worse than the commercials for it. They're some of the worst movie commercials I've seen in years.

They're the most un-funny promos you could imagine. The story is a comedy. Supposed to be an all-out, thinking, but out-loud laughing comedy. Anyone not familiar with the subject matter is not going to get that at all from the TV spots. What they'll get is something that looks like a worthless sci-fi flick, a month before Star Wars opens.

The trailer with the Stephen Fry (Guide) voice-over was good though. Very good.

I'm going to stop reading reviews. Read the first three. I thought the second and third were less than useless and the authors just didn't know anything about the story or what made it what it is. The first really critical one was a very interesting read. I could live with the Heart of Gold's spherical shape, Marvin's goofy appearance, and even an American Ford... But everything else just seems like a huge let-down.

Bruno

Posted by: Robotic

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 26/04/2005 22:50

One more...
HHG2G Exec. Producer Robbie Stamp Answers
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/04/26/1952248&tid=97&tid=133&tid=214

Quote:
Earlier this month, you asked questions of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy executive producer Robbie Stamp. Robbie's been kind enough to answer more than the usual number of questions, and has provided much interesting information about the casting, Douglas Adams' influence, and more -- read on below for his answers.

Posted by: tfabris

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 28/04/2005 23:29

Well, reviews a' plenty, they seem pretty mixed.

Sounds like the filmmakers forgot to Bring The Funny. Ah well. Gonna see it tomorrow anyway. I have to, you know?

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 29/04/2005 12:18

59% over at Rotten Tomatoes -- right on the borderline.

Posted by: ninti

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 29/04/2005 18:30

My favorite review line is "almost, but not quite, entirely unlike the books".

Yeah, I'll probably see it too, despite the poor reviews (and 59% is pretty poor in my mind). But what can you do?

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 29/04/2005 18:58

Well, the Rotten Tomatoes rating is the ratio of good reviews to bad (technically, the ratio of good reviews to all reviews), not a rating itself. So it's gotten more good reviews than bad, but not by a lot.

Posted by: ninti

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 29/04/2005 19:19

Quote:
Well, the Rotten Tomatoes rating is the ratio of good reviews to bad (technically, the ratio of good reviews to all reviews)

Oh yeah, I read it all the time. And I find that unless it hits about 80% or so, I have little chance of liking a movie. Of course, I am picky when it comes to movies. It's like when Siskel and Ebert were around, I found that unless they both liked it, I probably wouldn't.

Posted by: Dignan

Re: Do you know where your towel is? - 29/04/2005 19:22

I've been slightly dissappointed by Rotten Tomatoes. How many of you have actually clicked on a full review by one of the average reviewers they count? There's been several that I've seen which amount to not much more than "This movie was good. I liked it a lot. Vin Diesel rocks."

Do you know where your towel is?