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Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trailer

Rakkis writes "A new Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trailer is available on the frontpage of Amazon.com. From IMDb: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy follows the travels of Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman), who is saved from the demolition of the Earth by his pal Ford Prefect (Mos Def). Ford is really an alien doing research for an updated edition of the universe's ultimate travel companion, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy opens April 29th.""

773 comments

  1. Direct link to the movie by alanw · · Score: 4, Informative
    All I can see on the front page (Firefox 1.0) is the plain text
    Now Playing on Amazon.com: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Download the Flash Player.
    A quick look at the html with w3m shows the direct link to the flash movie
    1. Re:Direct link to the movie by Folmer · · Score: 2, Informative

      It looks like my adblock filterset.G blocked it.
      Now when i have disabled adblock it plays, but at random places in the trailer it just stops playing. I can't remember when i last went to this much trouble to see a trailer, but i'm about to give up now...

    2. Re:Direct link to the movie by blakestah · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Give up.

      That was perhaps the worst, trailer, ever.

    3. Re:Direct link to the movie by Jerdie · · Score: 2, Informative

      Worked fine for me in Mozilla.
      Of course, my flashblocker waited patiently for me to click it before allowing the flash to run. ;-)

      --
      Programming is simply the application of logic to creativity
    4. Re:Direct link to the movie by DanCentury · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I have no problems viewing the trailer with Firefox 1.0. It might be your OS that's the problem.

    5. Re:Direct link to the movie by Saeger · · Score: 4, Informative
      Worked fine for me in FireFox, but I did have to bypass two adfilters to see it. :)

      First, I had to click the FlashBlock icon to get it to play (since autostarting flash is a dumb idea when it's almost always an annoying ad). Second, my default Privoxy install helpfully blocked the flash movie from playing since there's a nasty "/ads/" redflag in the URL.

      --
      Power to the Peaceful
    6. Re:Direct link to the movie by Begossi · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Definitely a must see, the Artur Dent choice of actor couldn't have been better.

      It is still a bit disappointing that Zaphod does not have his 2nd head on the movie. It was the source of much humour. And Marvin looks like just a guy in a robot suit, Teletubbie-style. I thought the whole "brain the size of a planet" thing was more like a metaphor for his immense intellect, not just a huge head...

      --
      Friend of the Wise, Brother of the Brave.
    7. Re:Direct link to the movie by gmr2048 · · Score: 2, Informative

      I had a (default?) filter in AdBlock set to block */ads/* which prevented it from being displayed.

    8. Re:Direct link to the movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is still a bit disappointing that Zaphod does not have his 2nd head on the movie

      If you watch the trailer closely you'll see Zaphod's second head making a quick appearance. It seems to be under his regular head.

    9. Re:Direct link to the movie by uhlume · · Score: 5, Informative

      ....Go back and rewatch the trailer. Zaphod distinctly sports not only a third arm, but what appears to be a second head -- although the glimpse of the head is so brief that I almost thought I imagined it the first couple of times through.

      --
      SIERRA TANGO FOXTROT UNIFORM
    10. Re:Direct link to the movie by null+etc. · · Score: 1

      There's a merit of truth to this statement. Save the bandwidth, and unmod this post as being flamebait.

    11. Re:Direct link to the movie by HD+Webdev · · Score: 4, Interesting

      "I thought the whole "brain the size of a planet" thing was more like a metaphor for his immense intellect, not just a huge head"

      When I first read the HGTTG stories, I thought the constant reminders that he had a brain that specific size would end up with a plot 'surprise' that Marvin was in fact the computer trying to figure out the question that results in the answer 42.

      After all, no other computers in the story were described as that size except for Earth itself.

      Another strange thing: Marvin in fact did know the Ultimate Question. He was brilliant enough to retrieve it from Arthur's brain but was completely ignored when he mentioned that fact.

      --
      This is not a dream, not a dream...we are transmitting from the year 1-9-9-9.
    12. Re:Direct link to the movie by jmoriarty · · Score: 1

      It is still a bit disappointing that Zaphod does not have his 2nd head on the movie.

      He has it, but I understand that is it situated below his normal head, and pops up when it has something to say. From sites where people have seen sneak previews it sounds like it plays okay, but I was sort of hoping for a dopey prosthetic like in the BBC TV version.

      There is a sneak-preview review (and comments about Zaphod's head) at AICN.

    13. Re:Direct link to the movie by Pdj79 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Their disinterest in Marvin's discovery wasn't really strange. I thought it was brilliant. When it came down to it, no one actually cared about the Ultimate Question being known, it was just an interesting story told to the group while they were on the hunt for Magrathea and all its "riches". In the end, no one cared about the reason why Earth was commissioned or what the final result of all its work was, especially Arthur. All anyone cared about was themselves. They were nothing but a bunch of self-absorbed wankers. Only Marvin owned up to this fact. But hey, loved the books and love this trailer...April 29th is gonna be a great day.

    14. Re:Direct link to the movie by NanoGator · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "It is still a bit disappointing that Zaphod does not have his 2nd head on the movie."

      After watching the BBC HitchHiker's Guide movie, I can forgive them for that.

      "And Marvin looks like just a guy in a robot suit, Teletubbie-style. I thought the whole "brain the size of a planet" thing was more like a metaphor for his immense intellect, not just a huge head..."

      Well.. I'm not sure what you're expecting, really. It's perfectly okay to have a guy in a 'robot suit'. Not sure if you're aware of this, but the actor who played Willow is inside that suit. I imagine once we see Marvin in relation to the characters, his dimensions will be a little more robote-esque. And, if that's not enough, eh well I just don't know what to tell ya. It's not like a real robot meant to interact with humans wouldn't look like somebody in a robot suit.

      As for his big head... Man this is a symptom of a bigger problem. Movies are a visual medium, books aren't. The movie has to QUICKLY sell the idea to the audience that Marvin has a big brain. But if he says it, and his head is normal sized, does that even work?

      I spotted something else with the trailer. Arther stuck his thumb out and a beam came from it. It didn't appear as though he was holding the special sub-etha device for that purpose. I was going to whine about it until I realized what that would look like on screen. It's one thing to say in a book "Thumb shaped device for Hitchhiking...", but then imagine the problem of communicating that exact same idea in a movie during a suspenseful event. I can see why they made that choice.

      I think we're going to run into a LOT of issues like this. My advice is: Don't let it bother you. I don't think these are the choices of blasphemers, but rather the choices of somebody trying to solve a really really tough problem. In other words, don't get your expectations high that you're going to see a scene-by-scene reenactment of the book.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    15. Re:Direct link to the movie by Elwood+P+Dowd · · Score: 1

      He's got both heads, and Zaphod is being played by Sam Rockwell, the most excellent actor to ever grace the silver screen.

      Ok, but he's really good. He played Guy, the random ensign in Galaxy Quest. He was the villain in Charlie's Angels, the second fiddle con man in Matchstick Men, and the main character in Safe Men, 1998's greatest movie.

      I'm kindof a fan.

      --

      There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
    16. Re:Direct link to the movie by Feztaa · · Score: 2, Funny

      Worked fine for me. I suppose that's because I have flash installed and not adblock ;)

    17. Re:Direct link to the movie by garbletext · · Score: 1

      Adblock doesn't have default filters, you have to find or create your own.

    18. Re:Direct link to the movie by imr · · Score: 2, Informative

      He will lose those after a while in the movie.
      It is in one of the 2 reviews that were linked here, iirc, et which was quite dispointed by the movie. It was a preview not the final thing tho'.

    19. Re:Direct link to the movie by Lord+Ender · · Score: 1

      Yeah but don't you get the feeling that Ford should have been played by Dave Chapelle?

      --
      A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
    20. Re:Direct link to the movie by Happy+Monkey · · Score: 2, Informative

      It was Ford who stuck out his thumb, and he had a glowing blue ring on it. So I guess they changed a thumb-shaped device into a thumb-mounted device.

      --
      __
      Do ya feel happy-go-lucky, punk?
    21. Re:Direct link to the movie by rgm3 · · Score: 1

      That ".swf" file is only 60k. Not suitable for "offline" viewing. I couldn't get the standalone .swf file itself to work, in IE or Firefox. Did you actually TRY it?

    22. Re:Direct link to the movie by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "It was Ford who stuck out his thumb, and he had a glowing blue ring on it."

      Err yeah. Oops. I had the right character in mind, just flubbed up the name. (Low sleep...)

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    23. Re:Direct link to the movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you know... I just went there and it worked. saw the big play button on the page and hit play and ...... "cool, gonna be a good movie". That, my good fellow, is why Linux will NOT be conquering the world any time soon

    24. Re:Direct link to the movie by iabervon · · Score: 1

      Marvin was made by the Sirius Cybernetics Corp, which makes insipid talking doors and elevators. It makes sense that they'd put Marvin in a completely inappropriate Teletubbie-style body.

      It is a pity that they didn't do much of Zaphod's second head, though, since the technology is available to make someone really look like they have an extra head grafted on. (Sure, they couldn't make it look natural, but it's supposed to be not quite coordinated with the first head and body, because it's a late addition.)

      I still want to see someone with spherical running shoes.

    25. Re:Direct link to the movie by blakestah · · Score: 1

      Yeah, just shows the moderators didn't actually see the trailer. It says the movie will be out in May. That's about all it says.

    26. Re:Direct link to the movie by Flounder · · Score: 1
      And don't forget his should-have-been-Oscar-winning-performance as Chuck Barris in Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind.

      Between Confessions and Galaxy Quest, I knew he was perfect to play our favorite intergalactic president.

      --

      No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. - Cmdr. Susan Ivanova

    27. Re:Direct link to the movie by stmfreak · · Score: 1

      If you cannot see the movie, disable adblock.

      The flash is embedded in a URL that doesn't pass my http://*/ads/* filter.

      --
      These opinions guaranteed or your money back.
    28. Re:Direct link to the movie by null+etc. · · Score: 1
      "A merit of truth..."?

      Where you english speak learn did?

      Why, what's wrong with that phrase?

      One of the meanings of merit is "demonstrated ability or achievement." I am merely claiming that the parent statement demonstrated an achievement of truth.

      I guess some people might not be able to comprehend a sentence that doesn't come from a beer commercial, but still...

    29. Re:Direct link to the movie by meringuoid · · Score: 2, Insightful
      And Marvin looks like just a guy in a robot suit, Teletubbie-style. I thought the whole "brain the size of a planet" thing was more like a metaphor for his immense intellect, not just a huge head...

      Eight words:

      Your Plastic Pal Who's Fun To Be With!

      Sirius Cybernetics would have built Marvin to look friendly, lovable, cute and Fisher-Pricey. Unfortunately, since their programming isn't as good as their marketing, Marvin, the doors, Eddie, the elevators, and in fact just about every Sirius Cybernetics product ever built had a thoroughly screwed-up personality.

      Personally, I think the movie's visual concept of Marvin is quite perfect.

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
    30. Re:Direct link to the movie by David+Gould · · Score: 2, Interesting


      The movie has to QUICKLY sell the idea to the audience that Marvin has a big brain. But if he says it, and his head is normal sized, does that even work?

      But some plot elements are supposed to be subtle. A bigger-than-normal-sized head is still nowhere near "the size of a planet", which makes Marvin's claim sound like incredibly dramatic exaggeration.

      But he keeps saying it, doesn't he? Does he maybe mean that he's actually connected via some sort of Sub-Etha link to a computer that really is, literally, "the size of a planet"? Then at some point maybe the reader notices: "Hey, isn't there another planet-sized computer in the story? Hmmm... Naahhhh..." Then there's the little scene where he claims to know The Ultimate Question (and of course, nobody pays any attention (okay, they get distracted and forget about it, but it amounts to the same thing)). Are these hints that Marvin's brain actually is the Earth? (Or conversely, that his body is its I/O terminal?)

      I haven't been on the H2G2 discussion boards or anything, and I don't know if Fandom has an answer (official or otherwise), but I've always assumed Adams' intent was to drop those vague hints, but leave it ambiguous, so we'd just have to keep wondering.

      --
      David Gould
      main(i){putchar(340056100>>(i-1)*5&31|!!(i<6)<< 6)&&main(++i);}
    31. Re:Direct link to the movie by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "Question (and of course, nobody pays any attention (okay, they get distracted and forget about it, but it amounts to the same thing)). Are these hints that Marvin's brain actually is the Earth? (Or conversely, that his body is its I/O terminal?)"

      The implication, as near as I could tell, was that he was very smart, but very under-utilized. Adams had a good chunk of the book to demonstrate that. In a movie, it's a different challenge. Giving him a big cranium, then asking him to answer the door, sells the same point. He's under-utilized and miffed about it. Personally I think they made a thoughtful choice about it.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    32. Re:Direct link to the movie by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      I always assumed that "brain the size of a planet" meant equivalent in human / organic terms. I.e. like a car engine defined in terms of horse power. If you wanted to replicate Marvin's computing power with an actual brain, you'd have something planet sized.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    33. Re:Direct link to the movie by meringuoid · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Another strange thing: Marvin in fact did know the Ultimate Question. He was brilliant enough to retrieve it from Arthur's brain but was completely ignored when he mentioned that fact.

      In fact, Marvin is more than capable of doing the jobs of both Deep Thought and the Earth by himself in far less than millions of years. While sitting bored in the Krikkit command ship (coordinating the planetary war effort being a trivial task) he solves all the political, social, economic and personal problems of the entire Universe - except for his own - several times over purely as an intellectual exercise. He then proceeds to compose some rather dolorous little lullabies.

      If only he was prepared to talk... but of course if anyone had actually asked Marvin what the Question in Arthur's brain was, he wouldn't have given a straight answer, he'd have droned on about his diodes instead. In any case the version of the Question in Arthur's brain was corrupt, incorrect; it's Fenchurch's short-lived but dazzling insight into Life, the Universe and Everything that we really need to find.

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
    34. Re:Direct link to the movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If so, then it should be, "The merit of truth..."

      ps Get a sense of humor.

    35. Re:Direct link to the movie by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      It was Ford who stuck out his thumb, and he had a glowing blue ring on it.

      By "blue" you meant "yellow", right? : )

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    36. Re:Direct link to the movie by null+etc. · · Score: 1
      If so, then it should be, "The merit of truth..."

      But that implies there's only one merit, whereas I contend there are multiple merits of truth.

      ps Get a sense of humor.

      I'm trying. These posts are just what I do in between (Score: 5, Funny)

    37. Re:Direct link to the movie by lee7guy · · Score: 1

      Don't forget how he owned as Wild Bill Wharton in The green mile.

      --
      Ceterum censeo Microsoftem esse delendam
    38. Re:Direct link to the movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you and thank you for the links. I've already installed FlashBlock and I'll soon be removing *.swf from my AdBlock filter to test it out.

      Privoxy is in my near future....

    39. Re:Direct link to the movie by gordgekko · · Score: 1

      No, and thank Christ they didn't get that no-talent. Mos Def is a good actor.

      --
      You want to know who isn't running Firefox 2.x? They spell it "definately" and "rediculous".
    40. Re:Direct link to the movie by suckmysav · · Score: 1

      Cheesy sfx aside, it will be hard pressed to better the BBC TV adaptation from the 80's.

      I'm a fan of DA and Hitchikers Guide but I'll probably give this a miss unless I have a chance to see it out of convenience, ie an inflight movie etc

      --
      "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
    41. Re:Direct link to the movie by TheQuantumShift · · Score: 1

      And thanks to Matt Groening I can't read the books anymore without thinking of a blind stinking sober Bender unit...

      --

      Shift happens. Fire it up.
    42. Re:Direct link to the movie by Thing+1 · · Score: 1
      He then proceeds to compose some rather dolorous little lullabies.

      Like these:

      Now the world has gone to bed,
      Darkness won't engulf my head,
      I can see by infra-red,
      How I hate the night.

      Now I lay me down to sleep,
      Try to count electric sheep,
      Sweet dream wishes you can keep,
      How I hate the night.

      --
      I feel fantastic, and I'm still alive.
    43. Re:Direct link to the movie by kzadot · · Score: 1

      Heh I got halfway through the ad filter bypassing process when I realised the trailer IS an ad! So I think I will give it a miss, hell to think those marketers almost had me too... Whats next, buying an iPod?

    44. Re:Direct link to the movie by Happy+Monkey · · Score: 1

      That is exactly what I meant. :P

      --
      __
      Do ya feel happy-go-lucky, punk?
    45. Re:Direct link to the movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most interesting thing about the trailer is the discovery that Arthur Dent was reading Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut on the morning the Earth gets destroyed. It's under his alarm clock. You'd think he'd be more 'prepared' for what's about to happen if he read Vonnegut.

  2. Direct link to SWF and a download? by vossman77 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Direct link to SWF and a download?

    AmazonFilms.swf


    broken link to mov file

    1. Re:Direct link to SWF and a download? by davron05 · · Score: 2, Informative

      http://images.amazon.com/media/imdb/01/ads/hhgttg4 2/AmazonFilms.swf

    2. Re:Direct link to SWF and a download? by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 2, Funny
      broken link to mov file

      Damn Vogons. Well, time to update Earth's entry...

      --
      "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
      --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
    3. Re:Direct link to SWF and a download? by glick · · Score: 1

      That link works if you pass the query string to it. The movie needs an xml file and some other text file. try this link for the movie(amazon.com) with the query string attached.

    4. Re:Direct link to SWF and a download? by ZephyrXero · · Score: 1

      The flash video format is handy since you dont' have to install any players or get codecs, but you can't full screen it.

      Anybody want to rip it and convert it to Xvid/Vobis? Torrent?

      --
      "A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
    5. Re:Direct link to SWF and a download? by KDan · · Score: 1

      It's not the same trailer.

      Daniel

      --
      Carpe Diem
  3. complete? by moz25 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Cool. Does the final movie include the entire series?

    1. Re:complete? by porcupine8 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I sure hope not. Generally trying to force even one novel into a movie results in lots being cut (See also: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), trying to fit a whole series would be disastrous.

      --
      Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
    2. Re:complete? by JimmehAH · · Score: 0

      I'm pretty sure I saw Marvin at Lords. With lots of lasers being fired about.

    3. Re:complete? by govtcheez · · Score: 1

      People I've spoken to that went to the screeners said that it's only the first book. Hopefully this does well enough to justify sequels.

    4. Re:complete? by shoptroll · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure it's the first book like everyone else says...

      The other thing is that it's gonna be a bit different too. As one of my friend's pointed out to me (who's bigger Guide fan) that each version contradicts the others... So if there's different stuff, I won't be surprised.

      --
      Insert Sig Here
    5. Re:complete? by WyerByter · · Score: 1

      Is the world ready for another Hitchhikers trilogy?

      --

      This signiture copied from somewhere.
    6. Re:complete? by buttersnout · · Score: 0

      I illegally stole the version that is old and british using Bit Torrent. It was old and british so I didn't get caught. But they made the movie as a mini series. I believe there were something like 12 1hr shows. Seems like they are going to have to cut a lot out though no one really wants that

    7. Re:complete? by Schnapple · · Score: 1
      Harry Potter in general is an interesting case study of book-->movie.

      One of the issues they had is that the books get longer and longer (still not sure how they're going to do Goblet of Fire) and so since they knew more and more would have to be cut from the books, for the first movie they decided, initially, to go with a 2-hour movie that took some decent liberties with the plot and left X amount out entirely.

      Then in test screenings the children in the audience all complained about the movie with the exact same warcry, "not enough like the book! too much left out! you did ___ all wrong!"

      Since this was their target audience here, they went back in, re-edited it, filmed more scenes, and made a 3 hour movie. Kids still bitched, of course, but less so. But then since movies can't reasonably be more than three hours long the series is doomed to have movies that are less and less like the book. Especially with Azkaban, since that movie was also only 2.5 hours.

      And all of this is the reason why Harry Potter movies tend to be boring, especially if you've read the books. They follow the books to the letter, never deviate except for issues of excising things due to time, and tend to be rather dry.

      So me personally, I hope this movie just uses the book as a guide (no pun intended) and has a good time with it. That last scene in the trailer with the things bapping them in the face gives me a lot of hope that this movie will not collapse under the weight of the work and will instead just be a hell of a fun movie.

    8. Re:complete? by porcupine8 · · Score: 1
      I used PoA as an example because in that case, they cut out some key plot points that caused the movie to make less sense to many people who hadn't read the books. (Such as the identities of moony, wormtail, et al.) When I watched the movie with my mother and her husband, I then had to explain half the book to them b/c they didn't understand or like the movie.

      But then, I think that in HP small details are a lot more important than in HHGTTG. But I still don't think they could fit the whole series into one movie.

      --
      Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
    9. Re:complete? by lumpenprole · · Score: 1

      See also: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

      uh....... no.

      --
      Disclaimer: MINAA (Mummy! I'm Not An Animal!)
    10. Re:complete? by Trejkaz · · Score: 1

      Another way to look at it though, is to try to ignore the existence of the book. The first part of the original radio series was roughly 3 hours in length if you add it all up, and I'm sure it would be possible to cover all of that in a single movie, even if in a frantic fashion. The next 3 hours could be movie #2, and the next 3 hours could be movie #3. :-)

      --
      Karma: It's all a bunch of tree-huggin' hippy crap!
  4. What's a "Galaxy Trailer"? by rudy_wayne · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Is that where white-trash aliens live?

  5. Can't see it by fixmyship · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Apparantly the trailer won't show in firefox. Might be my adblock filter though.

    1. Re:Can't see it by ThePDW · · Score: 0

      I can see it fine, and I have adblock.

    2. Re:Can't see it by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 1

      Works fine in firefox for me. Probably is your adblock filter.

    3. Re:Can't see it by Sardak · · Score: 1

      Worked fine for me. Firefox 1.0, Fedora Core 3, KDE. No adblock installed, so you may be right.

    4. Re:Can't see it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      works for me - Debian unstable Firefox + mplayer plugin

      make sure you have mplayer plugin installed

    5. Re:Can't see it by glpierce · · Score: 1, Informative

      The object is located in a folder names "ads", and is therefore blocked by just about any ad-filtering solution. It is not a false positive, however, as it is an ad (it just happens to be an ad that you want to see).

      --
      G
    6. Re:Can't see it by fixmyship · · Score: 1

      Yeah, it's my adblock filter: /ads/ which works most of the time, but when they put the flash movie in their ad directory you know what happens.

    7. Re:Can't see it by pudding7 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Golly. Wonder why so many people still use that bug-ridden, security nightmare called IE.

    8. Re:Can't see it by brunogirin · · Score: 1

      I use Firefox 1.0, with Adblock and I can see the trailer fine.

    9. Re:Can't see it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      worked fine in firefox for me
      and on a side note, why dose Zaphod have only 1 head, and why is Ford black?

    10. Re:Can't see it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Works for me. Adblocker doesn't slow it down either. If you need a plugin, you need a plugin. Go get Macromedia flash, install it, and be happy.

    11. Re:Can't see it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pay more attention, Zaphod has two heads.

      Show us a single passage in the entire H2G2 trilogy where it states that Ford is a white guy.

  6. I like it. by Mach5 · · Score: 0, Interesting

    I've read the whole series of books multiple times, and I'd have to say, after seeing the trailer and reading reviews on AICN, it looks like its gonna be good.

    --
    - my userid is lower than yours
    1. Re:I like it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah, I've read the books to. But I don't remember the "Buffereing 20%" part from the books. This seems to be a prominent part of the trailer though.

    2. Re:I like it. by sjwt · · Score: 1

      Isnt that what they repalced the telportation redirection with??

      you shodul see lots of black and then the statue of a thousand deaths

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  7. Humma Kavula by LittleGuernica · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Where does this Humma Kavula charachter come from?, played by Malkovich.. Was it created especially for the movie? I like the trailer tho, I think Martin Freeman is great as Arthur, the look on his face when he hears that Zaphod and Prefect are related is brilliant.

    1. Re:Humma Kavula by ackthpt · · Score: 1
      Zaphod and Prefect are related

      Sounds like some serious liberties have been taken with the books. Malkovich could be a cameo, but if he has more than two lines you can expect the usual hollywood treatment has occured.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    2. Re:Humma Kavula by philbowman · · Score: 1
      Humma Kavula was apparently a character devised by DNA for the film. I can't find a reference to that fact at the moment, though.

      See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_characters_from _The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy#Humma_Kavula

      --
      Phil
    3. Re:Humma Kavula by WidescreenFreak · · Score: 4, Informative

      According to the IMDB entry for the movie, this character was added specifically for the movie by Adams, who has credits as the screenwriter. So, any changes to the story line are most likely of his own doing.

      --
      The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
    4. Re:Humma Kavula by philbowman · · Score: 4, Informative

      No, the book (or radio series, or tv, or any combination of the above) says they're distant cousins, and IIRC share several of the same mothers...

      --
      Phil
    5. Re:Humma Kavula by WidescreenFreak · · Score: 2, Informative
      --
      The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
    6. Re:Humma Kavula by another_mr_lizard · · Score: 1

      How so? Zaphod and Ford are related - it's mentioned in the first book....

      --
      "My parents were strict, but they never pitted me against livestock" - Doug Stanhope
    7. Re:Humma Kavula by mikey_boy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      this is actually one of those movies where trying to be a purist is going to be nigh on impossible - what do you consider to be the original source material, the books, or the radio plays?! Given that DNA is also credited with the bulk of what has made it into the movie, so I don't think it can be dismissed in the same way.

      and the trailer looks pretty damn cool ...

    8. Re:Humma Kavula by Wylfing · · Score: 2, Informative
      Where does this Humma Kavula charachter come from?, played by Malkovich.. Was it created especially for the movie?

      According to IMDB:

      John Malkovich's character, a religious leader, was created especially for the movie by Douglas Adams.

      --
      Our intelligent designer has never created an animal that we couldn't improve by strapping a bomb to it.
    9. Re:Humma Kavula by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      Who cares. It's not like the books didn't take any liberties with the original story. The TV series changed stuff as well.

    10. Re:Humma Kavula by philbowman · · Score: 0

      Thank you, that would have been it ;-)

      --
      Phil
    11. Re:Humma Kavula by fetta · · Score: 4, Informative

      Also worth remembering that there are already different versions of the tale - the differences between the radio play scripts and the novel are fairly significant.

      --
      ** The opinions expressed here are my own, and do not reflect those of my employers - past, present, or future**
    12. Re:Humma Kavula by cmorgan47 · · Score: 0

      from imdb

      Trivia: John Malkovich's character, a religious leader, was created especially for the movie by Douglas Adams. (more)

      --
      no i have not shot my gun in the air and gone 'Ahh!'
    13. Re:Humma Kavula by jangobongo · · Score: 2, Interesting


      From watching the preview, my guess is that Humma Kavula/John Malkovich is the character sitting at the dining room table that stands up and has no body below the edge of the table, just a bunch of tiny little robot legs. It went by so quickly that I couldn't be sure that it was Malkovich, though.

      --

      Sig cancelled due to lack of interest
    14. Re:Humma Kavula by ackthpt · · Score: 1
      Adams himself wrote the screenplay. He was famous for saying that he didn't want any of the incarnations of the story to ever be the same (hence why the book is different than the radio drama, etc. and so on).

      The one thing I do recall about DNA was his will to constantly fudge with the whole story. Obsessive-Compulsive? It took some serious efforts on the part of well meaning friends to actually get him to write the books and he was ever after lamenting how he'd like to go back and change this or that. A bit like George Lucas, no?

      "in the bridge scene Marvin will shoot first"

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    15. Re:Humma Kavula by sexyrexy · · Score: 0

      I believe the character is the leader of the religious group we see in Milliways who are waiting for the second coming of Zarquon. This was gleaned from a semi-reliable source.

      --

      Rex is 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    16. Re:Humma Kavula by MultisSanguinisFluit · · Score: 1

      Makes perfect sense, actually.

      See... each incarnation is actually a different slice of probability-space.

      There is no "one" story. There are an infinite number of stories!

      --
      > get tea
      No Tea: dropped.
    17. Re:Humma Kavula by DarkMantle · · Score: 1

      Exactly, considering the only thing in common between the Radio Series, TV Series, and the book was names and places/ships etc...

      The descriptions changed drastically between them. Zaphod Beeblebrox still has 3 arms, Trillian is cute, they have babblefish, and an improbability drive.

      I just can't wait to laugh my @$$ off.

      --
      DarkMantle I been bored, so I started a blog.
    18. Re:Humma Kavula by NanoGator · · Score: 2, Informative

      "No, the book (or radio series, or tv, or any combination of the above) says they're distant cousins, and IIRC share several of the same mothers..."

      I just read the book a week ago: Yes, these two are related. It's a very vague reference.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    19. Re:Humma Kavula by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, and Greedo shooting first was the idea of the writer/creator of the movie. That doesn't mean people like it.

      Of course, out of respect for DNA's legacy, people won't bitch and moan about him raping their childhood memories or whatever, but they will still dislike all the changes made in the movie.

      Just a heads up

    20. Re:Humma Kavula by |/|/||| · · Score: 1
      Maybe he's replaced the hyperintelligent interdimensional mice? I hope not - I can just picture them scooting around in their little champagne glasses.

      --
      [javac] 100 errors
    21. Re:Humma Kavula by Tim+Browse · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If it makes you feel better, I can confirm that it is a fact - Douglas told me and some colleagues about HK a few years ago. In fact, one of the purposes of HK was to solve a problem with Zaphod. Whether or not you believe me of course, is another matter.

      It is fun watching some of the other people here posting their "Oh no! Dinsey hacks have ruined teh Hitchhiker!" opinions though :)

    22. Re:Humma Kavula by SamSim · · Score: 1

      Zaphod: "Ford this is Trillian, hi, Trillian this is my semi-cousin Ford who shares three of the same mothers as me, hi. Trillian, is this sort of thing going to happen every time we use the Improbability Drive?"

      Trillian: "Very probably, I'm afraid."

      Zaphod: "Zaphod Beeblebrox, this is a very large drink. Hi." *gulp*

      Apart from this we also know that one of Zaphod's mothers is named Alice and that Ford was both fathered and "uncled" by the same man.

      Betelgeusian biology is strange.

    23. Re:Humma Kavula by Flounder · · Score: 1

      IIRC, Humma Kavula is a/the leader of the Church of The Great Green Arkleseizure (sp?), which has been expanded from a one-line joke to a significant sub-plot.

      --

      No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. - Cmdr. Susan Ivanova

    24. Re:Humma Kavula by Jace+of+Fuse! · · Score: 1

      Also worth remembering that there are already different versions of the tale - the differences between the radio play scripts and the novel are fairly significant.

      Just because Adams wrote new content for the movie doesn't mean that the director didn't turn right around and ruin it on the screen just the same.

      I have a hard time not being horribly skeptical about this.

      In just that short trailer, I've already seen a few things that really disturbed me.

      And I doubt Adams wrote that Zaphod's 2nd head was hidden under his first, the Heart of Gold (and Marvin, for that matter) were just large spheres, and the other obvious things people will point out.

      Trying not to be too negative though, the Vogons look nice, the Guide itself looks cool, and the special effects look nice, for what that's worth.

      --

      "Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"

      Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=5.
    25. Re:Humma Kavula by EvanED · · Score: 1

      From what I understand, the differences between the radio series and the radio play scripts are significant ;-)

    26. Re:Humma Kavula by HaveNoMouth · · Score: 1
      my guess is that Humma Kavula/John Malkovich is the character sitting at the dining room table that stands up and has no body below the edge of the table

      Interesting. I interpreted that guy as Slartibartfast. Or as he's also known, "Fjord Perfect."

  8. Leave it to Disney... by Moryath · · Score: 4, Insightful

    to screw the fans over by forcing a site like Aint-It-Cool to shut down their download of the trailer just so that Amazon can have non-downloadable, lower resolution, crappier version up "exclusively."

    Bite me, Eisner.

    1. Re:Leave it to Disney... by javaxman · · Score: 1
      Oh, it's DISNEY, that explains why Zaphod is missing a head, the trailer doesn't even look remotely funny, and the whole thing in so many other ways seems to completely disrespect and miss the point of the original work.

      Too bad. I might get it on Netflix 4 years from now... but probably not. Why oh why couldn't such a project have been handed to Pixar- or anyone but Disney for that matter...

    2. Re:Leave it to Disney... by Ubergrendle · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Bite me, Eisner.

      Given how insanely wealthy he is from 10^24 stock options over 2 decades, and his penchant for diabolical schemes that Machiavelli would be proud of, I'd suggest not publishing a direct challenge to him in an open forum...

      Should he ever be inclined, he could buy your house, your neighbours' houses, the company you work for, plus the companies of all your friends/family, and ensure you never have shelter nor employment ever again. To add insult to injury he'd bury you in legal paperwork for specious reasons from now until the end of eternity. And it would cost him the equivalent of a rounding-error on a weekly paycheque (for him).

      --
      John Maynard Keynes: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?"
    3. Re:Leave it to Disney... by Allison+Geode · · Score: 1

      missing a visible second head is excusable. (if you watch the trailer, it looks like they'll pop it out from under his clothes from time to time?)

      at least its not the crappy paper machet head that flopped around rediculously in the BBC series. at least they got the extra arm in...

    4. Re:Leave it to Disney... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Jesus, now even trailers are protected Intellectual Property? Isn't the whole fucking idea of a trailer to distribute it to as many people as possible?

      Retards.

    5. Re:Leave it to Disney... by ThisIsFred · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Some of us have other sources, and saw a high-quality version long before it appeared here. :o)

      --
      Fred

      "A fool and his freedom are soon parted"
      -RMS
    6. Re:Leave it to Disney... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      he can still bite me.

    7. Re:Leave it to Disney... by whizzard · · Score: 1

      You can download the trailer from the movie's website. Get the highest resolution quicktime version here .

    8. Re:Leave it to Disney... by trentblase · · Score: 1

      That would be awesome! I've been wanting to sell this dump for years.

    9. Re:Leave it to Disney... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some of us have other sources, and saw a high-quality version long before it appeared here. :o)

      See ya' later, buddy!

      - MPAA

    10. Re:Leave it to Disney... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Eisner is out of middle school, therefore he doesn't care if people badmouth him. At a certain age, you realize that just because somebody says something doesn't make it true. I honestly doubt he cares.

    11. Re:Leave it to Disney... by javaxman · · Score: 2, Insightful
      missing a visible second head is excusable.

      You really think so?? I guess it's a matter of personal opinion, but... it seems like rather a big deal to me.

      I seem to remember the fact that Zaphod had two heads being _very_ prominently noticable in Arthur's introduction to him ( Arthur couldn't focus on what he was saying, didn't know which head to look at, etc ). The shot I saw in the trailer, it looked like there was maybe a big head that flopped back to reveal an inner small one or something? Not anything like the book, anyway. You'd think with that nice special effects budget they could have done some good CGI or something, rather than rewriting the story.

      at least its not the crappy paper machet head that flopped around rediculously in the BBC series.

      What, you expect BBC shows to *not* be cheap?!? That's taxpayer money at work there! It was Dr. Who production values, just what you should expect! Besides, at least it was toung-in-cheek funny, like the books... most importantly, keeping to the story and not re-writing completely just because it's 'hard' to do a good job of having a two-headed Zaphod. I was going to go watch it up until I noticed the missing head...

    12. Re:Leave it to Disney... by Jazu · · Score: 1

      (-1: Jealousy)

      --
      My joke got modded as Insightful and my insight got modded as Funny.
    13. Re:Leave it to Disney... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would buying the OP's neighborhood and employer guarantee a permanent lack of employment and shelter? Are you suggesting that Mr. Eisner would follow "Moryath" around indefinitely, paying off anyone who attempted to be nice to him?

    14. Re:Leave it to Disney... by DwarfGoanna · · Score: 1
      Normally I would agree, but the schadenfraude of seeing Disney stick it to a whore like Harry Knowles...


      Well, I didn't say I was proud of myself, but there it is. =)

      --

      "You know why you do not see me styling wit my homies? Because I have no homies!!" -Mojo Jojo

    15. Re:Leave it to Disney... by _vapor · · Score: 1
      --
      www.poak.net
    16. Re:Leave it to Disney... by _vapor · · Score: 1

      Ack, that's a teaser. Never mind.

      --
      www.poak.net
    17. Re:Leave it to Disney... by dioscaido · · Score: 1

      In all fairness to Disney (a Co I currently despise for ruining classics with unimaginative sequels), Amazon probably paid a pretty penny for the 'world exclusive' trailer. If the trailer was going to appear on Disney's site, then it would be pretty stupid for them to go after these leaks, since it's free publicity.

    18. Re:Leave it to Disney... by yoz · · Score: 1

      Zaphod's second head, even though it's one of the better-known bits of Hitchhiker's, is hardly vital. It was an offhand, silly joke that DNA threw into the radio series for the hell of it, mainly because the non-visual nature meant he could get away with it.

      Unfortunately, it's been an utter pain in the arse for almost every other adaptation, and as a result DNA regretted it ever since. Personally, I think the movie has a fantastic solution for keeping it without having to spend half of the effects money on it.

    19. Re:Leave it to Disney... by javaxman · · Score: 1
      Unfortunately, it's been an utter pain in the arse for almost every other adaptation, and as a result DNA regretted it ever since.

      It didn't seem to be much of a problem in the book I read ;-)... although I did later hear tapes of the radio show, you have to realize that a lot of us here in the states caught all of Douglas Adams' stuff in text first. As such, the importance of the two heads in inner-dialog-humor terms weighs probably heavier for us than it should, or would, if we thought of the radio show when we think "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". There, I'll admit, the whole two-heads thing really was almost an aside.

  9. Sheesh. by AltGrendel · · Score: 5, Funny

    Opening on April 1 would have been more appropriate.

    --
    The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination

    - Douglas Adams

    1. Re:Sheesh. by TimeZone · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No, opening on April 2 would have been more appropriate. (Think for a minute.)
      TZ

    2. Re:Sheesh. by tehshen · · Score: 5, Funny

      What about April 7th? "I could never get the hang of Thursdays"

      --
      Guy asked me for a quarter for a cup of coffee. So I bit him.
    3. Re:Sheesh. by thedustbustr · · Score: 1
      What about April 7th?
      How can you watch a movie without a planet to watch it on?
      --
      This sig is false.
    4. Re:Sheesh. by tehshen · · Score: 1

      In the morning before the Vogons arrived? ;)

      --
      Guy asked me for a quarter for a cup of coffee. So I bit him.
    5. Re:Sheesh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2-4-2005? What's special about that?

    6. Re:Sheesh. by precize · · Score: 2, Informative

      4-2, obviously

    7. Re:Sheesh. by ehiris · · Score: 1

      Considering the really low chances that it will be released earlier then April 29th, it might actually happen. :)

    8. Re:Sheesh. by TobascoKid · · Score: 4, Funny

      But that's the 4th of February.

      --
      At some point, somewhere, the entire internet will be found to be illegal.
    9. Re:Sheesh. by gamgee5273 · · Score: 1
      Why, you could say the chances are almost improbable that it will open before April 29.

      I think I'll go see it tonight. :)

    10. Re:Sheesh. by kesuki · · Score: 0

      European* dates are dd-mm-yyyy as opposed to mm-dd-yy they go smallest to largest time increment (which is only logical ;) so April 2nd is 4-2 when using a Logically hierarchical date format.

      *= also used in parts of Canada.

    11. Re:Sheesh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Going from the smallest to the biggest number is NOT logical either, it's the complete opposite of numbers standards.

      dd-mm-yyyy and mm-dd-yyyy both suck (especially when you morons keep trunking the year to yy... Ever heard of Y2K? Let's see you not complain near 2038...)

      4096... 4 x 1000 + 0 x 100 + 9 x 10 + 6
      From biggest to smallest

      yyyy-mm-dd is the right way to write dates. And it's an ISO standard. Sync yourself with the rest of the planet, will ya?

      Oh, and drop your stupid 12-hours AM/PM crap too. There's 24 hours in a day, not two chunks of 12 hours (which only exists because of mechanical clocks limitations)

    12. Re:Sheesh. by Jack+Taylor · · Score: 2, Funny

      Adams was British, so that would mean the 4th of February to him. Already missed it!

      --
      One good turn - gets all the covers.
    13. Re:Sheesh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      ...so April 2nd is 4-2 when using a Logically hierarchical date format.
      I think you meant 2nd April...
    14. Re:Sheesh. by kesuki · · Score: 1

      (which only exists because of mechanical clocks limitations)
      no, which only exists because of Solar clock limitations, which mechanical clocks were designed to emulate the ~12 hr limitation of solar clocks.
      sinc solar clocks work only by day prior to mechanical clocks such things as candles were used to measure the hour at night (every hour indicated by a notch on the candle). These inventions that Predated mechanical clocks, were the ones that genuinely had a 12 hr limitation (depending on location on the globe, and time of year etc) since the 12 hour standard was so entrenched mechanical clocks simply provided what everyone wanted, a Solar clock compatable time keeping device, which was the 12 hr clock. Even into early americana, prior to the adoption of rail road time Solar clocks were still widely used by those who could not afford mechanical clocks.. and thus the 12 hour legacy is not a 'mechanical' limitation as your uninformed post implies. but rather a design limitation imposed by backward compatability to older technological standards.

    15. Re:Sheesh. by Golias · · Score: 2, Funny

      ...so April 2nd is 4-2 when using a Logically hierarchical date format.

      I think you meant 2nd April...


      There's two Aprils now!?

      God, why do Europeans have to make everything so confusing!

      (Insert rods-to-the-hogshead joke from the Simpsons here.)

      --

      Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

    16. Re:Sheesh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe dmy isn't as logical as ymd, but at least it's consistent. Going in reverse order is stupid, but not as stupid as going in no order whatsoever.

    17. Re:Sheesh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stop arguing about big-endian little-endian. That doesn't matter. What does matter is that the US still uses a stupid system of MMDDYY and is the only country not on the metric system like everyone else. The majority of the citizens appear too stupid to understand that metric is easier. (I'm a US Citizen - I don't feel bad about complaining about my country. How else can you fix it?)

    18. Re:Sheesh. by GaryPatterson · · Score: 1

      Oooh! But what's the question!

    19. Re:Sheesh. by magefile · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'm an American, but MMDDYY is *not* a logically hierarchal date format. YYYYMMDD, OTOH, is. Duh!

    20. Re:Sheesh. by SkunkPussy · · Score: 1

      "yyyy-mm-dd is the right way to write dates. And it's an ISO standard. Sync yourself with the rest of the planet, will ya?"

      but if you are saying the date to someone they are most interested in which day it is, perhaps which month it is and you almost certainly know what year it is. So it makes no sense to put the most important information at the end of the sentence. If we did that all the time we'd be German...

      --
      SURELY NOT!!!!!
    21. Re:Sheesh. by gfreeman · · Score: 1

      (Think for a minute.)

      Errr, 24?

      --
      Ceci n'est pas un sig.
    22. Re:Sheesh. by gfreeman · · Score: 1

      So if the date is more important than the month, why put the month first?

      --
      Ceci n'est pas un sig.
    23. Re:Sheesh. by SkunkPussy · · Score: 1

      "So if the date is more important than the month, why put the month first?"

      as an englishman I dont!

      --
      SURELY NOT!!!!!
  10. Erm by Jethro · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Is it me, or did that trailer have very, very little showing that might've actually come from the books/radio show?

    I mean, yeah, the intro was pretty much the books, but what the heck was all that stuff afterwards?

    --


    In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
    1. Re:Erm by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 1

      It's lots of explosiions and 'saving the universe' crap they've grafted in.

      That trailer alone has put me off... I'll wait until the proper reviews are in & go and see if if it's any good.

    2. Re:Erm by mikael · · Score: 0

      All I saw was an exploding planet with no explanation.

      They could have at least put in a Vogon spaceship, have it hover over the planet, then do the destruction thing. Some irony could have been added as well, add a marketing slogan on the side of the ship; "Vogon Intergalactic Highway Construction - building a better future for everyone".

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    3. Re:Erm by ptlis · · Score: 4, Insightful
      That trailer alone has put me off...
      I have to say the same - I know that the original Radioplay, Books, TV-series & now the film are all distint variations on the same plot but this does not seem to gel with the whole... It is, I hate to say it, painfully Americanised and looks to be heading towards being a Men In Black clone :(.
      --
      There's mischief and malarkies but no queers or yids or darkies within this bastard's carnival, this vicious cabaret.
    4. Re:Erm by EEBaum · · Score: 2, Informative

      Did you see the same trailer? This one is new and does indeed show Vogon Constructor Ships.

      --
      -- I prefer the term "karma escort."
    5. Re:Erm by Jethro · · Score: 1

      Actually, uh, that part they did have in. They had lots of vogon ships and they showed the vogon commander actually explaining the hyperspace bypass thing.

      --


      In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
    6. Re:Erm by Rev+Wally · · Score: 1

      Did you not notice the thousands of vogon ships in orbit around the earth as the camera zoomed out?

      --
      LOAD "SIG",8,1
    7. Re:Erm by Zenaku · · Score: 1

      Were we watching the same trailer? They showed the whole sky full of a Vogon ship with Arthur yelling something to the effect of "What the hell is that." Then the shot of Ford using the subspace ether signalling device zoomed out past hundres of Vogon ships (which lamely looked like Borg Cubes) until the shot was showing the earth from a distance.

      --
      If fate makes you a motorcycle, you become a motorcycle.
    8. Re:Erm by mikael · · Score: 1

      I clicked on the hyperlink and saw the old trailer. The new trailer looks much better - having thousands of vogon ships all acting together is much better.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    9. Re:Erm by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 1

      The one I saw had nothing like that. You got a fraction of a second of the subspace ether thing then it cut rapidly to something else.

      It's possible there's another one other than the one on the amazon site (y'know.. the one that this article is actually about..) but I haven't seen that one.

    10. Re:Erm by falcon5768 · · Score: 1, Funny
      funny....

      you know with DNA doing the script before he died and them not changing a thing about it since then and all.

      --

      "Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."

    11. Re:Erm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      bzzt. not true. It was modified by Karey Kirkpatrick.

      "interview" with the script writer

    12. Re:Erm by armachd · · Score: 1

      Au contraire, isn't MIB the clone of HHGTTG? :)

    13. Re:Erm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      funny.... you know with DNA doing the script before he died and them not changing a thing about it since then and all.
      So what? Is everything connected with Douglas Adams automatically good?

      I have to add my voice to the chorus of grumbling I'm afraid: The trailer is not encouraging.
    14. Re:Erm by Zenaku · · Score: 1

      I'm not discounting another version, but the one I watched was the one on the Amazon site. Maybe you had a slow connection, and the video got choppy? The shot zooming out from Ford's thumb through the Vogon fleet and into a distant view of Earth was very fast. Earlier than that though, there was still the shot of the underside of the ship as seen from the ground, similar to scenes from Independence Day.

      --
      If fate makes you a motorcycle, you become a motorcycle.
    15. Re:Erm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, the "intro" is a big part of the trailer. Then we have a scene from the ceremony when Zaphod steals the Heart of gold and a quick space battle scene from when the Heart of gold is trying to make tea.
      I don't know who the big girl is but it could be the tripple breasted whore from Erotica 6.
      The fast ride in a tunnel is from inside Margrathea.
      In fact, most of the scenes were from the book or at least could be. The big girl is the only one I don't recognise but I have only read some versions of the book and not listened to the radioplay so it might still be from some version of the story.

    16. Re:Erm by Scrameustache · · Score: 2, Informative

      you know with DNA doing the script before he died and them not changing a thing about it since then and all.

      10 September 2004 - Roger Birnbaum: Co-Chairman and CEO of Spyglass Films
      We worked with Douglas for a while in trying to get the script to a place where everyone was satisfied. I remember admiring Douglas' loyalty toward the fans and his total dedication to writing a movie that would live up to their expectations. It was tragic and heartbreaking when Douglas suddenly died. The movie came to an immediate standstill.

      It was well over a year after his passing that Douglas' widow, Jane Adams, encouraged us to move forward with the film as Douglas undoubtedly would have wanted. Karey Kirkpatrick, who had written the hugely successful "Chicken Run", was hired to complete the work Douglas had started on a film adaption of the book.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    17. Re:Erm by DavidTC · · Score: 1
      Save the universe crap grafted in?

      Did you forget they actually did save the universe in the books? Granted, not in the first one, but later on.

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
    18. Re:Erm by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "I mean, yeah, the intro was pretty much the books, but what the heck was all that stuff afterwards?"

      Would you really want to see what you've already read about?

      Before you nod your head yes, consider this:

      a.) A book to movie translation often causes changes in detail that most find offensive. This isn't due to lack of caring, but rather that movies are a very different story telling format from book.

      b.) Would it be possible to be surprised by anything?

      c.) Do you really want to be bothered by human-error-induced-inconsistencies?

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    19. Re:Erm by falcon5768 · · Score: 1

      you forgot the using the notes he left that outlined eveything part. Besides its a trailer, how often have trailers shown shit to shine and vise versa.

      --

      "Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."

    20. Re:Erm by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      you forgot the using the notes he left that outlined eveything part.

      Reminds me of Will Smith's I, Robot plug-interviews on late night talk shows last summer.

      It went a lil' something like this: "The movie is very faithfull to the book! ... My character is the only guy on earth who doesn't trust the robots."
      Only, in the books, 99.999999999999% of the population of earth has his character's distrustfull attitudes towards robots. Hmmmm...

      It is in the best financial interest of those involved with the production of that motion picture to induce the public to think that the movie is an accurate adaptation of a good book.
      They stand to make MILLIONS from the movie's success, you don't really think they are above distorting the truth a bit, do you?

      I'm sure they did use the notes... but I'm affraid they used them for toilet paper.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    21. Re:Erm by otis+wildflower · · Score: 1

      Oh and don't forget the years (decades?) of slow grinding on poor DNA, who probably had to keep adding and adding water to his story to get it palatable for the armani clad morons..

      Then again, by book 4 of the trilogy I don't think he gave a damn about it anymore, having changed interests.

      Still, the radio show, novels and BBC series are brilliant and beloved, and I only hope the movie doesn't do to them what Highlander 2 did to Highlander, Matrix Revolutions did to the Matrix, or what Episode I did to the entire bleeding cosmos.

    22. Re:Erm by lumpenprole · · Score: 1

      Sure, except it sucks, wasn't funny, didn't have anything to do with hitchiking and has about as many memorable moments as a good nap.

      Other than that, an exact clone.

      --
      Disclaimer: MINAA (Mummy! I'm Not An Animal!)
    23. Re:Erm by rjung2k · · Score: 1

      Then again, by book 4 of the trilogy I don't think he gave a damn about it anymore, having changed interests.

      To be fair, I think he had just gone through a nasty breakup with his girlfriend before starting book 4.

  11. Ford's Thumb? by teiresias · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have mixed feelings about this. I mean every new adaptation of DNA's work is open to interpretation but....

    when did Ford's thumb become a magic hitchhiking device?!?

    Beyond that, It's not as bad as I feared although not as good as I hoped. I think Marvin looks kinda neat, different from the comic book version. Arthur looks about right although Zaphod I think is gonna kill me. I think they're also gonna play up a Arthur, Trillian romance more which I think will hurt it.

    My bum will definitly be in a theater seat the moment this hits theaters though.

    --
    -Teiresias
    1. Re:Ford's Thumb? by philbowman · · Score: 1

      Wasn't there a sub ethermatic thingummy in the previous versions? That was basically an electronic thumb.

      --
      Phil
    2. Re:Ford's Thumb? by canadiangoose · · Score: 1

      He was using an Electronic Thumb to hitch a ride on the vogon ship. No magic there, he's just well prepared.

      --
      Never eat more than you can lift -- Miss Piggy
    3. Re:Ford's Thumb? by anakin876 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      it looks like the Thumb has become a ring on his finger. I don't think it was ever stated in the books that it was not a ring. I may be wrong though,

    4. Re:Ford's Thumb? by TrippTDF · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I remember seeing something on the making of X-Men, and one of the designers said yellow spandex looks great in a comic book, but it looks stupid on screen.

      If you stick to the original at every instance, your final product might follow the rules perfectly, but not work as well. That's why they did the thumb thing... it looks good (IMO) and drives the story quickly. Anyone watching that will know that the thumb is a communication tool for hitchhicking, even if they don't know the books. It's an OK addition in my book.

      I await fanboy flames.

    5. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's probably the sub-etha sens-o-matic thingy that Ford uses to hitch a ride. In the book, he does not put it on his thumb (I think it sits in his carry-all bag), but it makes sense.

    6. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Lisandro · · Score: 1

      I loved when they mocked about that in X-Men.

      Wolverine: "You actually go outside in these things?"
      Cyclops: "Well, what would you prefer? Yellow spandex?"


      Cracked me up :). Anyway, i agree with you. I love the way Marvin looks in the movie aswell, though i wanted to hear him - he's voiced by Warwick Davis, the tiny guy from "Willow". I have high hopes for the movie.

    7. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Allison+Geode · · Score: 2, Interesting

      actually Alan Rickman is voicing Marvin. Warwick Davis is merely acting as the role of marvin, the man in the suit, so to speak. why they didn't just have a CG marvin is beyond me.

    8. Re:Ford's Thumb? by badmanone · · Score: 1

      Actually, I think he's voiced by Alan Rickman, and Warwick Davis doing the phyiscal acting inside the suit.

    9. Re:Ford's Thumb? by bonch · · Score: 1

      I remember seeing something on the making of X-Men, and one of the designers said yellow spandex looks great in a comic book, but it looks stupid on screen.

      They were headed toward basing off the original costume design, but they did screen tests with yellow costumes, and the color was flashing around during action scenes and made it confusing to follow. Spider-Man gets away with it because red and blue are great, darker colors and not as bright as yellow.

    10. Re:Ford's Thumb? by PedanticSpellingTrol · · Score: 1

      The ewok himself!? sweet!

    11. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Lisandro · · Score: 2, Funny

      Ooooh that's great! I can so picture Marvin with Rickmans' voice - sorta like he played Metatron in "Dogma", if you have seen it.

      Thanks for the correction!

    12. Re:Ford's Thumb? by TrippTDF · · Score: 1

      Why? Three words: Jar Jar Binks.

      unless you have the budget of LOTR (which I don't think this movie has) making a CGI character look real is pretty hard.

      plus, if your character looks as simple as Marvin does, why not use a guy in a suit for it?

    13. Re:Ford's Thumb? by NaruVonWilkins · · Score: 1

      It's not an adaptation of DNA's work - it is his work. He wrote the screenplay.

    14. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Schnapple · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I personally think it's great when people try to do things "the hard way". I mean, yeah LOTR with it's expensive special effects is great and all, but it's fun to occasionally pull out my bootleg DVD's of the original untouched Star Wars trilogy and see what a sci-fi movie made "the hard way" was like.

    15. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Rasta+Prefect · · Score: 1

      It may have made an appearance earlier, but the fourth book (So Long and Thanks for all the Fish) makes reference to the electronic thumb, which half the engineers are finding new ways the jam and the other half are finding new ways to jam the jamming. He uses it to get on the spaceship of the robot from the planet ruled by giant lizards.

      --
      Why?
    16. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Criffer · · Score: 2, Funny

      Actually, the thumb is an electronic sub-etha signalling device and the roundabout is at Barnard's star....

    17. Re:Ford's Thumb? by gamgee5273 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It looks like the Thumb actually slips over Ford's real thumb, or it's a bionic addition. But, look at the trailer again - I thought I saw a metal band at the bottom of Ford's thumb.

    18. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Zerth · · Score: 1

      The electronic thumb was never an actual thumb. It was a box with a rod sticking out that Ford kept in his bag under a play.

    19. Re:Ford's Thumb? by StrangeInterlude · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually, Adams wrote an earlier draft of the screenplay a couple of years before his death. The final shooting script was completed by another screenwriter, Karey Kirkpatrick (best known for his work on Chicken Run). Kirkpatrick has said on the official movie site that he mostly embroidered on Adams' draft, adding a bit here and subtracting a bit there while leaving the bulk of the script intact. Apparently, he even added a few things directly from the books that Adams had left out of the script. So really the screenplay is more of a collaboration between Adams (the text) and Kirkpatrick (the tweaking of said text). I'm curious to see how it turns out.

      --
      -- StrangeInterlude
    20. Re:Ford's Thumb? by clarkcox3 · · Score: 1
      when did Ford's thumb become a magic hitchhiking device?!?
      Umm, you've read the book, haven't you? That's obviously his "Sub-Etha Sens-O-Matic, Electronic Thumb".
      --
      There are no tiger attacks in my area and it's all because this rock I'm holding keeps the tigers away.
    21. Re:Ford's Thumb? by NaruVonWilkins · · Score: 1

      Wow - serves me right for not reading up before I post. Thanks.

    22. Re:Ford's Thumb? by patvan · · Score: 5, Informative

      It's not Ford's thumb.

      Because of the crappy quality of the trailer, you can hardly see the electronic thumb he's wearing. Looks like a ring with an antenna.

      To see it clearly, look here: http://www.h2g2movie.com/pages/february04.html and scroll down to the picture of the survival kit (with Towel, Babel Fish and Thumb).

    23. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My bum will definitly be in a theater seat the moment this hits theaters though.

      There's no need to send a bum to check it out first..

      Just go and see it for yourself.

    24. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Monkelectric · · Score: 1

      That must be some new use of the word "collaboration" that I am entirely unfamiliar with.

      --

      Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley

    25. Re:Ford's Thumb? by thetoastman · · Score: 1

      Ford's thumb I can understand. Even the modifications to Zaphod I can understand. How long can you look at a character with animatronic parts on the screen?

      However, I'm sorry but I just cannot wrap my head around Marvin's . . . . head.

      No, I don't have a better design. I wish I did. Marvin looks like a cross between the Michelin Man and a Teletubby

    26. Re:Ford's Thumb? by HD+Webdev · · Score: 1

      "it looks like the Thumb has become a ring on his finger. I don't think it was ever stated in the books that it was not a ring. I may be wrong though"

      It was a box and it had knobs. At one point, Ford Prefect kept messing with it when he ended up on Earth a few million years in the past and was trying to find signals. It was also referred to as a Sub-Etha Sens-O-Matic.

      --
      This is not a dream, not a dream...we are transmitting from the year 1-9-9-9.
    27. Re:Ford's Thumb? by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "when did Ford's thumb become a magic hitchhiking device?!?"

      Try to imagine taking a suspenseful moment and using that time to explain (and illustrate) a sub-etha HitchHiking device in a movie. They chose a MUCH easier way of conveying the "he's Hitchiking" idea.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    28. Re:Ford's Thumb? by BigZaphod · · Score: 1

      Don't forget Rickman in GalaxyQuest, too, which I found to be quite funny--his role especially.

    29. Re:Ford's Thumb? by imr · · Score: 1

      I remember seeing something on the making of X-Men, and one of the designers said yellow spandex looks great in a comic book, but it looks stupid on screen.
      It's also a quote from the movie that wolverine tell to cyclop, and actually they also looked really stupid in their leather suits.

    30. Re:Ford's Thumb? by sirenbrian · · Score: 1

      Look again - there's a gold ring, or device of some kind around his thumb. The Sub Etha "thumb" doohickey, though in the book it wasn't worn like that (IIRC). No matter though, I think it's a neat change, and quite a small thing compared with some of the other changes from the book. But its got the blessing of many people who knew and loved Douglas Adams, so all power to them. Except the romance thing, I could live without that.

      --
      Brian Smith "Jokers and aces, bruisy and blackfern" - Steve Kilbey, Day of the Dead.
    31. Re:Ford's Thumb? by nevermindtheend · · Score: 1

      But he was supposed to be a happy robot who's fun to be with...his personality just went horribly wrong. So it makes sense that he's very round and generally user friendly. He looks like the kind of robot Apple would make. I rather like the design (though it's taken some getting used to).

    32. Re:Ford's Thumb? by biglig2 · · Score: 1

      Seems bizzare to me, I reluctantly admit that Simon Jones is probably now too old for hollywood to cast as Mr. Dent, but surely they could have gotten the sublime Mr. Moore to do Marvin again....

      --
      ~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
    33. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Trixter · · Score: 0

      "I remember seeing something on the making of X-Men, and one of the designers said yellow spandex looks great in a comic book, but it looks stupid on screen."

      Well, it worked for Bruce Lee (and Uma!)

    34. Re:Ford's Thumb? by SamSim · · Score: 1
      when did Ford's thumb become a magic hitchhiking device?!?

      Sixteen minutes into the first episode of the radio series...?

    35. Re:Ford's Thumb? by BigZaphod · · Score: 1

      Yes, true. I really enjoyed his voice and he made Marvin very real and connected with how I had visualized him in the books. I think Rickman will do a good job too, though. Maybe Moore just didn't want to do it. :-/

    36. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, it worked for Bruce Lee (and Uma!)

      Well, if Bruce Lee thought it worked, do you think anyone would argue the point with him?

    37. Re:Ford's Thumb? by the+real+darkskye · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      wouldn't that be the iRobot, and wasn't there a film with that title, which wasn't related to a book with the same title, released last year?

      --
      Music is everybody's possession.
      It's only publishers who think that people own it.
      Fuck Beta
      ~John Lenno
    38. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Taiq · · Score: 0

      It would be great if they could get Simon Jones (he played Arthur in the radio series and BBC miniseries) to play Slartibartfast.

      --
      I make mistakes. Don't we all?
    39. Re:Ford's Thumb? by shift82 · · Score: 0

      He was wearing a bronze ring.. I think it makes more sense to have the device in a ring instead of the cylindrical randomness that was in the TV Show. Its definitely better than I thought it would be.

    40. Re:Ford's Thumb? by njh · · Score: 1

      Not sure what you mean, LotR is probably the closest to 'done the hard way' recent movie. Almost everything was done with open air, live filming; or with minatures (bigatures). CG was only used for really impractical stuff.

      Even the flooding of isengard was a minature (which, if you know about filming scaled water, is very hard to make look right).

      I think that the CGI was very appropriately done.

    41. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Atrax · · Score: 1

      The Sub Etha Sens-o-matic and the Thumb are two different devices, I always thought. One for sensing, one for hitching.

      I kinda wondered why they weren't a unified device. now I wonder if my perception was wrong...

      --
      Screw you all! I'm off to the pub
    42. Re:Ford's Thumb? by Schnapple · · Score: 1

      Well I was thinking was - when LOTR used CGI it looked good, it looked really appropriate. When the Star Wars prequels use CGI, a lot of it looks overdone or out of place. I think a lot of us are getting jaded to seeing "CGI Everything". The live-action Marvin is a nice touch.

    43. Re:Ford's Thumb? by HD+Webdev · · Score: 1

      I kinda wondered why they weren't a unified device. now I wonder if my perception was wrong...

      It's rather vague in the story(s). Even Arthur wasn't quite sure or even cared. I just happened to be reading through The Utimate Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy recently and flipping back through the book I see a second reference to the device. (The first one being before Earth was destroyed).

      "Looking over his shoulder Arthur saw that he was twiddling with knobs on a small black box. Ford had already introduced this box to Arthur as a Sub-Etha Sens-O-Matic, but Arthur had merely nodded absently and not pursued the matter."

      --
      This is not a dream, not a dream...we are transmitting from the year 1-9-9-9.
    44. Re:Ford's Thumb? by sjwt · · Score: 1

      its the ring on the thumb, and i dont recall a detaild referacne to what the hitchicking deveice(whos name i cant recall) looked like

      --
      You have 5 Moderator Points!
      Which Helpless Linux zealot/MS basher do you want to mod down today?
  12. Not till April? by philbowman · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed...

    --
    Phil
    1. Re:Not till April? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So am I. But not because I have to wait til April. I'm depressed cause it looks like a horrible Americanized Hollywoodization.

    2. Re:Not till April? by Jimmy+The+Leper · · Score: 1

      You should really get that pain in all the diodes down your left side looked at.

      --
      -You're only as clean as your towel.
    3. Re:Not till April? by slashzero · · Score: 1

      We're lucky, the original release date was May 6th

    4. Re:Not till April? by Jack+Taylor · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I feel obliged to say at this point that I've met the man Douglas Adams based Marvin on (allegedly - he definitely went to university with him). He trained as a lawyer, I think, but then he became a music teacher. He's very intelligent, talks quite slowly, and when he says "very good" in response to some work it sounds like he meant "I hate all these attempts. They're rubbish. But yours was slightly less awful than the others so I suppose I ought to say something encouraging, not that I like doing that sort of thing. Oh God, I'm so depressed..."

      So I believe it's true, anyway :)

      --
      One good turn - gets all the covers.
    5. Re:Not till April? by FuzzyBad-Mofo · · Score: 1

      Indeed. The dew has fallen with a particularly sickening thud this morning.

  13. Accents by haluness · · Score: 2

    After watching the TV series, Mos Def as Ford Prefect is a bit wierd. From the few scenes in the trailer, Prefect seems a little too, ..., in focus. Whereas in the book and TV series, he also seemed a little out of it.

    But then I just saw 5 seconds of Prefect. Can't wait for the movie

  14. Arthur, Trillian romance could work in the film. by AltGrendel · · Score: 2, Funny

    As long as she continues to treat him as a twit, I think it could work.

    --
    The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination

    - Douglas Adams

  15. I find it slightly worrying... by al_fruitbat · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...That they appear to be running around a quarry. This has not yet proven successful for British SF ;-)

    1. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by Fred+Or+Alive · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The vital question is, did they film in the same quarry as the BBC TV series?

      --
      10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
      20 GOTO 10
    2. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's the surface of magrathea, it's a barren wasteland, their cities are underground.

    3. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah. It's a quarry, and with cliff terrain and some plants in the distance.

      I thought Magrathea would be greyer, flatter (except for the whale crater), and more depressingly dull. Maybe it is somewhere else?

      I supposed I could make a joke about how hard it would be to find such a location in Great Britain, so they had to use a quarry :-)

    4. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought Magrathea would be greyer, flatter (except for the whale crater), and more depressingly dull.
      I supposed I could make a joke about how hard it would be to find such a location in Great Britain, so they had to use a quarry :-)


      What's wrong with Birmingham?

    5. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by ettlz · · Score: 3, Funny

      From what I can recall, the locations of choice always used to be a disused chemical plant (a remake of Blake's Seven, anyone?); a clearing somewhere in Bracknell Forest; and the car park at Shepherds Bush studios.

      And how come nowadays everything looks like Canadian tundra?!

    6. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by jpetts · · Score: 1

      Better a quarry than a mine shaft, and at least they don't have Bernard Cribbins, though thinking about it - which I do - he would probably have been a lot better as FP than Mos Def...

      --
      Call me old fashioned, but I like a dump to be as memorable as it is devastating - Bender
    7. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by ettlz · · Score: 1

      What's wrong with Birmingham?

      Port Talbot's just down the motorway.

    8. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by spongman · · Score: 2, Funny

      Ford: Look, I can't help what you may personally be filming in, but...

      Zaphod: Computer!

      Zaphod: Oh, no!

      Computer: Hi there! This is Eddie your shipboard computer, and I'm feeling just great guys, and I know I'm just going to get a bundle of kicks out of any programme you care to run through me.

      Zaphod: Computer, tell us again where we're filming today.

      Computer: A real pleasure feller, we are currently in an old quarry on the legendary planet of Magrathea.

      Ford: Proving nothing, I wouldn't trust that computer to speak my weight.

    9. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by spongman · · Score: 1

      Hang on, weren't most of Dr. Who & Blake's 7 filmed on location in quarries? Oh, wait... you're right...

    10. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hang on, weren't most of Dr. Who & Blake's 7 filmed on location in quarries? Oh, wait... you're right...

      Not quarries plural, no. A quarry. With different coloured filters over the camera lens.

      Man, Blake's 7 rocked. ;)

    11. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Easy now. They didn't want the entire cast and crew to commit suicide.

    12. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by GOD_ALMIGHTY · · Score: 1

      Are you kidding? Half of the Tom Baker Dr. Who episodes take place in a quarry.

      --
      Arrogance is Confidence which lacks integrity. -- me
    13. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It couldn't possibly be HHGTTG without a scene in a cornwall clay pit. More than anything, that scene makes me think the people who did this love and know the series.

    14. Re:I find it slightly worrying... by Zoxed · · Score: 1

      > disused chemical plant (a remake of Blake's Seven, anyone?)

      By coincidence I watched an episode last night: surposedly on an alien planet it had both a chemical works and a quarry in the same episode. In some of the quarry shots you could see the regular, earth-like, trees in the background, around the rim :-)

  16. Ford? by arch17c7 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Mos Def?? MOS DEF?? Who is this guy, and what did he do with Ford Prefect??? Where's a Vogon when you need them?

    1. Re:Ford? by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 1

      Oh Christ, I'm just going to call you out right now...are you one of those people that complain when a black guy gets a role for a character you expected to be white? The book does not describe Ford's skin color.

    2. Re:Ford? by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 2, Interesting

      No but the book does describe ford as a misfit.. he never quite understood the earth - even his earth name shows some of that misunderstanding.

      A streetwise rapper just doesn't fit.

    3. Re:Ford? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's meant to have ginger hair, isn't he? That's a bit of a hint...

    4. Re:Ford? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You see, they pay people do be in these movies to ACT.

      Kay.

    5. Re:Ford? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know. As an earlier poster mentioned, Ford Prefect isn't quite in phase with the universe around him. From the trailer, Mos Def seems much to with it ot be a believable FP.

      Now, they could have cast him as Trillian with no problems.

    6. Re:Ford? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well that's good, because he's not playing a streetwise rapper. Or do you think that's the only part he can play?

    7. Re:Ford? by samael · · Score: 1

      Wow, I must have missed the bit in the trailer where Ford rapped. Or was streetwise.

    8. Re:Ford? by FlashBac · · Score: 1

      > A streetwise rapper just doesn't fit. Jesus Christ dude. They are ACTORS, they PRETEND to be people they are not. He probably wont be a streetwise rapper in this film. Being black does not define you as streetwise.
      Did you see Shaun of the Dead? Well, all those dudes weren't really zombies. They were only pretending. Russell Crowe is not really a shit-hot mathematician.

      --
      "Thats right buddy, the large print giveth, and the small print taketh away."
    9. Re:Ford? by Antonymous+Flower · · Score: 1

      Mos Def is perfectly cast for the personality of Ford Prefect, especially considering the relationship with the personality of Arthur Dent. Bravo..

    10. Re:Ford? by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 1

      Have you seen what he's wearing? He's projecting the whole 'I'm cool' image & being really clever and switched on. That is *not* ford prefect.

      They've taken the arthur too far the other way. Slapstick? WTF????

    11. Re:Ford? by The+Dark+P · · Score: 1

      Did you SEE the Shawshank Redemption?

    12. Re:Ford? by zorgaliscious · · Score: 0

      MosDef is an EXCELLENT actor... but WTF... And yes, Ford's skin color is mentioned as being white. I hate movie interpretations of fantastic very imaginative books. It almost ALWAYS turns out to be a total let down and your own weird fantasy of it goes out the drain. Viva political correctness

    13. Re:Ford? by EulerX07 · · Score: 1

      You know, I went back to watch the trailer to understand why you say it was a streetwise rapper.

      It's a man dressed in a suit. Oh yeah, he's black. That doesn't make him a streetwise rapper.

      Must be in the eye of the beholder.

    14. Re:Ford? by xSauronx · · Score: 1
      for half a moment i thought, if john cleese werent so old, he'd make an excellent ford.

      then again, old or not, he'd make a better one than mos def. /python fan

      --
      By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth. -- George Carlin
    15. Re:Ford? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, and why would they choose Martin Freeman to play Arthur Dent? There is no mention in the book that Arthur Dent is an actor and comedian.

      (Christ, do you really think he is going to rap in this movie?)

    16. Re:Ford? by arch17c7 · · Score: 1

      Erm, no, and the fact that I'm black has nothing to do with it. Spout your racial idiology (yes, spelled correctly) wheresoever you want; I just don't see this guy playing the role of Ford Prefect. So long, and keep all the fish...

    17. Re:Ford? by mink · · Score: 1

      I hope everyone remembers the most description of Ford's looks is his hair and smile.
      I am suprised they didnt re-name him to Ford Escort so people would get that joke.

      --
      Well I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years doctor, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.
  17. Finally... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've been waiting for this for so long. When I first heard the news I think a little pee came out...
    http://spaces.msn.com/members/thedewmaker/

  18. Real and QT? by Tebriel · · Score: 0

    Panic!

    --
    The Blaster Master Fighting for Truth, Justice, and Evil Pie since 1979
  19. No sound at work.. by TrippTDF · · Score: 3, Funny

    without hearing anything, it looks great. If worse comes to worse, I can just go to see it with a good pair if earplugs in.

    1. Re:No sound at work.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean 'if worse comes to worst', I believe. Worse already is worse.

    2. Re:No sound at work.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe you should just watch it whilst wearing your JoJanta 200 super chromatic peril sensitive sunglasses.

      When the H2G2 (infocom) text adventure first came out you got a pair of these glasses (black cardboard cut into the shape of sunglasses) with the game.

      They'd be great for watching this movie.

  20. Looks cool. by JossiRossi · · Score: 1

    Performing the primary job of a trailer, it looks cool. The visuals seem rather impressive actually. I suppose this might be worth checking out in the theatres. I know it can't BE the novel. The book being too amazing. But perhaps it can at the very least do an ok job of entertaining me for a while.

    --
    Just a boy doing unproffesional IT work that's way above his head.
  21. huh? by toby · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    It looks much like the "old" trailer. Nothing to see here, move along...

    --
    you had me at #!
    1. Re:huh? by mh101 · · Score: 1

      You sure you watched the trailer on the Amazon site? It's different from what both Apple and the official web site have - the old trailer with the "It's a wonderful world" song playing. this one's an actual trailer.

      --
      Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
  22. Skip to the ending . . . by JJ · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Mostly harmless."

    "42"

    --
    So long and thanks for all the fish . . . !!!
    1. Re:Skip to the ending . . . by Wimmie · · Score: 2, Funny

      I must have an older edition...

      "Harmless"

  23. Works fine here by ink · · Score: 1

    Firefox 1.0 / Fedora Core 3

    --
    The wheel is turning, but the hamster is dead.
  24. Researcher by Ford+Prefect · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ford is really an alien doing research for an updated edition of the universe's ultimate travel companion, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

    Belgium, my cover's blown. That's it, I'm off home. Your planet sucked anyway, monkeymen!

    Except for the ale, of course. And the cheese biscuits, you know those octagonal ones with the sesame seeds on, they were quite nice too. Still, anyway, I'm back to Betelgeuse...

    --
    Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
    1. Re:Researcher by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Worst thing than being stuck on a planet is being stuck with a nickname of someone being stuck on a planet.

    2. Re:Researcher by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      frankly, don't bitch about a modded +5 funny comment, that is a quote from a book by a dead author unless you're anonymous, or want to be modded a troll ;)

    3. Re:Researcher by UserGoogol · · Score: 1

      You sound more like Zaphod Beeblebrox than you do Ford Prefect.

      --
      "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." -- Hanlon's Razor
    4. Re:Researcher by mink · · Score: 1

      Shouldn't you report back to the guide's editorial offices for a new assignment.

      --
      Well I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years doctor, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.
  25. Bring a Towel by ari_j · · Score: 3, Funny

    If I go to this film in the theater, and I see anyone sans towel, I'm going to be very depressed, and I will probably panic as a result.

    1. Re:Bring a Towel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't want to appear snarky, but... the theaters do permit people who haven't read the book to see the movie.

      With that in mind, it looks like an entertaining movie for those who haven't read the books, which is one of the hallmarks of a good flick. If there's any typical heavy-handed Disnification going on, the trailer has done well to hide it.

    2. Re:Bring a Towel by asoap · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's funny, I plan to punch in the face anybody I see carrying a towel. God help me if I see anybody with a gold fish stuck in their ear.

      --
      Treat me like a marketing stat, and I'll treat your movie like a series of ones and zeros
    3. Re:Bring a Towel by ari_j · · Score: 0

      I'll see you there! >8^)

    4. Re:Bring a Towel by gamgee5273 · · Score: 3, Funny
      Hmmm... bringing a towel.

      Do you think the theaters will allow towels with sections of pre-soaked popcorn butter, nacho cheese and salsa on them? Maybe some hot dog grease?

    5. Re:Bring a Towel by Sax+Maniac · · Score: 1

      I bet you think digital watches are pretty neat.

      --
      I can explanate how to administrate your network. You must configurate and segmentate it, so it can computate.
    6. Re:Bring a Towel by clarkcox3 · · Score: 1

      esntg t aiu hsauirt we rarvtu isabrg eiu rt isdfhbvi erjkht uiozh sditgsioerrth uis ddngiouseh g!!! (You would have understand that if you had your babel fish)

      --
      There are no tiger attacks in my area and it's all because this rock I'm holding keeps the tigers away.
    7. Re:Bring a Towel by LordEd · · Score: 1

      At current theatre rates, no true hitchhiker will be able to fit a movie into their 30 Alterian dollars a day budget.

    8. Re:Bring a Towel by rjung2k · · Score: 1

      A true hitchhiker would find a way to see the movie for free.

    9. Re:Bring a Towel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      don't panic,it's just a towel.

  26. Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by jwcorder · · Score: 0, Troll
    My god man. Anytime your movie headlines a rapper as the main star you are in trouble. Won't be seeing this one.

    --
    http://jayceecorder.blogspot.com
    1. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mos Def is a better actor than most rappers (who suck hind tit). And it could have been worse (Ben Affleck, anyone?).

    2. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by jskiff · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, because that "Boyz in the Hood" movie with Ice Cube was just awful, wasn't it? . Just because someone is known for rapping doesn't mean that they can't act. Colors, 8 Mile, and the aforementioned Boyz in the Hood are proof of that.

      Or could it be, perhaps, that your virgin image of characters in books couldn't possibly adapt to having a black man, let alone a "street-wise" black man, in a leading role?

      --
      It's "no one," not "noone." Who the hell is noone anyway?
    3. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by thatshortkid · · Score: 2, Insightful

      My god man. Anytime your comment makes sweeping assumptions and generalizations about somebody because of their other artistic endeavors you are an ass. Will be seeing this one on opening night.

      Rent The Italian Job by the way. And maybe actually listen to some Mos Def before you talk shit. Black on both sides, Black Star, and The New Danger (or any Soundbombing, for that matter) aren't your typical fare. Ass.

      --
      The IRS is the one organization that you don't want to fuck with. Remember, these are the guys who took down Al Capone.
    4. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Personally I couldnt give a shit what colour any of the actors are, but I'm used to the prinicipal characters all having English accents......

    5. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by mollyhackit · · Score: 1

      Better yet if you are so ig'nant rent rent Bamboozled and kill two birds with one stone. I'm so happy to see Mos Def in this movie.

    6. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by DavidTC · · Score: 1
      Well, you can be used to that, but there's really no reason for that to be. Trillian and Authur, yes, but everyone else? No.

      In fact, I always imagined Ford had a rather weird accent for England. He isn't native, you know.

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
    7. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by Monkelectric · · Score: 1
      Just because someone is known for rapping doesn't mean that they can't act

      Of course not... but its a damn good indicator.

      --

      Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley

    8. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by nickatkins · · Score: 1

      Martin Freeman is not a rapper!

    9. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by peterhoeg · · Score: 1

      That is most definately not true. If you ever watch "Ali G - The Movie" you will see the good Mr Freeman as a prominent member of the West Stains Massive!

    10. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      'Boyz in the Hood' didn't appeal to me in the slightest and, personally, I did consider it "awful", one-dimensional, stereotypical tripe. I've never seen 'Colors' but '8 Mile' is intensely tedious so, if you can mention it in the same breath then I'll be happy to avoid it. And that 'street-wise' rant? Please. You're putting words into the OP's mouth. Maybe, just maybe, he thinks Mos Def shouldn't be playing the part because, based on past evidence, he just isn't suited to it? You know, without even caring what colour he is. Zaphod, possibly, but Ford? No. He's more suited to play Trillian than Ford.

      But all this is a digression from the real point behind this discussion: the formulaic nature of Hollywood movies and their casting. I can see someone looking at a checklist: "Heterosexual love interest? One little tweak to the script and...check. Black actor in a lead role? Crap, no black guy! Who haven't we cast yet? Ford? He'll do. Check". If Trillian doesn't turn out to be a tough, independent single mother holding down a full-time job in a male humanoid's galaxy I'll probably keel-over with shock.

      Now you know why Marvin is depressed: he read the script.

    11. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by Bertie · · Score: 1

      I'd rather he did this than made any more music, given what a let-down that last album was. I mean, he does one of the greatest rap albums ever in Black On Both Sides, keeps us waiting all that time, and gives us The New Danger. I was gutted. Here's hoping he'll make up for it with this.

    12. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're right, I can't accept him in the role. Should have been that british guy that slept with the hooker as arthur dent, and Brad Pitt as Ford Prefect.

    13. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And Tim Curry as Zaphod. And Tracey Hutson as Trillian.

    14. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by jwcorder · · Score: 1
      rant/

      Actually Boyz in the Hood was awful. And we can all see by your taste in movies that the casting director will probably succeed in his goals. The only thing 8 Mile proved was if you can sell a million or two albums, then you should skank out a hot chick and make a ghetto movie because it will probably sell. Instead of making a well thought movie, let's fill the roles with a bunch of pop culture idiots so we can attract all the bubble blowers and the preteens. Better make it PG-13 though or it won't succeed.

      I don't care how many black men are cast as leading roles. Please do...as long as they can act.

      And lastly, if by "street-wise" you mean thug, then no, I don't want to adapt to that.

      /rant

      --
      http://jayceecorder.blogspot.com
    15. Re:Mos Def and Martin Freeman? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you have any doubts in Mos Def's acting abilities you should watch "Something the Lord Made". He gave a wonderful performance in that HBO movie.

  27. Do they mention 42 in the movie? by nganju · · Score: 5, Interesting


    I'd hate to have our inside geek joke be revealed to the world. It's always been sort of a secret code, if you knew what it meant, then you belonged to the tribe. Now every avid moviegoer in the world will know what it means.

    --
    There are 2 kinds of people in this world. Those that can keep their train of thought,
    1. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by TrippTDF · · Score: 1

      That's a good point. Why can't we keep 42 as an inside joke and unleash the Goatse guy on the normals?

    2. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by xSauronx · · Score: 1
      i have a good feeling a fair number of the good bits won't be in the film adaptation...after all, is the movie ever as good as the book?

      i'll see it,and it may be good...but the books will be great every time :)

      --
      By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth. -- George Carlin
    3. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by slim · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I'd hate to have our inside geek joke be revealed to the world. It's always been sort of a secret code, if you knew what it meant, then you belonged to the tribe.

      Hmm, that may be true in the US. In Britain the TV series has been repeated so many times, and the books are so popular, I reckon at least 25% of people would know what The Answer is (which I'd consider high: something like 40% don't know what town Jesus was born in).

      Obviously, far fewer would know The Question...

    4. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by dreadpiratemark · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You might look at the time on Dent's alarm clock in the preview for an answer to your question...

      I suspect that won't be the only place you see 42.

    5. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by ObligatoryUserName · · Score: 1

      It's always been sort of a secret code...

      The bad news for you is that 42 is most definitely in the movie, as it's in the trailer twice. (Time on the alarm clock is 7:42, and it can be seen in the stars near the end.) On the other hand, the books were already made into a TV and radio show, so it's not much of a secret, is it?

    6. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I believe 42 didn't come about until "Life, the Universe and Everything", to which it was the answer. As such, we don't have to worry about it unless there are two sequels. Or they totally screw the story line.

    7. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Lord_Pain · · Score: 1

      They should say the answer is 48 or something to that effect.
      That way we will know the person who quotes the movie number is actually a poseur geek... hmmm. Did I just type that?

      --
      -- What's this '-r *' file doing here? -- Oh well, a simple 'rm' should do the trick.
    8. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by huge+colin · · Score: 1

      Not feasible. 42 is the Answer because DNA, after much discussion, came to the conclusion that 42 is the funniest number.

    9. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by madaxe42 · · Score: 1

      It's rather annoying really... the number of times I get asked 'is that because there were already 41 other MAdaXes?'.

    10. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No he didn't.

      The answer to this is very simple. It was a joke. It had to be a number, an ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one. Binary representations, base thirteen, Tibetan monks are all complete nonsense. I sat at my desk, stared into the garden and thought '42 will do'. I typed it out. End of story.

      here for example...

    11. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by ehiris · · Score: 1

      Now every avid moviegoer in the world will know what it means.

      If you think this movie will cause this world to enter an age on enlightenment, earth will be destroyed right before April 29th :)

    12. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Feanturi · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Erm, I've had '42' thrown at me by plenty of people who haven't read the books, don't actually know what they're referring to, just that it's got something to do with the meaning of life and they want to appear clever in a serious conversation when they have nothing to say. They piss me off. It's never been a 'secret code' as far as I've been aware.

    13. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by tc · · Score: 2, Informative

      On the other hand, the books were already made into a TV and radio show, so it's not much of a secret, is it?

      Actually, it was the original radio show which was later turned into a book, and thence a TV show.

    14. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by ratnerstar · · Score: 1
      Inside joke? More like annoying cliche. If I was at a party and someone asked what the meaning of life is and nobody said 42, I would be deeply surprised.

      --
      Just because you sold your soul to the devil that needn't make you a teetotaler. --The Devil and Daniel Webster
    15. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by PsiPsiStar · · Score: 1

      The normals won't remember 42. It's a number.

      They'll understand goatse all too well.

      --

      ___
      It's the end of my comment as I know it and I feel fine.
    16. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by UnHolyRam · · Score: 1

      On the Screen where they show the title of the movie, against a backdrop of stars, there is a Star Constellation of 42 to the Left of the Book Constellation

    17. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Moofie · · Score: 1

      The TV show was different from the radio play, and the radio play was different from the books. All were very amusing. I expect the movie to be the same way.

      How could the movie diminish the books anyhow? I mean, nobody's going to come take your book away...

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    18. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      man, i'd hate to go to one of the parties you go to.

    19. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by entrager · · Score: 1

      Don't kid yourself, no one is going to notice this movie. The fanboys (myself included) will see it and remember things, but the average viewer will see it and forget it. You're not going to see normal people using 42.

    20. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by WhatAmIDoingHere · · Score: 1

      Well, considering how there's hats with "42" on them, sweatshirts, and regular shirts.. It's not much of a secret. Everyone who sees my hat knows what the 42 means, except my boss who was slightly confused and more confused after I explained it.

      --
      Not a Twitter sockpuppet... but I wish I was.
    21. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Phreakiture · · Score: 1

      A friend of mine commented on my email headers the other day. One of the headers reads:

      X-Answer: 42
      --
      www.wavefront-av.com
    22. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by irokitt · · Score: 1
      Obviously, far fewer would know The Question...


      What's six times seven?
      --
      If my answers frighten you, stop asking scary questions.
    23. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Serapth · · Score: 2, Funny

      which I'd consider high: something like 40% don't know what town Jesus was born in

      Come on! Since the movie came out, EVERYONE knows it was Montreal!

    24. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by orkysoft · · Score: 1

      Arthur's alarm clock went off at 7:42.

      --

      I suffer from attention surplus disorder.
    25. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by slim · · Score: 1

      What's six times seven?

      (SPOILER)

      I think it was "what's six times nine" but, I don't have the book to hand. This implies that either Earth or (less likely) Deep Thought was buggy.

    26. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by |/|/||| · · Score: 1
      Right. You'll always know who saw the movie and who read the book, because they'll be different. It's like all the people who saw LOTR but don't know why the beer was so good in 1420.

      Not that differences are bad, though - movies are a different medium, and a direct 1:1 transfer is pretty much impossible.

      --
      [javac] 100 errors
    27. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by DarkSarin · · Score: 1

      Skeptics with absolutely NO knowledge of Jewish society at the time.

      Joseph would very reasonably go to Bethlehem to pay taxes if his lineage was through Bethlehem (as it was)--that is if his MOTHER's family was traditionally through that city (since Joseph, like Mary, was a descedent of King David, they were). The taxes, quite simply, were levied by the Romans, but collected by the Jews, and in the traditional Jewish manner, thus according to the city of ancestry. For this reason, it was fairly logical that Joseph went to Bethlehem.

      The next part is simple: the "of Nazereth" part is a reflection of where people who met him after he started teaching publicly (age 30, as according to Jewish custom) thought he was from. It was not common knowledge that he was born in Bethlehem--remember that Herod had all the 2 yr olds born in that vicinity killed to prevent the uprising of a native king.

      Records of the Roman census? That one is trickier, and I don't have my references handy. I do know that there is one recorded in non-Biblical records--I THINK Josephus, but I am not certain. Why is it mentioned in only on of the Gospels? That's easy--either the writers didn't feel it important to their intended audience (which was different for them all), or it was removed by some interprising scribe at some point (happened a fair bit).

      All in all, I don't think the scholars you refer to are very well informed. The debate is pretty muted.

      --
      "We don't know what we are doing, but we are doing it very carefully,..." Wherry, R.J. Personnel Psychology (1995)
    28. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      42 was definately from the first book, they find that out on Magratha (or however you spell that)

    29. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by hollismb · · Score: 4, Informative

      Yes, but that's not the actual question, remember? Authur and Ford got shipped to earth 2 billion years in the past along with all those B-Class citizens from another planet, who subsequently, caused the actual earth-men to die out, which would have lost the question forever. When Aurthur and Ford conduct an experiment, which basically involved Arthur playing blindfolded scrabble, the question that came out was indeed "what's six times nine", but then again, Arthur wasn't technically descended from creatures created for the actual experiment, so it doesn't really count.



      Later, in Life, the Universe, and Everything, the come across Prak, who had too much truth serum and goes on to tell the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth, most of which has a lot to do with frogs. Later, when he stops laughing at Arthur enough to be able to answer a question, he notes that the answer and the question are mutually exclusive, in that no one person can know both the question and answer at the same time, and doing so would cause the universe to vanish and be replaced by something even stranger, if indeed it hadn't already happened.



      Just so happens, I read that part last night. Anyway, 'what's six times nine' is not the actual question.

    30. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by TheBrownShow · · Score: 1

      Spotted a "42" in the starfield background towards the end of the trailer... I'm quite sure there will be many, many things like this in the marketing blitz leading up to the movie's release.

    31. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by tweek · · Score: 2, Funny

      I don't know which is geekier -

      Modifying your email headers

      or

      Your friend READING the email headers

      --
      "Fighting the underpants gnomes since 1998!" "Bruce Schneier knows the state of schroedinger's cat"
    32. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by mog007 · · Score: 1

      It doesn't imply anything. It was a joke.

    33. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by slapout · · Score: 1

      When people ask me a question and I answer "42", no one seems to get it.

      --
      Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
    34. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by wintermute740 · · Score: 1

      "Erm, I've had '42' thrown at me by plenty of people who haven't read the books, don't actually know what they're referring to, just that it's got something to do with the meaning of life and they want to appear clever in a serious conversation when they have nothing to say. They piss me off. It's never been a 'secret code' as far as I've been aware."

      I've had the number '42' thrown at me by life. I find it amusing how often that number occurs in my life. For example, the number on baseball jersey, underneath my company name, is 42. It was given to me by the coach of a team we sponser, who has no idea what 42 means :)

    35. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You'll notice at the end of the trailer stars forming the number 42 in the top-left corner.

    36. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Illserve · · Score: 1

      His alarm clock does read 7:42 when he hits the alarm.

    37. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by danhm · · Score: 1

      And it was sitting on top of Kurt Vonnegut's wonderful "Slapstick". Being a diehard Vonnegut fan, that made me happy. Even if it has nothing to do with the movie.

    38. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by tedrlord · · Score: 1

      Sounds like the Law of Fives in effect, only with, you know, 42.

      Wait... 42 is 6 x 7, right? Subtract six from seven and you get one, of course. But, the digits in 42 add up to 6, obviously, and then if you remove the one that you got earlier, it adds up to five! It was right in front of my face all along! At first you think it's a red herring, but they're trying to trick you. It's all layers, you see.

      --
      [insert witty quote here]
    39. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Criffer · · Score: 1

      6 * 9 = 42

      but only in base 13.
      While the answer isn't quite 42, because of the whole business with the golgafrinchams, the number 13 is actually a clue to the real answer.

      Which probably explains a lot.

      Or maybe the ultimate question has something to do with scrabble. Or Agrajag being repeatedly killed by the one person who knows something like the ultimate question.

      Or maybe, since the ultimate question is of life, the universe and everything, it is *impossible* for the single planet to be the only factor in computation of the answer (by Godel's incompleteness theorem), and all Deep Thought did was place that planet there in order for the Golgafrinchams to crash into it and evolve into Arthur, who then does a round trip through the other end of the universe and ends up back where the whole experiment all started, so that the ultimate question can be deciphered by trying to teach the primitive apemen of the Earth to play scrabble - so the answer is actually 42, the question is actually "what do you get if you multiply six by nine?" and the reason the universe is the way it is is something to do with base 13.

      Or maybe I'm reading too much into it

    40. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Nemesis242 · · Score: 1

      After trailer begins, at 2:00 see 42 in the stars in the upper left corner...

    41. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? by Phroggy · · Score: 1

      Or maybe I'm reading too much into it

      Way too much.

      "I may be a pretty sad case, but I don't write jokes in base 13!" - Douglas Adams

      That may not be an accurate quote, since it looks like there are a few variants in the wording floating around, but he did say something about that.

      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  28. looks good by syrinx · · Score: 1

    Looks good, and I'm optimistic.

    As a plus, this can legitimately deviate from the books/etc... the books were different from the original radio series, the BBC miniseries was different from both the book and the radio versions.... I'd expect nothing less than a movie that's different from all three previous versions.

    --
    Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
  29. Re:What's a "Galaxy Trailer"? by Eric+Giguere · · Score: 1

    No, apparently it's a discontinued tent. Comes in white, though.

    Eric
  30. w00t!! Mos Def!! by de1orean · · Score: 1

    i had no idea he was playing Ford Prefect. i was mildly excited about this before, but now i can hardly contain myself.

    -geeky fanboy x 2

  31. The book was better by GatesGhost · · Score: 0

    who wants to bet that a bunch of you are going to say that once the movie comes out?

    1. Re:The book was better by Concerned+Onlooker · · Score: 0, Troll

      Why wait until then? I'll say it now. The book was better. That trailer looked awful. I'd be more excited about re-watching the original TV series.

      --
      http://www.rootstrikers.org/
    2. Re:The book was better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why has anyone modded you as Troll.. You are 100% right mister/madame. I'l go with the BBC workshop radio version or the books anytime. This trailer reeks of silly slapstick humour and has none the Woody Allen dimention the original text had.

      Anyway I stand in your camp.

    3. Re:The book was better by Celadus · · Score: 1

      The real purists will say that the radio play was better than the book which was better than the tv series which was better than this movie.

  32. Retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This looks retarded.

    1. Re:Retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      No, it looks great.

      (how's that for an informative rebuttal to an informative post?)

  33. Hollywood ... by Savage-Rabbit · · Score: 1

    ... does have a tendency to make lousy remakes of great originals. I wonder if they will manage to make a hash of 'The Hitchikers Guide'? That being said mucking this up should be impossible. That book is just so damn funny even an idiot should be able to make a at least a mildly funny film from it.

    --
    Only to idiots, are orders laws.
    -- Henning von Tresckow
  34. Movie wont be an adaption of books at all by Miaomiao · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's a little hard to believe, but the movie is actually one of Douglous Adam's last works.

    One thing the movie wont be is an adaption of the books and radio play all over again, it's something fresh new and different in the Hitchhiker universe. I'm looking forward to it very much.

    If you're curious about what the plans for the movie were, and the process heading up to it you might want to check out "A Salmon of Doubt" which compiles Adam's final works, along with several letters and coorespondencies leading up to this movie amoung other things

    I'm going to be forever wondering what the story behind half a cat and the rhino will be though...

    1. Re:Movie wont be an adaption of books at all by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apparently the script writer put stuff from the book back in that was cut out.

  35. Re:so far not good ... by philbowman · · Score: 3, Informative
    When Arthur met Trillian on Earth (Islington) before she went off with Zaphod, she was still called Trisha McMillan.

    I think Zaphod's second head is inside his nostril, or something like that.

    --
    Phil
  36. MOST Definitely by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    MOS DEF? Ford Prefect? WTF?OMGLOL! That is the last person who I'd expect to be Ford Prefect.
    Trillion had better be played by Dolly Parton in that case!

  37. Mos Def by eseiat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Mos Def is an extremely gifted musician and skilled actor. He was recently nominated for an Emmy as a lead actor in a mini-series for his work on Something the Lord Made on HBO. He has also been in numerous other films which you can look at here.

    1. Re:Mos Def by purple_cobra · · Score: 1

      This is what's known as 'apropos of nothing'...
      If he's any good, we'll notice. If he isn't, we'll notice. Aggrandising the guy won't change that.
      But 'gifted musician'? I don't think so.

  38. Re:so far not good ... by Aggrazel · · Score: 1, Funny

    Any man knows where the little head is....

  39. Re:so far not good ... by Cyphus · · Score: 1

    Zaphod's second head is what you see right before he presses the big blue button (p.s. its under his chin) Trillian's name has always been Trisha (Macmillan - hence Trillian).

  40. Re:so far not good ... by Lupulack · · Score: 1

    >> Did they change Trillian's name to Trisha?

    Her real name is Trisha McMillan , shortened by the non-ape descendants to Trillian. So no , it's not a Hollywood style liberty

    --
    The fact that no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist.
  41. direct link to quicktime movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    direct link to quicktime movie

    http://bvbp-qt.vitalstream.com/HitchhikersGuide/HG G_Trailer1_Book9273_0300.mov

    people are repetitive creatures too scared to admit their own mistakes.

    everything has been said, yet the mistakes continue to sting the pride.

    1. Re:direct link to quicktime movie by paul-h-squared · · Score: 1

      That's not what's showing on Amazon. That's just a teaser.

    2. Re:direct link to quicktime movie by DaHat · · Score: 1

      That is the original teaser, what is on amazon is a full fledged (and new) trailer.

  42. With apologies to the poor .edu server by wynterwynd · · Score: 1

    Link to higher rez QT version

    Get it before the server asplodes :)

    --
    "Not all who wander are lost" -- JRR Tolkien
    1. Re:With apologies to the poor .edu server by trans_err · · Score: 1

      poor filebox... you know some people have to submit work!

    2. Re:With apologies to the poor .edu server by 0x2A · · Score: 1

      How about using coral cache?

    3. Re:With apologies to the poor .edu server by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      Many thanks! FLASH - urgh! You'd think the studios would WANT people to enjoy their trailers and hopefully download them for repeat viewing.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    4. Re:With apologies to the poor .edu server by engmike8 · · Score: 1

      haha another hokie here, I was wondering why it was talking a while to upload some pictures. Thanks for the mirror

    5. Re:With apologies to the poor .edu server by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 1

      Wohooo! I love my building's new I2 link. I'm throwing the file on mldonkey as we speak.

      --
      "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
      --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
    6. Re:With apologies to the poor .edu server by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      You'd think the studios would WANT people to enjoy their trailers and hopefully download them for repeat viewing.

      If their only goal was exposure, yes.

      But they want to control the source so they can amass statistics about who when and where their trailers are dowloaded. If they'd release it in the wild, more people would see it, but they wouldn't get to know or how.

      It'll end up in the wild anyway, but that's they act of evil pirates, so they get to add that to their "illegal download" numbers.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

  43. Straying too far from the path? by SethS · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It looks like they're taking a LOT of creative liberties with the script. Too many perhaps?

    For instance... in the preview, they show Ford introducing Arthur to Zaphod. In the book, the whole comedy of the scene is that they both play it cool. Not so in the preview.

    It is my fear that Hollywood is going to ruin another perfectly good book. I'd like to go see it, but I'm going to be very sceptical.

    --
    If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention!
    1. Re:Straying too far from the path? by ThisIsFred · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You know it's going to be ruined, it's the Hollywood way. All the previews I've seen are just special effects and catchphrases in the voice-over.

      --
      Fred

      "A fool and his freedom are soon parted"
      -RMS
    2. Re:Straying too far from the path? by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 4, Funny
      Advanced Adaptation Substitue. It is almost, but not entirely, unlike any of the other adaptations of the story.

      The hardest part I had was convincing the computer that I really wanted something that was printed using chared bits of coal smeared on mashed up, dried out bits of tree, held together by cow skin.

      Hopefully it will stop processing in time...

      --
      "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
      --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
  44. A few thoughts by sprocketbox · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Douglas Adams, on a number of occasions, said that he never intended the film to be a direct adaptation of the book. And, in the introduction of at least one of the books, he talked about how the books were different from the TV show which was different from the radio play. I wasn't all that impressed with the trailer. It looks like the story, which was always for me very cerebral, has been dumbed down into an action flick. I like action flicks as much as the next guy, but not every movie has to be one. The trailer does make it come across as very, MIBish. A fun movie, but nothing to write home about. Right now, I'm thinking that Sideways is going to turn out to be a lot funnier than Hitchhiker.

    1. Re:A few thoughts by Moofie · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yeah, a cerebral book with a sperm whale talking with a bowl of gladiolas (?) running into a planet.

      The books were FUNNY. If the movie is funny, it is good. If it's not, it's bad.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    2. Re:A few thoughts by XPisthenewNT · · Score: 0, Troll

      I assume the grandparent is an American. I am as well, and I have to think a bit to get some of the jokes--I we talk funny over here.

      Or maybe he just meant that most of the book is dialog, whereas most movies today are action--clever bantering wordplay makes the *idea* of a whale falling from the sky hilarity. How do you make the image of this funny, without making it cartoony or something?

    3. Re:A few thoughts by Moofie · · Score: 2, Insightful

      How about (now, I know this is a crazy idea, but bear with me) we watch the movie before we assume that it sucks?

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    4. Re:A few thoughts by eboot · · Score: 1

      Thus giving the people who make great books into rubbish films more money and incentive to continue naking said rubbish films. Then 90% of the world will assume the film is the be all and end all of HHGTTG and never read the books because the film was shit. Oh great, another classic ruined. Sopt this from happening! Pirate the movie and if it sucks, break into your local cinema and destroy the reels! I think there should be some way movie companies can be held directly responsible for ruining classic books/films/comics. Im not talking about banning adaptations, just making sure the director/screenplay/studio exec think long and hard about what they are going to do. I dont want LOTR all of the time but neither do I want some of the appaling movie adaptations to see the light of day ever again

      --
      Two tears in a bucket. Motherfuck it.
    5. Re:A few thoughts by Moofie · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Okay.

      So read a review written by somebody who's seen the movie.

      Or continue jumping to conclusions. Whatever floats your boat.

      "Ruined"? Did they come take your book away from you?

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    6. Re:A few thoughts by sprocketbox · · Score: 1
      Why yes, I am from the US of A.

      What I was trying to say was that the books and the radio play aren't just slapstick. The humour is funny on many levels and you have to use your whole brain to really get it.

      On the other hand, based strictly on the trailers that I have seen, the movie seems like they are going with a more action based story. So, instead of using the whole brain, much of the reaction comes from the portion of the brain that humans share with lizards. That can be fun, but not the only kind of fun.

      Just to make things clear, as I type this I'm listening to repeats of Dead Ringers on BBC Radio 4. And I think that the the BBC production of the Lord of the Rings is far better than the films that Peter Jackson made.

    7. Re:A few thoughts by wintermute740 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "The trailer does make it come across as very, MIBish."

      I keep hearing this from people who have seen the trailer as if it's a bad thing. DNA was upset when MIB came out because he felt they borrowed his ideas very heavily, while his movie was still being rejected by the studios.

    8. Re:A few thoughts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Being a movie, they have to pick up the pace a little bit. Maybe movies aren't the best medium for you?

    9. Re:A few thoughts by yoz · · Score: 1

      DNA was upset when MIB came out because he felt they borrowed his ideas very heavily, while his movie was still being rejected by the studios.

      But in the end, MiB is what got the long-abandoned movie project going again. Hollywood studios saw the success of MiB, said "Sci-fi comedy! We gots to get us some of that!" and that led to Hitchhiker's. (Seriously, that's how it happened.)

  45. no, no and no by snakeplissken · · Score: 1

    assuming the trailer gives the sense of the film,
    then from the macho voiceover announcing the film like it's some sort of action flick, via the sheer cowardice of zaphod's hidden second head, through slapstick, slapstick ffs!, onto the apparent absence of that which defines the h2g2 genre, the book, i don't mean the object in the hand, i mean the voice, the calm measured, well spoken voice that tells you that space is big, really big....
    just,
    no

    1. Re:no, no and no by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This overzealousness without even caring to check facts gets on my nerve. The guide is voiced by Stephen Fry who does a great job.

    2. Re:no, no and no by The+Dark+P · · Score: 1

      According to IMDB (and lord knows that can be wrong) Stephen Fry is doing the voice of the book, in which case it will be perfect.

  46. BETTER direct link by throx · · Score: 0, Redundant

    http://bvim-qt.vitalstream.com/HitchhikersGuide/HG G_Trailer1_Book9273_3000.mov

    --

    Fear: When you see B8 00 4C CD 21 and know what it means

    1. Re:BETTER direct link by throx · · Score: 0, Redundant

      And of course if I wasn't a moron by assuming slashcode wouldn't butcher the text, here's a clickable one:

      DIRECT LINK

      --

      Fear: When you see B8 00 4C CD 21 and know what it means

    2. Re:BETTER direct link by throx · · Score: 1

      You know what? I give up. Mod parents down cause they're old and not "better" at all.

      Perhaps one day I'll think before I type. /me mourns karma.

      --

      Fear: When you see B8 00 4C CD 21 and know what it means

    3. Re:BETTER direct link by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's the old teaser trailer. You can get it from Apple, too. The new one's on Amazon... hopefully popping up elsewhere soon. (btw, there's a space in your URL, so the link doesn't work unless you delete it: like so.

  47. Re:so far not good ... by Jethro · · Score: 1

    In addition, Arthur still calls her Trisha, at least in the radio show which I listened to a few weeks ago.

    I wish they made a trailer geared toward existing HHG fans, rather than The General Uninformed Public. We'd get a muh better indication of what it'd be like for us.

    --


    In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
  48. Re:Slashdot editors are DYING by CAP811 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Glad to see that "moving to Canada" cliche is working for Michael. Is there NO ENVIRONMENT in which he can be safe to continue his holy mission of spreading his unique brand of enlightenment?

    --
    All things are possible with everything.
  49. Re:so far not good ... by br0ck · · Score: 2, Informative

    Where the hell is Zaphod's second head????

    In the trailer, 1 minute in, when Zaphod throws ice into two martini glasses with two hands, it cuts away and then back to his head lifting up and a second head appearing underneath. I don't believe that in the book it ever said the heads were next to each other??

    (Note that I'm talking about the .mov version that somebody linked to halfway down the Fark discussion since the Amazon one wouldn't work for me.)

  50. he may not be, but i am by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Frickin' niggers, stealing a white man's role.

    The book doesn't describe his skin color, but it doesn't mention Ford stealing hubcaps off of ships, either.

  51. Download flash by PalmKiller · · Score: 1

    from http://macromedia.com, and install for firefox, it worked for me

  52. zapod by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... I counted only one head :(

  53. impressions by Antonymous+Flower · · Score: 1

    arthur, what if i told you that (buffering)
    attention, people of earth: I regret to inform you that (buffering)

    anyway, I hope there is less of the slapstick humor in the rest of the film and more of the ideas and dialogue that make the series so great. speaking of slapstick humor, anyone notice the book 'slapstick' by vonnegut under arthur's alarm clock?

    initial impressions: not yet entirely disappointed

    1. Re:impressions by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      anyone notice the book 'slapstick' by vonnegut under arthur's alarm clock?

      Yep. And I also think I can make out that Arthur's work ID badge is a BBC one. Definitely three initials anyway.

      I also think the trailer looks too much like an attempt at an action movie, but not a very good one, so I'm just hoping that means some marketing people were just desperately trying to make it look like something it isn't. I don't think Ford behaves alien enough in the trailer, but I reserve judgement until closer to the time. I'll probably wait for someone else who's read the books to see it and let me know.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    2. Re:impressions by guidemaker · · Score: 1

      It is a BBC badge, based on a scan of mine, I believe. At least, I sent the art department a scan of mine when they asked for one, so I assume that's what they used.

    3. Re:impressions by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      Well, that's good. I take the book selection, the BBC badge and Trillian's non-bimbo appearance as a positive sign that the movie may preserve some of the tone of the books and radio series. I'm still a little worried by the "Fate of the Universe in Their Hands" bit though.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  54. Real movies on official site by dschuetz · · Score: 0

    The official site has actual quicktime / WMV trailers in multiple sizes:

    http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com/main.html

    1. Re:Real movies on official site by dschuetz · · Score: 1

      Crap. Shoulda checked it out first. I think those are old trailers. Sorry. :(

      (still can't see the amazon trailer, either...)

    2. Re:Real movies on official site by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No it doesn't those are all the 'teaser' not the 'trailer'. The video on Amazon is the 'trailer'

  55. Re:so far not good ... by jpetts · · Score: 2, Informative

    Did they change Trillian's name to Trisha?

    Trillian's name is Tricia (sic):

    See here

    --
    Call me old fashioned, but I like a dump to be as memorable as it is devastating - Bender
  56. Ford Prefect is BLACK??? by zorgaliscious · · Score: 0

    thanks for ruining it. now all I can think of when I will see the movie is the political correctness of the movie instead of enjoying it.

  57. Re:so far not good ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They blech in stereo in the radio version. That is evidence enuf.

  58. Again, you miss the point. by Moryath · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    I don't really mind the exclusivity clause.

    What I have a problem with is the fact that, instead of providing it in a decent format and proper frame size so that anyone could view it, snag it to their desktop, they deliberately tried to make it un-downloadable (at least until somebody posts the file name, at which point I'm sure Slashdot will get another cease-and-desist letter for linking it that way).

    Putting the file out in crappy resolution, in a shitty encoding format, and deliberately making it hard to enjoy the trailer don't help their cause. Disney should know this by now. Hell, even Apple have finally fixed the problems quicktime used to have.

    The only way Disney could have done anything worse would have been to release it as a Realplayer file.

    1. Re:Again, you miss the point. by Scrameustache · · Score: 4, Funny

      Disney should know this by now.

      You mean the Disney that closed down it's traditional animation studio? Disney has degenerated into a nightmare of suits and execs. I tell you: it's run by Vogons.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    2. Re:Again, you miss the point. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Disney has degenerated into a nightmare of suits and execs.

      They're not particularly evil, mind you, but bad-tempered, bureaucratic and right down nasty.

    3. Re:Again, you miss the point. by enosys · · Score: 2, Informative
      If you look at the source of the relevant part of the Amazon web page you can find the URL of an XML file which gives you the URL for the trailer. However, it is an rtmp:// URL, and I don't know of any program that can download that.

      RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol) is a proprietary protocol used for streaming media to a flash applet. There is also a totally unrelated RTMP (Routing Table Maintenance Protocol) in AppleTalk.

  59. Thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I was almost on the verge of installing Flash.

  60. Vogons by Rev+Wally · · Score: 1

    Was it just me, or did the Vogons look like something out of Farscape?

    --
    LOAD "SIG",8,1
    1. Re:Vogons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If memory serves, the Henson company did the creature effects for both, so it makes sense.

    2. Re:Vogons by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      Was it just me, or did the Vogons look like something out of Farscape?

      It's not just you: same SFX company.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

  61. Re:so far not good ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In the book one head looks at the other a couple of times, usually in puzzlement.

  62. let me be the Nth to say by MORTAR_COMBAT! · · Score: 1

    can't wait. nothing in the world is perfect, and no movie dealing with this book could meet everyone's expectations.

    but it sure looks like they could have made worse rubbish, judging from the trailer. huzzah.

    --
    MORTAR COMBAT!
  63. Re:so far not good ... by elmegil · · Score: 1
    Can you imagine they make it into another Men In Black?

    Complete with Men in Black music in the trailer. Dunno if it's all the way through, but the end definitely is. Jury's out. I'm not going opening weekend though.

    --
    7 November 2006: The day Americans realized corruption and incompetence weren't addressing 11 September 2001
  64. Eh? Am I watching a different trailer? by hairykrishna · · Score: 1

    Ok, world blows up, bits flying, "don't panic", "coming soon yadda yadda". Ends. I see people talking about what the cast look like and stuff- am I missing the correct trailer?

    --
    "Physics is to math as sex is to masturbation." -R. Feynman
    1. Re:Eh? Am I watching a different trailer? by SethS · · Score: 1

      am I missing the correct trailer?

      Yeah. The trailer on the official website is just glitz - no real content. You have to watch the one on Amazon or the one hosted at vt.edu. See above posts.

      --
      If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention!
    2. Re:Eh? Am I watching a different trailer? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. That's the trailer from the movie site - look at the flash movie on amazon.com, or download the QT version from one of the links floating around the comments. The trailer on the official site is different.

    3. Re:Eh? Am I watching a different trailer? by eric_brissette · · Score: 1

      Yes, the trailer you're looking for is a flash movie at the top of the front page of http://www.amazon.com/

  65. Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster... by Landshark17 · · Score: 0

    Does anyone out there have a recipe for a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster that can be mixed on Earth?

    I'm having trouble finding Ol' Janx Spirit at my local liquor store, and don't even get me started on Algolian Suntiger teeth...

    --
    This sig is false.
    1. Re:Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster... by Jedi+Holocron · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Years ago a friend and I tried to work this out. Specifcally, we tried to find a non-toxic occilating reaction that would sequence thru several colors and repeat. We eventually settled on two colors, repeating, but failed to find the non-toxic reaction.

      Oh well. Nanotechnology anyone?

    2. Re:Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster... by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 2, Funny

      oh yes, Nanotechnology is well known for being completely safe and non-toxic. Go right ahead.

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
  66. Re:so far not good ... by JSkills · · Score: 1

    Wow - thanks to all of you for jarring my memory on Trisha/Trillian. I had clearly forgotten.

  67. Re:Date Movie? by Hieronymus+Howard · · Score: 0, Troll

    My girlfriend is a H2G2 fan too, though I doubt that she's ever used Linux. I keep her well away from my gentoo box. She discovered H2G2 when looking through her dad's book collection for something interesting to read, and loved Douglas Adam's humour.

  68. Awesome B-day present! by Azureflare · · Score: 2, Informative
    Sweet!! April 29th is my 22nd birthday!

    I couldn't ask for a better present. DNA is probably my favorite humorist, (followed closely by Terry Pratchett). I'm really looking forward to this film. This is going to be my birthday party... going to see DNA's imagination on the big screen!

    1. Re:Awesome B-day present! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mine is the 28th and I'll be 26.. I've already asked my wife to get me tickets to a midnight showing as my birthday present..

    2. Re:Awesome B-day present! by jbrandon · · Score: 1

      Sweet!! April 29th is my 22nd birthday!

      Why is this modded up as "informative"?

    3. Re:Awesome B-day present! by zerocool^ · · Score: 1

      Dude, I know that the statistical likelyhood of Slashdotters having the same birthday is pretty high, given the number of us, but I just had to tell you: April 19th is my birthday, too! I'll be 24, and I'll be going to see h2g2, towel in hand.

      ~Will

      --
      sig?
  69. I Wish by R.Caley · · Score: 0, Troll

    you wouldn't keep trying to engage my enthusiasm, because I haven't got one.

    --
    _O_
    .|<
    The named which can be named is not the true named
    1. Re:I Wish by R.Caley · · Score: 1

      Gee, you guys a re so unhip it's a wonder your bums don't fall off.

      --
      _O_
      .|<
      The named which can be named is not the true named
    2. Re:I Wish by ThaReetLad · · Score: 1

      Troll!?!?!? It's a freaking Marvin quote!!! On topic AND funny!!

      --
      You can't win Darth. If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine
    3. Re:I Wish by R.Caley · · Score: 1

      I hate and despise you all. I now declare this hapless cyberstructure open to the unthinkable abuse of all who wantonly moderate her.

      --
      _O_
      .|<
      The named which can be named is not the true named
    4. Re:I Wish by BandwidthHog · · Score: 1
      --

      Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
  70. I thought it was great... by Vthornheart · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Perhaps I'm jumping the gun, but it looks like Mos isn't going to be a horrible Ford as some of us feared.

    But what about the towel? I didn't see him using a towel to flag down the ship... towels, as everyone knows, are a very important thing. =)

    --
    -Vendal Thornheart
    1. Re:I thought it was great... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ehm? He doesn't flag the ship down with a towel in the book either...

    2. Re:I thought it was great... by Bloody+Templar · · Score: 1

      Mos is not a bad actor at all. I came to that realization watching Something the Lord Made on HBO.

    3. Re:I thought it was great... by SmokeHalo · · Score: 1, Informative

      Yes, a towel is very important. But you don't hitch a ride with a towel, you use the Sub-Etha thingy (the "thumb") for that.

      --
      I'm not good in groups. It's difficult to work in a group when you're omnipotent. - Q
    4. Re:I thought it was great... by niki9 · · Score: 1

      But he was using a towel as a barricade when shovel-like things were smacking the three of them in the face at the very end of the trailer...

      --
      "Someone's gotta have some damn perspective around here!" -- Commander Susan Ivonova, Babylon 5
  71. *The* book that must be a film by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 1

    The Sirens Of Titan

    1. Re:*The* book that must be a film by SmokeHalo · · Score: 0

      Oh, a cop story?

      --
      I'm not good in groups. It's difficult to work in a group when you're omnipotent. - Q
    2. Re:*The* book that must be a film by rollerbob · · Score: 1

      Did you notice the copy of Vonnegut's 'Slapstick' underneath Arthur Dent's alarm clock in the trailer?

  72. Glossary by rtv · · Score: 2, Informative
    Sass: know, be aware of, meet, have sex with
    Hoopy: really together guy
    Frood: really amazingly together guy

    Example usage: "Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There's a frood who really knows where his towel is."

  73. Show up for the premier wearing a bathrobe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think it would be really cool for everyone to show up for the preview wearing a bathrobe and carrying a towel.

  74. Generic Fanboy Reaction by The+Good+Reverend · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Blah blah blah - it's different from the book. I don't care if Douglas Adams himself penned the screenplay and intended all versions to be different. I'm going to bitch and moan about a scene taken out of context from the trailer without knowing how it fits into the story!

    This is a piece of entertainment from my childhood! I somehow believe that I have "rights" as a fan to influence creative decisions by the studio and that this version might erase all love I had for the original, because appearently I can't hold two things in my brain at once. Blah blah blah!

    1. Re:Generic Fanboy Reaction by huge+colin · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I think the problem that most "fanboys" have is that this is now a hollywood movie, so it needs to be hollywoodized -- you don't have the same creative freedoms that you do when publishing a book because it's simply not economically OK if the movie only appears to a niche crowd.

      Movies are produced to make a bunch of money, so the producers need to be sure that's going to actually happen.

    2. Re:Generic Fanboy Reaction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't care if Douglas Adams himself penned the screenplay Is that what we call a 'ghost writer'? I mean Douglas Adams 1952-2001is dead.

    3. Re:Generic Fanboy Reaction by Auckerman · · Score: 2, Informative

      Your joking aside, what's really interesting is the book wasn't first. Here's a nice timeline:

      March 78 BBC Radio Show
      Dec 78 Christmas special
      May 79 Stage play in london
      Oct 79 The book is published

      It goes on and on, with TV shows, more Radio shows, the classic text adverture game, up to Adams himself writing the draft screenplay a selling movie rights to Disney. It's been in his hands the whole time. A living breathing story, something that in this day and age of keeping perfect records (as we like to think) is getting more and more rare.

      I've got copies of two of the BBC radio shows, I've seen TV adaptations. I'm looking forward to the movie, I'm sure Adams will continue with his great tradition even after death.

      --

      Burn Hollywood Burn
    4. Re:Generic Fanboy Reaction by The+Good+Reverend · · Score: 1

      Exactly. I see the same kind of blathering by fanboys regarding Star Wars - they think their rose-tinted version of history is the only thing that matters, and anything outside their frame of reference must necessarly A) be bad and B) ruin their childhood memories.

      Adams was always involved and seems to love what he did. It worked out just fine so far.

    5. Re:Generic Fanboy Reaction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some movies take forever to get made, you know.

    6. Re:Generic Fanboy Reaction by pudge · · Score: 1

      This screenplay is based on Adams' own, from before he died (obviously). One of the new characters (played by John Malkovich), for example, is Adams' creation specifically for the movie version.

  75. Re:so far not good ... by JSkills · · Score: 1

    The heads were next to each other in the book. How they gonna go and mess with that?

  76. Arthur's alarm clock says "7:42" in the first shot by kriegsman · · Score: 1

    In the first shot, we see Arthur's alarm clock going off at "7:42". Clearly, someone is on the ball!

    Now we just have to hope the movie is actually good! (Or at least fun.)

    -Mark

  77. Re:so far not good ... by cetan · · Score: 1

    Seems to me that you lack a fair amount of information from both the books and DNA's notes from writing the script to make any of these judgements.

    Especially the Men in Black connection. This is spelled out very very clearly in "Salmon of Doubt."

    When you've educated yourself then return with a proper critique.

    --
    In Soviet Russia...michael would be rotting in Siberia!
  78. At least one reference to it in the trailer... by JLyle · · Score: 1
    Do they mention 42 in the movie?
    For the answer to your question, check out the time on Arthur's alarm clock at the very beginning of the trailer. (Although I'd expect that there's a more explicit references to it elsewhere in the movie.)
  79. Re:so far not good ... by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 1

    For as often as the second head came up (not very often), I can see why the producer would yank it. It really didn't add that much to the character.

    --
    "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
    --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
  80. Re:so far not good ... by bonch · · Score: 2, Informative

    I think Zaphod's second head is inside his nostril, or something like that.

    That was a silly web rumor that everyone decided to believe and spread around for no reason. Zaphod's second head simply hasn't been created in CG yet. Several interviews have come out in the past few months explaining all about this movie, but unfortunately, Slashdot seems to have rejected all those submissions!

  81. NO!!! by Landshark17 · · Score: 0

    Don't panic!!!!

    --
    This sig is false.
  82. Isn't it suppose to be funny? by sjonke · · Score: 1

    I could swear that I laughed a lot reading the books. Didn't I? In this trailer the only things that appear to be intended to be "funny" are people getting hit with things, falling down, etc. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

    --
    --- What?
    1. Re:Isn't it suppose to be funny? by crayz · · Score: 1

      A lot of the laughs in the books were from the bizarre dryly humorous writing style. I don't know how you can convert that to a movie, but it doesn't seem like they even tried

    2. Re:Isn't it suppose to be funny? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ever heard of Woody Allen?

    3. Re:Isn't it suppose to be funny? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, Woody Allen's dialog is funny, but it's really hard to put humorous descriptive text into a movie without using a long, complicated voice-over. Even Woody doesn't do it. If you read some of Woody's books and short stories that's apparent.
      The HHGTTG TV series tried, and used the long voice-over method. It got pretty dull listening to what was essentially a "book on tape" with graphics to keep your eyes occupied.

    4. Re:Isn't it suppose to be funny? by slim · · Score: 1

      When did you last see a trailer that truly reflected the nature of the film?

      I expect the jokes will rely on context, such that they can't make it intact into the short span of a trailer.

    5. Re:Isn't it suppose to be funny? by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      Pretty obviously, you just use a voice over and the TV series found the perfect way to do that by using the guide.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  83. Re:so far not good ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where the hell is Zaphod's second head????

    It hasn't been created in CG yet.

    Did they change Trillian's name to Trisha?

    No. Read the book again.

    Knee-jerk reactions suck...

  84. You insensitive clods! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    You can't show alien terrorists blowing up the United States in this post 9/11 world!

    Get some priorities!

  85. Amazon slashdotted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As soon as I finished watching it I sent the link to my girlfriend only to find it has been taken down :(

    1. Re:Amazon slashdotted by vert2712 · · Score: 1

      It's still up. Tell your girlfriend she needs Flash 7.0

    2. Re:Amazon slashdotted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It disappeared on my computer too. It's back now....who knows?

  86. Re:so far not good ... by StrangeInterlude · · Score: 1

    Remember also that the vast majority of DNA's humor isn't necessarily something that can be squeezed into a two-minute movie trailer. Practically all of the jokes require some sort of context to really pay off. Up until we see the actual full-length film, I'm content just to see what humor is conveyed by the production design (I like the visual pun of Ford's new sub-etha thumb device, and how the Vogons look pretty much like horrible space-monster middle-managers.) and the actors' delivery (Sam Rockwell=perfect). When the film arrives, I'm sure that we'll have plenty of the DNA-brand funny in the script.

    --
    -- StrangeInterlude
  87. Re:Date Movie? by sagekoala06 · · Score: 1

    my girlfriend really doesn't have a clue what hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is ... all she knows is that i am forcing her to go to some stupid space movie on april 29th.

  88. eMule link also by enosys · · Score: 1

    That server is fast, but in case it goes down here's an eMule link: ed2k://|file|Hitchhikersguide.mov|8144493|9DD64CA5 317607F0D2F5994D4D7AE39A|/

  89. first trailer by supersuckers · · Score: 2, Informative

    for those that haven't already seen it, the first trailer is here http://www.apple.com/trailers/touchstone/hitchhike rsguidetothegalaxy/

  90. Dreadful, absolutely dreadful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and me with a brain the size of a planet, I have to go and pay to see this thing? I guess I'll have to, right? Life, don't tell me about life.

  91. MOD PARENT DOWN: UNTRUTH by Scrameustache · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Adams himself wrote the screenplay. [..]
    Everything in the movie has Adams' sanction,


    NO HE DIDN'T! NO IT DOESN'T!

    Every fucking /. article about this movie has one of you out-of-the-loop guys repeating this and getting modded up.

    He wrote A screenplay, not this screenplay. He wrote what HE considered the final draft. And then, he died.
    He had been fighting the studio for years to have a screenplay that he liked, and he managed to finally write one that had compromises from both parties, then, he died. And THEN the studio had "changes" made. We can't know what those are, but wanna bet that their compromises suddenly went away?

    I'm so fucking tired of seeing your delusion about this being his words modded up. I used to reply with links to the statements of the parties invilved detailing the chronology of the rewrites, but my rebuttals went unnoticed and your wishfull thinking stays modded up. Shit!

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

    1. Re:MOD PARENT DOWN: UNTRUTH by Kainaw · · Score: 1

      There is room for confusion on this topic. There is one scene that is well known to cause a stir in the purist's camp. It is commonly called the "Malkovich scene". It is not in any of the books, radio scripts, BBC shows... But, it was written by Douglas Adams. It was not written by some Hollywood hack to add another star in the movie. So, it is possible for someone to read an article where a producer claims "how can they complain when Douglas wrote that himself" and then think that the producer is referring to the whole movie.

      --
      The previous comment is purposely vague and generalized, but all of the facts are completely true.
    2. Re:MOD PARENT DOWN: UNTRUTH by Moofie · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You are wound way too tight to enjoy this movie.

      Please, for all our sakes, indulge in your muscle relaxant of choice and chill the hell out.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    3. Re:MOD PARENT DOWN: UNTRUTH by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's BASED on Adam's final screeplay.

      Kind of like Oliver Stone movies are sometimes "based" on true stories?

      Going by that, we can expect that Marvin is now gay, Arther Dent is on a Jungian journey by way of LSD, and Zaphod killed Robert Kennedy.

    4. Re:MOD PARENT DOWN: UNTRUTH by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think it is time to get a life friend. You should be able to purchase one on fanboy.ebay.com

  92. Re:so far not good ... by JSkills · · Score: 1
    Just commenting on the TRAILER itself, not the DNA's notes from writing the script or anything else.

    I have read everything by Douglas Adams.

    Regardless, I don't need to do research to evaluate a movie trailer. The trailer itself seemed very much like other Hollywood produced space movies. That's all I was saying ...

  93. Slashdot effect! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Looks like Amazon really wasn't ready for primetime. They appear to have quietly taken the video down. So much for that.

  94. Re:so far not good ... by nine-times · · Score: 2, Informative

    Um, except that there's a moment in the trailer where something is going on with this neck. His head tilts back, and another face pops up from underneath. I suspect that's where his second head comes into play. If they just hadn't done the CGI yet, they wouldn't put shots of him in the trailer (besides, it'd be late in the game to not have any CGI shots of him completed).

  95. Looks sucktastic- by IWantMoreSpamPlease · · Score: 1

    I am a fan of the books, and the original low-budget British series. The British version worked in the same way the books did, cheeky, slightly "nod nod wink wink" and so on. The makers of the series were careful to follow not only the plot of the books, but the intent as well.

    This new version looks so, so, hollywood-ized (i.e. done for a quick cash-grab)

    Ford Prefect...black? I dun think so.

    --
    So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
    1. Re:Looks sucktastic- by ReadbackMonkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'll bite, where in the book does it say what colour Ford Prefect is?

    2. Re:Looks sucktastic- by Tehrasha · · Score: 1

      I believe it only refers to him having 'ginger hair'. "His hair was wiry and gingerish and brushed backwards from the temples."

    3. Re:Looks sucktastic- by chinard · · Score: 1

      You are correct, it never mentions ethnicity of Ford but it does say he's from the town of Guildford in Surrey.
      **news flash: not everybody in britain is white!
      (Actualy, the only thing DNA mentions as being white is the Heart of Gold)

      Now this to me implies that he's (pretending to be) originally from Guildford. If so, why the hell does he have an american accent?

      Anyways, after acutally seeing the trailer i can understand why he was cast.
      Not so much as a "token" but more as a likeable "MTV type" personality to offset the otherwise overwhelming geek-factor of this series.

    4. Re:Looks sucktastic- by BeProf · · Score: 1

      You know, at least when we had arguments like this back in the seminary, they were about slightly more important matters than the skin color of an alien from the vicinity of Betelgeuse.

      --
      You are attempting to read sigs. Cancel or Allow?
    5. Re:Looks sucktastic- by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      And secondly, what could it possibly matter?

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    6. Re:Looks sucktastic- by jdbo · · Score: 1

      And secondly, what could it possibly matter?

      Exactly; Scrameustache is (barely) technically correct in pointing out that casting a black actor is a change from the generally-accepted race of the character (most Brits are caucasians), but only insofar as the character has, prior to this movie, been acted by caucasians. Point to him.

      However, he gets a hundred points taken off for the charges of tokenism, which are downright foolish and insulting. Tokenism is a derogatory term referring to the practice of including a character for no particular reason beyond expanding racial/sexual/religious representation - in other words, the character is a "token" representative of a given group, but is otherwise unimportant to the actual story (and could therefore be easily discarded).

      From what I can see in the trailer, Zaphod's character has not been altered in any significant way beyond casting a traditionally white role with a black actor. Furthermore, Zaphod is a central character, second only to Arthur (while actually propelling the plot moreso than Mr. Dent). I see no evidence in the trailer, or any articles that I've read, which would indicate that Zaphod has been made any less significant in this adapation.

      And yes, the fact that Scram sees tokenism in this casting choice reflects poorly on his undertsanding of racial issues. While it doesn't necessarily make him a racist, it does indicate that he has completely missed the point as to why "tokenism" is a poor practice.

      And not that it matters, but my personal take on this casting is that Zaphod's "tendency to stand out slightly" (poorly paraphrased) in British culture would actually map well to the experience of a black person living in a primarily white culture such as the UK. Beyond that, it doesn't matter a whit - black people were common enough in the UK since long before the events of HHGTTG, and given that Zaphod's character lacks significant racially-specific characterization, I see no reason not to cast him as a black man. End of story.

    7. Re:Looks sucktastic- by Phroggy · · Score: 1

      Now this to me implies that he's (pretending to be) originally from Guildford. If so, why the hell does he have an american accent?

      Because he's not pretending very well. He also thought that the name "Ford Prefect" would be nicely inconspicuous, as you'll recall.

      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  96. 7:42!! by chinard · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I just noticed that the time arthur woke up was 7:42..

    Surprised it was an alarm clock and not his digital watch..

  97. great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    another great English comedy turned into American tripe

    1. Re:great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Coming Soon: Fawlty Towers starring Jim Carrey, with Paul Rodriguez as Manuel!

  98. Kill-O-Zap by zerocircle · · Score: 4, Funny
    When will you people give this damn thing a rest? It was a bad book and it will be a bad movie. I'm tired of hearing about it.

    I wonder how far down, theoretically, a post can be modded.

    1. Re:Kill-O-Zap by DonServo · · Score: 1

      -42?

    2. Re:Kill-O-Zap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      -42?

      Is that the question?

  99. I know, didn't they listen to the radio show?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    I can't believe they have Mos Def playing Ford Prefect either -- I mean, remember in the original radio show when they kept mentioning how Ford Prefect was white? It was like every other sentence.

    Ford Prefect, a true Ayran son...

    ...said Ford Prefect, who was as white as the driven snow.


    Oh, wait a minute -- they didn't mention Ford's race at all in the radio show. Hmm, seems like only a bigot would've assumed he was white.
    1. Re:I know, didn't they listen to the radio show?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hmm, seems like only a bigot would've assumed he was white.

      you're one of those racism screaming retards, aren't you? i suppose you think OJ didn't do it either.

  100. Re:so far not good ... by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

    Where the hell is Zaphod's second head????

    Adams could never get the studios to agree to have Zaphod with the two heads all the time, but since the second head is a vital part of the story, they...er... found some kind of lame-ass work around so that there's a part-time second head. AICN has a rumour that the second head is in his nostril... but for a sec there in the trailer it looks like he's doing a weird, action-figure-like head flip, like, maybe the second head is in his chest and he can flip to have one or the other on top of the shoulders... then again, he might just be downing a pan galactic gargle blaster, hard to tell, really.

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  101. Only in the rest of the world... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The US, for some stupid reason, decided to go month/day/year instead of the internationally used day/month/year. But, hey, what'd you expect?

    1. Re:Only in the rest of the world... by huge+colin · · Score: 0

      Yet another innocent Slashdot story hijacked by political comments. Take it elsewhere, please.

  102. Re:so far not good ... by djbckr · · Score: 1
    Can you imagine they make it into another Men In Black?

    If you listen to the music in the trailer, it's the same music used in Men In Black. That's the first thing I noticed.

  103. Re:Sheesh. Opening April 1.5st by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually, I think the world should declare an extra day every 4 years that is inbetween april 1st and april 2nd. We'll call..okay this is genious...april 1 and a half. Or April Fools-Leap. That way such difficult descions about when to release movies too earily or software that isn't quite ready, or when to not take out the trash, will be fully accounted for.

  104. reactionary: not exactly what you think it means by ediron2 · · Score: 1

    All the character names, 'mostly harmless', Sass, hoopy, frood, towels, an aching diode, 'is just this guy', whales and flowerpots 'oh, no... not again', ... if the only geek code you're able to pull out of H2G2 (itself, a geek code) is the number 42, you're not trying hard enough.

  105. Dammit cannot see it in Firefox by fleener · · Score: 1

    I blocked those stupid Amazon Flash movies with the Adblock extension long ago. Unblocking content is a damned annoying process. Well, here I go.

    1. Re:Dammit cannot see it in Firefox by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 1

      "I can't view the content I'm trying to steal, WAAAAaaa!!!"

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
    2. Re:Dammit cannot see it in Firefox by |/|/||| · · Score: 1
      OK, I'll bite. WTF are you talking about?

      --
      [javac] 100 errors
    3. Re:Dammit cannot see it in Firefox by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If i had to take a guess and play devil's advocate, it would be that a site provides both content and ads together. The ads would theoretically pay for the site and by extension its content. i suppose trying to ditch the ads that pay for the site and still accessing the content could be considered stealing. This is a grey area similar to the TiVo issue.

    4. Re:Dammit cannot see it in Firefox by fleener · · Score: 1

      Huh? Why would my wanting to view a video trailer on Amazon be considered stealing? STFU flamer.

    5. Re:Dammit cannot see it in Firefox by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 1

      Well, from your reaction I'm guessing you actually know what you are doing is wrong, and you don't like being called on it.

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
    6. Re:Dammit cannot see it in Firefox by fleener · · Score: 1

      Darn, you got me there. I wanted to view a publicly accessible trailer offered on the front page of Amazon.com. You got me. Guilty as charged. I'm a good corporate citizen. Begone troll.

    7. Re:Dammit cannot see it in Firefox by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 1

      well, I was trying to give you the benifit of the doubt, but perhaps you are just a fucking moron? You try to access a website through a means which bypasses the intended business model, then complain that you need to disable your method of stealing content in order to view that content.

      I guess I just have too much faith in humanity, thinking that no one could possibly be so completely stupid as to not see what I'm talking about. Whether or not you agree is a seperate issue, I understand that many people disagree, but could it really be that you didnt or dont know what I'm talking about? I really can't fathom such idiocy.

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
    8. Re:Dammit cannot see it in Firefox by fleener · · Score: 1
      I forgive you for your stupidity. Do you consider parental filtering software illegal too? Because the law does not.

      I filter three types of content:

      1) Ads and images inappropriate for my children to see. They only use the computer in my presence, but surfing even "safe" web sites is not a guarantee they won't be exposed to content I, as their parent, deem inappropriate. I will not hand my parental rights over to you just because you feel you can lord over the rest of us with your high and mighty ego.

      2) Deceptive advertising designed to look like Windows system prompts. While I have Firefox configured to not install software, my wife is still proficient at saving programs to her desktop and executing them when she is deceived.

      3) Flash and other intensive content such as the auto-loading Flash movies on Amazon's front page that slow down and usually crash my computer. To view the HHGTTG trailer I have to reboot and load Firefox and visit the Amazon page withing running any other programs, and then pray my computer doesn't lock up before the trailer is loaded.

      I'm sorry that you're such an arrogant prick that you feel you can dictate content and conduct for the rest of the world. You are one mean dumbfuck. Get a life. No really. Get a life.

    9. Re:Dammit cannot see it in Firefox by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 1

      who the fuck said illegal? God damn I guess you really are an idiot.

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
    10. Re:Dammit cannot see it in Firefox by fleener · · Score: 1

      Begone Troll!

    11. Re:Dammit cannot see it in Firefox by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 1

      "Anyone who thinks I'm a moron is a troll", good logic.

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
  106. Re:so far not good ... by Feanturi · · Score: 1

    I can relate, I tried watching the clip pretending I had no idea what the books were, as though I was going into it cold. The question that formed in my head was, "What the fuck kind of movie is this??" Trailers usually give one a better idea of what to expect, this was just... off somehow. I'll still be there in the theatre, I just hope I don't have to be explaining everything to the people I go with who may be confused.

    But Trillian's name IS Tricia, Tricia McMillan, she changed it to Trillian to 'space it up'.

  107. That's the TEASER TRAILER, not the MOVIE TRAILER. by Moryath · · Score: 1

    Compare what's on the Amazon site to what you linked to. Two entirely different trailers.

  108. What makes you think they won't? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    He's a hip-hop artist, not a rapper. There's a big difference. He makes his living talking intricately. I think he can handle a fucking English accent should the director demand it.

    He's not the same kind of "artist" you see on MTV with gold teeth and platinum chains and shit, you ignorant fucking dipshit.

    1. Re:What makes you think they won't? by nevermindtheend · · Score: 1

      What makes you think they won't?

      Ummm....I found the fact that he hasn't a British accent in the trailer to be a pretty good indication.

  109. His head is IN THE TRAILER by sterno · · Score: 4, Informative

    Go back and watch the trailer again. His second head appears briefly in like the last 10 seconds of the trailer, popping up from underneath his regular head.

    --
    This sig has been temporarily disconnected or is no longer in service
  110. well that looks good by RobotII · · Score: 0

    It looks excellent, and the choice for arthur dent is spot on.

    --
    http://www.robotii.co.uk/
  111. Re:so far not good ... by Feanturi · · Score: 1

    If the second head could be disguised as a covered bird cage sitting on his shoulder, then I would say yes, the heads were side by side.

  112. Ass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are an ass for naming yourself that and for writing that totally unfunny post. You are almost as funny as Adams, you poor sod.

  113. Theme Music by BBrown · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Is it just me or does the theme music sound very much like the music in Men in Black?

    Joby Talbot is clearly stealing from Danny Elfman.

    1. Re:Theme Music by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dammit, every time a new trailer comes out someone bitches about the music being 'stolen' from some other movie. IT'S NORMAL. Trailers virtually always have music licensed from other movies because the real score isn't done yet.

      This seriously needs to be put in some kind of Internet-uber faq, right under "Why does my Windows machine keep getting viruses?" and just above "Why can't the movie be exactly the same as the book?".

    2. Re:Theme Music by pclminion · · Score: 2, Informative
      This is extremely common. I remember the first time I noticed it, in a trailer for (I think) Pitch Black. They were using the music from Stargate.

      My brother is actually in the film scoring business, and this is the normal state of affairs. Once the real score is finished they'll start using it. The music hasn't been "stolen," but fairly licensed.

  114. Ford Prefect is a black American? by Nine+Tenths+of+The+W · · Score: 1

    How the fuck is he supposed to pretend to be from Guildford now?

    --
    Slashdot: News for Nerds, Stuff that matters only to them
    1. Re:Ford Prefect is a black American? by meheler · · Score: 1

      As we all know, no single black person lives in England. The great shepherd of the White Race would not allow such a happening in the True White People's Home Land. WHITE POWRE!!!!!!11

      Give me a break.

      If anything doesn't make sense, it's Zaphod's 2nd head.

    2. Re:Ford Prefect is a black American? by slim · · Score: 1

      (on Ford Prefect being a black American)

      As we all know, no single black person lives in England.

      Indeed, and futhermore there are no Americans in Guildford.

    3. Re:Ford Prefect is a black American? by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      Well, is isn't more amusing that an alien is using a US accent without realizing that people from Guildford don't talk like that? I mean this is a character that chose the name "Ford Prefect" because he thought it sounded nicely inconspicuous.

      Unless of course, you're stuck on the fact that he's black in which case I take pleasure in informing you that there are black people all over British Isles.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    4. Re:Ford Prefect is a black American? by Nine+Tenths+of+The+W · · Score: 1

      Well, is isn't more amusing that an alien is using a US accent without realizing that people from Guildford don't talk like that? I mean this is a character that chose the name "Ford Prefect" because he thought it sounded nicely inconspicuous.

      Good point, but then you miss out on the situation where Arthur Dent is willing to accept all of Ford Prefect's weirdness because he's from Guildford.

      --
      Slashdot: News for Nerds, Stuff that matters only to them
    5. Re:Ford Prefect is a black American? by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      Hmmm. Hadn't thought of that. Equally interesting is whether Adams was actually joking when he wrote that... I mean, have you ever been to Guildford? ;)

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    6. Re:Ford Prefect is a black American? by Nine+Tenths+of+The+W · · Score: 1

      I live there.

      --
      Slashdot: News for Nerds, Stuff that matters only to them
    7. Re:Ford Prefect is a black American? by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      *snort* :D

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  115. Dude by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't panic. It ain't worth a coronary.

  116. NOT ADAM'S SCREENPLAY! by Scrameustache · · Score: 4, Informative
    Everything in the movie has Adams' sanction

    For the zillionth time, no:
    10 September 2004 - Roger Birnbaum: Co-Chairman and CEO of Spyglass Films
    We worked with Douglas for a while in trying to get the script to a place where everyone was satisfied. I remember admiring Douglas' loyalty toward the fans and his total dedication to writing a movie that would live up to their expectations. It was tragic and heartbreaking when Douglas suddenly died. The movie came to an immediate standstill.

    It was well over a year after his passing that Douglas' widow, Jane Adams, encouraged us to move forward with the film as Douglas undoubtedly would have wanted. Karey Kirkpatrick, who had written the hugely successful "Chicken Run", was hired to complete the work Douglas had started on a film adaption of the book.

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  117. Exaggerated exasperation by McSpew · · Score: 5, Informative

    He wrote A screenplay, not this screenplay. He wrote what HE considered the final draft. And then, he died.

    You should read the rather funny self-interview conducted by the guy who wrote the final screenplay. It's apparent from that interview--without being explicitly stated--that Adams's final draft was never going to be filmed without further modification. That's just the way the movie business works. Even the "final" approved script gets changed during filming because of (A) inspiration of the director to expand a scene, add a new scene, etc., or (B) the discovery that a scene that reads brilliantly on the page just doesn't work when filmed.

    Douglas Adams wrote a lot of great stuff, but he couldn't figure out how to structure it to make it work as brilliantly in movie form as it had in book and radio play form. The eventual screenplay consisted largely of reorganizing Adams's own material into a shootable script. Where changes deviating from Adams's own writings had to be made, they deferred to his intentions as much as possible, by referring to his notes, unfinished musings, half-written scenes, etc.

    Is there some stuff in the script that wasn't written by Douglas Adams himself? Definitely. Did they likely cut out stuff Adams would have kept? Probably. Did they put back in stuff that Adams had cut? Definitely.

    Unfortunately, due to his untimely death, we'll never know what Douglas Adams himself would have thought of this movie. If you'd asked me five years ago if a movie of HHGG could ever be anything other than horrible, I'd have answered with an unequivocal NO. But Peter Jackson's version of The Lord of the Rings has made me change my mind. I think it can be good. Will it? I don't know, but I'll withhold my judgement until I actually see it.

    1. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by Weaselmancer · · Score: 1

      But Peter Jackson's version of The Lord of the Rings has made me change my mind. I think it can be good.

      This is going to get me modded +5, Comic Book Guy, but here goes anyways.

      Elves. At. Helms. Deep.

      --
      Weaselmancer
      rediculous.
    2. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      You should read the rather funny self-interview conducted by the guy who wrote the final screenplay.

      Sigh, what makes you think I didn't?

      Is there some stuff in the script that wasn't written by Douglas Adams himself? Definitely. Did they likely cut out stuff Adams would have kept? Probably. Did they put back in stuff that Adams had cut? Definitely.

      I am somewhat irked by the constant modding up to +5 of the highly inacurrate statement to which I replied which erroneously advances the notion that the script was written by Adams and that everything in the movie had his approval: It's a lie.

      You know it, I know it, I just wish the moderators knew it.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    3. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by Luigi30 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Uh... Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra?

      --
      503 Sig Unavailable

      The Signature could not be accessed. Please try again later or contact the administrator
    4. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That scene was awesome.

      What's that you say? It wasn't in the book?

      Oh. Then it sucked.

      No... Wait... Come to think of it, that was still a good scene. Based on this, I may have to revise my opinion that novelists are gods.

    5. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by Weaselmancer · · Score: 2, Funny

      Uh... Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra?

      No, but kudos for out-geeking me. ;^)

      --
      Weaselmancer
      rediculous.
    6. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by Weaselmancer · · Score: 0

      What's that you say? It wasn't in the book? Oh. Then it sucked

      Was the scene cool? Sure. Elves fighting = teh cool. You know what would have made it better? Dragons. Dragons are cool, right? Add some dragons. And some dwarves to fight the dragons. Maybe a balrog, too! Yeah! Now it's totally awesome!!

      And nevermind the fact that one of the themes Tolkien tried to express was that the end of the Third Age was the age of men, and not elves. They had their time in Middle Earth and were leaving. Let's ignore that and just call it Lord of the Rings: Extreme Edition. Yeah. That'll totally rule.

      Anyways, back on topic - I know that directors do occasionally have to make small changes so that a scene will "read" a little better. But bizarre changes that translate into "if I had wrote this I'd have done this instead of that" are not excusable. Write your own damn story if that's what you want to do, but don't attach the original author's name onto it - it's not their story you're telling.

      --
      Weaselmancer
      rediculous.
    7. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by biglig2 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The Director of the Incredibles was on the Radio last night and mentioned that the reason why animated films are often so good is because you can't muck about with the script after you've started because every frame is so expensive.

      --
      ~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
    8. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by KDan · · Score: 1

      I think the elve's at helm's deep are hardly the worst part... The gigantic bloated part given to Arwen at the expense of many other important bits of plot is really the most bothersome aspect. Curse Peter Jackson and his lack of balls.

      Daniel

      --
      Carpe Diem
    9. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by kryptkpr · · Score: 1

      Did you actually read what you were replying to? Lets combine your statements (italic), with a little formatting, and the text you quoted (bold):

      I am somewhat irked by the constant modding up to +5 of the highly inacurrate statement to which I replied which erroneously advances the notions:

      1) That the script was written by Adams : "Is there some stuff in the script that wasn't written by Douglas Adams himself? Definitely."

      2) and that everything in the movie had his approval: "Did they likely cut out stuff Adams would have kept? Probably. Did they put back in stuff that Adams had cut? Definitely."

      It's a lie.

      So will you stop freaking out already? The script was "descended" from one written by Adams.. and since he's dead, it's as good of one as we're going to get.

      --
      DJ kRYPT's Free MP3s!
    10. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      Did you actually read what you were replying to?

      Did YOU? I was originally replying to +5 comment stating Adams wrote it all and everything in it had been approved by him.

      So will you stop freaking out already?

      Will you people stop being stupid first, please?

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    11. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by Flounder · · Score: 1

      No Tom Bombadil either, and good riddance. Most boring part of the first book anyway.

      --

      No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. - Cmdr. Susan Ivanova

    12. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by martinX · · Score: 1

      I re-read the book when the movie came out and, yes, Bombadil bored me shitless.

      In fact, in many areas Tolkien just went on and on and on with no apparent sense of direction. He needed good editor.

      --
      When they came for the communists, I said "He's next door. Take him away. Goddam commies."
    13. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod parent down -1 flaimbate!!!!!!!!!

    14. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by atomic_toaster · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Even the "final" approved script gets changed during filming because of (A) inspiration of the director to expand a scene, add a new scene, etc., or (B) the discovery that a scene that reads brilliantly on the page just doesn't work when filmed.

      As someone who works in the film/television industry, I can tell you with 100% certainty that even if Adams wrote the final screenplay that was approved by all and sundry, and even if none of the above is true (which all of it is), there is no way that Adams' screenplay would have made it to the big screen totally unmodified. Actors mess up/change their lines on a daily basis. Scenes/lines get left on the cutting room floor because they just don't work well in the final cut, or because they don't fit in an AA (vs. R) rating, or because there was dirt in the lens that screwed up the shot and it's not worth stretching the budget to have it digitally cleaned up. Something unexpected happens, which influences the budget, which means that some of the effects that people consider so necessary these days cannot be paid for.

      For all of you purists out there, there is NO SUCH THING as a film going from script to screen without being changed somewhat. Even if the author of the original novel wrote the script, directed the film AND supervised every single frame of editing, life's little practicalities get in the way. I mean, look at Interview With The Vampire, where both the original novel and the screenplay were written by Anne Rice -- and still the movie was not entirely accurate to the book.

      I get really tired of people complaining that movies based on novels/comic books are not completely accurate to the original source. It's not like it is impossible to enjoy a movie for itself without comparing it to the book. It's as if the works of their favorite authors didn't go through upteen revisions to satisfy the author, the editor, and the publisher before the final product was delivered. The medium and the intended market do influence the story, that is true, but it is just as true for paper as it is for moving pictures. Compromises between budget, time, and accuracy have to be made when bringing something to the big screen. Yet I don't hear anyone complaining that the sales of their favorite book/comic book/whatever went through the roof once the movie came out, enabling the author to gain the popularity and the finances necessary to produce more work.

      Sorry for the rant, but I do have to work in this business, and hence every single complaint from the people I know (with the exception of the people I work with) about this kind of thing gets funneled my way. Kind of like how every teacher out there has got to be tired of hearing people complain about the education system, or people working in the government is tired of hearing people complain about beaurocratic red tape.

    15. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are a dipshit. The people that actually give as much of a fuck as you already know what you are saying. Those who don't are never going to care. So shut the fuck up.

    16. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by spoco2 · · Score: 1

      If I had mod points I would have just used them... well put. I was just reading some people's comments about LOTR just above here and stunned that people can't handle a film being different from the source material... can't they just sit back and be taken away by a movie? Do they think they could do better? (Actually, I'm sure they do think they can, but give them a week trying to do it in reality and they'd realise they had no chance).

      From just reading the screewriter's self interview I would imagine this is in good hands... hell, from watching the tinsy tiny trailer I think it looks like it's in good hands...

      I'm looking forward to it and will not be directly comparing it to the books, even if I have read them twice... (Doesn't mean I know every plot point, twist, character or things like that though)

    17. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I read that Toy Story 2's script had a major plot rewrite (the penguin kidnapping) sometime after it was well into production.

    18. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by MidnightBrewer · · Score: 1

      Actually, I'm currently working as a teacher, and we're the first to tell you the education system sucks.

      As for movies, I'm producing an independent film with two partners, one of whom is the script writer, and getting him to change one iota of his script has been teeth-grindingly painful. However, he writes a good story, and there's only been one obvious place that we absolutely had to change it.

      Whether or not a screenplay gets changed is largely dependent on the studio, the director, and the writer. It's not a given. Some of them pride themselves on how rigid and uncompromising they can be.

      --
      "Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day; set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life
    19. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by Atrax · · Score: 1

      Bombadil is the reason I didn't read the whole book until after the film came out.

      I eventually manged the feat by starting from after bombadil, and got through the entire book at last, after many years of trying and failing.

      Since then I've made it through that section but I concur. glad that section was cut from the movie.

      --
      Screw you all! I'm off to the pub
    20. Re:Exaggerated exasperation by obeythefist · · Score: 1

      Shaka, when the walls fell.

      --
      I am government man, come from the government. The government has sent me. -- G.I.R.
  118. Just be thankful... by Chicane-UK · · Score: 1

    That this wasn't left to George Lucas to create ;)

    --
    "Hey! Unless this is a nude love-in, get the hell off my property!!"
    1. Re:Just be thankful... by Landshark17 · · Score: 0

      That this wasn't left to George Lucas to create ;)

      I agree, because if Lucas did there'd be the original version, where the Vogons blast the Earth without provocation, and then another version in which Earth fires first, and the Vogons are just defending themselves:-)

      --
      This sig is false.
  119. I don't mind if they change it, I just mind... by sserendipity · · Score: 1

    that it's going to suck.

  120. Re:Bring a Towel, Theater employee may panic!! by 3dfxoldtimer · · Score: 1

    Um, I worked in a theater a decade ago and unless you've got a baby with you their going to wonder what the towel is for.
    With out getting into the grissly details, at the theater I worked for a patron liked Linda Hamilton (T2) a little more than is legal in public.

  121. They overdid the political-correctness. by UncleScrooge · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    THey messed up the cast for Ford. I refuse to go see this movie even though I loved the book.

    --
    Slashdot 1|0 Productivity
    1. Re:They overdid the political-correctness. by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 1

      oh yes, because the book specifically says he's a white human, not a black betlguisian

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
  122. Re:God damn people by Darthmalt · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hello and let me be the first to welcome you to Karma Hell. Please buckle your seatbelt and return your tray to the full and upright position as a new mod option -42 heretic (who is so unhip it's a wonder his bum doesn't fall off) is added especially for you.

  123. Ford's Thumb ring, Zaphod's hidden second head. by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

    when did Ford's thumb become a magic hitchhiking device?!?

    Someone down below posted a link to an illegal higher res of the same trailer, and on the bigger, less compressed (fuck you Amazon) trailer you can see that Ford is wearing some sort of thumb-ring device that is the source of the illumination which you refer to as magical in origin.

    Zaphod I think is gonna kill me.

    When I first saw pictures of Zaphod a couple weeks ago, I was exrtremely annoyed that he had just the one head and two arms. But in the afformentioned higher-res trailer, you can not only see the third arm that was hidden by his presidential robes, but it appears that his second head is under the primary head, and is shown to express a will of it's own and controlls the third arm to engage what I assume is the Infinate Improbability Drive.

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  124. OK, Cool, but by hey! · · Score: 1

    I'd pay cash money for a recording of the original BBC radio series, but it doesn't seem to be available anywhere.

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    1. Re:OK, Cool, but by Pop69 · · Score: 1

      http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&cate gory=29792&item=6946616956&rd=1

      First copy I came to on Ebay

    2. Re:OK, Cool, but by Fred_A · · Score: 1

      What do you mean, "not available" ? Did you even look for it ?
      http://www.bbcshop.com/invt/hitchph1&bklist=icat,3 ,,8

      --

      May contain traces of nut.
      Made from the freshest electrons.
    3. Re:OK, Cool, but by DLWormwood · · Score: 1
      What do you mean, "not available" ? Did you even look for it ?

      Sadly, it appears the Beeb doesn't ship across the pond. I'd like to get this, but I'm USian.

      --
      Those who complain about affect & effect on /. should be disemvoweled
    4. Re:OK, Cool, but by otis+wildflower · · Score: 1

      It's worth a trip to London.

      One of the many reasons I went on my first visit was to buy the CD series.

      Then I came home and icecasted it for a while ;)

    5. Re:OK, Cool, but by hey! · · Score: 1

      Yep, I had found the same BBC on-line shop. But as another poster pointed out, you can only get it if you are in the EU.

      I've actually tried searching on the ISBN numbers as well, but they are only available in the UK afaik.

      So, I think I've established that my Google-fu is about on par with yours. ;-)

      Actually, since I posted my original remarks, I've checked with Powells, always a good place to look, and they appear to sell it (though Chalmers). However my experience with ordering items like this thorugh on-line services has been mixed: the bad part is that they never arrive, the good part is you don't get billed.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    6. Re:OK, Cool, but by vistic · · Score: 1

      I think you can download it from iTunes actually.

    7. Re:OK, Cool, but by HaveNoMouth · · Score: 1
      I'd pay cash money for a recording of the original BBC radio series, but it doesn't seem to be available anywhere.

      Here you go.

      And yes, they do ship to the United States.

    8. Re:OK, Cool, but by Fred_A · · Score: 1
      Yep, I had found the same BBC on-line shop. But as another poster pointed out, you can only get it if you are in the EU.


      Well, it's not my fault thet you chose to live in the colonies... ;)

      However my experience with ordering items like this thorugh on-line services has been mixed: the bad part is that they never arrive, the good part is you don't get billed.


      Sounds like a fair deal to me :)

      Looks like you're stuck with eBay like someone suggested, or possibly searching on the evil P2P networks.

      Or you can wait till you come to Paris to visit us evil frenchies from the Old Europe, I'll get them for you and you can offer me a beer :)

      Well, good luck anyway :)
      --

      May contain traces of nut.
      Made from the freshest electrons.
  125. Excellent quality and speed from Apple by network23 · · Score: 1

    Apple has, as always, excellent quality hi-res trailers on their web site, all distributed by Akamai.

    I can't understand why you are punishing yourselves with low-res flash and wmv crap distributed by low-speed slashdotted servers?

    Apple Movie Trailers
    Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Trailer

    1. Re:Excellent quality and speed from Apple by grahamlee · · Score: 3, Funny

      An adroit suggestion with just two small flaws. Firstly, that's not the right trailer and secondly, that's not the right trailer. I realise that technically this is just one flaw but I thought it important enough to mention twice.

    2. Re:Excellent quality and speed from Apple by Xxanmorph · · Score: 1

      Go Red Dwarf quote! I love that show (and use that line myself).

    3. Re:Excellent quality and speed from Apple by Pseudonym · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hook, line, sinker and copy of Angling Times.

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
    4. Re:Excellent quality and speed from Apple by grahamlee · · Score: 1

      I feel I should remind you as a member of the Space Corps that in an emergency situation involving two or more officers of equal rank, seniority will be granted to whichever officer can program a vcr.

    5. Re:Excellent quality and speed from Apple by michaeldot · · Score: 1

      An adroit suggestion with just two small flaws. Firstly, that's not the right trailer and secondly, that's not the right trailer. I realise that technically this is just one flaw but I thought it important enough to mention twice.

      Adroit quote indeed!

      It seems it's possible to track the Red Dwarf DVD release schedule just by reading Slashdot posts.

    6. Re:Excellent quality and speed from Apple by grahamlee · · Score: 1

      Oh yes, I believe season six is due out [in the UK - I already own one-five] Real Soon Now^{TM}. That'll be the last one I buy though; between seasons seven and eight I only liked the Rimmer Experience episode.

  126. Difficult to make a satire of england translate to by sserendipity · · Score: 1


    the burger'n'fries set.

  127. Direct download. by Civil_Disobedient · · Score: 1

    I'd really, really appreciate someone else hosting this for me. Really. In fact, so much that I would happily sacrifice all karma deserved to me for getting around Amazon's bullshit just so that it stays up for long enough for everyone to get it.

    That said, here you go.

    My apologies for the crappy resolution, but the audio is perfect.

    1. Re:Direct download. by Civil_Disobedient · · Score: 1

      Looks like the leaked version is far better quality, so I'm taking this one down.

  128. Re:Do they mention 42 in the movie? YES by kazama · · Score: 1

    Forget the movie, every trailer so far has mentioned 42 in some way. In case you missed it, re-watch the teaser trailer and look at the cluster of stars in the upper left hand corner at the end.

  129. They're semi-cousins. by Farrside · · Score: 1

    It says so somewhere in at least one of the books.

    1. Re:They're semi-cousins. by DavidTC · · Score: 1

      I thought Ford was adopted into Zaphod's family after the great collapsing Hrung disaster.

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
  130. Wooo Coool by whitetiger0990 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I plan on watching it the day it comes out.... Maybe twice.

    Anyone else notice what time he woke up?
    7:42

    Or maybe 4/29/2005 but maybe that's just pushing it....

    --
    You have been warned.
  131. Re:so far not good ... by bonch · · Score: 1

    That just means they've chosen not to reveal his second head in the trailer.

    I worded slightly incorrectly. The "second head in his nostril" rumor was started when early previews distinctly showed a one-headed Zaphod when the CGI hadn't been finished yet. I'm sure they've got it done now, but I was talking about the origins of the nostril rumor.

    P.S. That may be the only time in my life I ever get to write "origins of the nostril rumor" in a valid context. Hooray for Slashdot.

  132. Teaser only by rjung2k · · Score: 1

    Apple only has the teaser up, not the (new) trailer. I wish Apple did have the new trailer up, since the Amazon Flash isn't working for me.

  133. Zaphod looks a lot like Richard Branson by yeddot · · Score: 5, Funny

    same beard, same color of hair....2 heads, 3 arms, yep!...the same

  134. Re:so far not good ... by IthnkImParanoid · · Score: 1

    Dude, you can SEE his second head in the trailer. It's below his first head.

    --
    It's nothing but crumpled porno and Ayn Rand.
  135. Trailer != respectful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the inofeensive terminology dejour is manufactured housing

    tornado humor ranks right up there with gay jokes and dead Chris Reeves walking zombie tentacle rapist expositions.

  136. Here's a MOV version... by antdude · · Score: 1

    I mentioned this on my Web site after midnight.

    I assume this leaked version (QT required) is similiar to Amazon's SWF copy (not loading the trailer for me).

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  137. Recent DVD HHGTTG reveals insights into DNA by Gondola · · Score: 4, Informative

    I recently purchased the DVD version of the BBC's television production of HHGTTG. I would say to anyone who loved the books and intends to see this new film, be prepared for changes. Adams liked to tweak things, and according to what I saw on the DVD, the books have been revised and changed over time as Adams fiddled with bits here and there to refine them.

    The background information about the making of the series, and about Douglas Adams is fascinating. It reveals some of Adams' manic-depressive personality. It talks about how Adams was not one to write a book and then want to translate that 100% to another format; he welcomed change and refinement with the TV series, and based on what I saw in the interviews, I think he enjoyed the opportunity to revise and rewrite HHGTTG yet again on the big screen.

    Adams' only problem, according to the interviews and behind the scenes information, was an awful writer's block at the start of any project. The infamous line about loving deadlines, especially the sound they make as they go whooshing by, was very true for Adams personally.

    Adams was a performer; he didn't really want to be a writer. He started out performing, acting, doing live comedy. At least with writing, his particular quirky sense of humor reached many thousands of people who revere him for what he accomplished, personal foibles aside.

    If you saw the BBC series, Adams was featured in two different spots. One, he was in a suit counting money while walking out of the bank. The other, he was throwing his money away and walking into the water naked.

    1. Re:Recent DVD HHGTTG reveals insights into DNA by Turn-X+Alphonse · · Score: 1

      Where did you get the DVDs? I'm looking for them and the radio dramas.

      --
      I like muppets.
    2. Re:Recent DVD HHGTTG reveals insights into DNA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You fungas! He is also at the end of the bar when ford tells arthur he's an alien.

    3. Re:Recent DVD HHGTTG reveals insights into DNA by Macgrrl · · Score: 1

      If in Australia, try any ABC shop or JB Hifi.

      If in the UK, it's bound to be available where any good BBC product is sold

      If from elsewhere, Amazon Uk or sendit.co.uk could be a good starting place.

      --
      Sara
      Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
    4. Re:Recent DVD HHGTTG reveals insights into DNA by Turn-X+Alphonse · · Score: 1

      Do you have MSN, AIM, ICQ or something? you seem to be connected to my network of friends and it makes little to no sense to me, but this is no place to discuss it.

      --
      I like muppets.
    5. Re:Recent DVD HHGTTG reveals insights into DNA by Macgrrl · · Score: 1

      I don't IM, so I'll try to explain it more clearly.

      The TV series was a BBC production - BBC stands for Britsh Broadcasting Corporation.

      Australia is a member of the British Commonwealth, and our public broadcaster (ABC) has strong ties with the UK public broadcaster (BBC)

      In Australia, the ABC have their own retail outlets which stock ABC and BBC productions. Other retail outlets, such as JB HiFI or Collins Booksellers also stock ABC/BBC productions. You can walk into one of these stores and buy the DVDs off the shelf.

      Not being a resident of the UK, I am unaware as to whether they have a similar setup for a BBC store, however the online retailer SendIt does sell BBC products. In fact I purchased my copy of the H2G2 DVDs through them when it was released. They ship overseas, so you could purchase it online through them from pretty much anywhere in the world.

      Does this explain it?

      --
      Sara
      Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
  138. The trailer raised my hopes by Scrameustache · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'll bite, where in the book does it say what colour Ford Prefect is?

    I have, for reasons I can't fanthom, misplaced that book (I have the other 4, where the helll id no1 go?), so I can't quote.

    But I seem to remember a mention of his skin turning black when he becomes a penguin while onboard the Heart Of Gold. Maybe it was a comment from Arthur in the TV show or the radio series...

    Anyway: Did he sound like an American rapper in the original radio show? No.
    What did he look like in the TV series? It's not as though there is no source material for his appearance that was created with the direct involvment of the author.

    Hey, maybe Mos Def is gonna do a kick-ass job. One thing is clear: Casting a black guy for that role is a deviation from the established appearance of the character. No matter how unable you are to recall a specific mention of skin tone in the book.

    P.S. I've been defending the choice of Michael Clark Duncan for King Pin in Daredevil on the basis that the definening visual characteristics for Kingpin are size and baldness. I can't think of one actor with a better morphology for that role than Duncan, therefore the change in skin colour is unimportant. But for Ford: It's not as though they're running out of gangly, wild eyed actors. Casting him is a CLEAR case of tokenism, make no mistake about it. When you release a movie in the states, you HAVE to have a black actor, otherwise, you're a racist! The irony of this escapes most people, but that is usually the case.

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

    1. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by SolFire · · Score: 1

      Acutally Mos Def is a very good actor and has been in a range of movies form Monsters Ball to The Italian Job to The Woodsman. Why can't his casting choice have been based on the fact that he is a good actor?

    2. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      Acutally Mos Def is a very good actor and has been in a range of movies form Monsters Ball to The Italian Job to The Woodsman. Why can't his casting choice have been based on the fact that he is a good actor?

      I'm glad that they picked a good actor to be the token black guy.

      I liked the actor playing Pete in the first seasons of Smallville. He was still the token black guy, and his role was mostly limited to being hit on the head and spending half the show unconcious. At least Mos (whom you tell me is a good actor, I aven't see anything he was in) has good a role to play with, he's not "superman's concussed pal" or anything. Good for him.
      I still think tokenism is racist and immature.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    3. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by el-spectre · · Score: 1

      So, since being qualified isn't enough... what exactly does a black actor have to do to NOT be the 'token' ?

      Sheesh... ya might reconsider what ya label racist there, pal.

      --
      "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
    4. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Council · · Score: 1

      DNA, discussing casting of the characters, said [paraphrased] "Arthur Dent should be British. All the other characters can be whatever, but Arthur should be British."

      --
      xkcd.com - a webcomic of mathematics, love, and language.
    5. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      DNA, discussing casting of the characters, said [paraphrased] "Arthur Dent should be British. All the other characters can be whatever, but Arthur should be British."

      It just irks me because I've had a very specific image of Ford in my head for years (from the TV show), and now he looks nothing like it.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    6. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by marksilverman · · Score: 1

      But I seem to remember a mention of his skin turning black when he becomes a penguin while onboard the Heart Of Gold

      forgive me for stating the obvious, but black people don't actually have black skin. They're brown. Penguins are literally black (and white) so it's perfectly consistent that his skin would change color. Not that it matters, of course, there will be lots of changes from the book (as everyone keeps pointing out).

      the definening visual characteristics for Kingpin are size and baldness

      Regarding Kingpin, I always thought they should have picked a fatter guy. Duncan is gigantic, but not so round. I always picture him the way he was drawn in the Miller/Mazzucchelli books. Also, he's a mafia boss. Mafias usually seem to be organized by race and/or ethniticity, so it seemed like an overtly political decision to make him black. But whatever, the movie sucked on it's own merits, despite the casting.

    7. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      But I seem to remember a mention of his skin turning black when he becomes a penguin while onboard the Heart Of Gold. Maybe it was a comment from Arthur in the TV show or the radio series...

      Here's a link to the first book in the HHGTTG. In the penguin scene, it does not say anything about Ford's colour or changing thereof.

      And frankly speaking, in a movies about aliens, reincarnation, SEPs and six impossible things to do before breakfast -- who the hell cares whether Ford is black or not.

      And while I haven't watched the TV series, I recall people saying that Ford was black in that as well. But hey, as far as I know in the Hitchhiker's Universe, things change so often that if you really want to whinge, you might as well whinge about the fact that Ford (and other characters) have kept their ethnicity. Damnit, we expect the story to be mangled and be kept inconsistent... :-)

    8. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      Regarding Kingpin, I always thought they should have picked a fatter guy. Duncan is gigantic, but not so round. I always picture him the way he was drawn in the Miller/Mazzucchelli books. Also, he's a mafia boss. Mafias usually seem to be organized by race and/or ethniticity, so it seemed like an overtly political decision to make him black.

      Well, he's not supposed to be fat, he's just HUGE. He's got something like 2% body fat. They actually had Duncan gain weight before the filming, I guess he wasn't willing to get THAT fat though.

      And as far as mafia, not exactly: He's a crime boss, but he's not Causa Nostra, he's a self-made thug who got to the top on his own, not through family connections.

      black people don't actually have black skin. They're brown.

      MOST are. I've met really black people, it's surprising.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    9. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh SHIT!

      Jesus wasn't white either!!!

    10. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Dephex+Twin · · Score: 1
      black people don't actually have black skin. They're brown.

      MOST are. I've met really black people, it's surprising.

      Are you just one of those people who refuses to ever concede *anything*? Unless you are trying to say that Mos Def is one of these black people who is "really black", then your point really doesn't apply at all, does it?
      --

      If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. -- Carl Sagan
    11. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Macgrrl · · Score: 1

      Anyway: Did he sound like an American rapper in the original radio show? No.

      No, but he did have very fast delivery of quite complex dialog. For that reason, a rapper could be a very good bit of casting.

      --
      Sara
      Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
    12. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by marksilverman · · Score: 1

      Just for reference, here's the original kingpin and here's the hollywood version. They look completely different to me (ignoring the change in race). He did a decent job (even though it's one of the worst movies ever), I just thought he didn't look right for the part.

      On a related note, I'd like to nominate Scrameustache for the most shrill and long-winded fanboy of the year award!

    13. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And ford in the TV show is exactly how I remember him from the Radio Series/Audio Series/Book.
      The description of Ford in the book matches pretty perfectly the look in the TV show.

      But what about Trillian?
      I was expecting a blonde.

      OTOH - the book looks a lot more appropriate than the book in the last series.

    14. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      Just for reference, here's the original kingpin and here's the hollywood version. They look completely different to me (ignoring the change in race).

      Since you're referencing, care to find a picture of an actor that looks more like it? An actor, not a wrassler (Big Show would be huge enough I suppose).

      On a related note, I'd like to nominate Scrameustache for the most shrill and long-winded fanboy of the year award!

      W00T!

      But since it's only febuary, I should expect fierce competition to come.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    15. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Scrameustache · · Score: 1
      Anyway: Did he sound like an American rapper in the original radio show? No.

      No, but he did have very fast delivery of quite complex dialog. For that reason, a rapper could be a very good bit of casting.

      I'm having a hard time accepting that you genuinly said that.

      That, after hearing the delivery of a non-rapper, you think that it would take a rapper to talk like that. 's making me brain hurt. Like, er, how do you think.. who... wha... owww... I need aspirin.
      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    16. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Macgrrl · · Score: 1

      Some rappers (and Scatmen for that matter) need to quickly enunciate quite difficult lyrics. As such they could be good at delivering machine gun dialog in a film.

      --
      Sara
      Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
    17. Re:The trailer raised my hopes by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      Some rappers (and Scatmen for that matter) need to quickly enunciate quite difficult lyrics. As such they could be good at delivering machine gun dialog in a film.

      Thank you for the explanation. As I have just stepped out of a time machine from 1981, I was not familiar with this "rap" to wich you reffered.

      I'm glad you understood that and did not get the impression that I was sarcastically mocking you for not realising that, obviously, the text had previously been spoken that way by a non-rapper. That would have been quite a misunderstanding.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

  139. Re:so far not good ... by bonch · · Score: 1

    Yes. As I said, the nostril rumor was wrong.

  140. 2 heads, one on top of the other by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

    Zaphod's second head simply hasn't been created in CG yet.

    Funny, I wonder what that thing coming out from under Zaphod's chin in the trailer is then... the with two eyes, a nose, a mouth, etc.

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

    1. Re:2 heads, one on top of the other by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe you should read the other posts in this thread first

    2. Re:2 heads, one on top of the other by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe you should go back into your troll hidey hole, bonch.

  141. Mirror and a much better quality trailer .. by sundru · · Score: 0
    1. Re:Mirror and a much better quality trailer .. by mh101 · · Score: 1

      Yes, but that's the old teaser, that's completely different from the trailer Amazon has.

      --
      Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
  142. Zeig Heil! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Zeig Heil, 'eh?

  143. Dirk Gently by CyberDruid · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I always thought that although HHGTTG was a damned good series of books, the two Dirk Gently books were slightly more intelligent and more fun for grown-ups.

    It seems to me that "Dirk Gently's holistic detective agency" and "The long dark tea time of the soul" would be more suitable for a movie. More dialogue, less need for a narrator, better developed characters. Not a MIB-type Hollywood action movie, but a nice film nonetheless.

    --

    Opinions stated are mine and do not reflect those of the Illuminati

    1. Re:Dirk Gently by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Once, I actually used his holistic method for finding somewhere (just follow someone, they must be going somewhere) and it actually worked as I just happened to see the mate I was meeting standing outside the Brixton Acadamy.

      after 3 hours of driving

    2. Re:Dirk Gently by Macgrrl · · Score: 1

      The descriptions of Dirk aren't particularly telegenic - Robbie Coltraine (Cracker) could possibly do it, but I'm not sure how far a movie would go in Hollywood where the lead character really has virtually no chance of being involved in a romantic entanglement.

      --
      Sara
      Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
    3. Re:Dirk Gently by mako1138 · · Score: 1

      I was thinking the same thing as I read the Dirk Gently books. They would make for some brilliantly offbeat film noir.

    4. Re:Dirk Gently by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It seems to me that "Dirk Gently's holistic detective agency" and "The long dark tea time of the soul" would be more suitable for a movie.

      Well, considering the first one was a mash of his Dr Who scripts, it could be considered as having been filmed...

  144. Link to avi. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative
  145. Re:HERE IS A MIRROR by garbletext · · Score: 1

    odd. doesn't seem like a mirror to me. check out some of these pictures there(NSFW!)

  146. I got karma to burn by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

    my parent post does not fit any description of a flamebait post, yet, it's "-1 flamebait".

    I think /. needs a written exam before giving away mod points, that way we could weed out those who are too ignorant or stupid to use them right.

    Here's a hint: Use of profanity does not automatically euqate an act of flamebaiting. It can be used as a genuine expression of frustration and exasperation.

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

    1. Re:I got karma to burn by steeviant · · Score: 1

      "Here's a hint: Use of profanity does not automatically euqate an act of flamebaiting. It can be used as a genuine expression of frustration and exasperation."

      No it fucking can't, you bullshitting bastard.

    2. Re:I got karma to burn by dcam · · Score: 1

      I think that people mod on spelling half the time. It might have been "lyong" that did it. By writing that, you demostrated that you were able to misspell, but chose not to. Hence you were modded down. I also saw properly capitalised sentences there too.

      --
      meh
  147. Doing things the hard way by Phreakiture · · Score: 1

    It works for other things, too, besides Sci-Fi. Green Day's recent video for Boulevard of Broken Dreams is a good example. Everything was done on 35mm film, and they used rear projection to set up a backdrop, treadmills to have the guys walking along, and props on casters being pulled across the stage by ropes. The end result is a very retro-looking bit of cinematography. Oh, and the scratches and cigarette burns on the film are also real.

    --
    www.wavefront-av.com
  148. True direct link by Mr_Perl · · Score: 3, Informative

    Here are two direct links,

    One to the HUGE trailer

    One to the SMALL trailer.

    Quicktime format. See the site for the in-between ones and read the source code on the pop-up.

    --

    My poetry site welcomes the unusual.
  149. Re:True direct link (correction) by Mr_Perl · · Score: 2, Informative

    Note that these are the older trailers, if you want the newest ones you gotta use the flash...

    --

    My poetry site welcomes the unusual.
  150. Mirrors by nfsilkey · · Score: 3, Interesting
    1. Re:Mirrors by kalidasa · · Score: 1

      At least the third one is just the teaser trailer. Don't bother.

    2. Re:Mirrors by kalidasa · · Score: 1

      Apologies, I posted this comment against the wrong posting. Please mark parent (kalidasa posting) down.

  151. This movie... by UlfGabe · · Score: 0, Troll

    Just from the preview I "think" (*wince*) its going to suck.

    listen to the words... and the tone of the announcer....

    not a good sign, they are sensationalizing it. Most people want to see this because they know the book, most people dont want to see this because it is a movie(im sure there are some, but that is few)...

    Also, mos def wasnt british sounding enough, I expect a british author to have very british sounding people in the movie. (esp. Arthur and Trillian)

    --
    Check journal for info on Anti-TextBook, an idea by me.
    1. Re:This movie... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just from this post, I think you suck. Who cares about the fucking accent? The guy is an alien. Your expectations, fortunately, do not dictate the appropriate course of action. Expectations ruin things more often than not.

    2. Re:This movie... by Verminator · · Score: 1
      The accent does matter, actually. Quite a lot.

      Ford's cover story was that he was an actor from Guilford. Folks from Guilford tend to have a British accent.

      Reading the portion of the book describing Ford tends to bring to mind a certain image, which is almost certainly not Mos Def.

      Read the books.

      --
      "The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates." - Tacitus
  152. I never could get the hang of Thursdays... by sconeu · · Score: 1

    This must be Thursday. On thursday we decide to go see MPAA fare.

    --
    General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
  153. Re:so far not good ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dunno. I haven't seen a single trailer in about 3 years that helped me figure out what a movie was about if I didn't already know.

  154. Re:God damn people by el-spectre · · Score: 1

    Q: When will you people give this damn thing a rest?
    A: 42

    No, that doesn't work either...

    --
    "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
  155. Name that tune... by pjcreath · · Score: 1
    The trailer does make it come across as very, MIBish.
    Right down to the music in the last 20 seconds of the trailer which are straight from the introductory credits of MIB.
    1. Re:Name that tune... by gmhowell · · Score: 1

      Which, in the off chance you haven't heard it a billion times before, is very common with trailers. Music at the point that the trailer is made is often not 100% finished. Also, finished music makes the trailer a little more appealing and gives the viewer some indication of what the new movie is like. So almost all trailers grab music from an older movie.

      Look at that 'Phantom Menace' movie trailer. It took music from some 25 year old space opera.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  156. Trailer: Been there, done that by dimplemonkey · · Score: 1

    Apple's Quicktime website had this trailer available months ago in better quality! http://www.apple.com/trailers/touchstone/hitchhike rsguidetothegalaxy/

    1. Re:Trailer: Been there, done that by gerardrj · · Score: 1

      Nope. Different clips. The Apple site has the "teaser", the Amazon site as a "trailer".

      --
      Article X: The powers not delegated... by the Constitution...are reserved...to the people
    2. Re:Trailer: Been there, done that by dimplemonkey · · Score: 1

      The trailer that I saw on Amazon was the same one I already saw on Apple's website. I will double check it again.

    3. Re:Trailer: Been there, done that by gerardrj · · Score: 1

      The one on Amazon has live-action clips from the movie, the one at Apple is just the animated "coming soon" clip.

      --
      Article X: The powers not delegated... by the Constitution...are reserved...to the people
  157. Oh. My. God. by otis+wildflower · · Score: 0, Troll

    This is going to be a catastrophe.

    The Vogons are all wrong, the ships are supposed to be uglier and yellower, the voice more menacingly metallic and vicious..

    In what way does the Heart of Gold resemble a sneaker?

    The Guide is wrong, too fragile..

    I have no problem with the casting, strangely, I can understand 'Phil' being a smarmy American, in fact IIRC in the original BBC TV series his accent was a mildly butchered American accent.

    This just looks terrible. And don't get me started on Marvin.

    They'll be first against the wall when the revolution comes.

  158. sorry bitches by Sebastopol · · Score: 1

    but i'm 35 and have been a fan since i first saw the series on PBS in the 80's, and I can't WAIT to see this. it looks great, and i'm excited to see a new interpretation. if you've got a problem with it, you need to either (a) grow up, or (b) take a frikken antidepressent or something.

    --
    https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested
  159. No by BayBlade · · Score: 1

    Zinda! His face black, his eyes red!

    --

    The key difference between a Programmer and a Senior Programmer is that one of them is Mexican.

  160. Re:Ah, I was expecting you, troll. by el-spectre · · Score: 1

    I suppose that astute assesment of my intelligence, based on 2 lines of text, says all that needs to be said about snap judgements.

    Ya know, it IS possible to converse on the internet without being a dick. It doesn't prove anything. You wouldn't talk that way to my face, so what's the point?

    --
    "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
  161. Re:Ah, I was expecting you, troll. by Scrameustache · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I suppose that astute assesment of my intelligence, based on 2 lines of text, says all that needs to be said about snap judgements.

    That they are sometimes amazingly accurate? Yep, it does say that.

    Ya know, it IS possible to converse on the internet without being a dick.

    It's too bad you never tried it.

    You wouldn't talk that way to my face

    You'd think so, wouldn't you?

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  162. Re:so far not good ... by nine-times · · Score: 2, Informative
    But just to clarify, they have revealed his second head in the trailer, but it's hidden most of the time. Therefore, the reason for the one-headed Zaphod was not that the CGI hadn't been finished yet, but because his second head is under his first head, and therefore hidden by his shirt.

    In this sense, when asked, "Where the hell is Zaphod's second head????", the answer, "I think Zaphod's second head is inside his nostril, or something like that," is true enough. His head isn't hidden in his nostril, but it's "something like that". In other words, yes, Zaphod has a second head, but no, it's not visible under most circumstances.

  163. Here I am...the brain the size of a planet by mcmonkey · · Score: 1
    I thought the whole "brain the size of a planet" thing was more like a metaphor for his immense intellect, not just a huge head...

    No. Marvin actually had a brain the size of a planet. He just didn't carry it all around in his head. How smart is that?

  164. just a thought by Fry-kun · · Score: 1

    The story, in fact, is NOT about Arthur Dent, but rather, about The Hitchhiker's Guide itself.

    just a thought.. :P

    --
    Did you know that "FTW" ("for the win") is a direct translation of "Sieg Heil"?
  165. Re:Ah, I was expecting you, troll. by el-spectre · · Score: 1

    I see we've degenerated into a pissing contest. Whatever. Insert the "arguing on the internet is like the special olympics" bit here.

    I'll respond to this though:

    You'd think so, wouldn't you?

    I have met a number of flameboys (from usenet and other environs) in person, and they almost always turn out to be insecure little people who are afraid to even look me in the eye. No, they never have the balls to talk that way to my face (it helps that I'm a big motherfucker). So, yeah... I'd think so.

    --
    "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
  166. Re:Hmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    can't wait. nothing in the world is perfect, and no movie dealing with this book could meet everyone's expectations

    What about Ford Perfect?

  167. Quicktime trailer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    see the quicktime trailer
    here

  168. Does Bush appear too in the movie? by tinkerton · · Score: 1

    You know . Like, show up.

    1. Re:Does Bush appear too in the movie? by Bertie · · Score: 1

      I'd imagine Trillian will be keeping the clothes on. Sorry, like...

    2. Re:Does Bush appear too in the movie? by tinkerton · · Score: 1

      That's very funny. Now how am I going to know whether anyone got the joke?

      Ah, nevermind. 42nd president. What a world. I'm off.

  169. Aw man! by tinkerton · · Score: 1

    get a liff :)

  170. My take on it... by biglig2 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ... is that, while it has probably been bastardized a bit, I am intending to go see it.

    This is praise indeed, because there are an enormous lot of films about that recycle stuff I am very fond of, and few of them have been able to persuade me that I should see them.

    Both versions of the Punisher fail to grasp the basic concept that Frank is a soldier. I expect this sort of sloppy behaviour in a Dolph movie, but John, what were you thinking?

    I went to see Ep I, and it is only watchable because there is 5 minutes in it where you see a Sith/Jedi who isn't old/disabled/old and disabled.

    Electra is clearly a steaming pile of crap.

    Constantine is apparently so bad that Neo's acting is one of it's few redeeming features (?!?!?)

    LoEG has had Tom Sayer forced up it's arse in order to make USAians go see it.

    FF doesn't do Ben with CGI.

    In the Avengers, in the scene introducing Steed, when the orignal theme played, all I could think of was how incredibly cool Patrick MacNee is. Luckily I was quicky distracted by how fucking ridiculous that bowler hat looked. Also: Uma, my dear, you are very very hot indeed, but nobody in the world is as hot as Diana Rigg was in the 60s. I mean, I must (reluctantly) admit that I think that Cher is not a bad singer, but when she did a Roy Orbison cover it was just embarassing. Know your limits!

    Thunderbirds did the ships OK, maybe I should watch it and put a bag over my head during the character bits.

    I am thankful that I have bought every Flaming Carrot comic I have ever seen, and so was absolved from having to see Mysterymen because I've already paid my dues to Bob Burden.

    The Magic Roundabout will be cited in my defence when I am charged with burning my local cinema down.

    I all of this, I can only give praise to one:

    Hellboy was quite good.

    --
    ~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
    1. Re:My take on it... by Agent_9191 · · Score: 1

      Just remember that Douglas Adams actually wrote the script for the movie and intended that it not be the same as the book, or the radio show, or the other reincarnations...

  171. What's with this flash crap? by Snaller · · Score: 1

    Flash is not a movie format - more likely the jerks are trying to hide format and source of the real trailer.

    --
    If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
    1. Re:What's with this flash crap? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hint 1: take a look at the file named AmazonPlayer.xml
      hint 2: flash streaming videos usually have extension .flv
      hint 3: flash uses rtmp on ports 1935, 443, and 80
      have phun :)

  172. Meta post by kreyg · · Score: 2, Insightful
    You know, it's rather astonishing how many whiny "purists" have been posting about "inconsistencies," even though most of them have mis-quoted or mis-remembered most of what they are complaining about. Even more ironic is that one of the hallmarks of the series is how inconsistent it is between different media, and there is no "one holy version."

    Really, I would have expected that Battlestar Galactica would have demonstrated that changing things can be good. On one hand, everyone seems jaded with the lack of originality in media, but on the other raise a fuss when someone tries something different.

    If it's even remotely good, enjoy it. If not, shrug, and life will go on.

    --
    sig fault
  173. Now, see people: by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

    No it fucking can't, you bullshitting bastard.

    THAT is flamebait.
    Notice the lack of any content aside from insults? The randomness of it all? Take notes now!

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

    1. Re:Now, see people: by steeviant · · Score: 1

      Pleasure to be of service :)

  174. Already out there by jmattzeller · · Score: 1

    Is it just me, or is this not the same trailer that has been on Quicktime's trailer site for damn near two months?

    1. Re:Already out there by mh101 · · Score: 1

      Unless there's another Quicktime trailer site I don't know about, Apple still has the old teaser with the Louis Armstrong (I think?) song playing in the background. This one is completely different.

      --
      Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
    2. Re:Already out there by jmattzeller · · Score: 1

      I foloowed the link to imdb, and it was the same trialer

    3. Re:Already out there by mh101 · · Score: 1

      Don't follow the imdb link... the Amazon.com link is where the trailer's at. Seems funny, them hosting a trailer... I guess they think it boost their sales or something.

      --
      Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
  175. Re:Ah, I was expecting you, troll. by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


    One thing is clear: Casting a black guy for that role is a deviation from the established appearance of the character. No matter how unable you are to recall a specific mention of skin tone in the book.

    Since you bring it up, can you find a specific mention of skin colour in the book? Leaving aside the issue of whether it affects the character in anyway whatsoever, if you can't show where Ford is said to be caucasian in the book then the "clear deviation" may not be clear to everyone - it could only be clear in your mind that Ford was white.

    As to the reference to Ford's skin turning black when he became a penguin??? Wtf? Penguins are black. Black people are just called black. In the same way that white people are actually more of a pink.

    I've always pictured Trillian as black. I'm not sure if it says that in the book anywhere or if it was just my imagination choosing, but I'm not complaining that they've cast a white girl. She'll be the same character.

    The sole issue with Ford Prefect is probably why he has an American accent when he claims to be from Guildford. However, this is the same character who named himself after a make of car because he thought it would be nicely inconspicuous! I kind of like the idea of him trying to pass himself off with that accent all those years without realizing.

    And finally - token black man? It's a main character, integral to the plot and for the most part a character that has more control / dominance in the storyline than Arthur Dent. Is it too much to believe that Mos Def got the part because he is good?
    Maybe you should be a little less patronizing to the other poster and realize that maybe he has a point.

    --

    Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  176. Re:Ah, I was expecting you, troll. by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


    You're some kind of fucker allright.

    Take a deep breath, Scrameustache. Re-read the thread of posts and try and view them as if they were someone else's. See the bit where you begin your post with "Ok, first off, my opinion of you: Unintelligent, unable to grasps concepts that differ from the standard labels." This is in response to a fairly mild question.

    See how you then rapidly progress to CAPITALS TO MAKE YOU POINT.

    See how you counter El-Spectre's attempts at argument with personal insults?

    I'm just mildly pointing out that from someone who know's neither of you, you're the one coming off worst here. Might want to tidy that up.

    I'm not a big motherfucker by the way. Maybe you could kick the crap out of me - would that make me wrong?

    --

    Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  177. Based on the Celebrated Novel by holy+zarquon's+singi · · Score: 1

    Shouldn't it say at the beginning of the trailer that it's "Based on the celebrated radio series, novel, LPs [now there's a blast from the past], TV series and towel"? My daughter (5) listenes to episodes from the radio series every night when she goes to bed. Boy is she going to be as stoked as me about seeing the movie!

    --
    "...we should just trust our president in every decision that he makes and we should just support that." B.Spears 2003
  178. Man, people are DENSE by Scrameustache · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Are you just one of those people who refuses to ever concede *anything*?

    No, you are, because FORD WASN'T BLACK BEFORE! Sheesh, stop trying to nitpick your way into justifying the absurb possibility that they had miscast him the first time around.

    He was a caucasian-looking alien from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Beetlegeuse, now he's a black/african-american/negroid/whateverthefuckyouw anttocallMosDef'srace-looking alien from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Beetlegeuse.

    You have people upset at this because it's an unnecessary change to a well known and visually documented story whom the producers of the big-screen adaptation refer to as being followed as closely as possible, you have others who don't like it because they don't like rappers, and others because they simply don't like black people.
    I point out the unnecessary change, I get fucktards and loosers calling "teh rac1st!1!!". Which is an easy troll, therefore to be expected.

    There are others somehow desperate to DEFEND the change by pretending that it isn't a change at all, which is dumb.

    You want to start on the penguin thing? Ok: Arthur faces Ford turning into a penguin, he mentions a colour change. Penguins are black and white, their ventral feathers being the white ones. Since he's facing Arthur, a colour change that would be most noticeable would be the sudden apparation of a snow-white patch, not the slight darkening of his skin. I get some delusional person going "but penguin black is blacker than human black", and frankly, that's wanker talk.

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

    1. Re:Man, people are DENSE by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      I get some delusional person going "but penguin black is blacker than human black", and frankly, that's wanker talk.

      I suppose that would be me in an earlier post would it? You're saying that penguins are the same colour as "black" skin and that caucasion skin is #FFFFF and it's delusional to think otherwise? You are funny. You've just come up with the most contorted argument I've seen in a long time.

      To summarise: you're saying that Ford is white because Adam's refers to his skin turning black when he becomes a penguin and that because he was facing Arthur at the time (is this definite - I want a quote from the book, btw) and that because penguins have a white breast, the lightening of this on brown skin would be more noticeable than the darkening to black????

      Even assuming that Adams took account of the law of averages in his mathematically accurate descriptions, penguins are white breasted but have a black head. So where was Arthur Dent looking at on Ford's body? For your argument to work, we must take it as gospel that Arthur was staring at Ford's bare chest.

      Silly, yes, but then it's your argument. ;)

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    2. Re:Man, people are DENSE by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      you're saying that Ford is white because

      look

      Arthur was staring at Ford's bare chest.

      As you can see from this anatomical illustration of a penguin, the white feathers go all the way up to the beak.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    3. Re:Man, people are DENSE by Dephex+Twin · · Score: 1
      Are you just one of those people who refuses to ever concede *anything*?

      No, you are, because FORD WASN'T BLACK BEFORE! Sheesh, stop trying to nitpick your way into justifying the absurb possibility that they had miscast him the first time around.
      ...
      *frothing at the mouth*
      etc. etc.
      *something about... "wanker talk"?*

      Okay, you are one of those people. Just making sure.
      --

      If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. -- Carl Sagan
    4. Re:Man, people are DENSE by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      Okay, you are one of those people. Just making sure.

      People who don't concede nonsense? sure.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    5. Re:Man, people are DENSE by Dephex+Twin · · Score: 1

      Hahaha! Wicked burn. But seriously, you already convinced me who you are with your last reponse. You don't need to keep this up just for my further entertainment.

      --

      If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. -- Carl Sagan
    6. Re:Man, people are DENSE by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      Hahaha! Wicked burn. But seriously, you already convinced me who you are with your last reponse. You don't need to keep this up just for my further entertainment.

      S'funny how you think I'm reading your replies for your entertainment. But, you like, know who I am! I'm all like, spooked now.

      Oh no! The guy who made a prejudiced decision about who I am didn't change it! Woe is me!

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    7. Re:Man, people are DENSE by Dephex+Twin · · Score: 1

      Ahahahaha! Stop, you're killing me!

      You win the Internets!

      --

      If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. -- Carl Sagan
    8. Re:Man, people are DENSE by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      You win the Internets!

      W00T!

      I'll hang 'em over my mantle.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    9. Re:Man, people are DENSE by Dephex+Twin · · Score: 1

      Finally, both of us are laughing. (Right?)

      --

      If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. -- Carl Sagan
  179. Metal Man by Taiq · · Score: 0

    While not at all relevant, I'm taking this opportunity to ask anyone if they've got a recording of Moore's EPs recorded as Marvin, "Metal Man" and "Marvin, I Love You".

    Does anyone have Moore's EPs recorded as Marvin, "Metal Man" and "Marvin, I Love You"?

    --
    I make mistakes. Don't we all?
  180. Re:Ah, I was expecting you, troll. by Scrameustache · · Score: 0, Troll

    Since you bring it up, can you find a specific mention of skin colour in the book?

    NO! I specifically mentioned I misplaced my copy of the book.

    if you can't show where Ford is said to be caucasian in the book then the "clear deviation" may not be clear to everyone - it could only be clear in your mind that Ford was white.


    TV SERIES!!!!!!!!! Jeez!
    First a radio show, then a book, then a TV show, then a videogame, then a movie. I don't NEED to find it "in the book", the book isn't holly, and you have the OBVIOUS source for the image we have of Ford.

    Black people are just called black. In the same way that white people are actually more of a pink.

    1-I have met black people, your sheltered and limited existance did not include such people? Your loss.

    2-I'm actually beige, right now, and plan on temporarily becomming a browner shade over summer.

    Is it too much to believe that Mos Def got the part because he is good?

    Do you believe the reason of the week for the invasion of Iraq too? Here's a clue: Oil money and a strategic military foothold. Those were the REAL reasons.

    Did you know that the slightly black character of Lando Calrissian was added specifically to quell the complaints of black activists who had lauched a boycott campaign of Star Wars because since the Galaxy Far Far away from A Long Time Ago didn't have a black guy innit, then it was racist?

    Do you seriously believe that there is no tokenism in hollywood? That the "token black guy" concept was invented by klansmen or something? Wake the fuck up! They do this on purpose.

    The sole issue with Ford Prefect is probably why he has an American accent

    The sole issue YOU have with it.
    I have a major case of cognitive dissonance when over a decade of familiarity with this character is confronted with an image and a sound that doesn't fit the bill. You might be in denial about what he was meant to look like, originally (and no, I don't mean "meant" as in "it's important and defining on the character", but "meant" as in "Adams in white, everyone around him was white, he wrote what he knew"). An alien that could reliably pretend to be from Gilford would look and sound like all the people he knew from Gilford. Sound like it too, since the Babel Fish would transmit the appropriate accent, and after 15 years he'd pick it up naturally anyway.

    I've always pictured Trillian as black. I'm not sure if it says that in the book anywhere or if it was just my imagination choosing, but I'm not complaining that they've cast a white girl. She'll be the same character.

    It doesn't. She's your typical blonde english girl.

    But, lemme guess, you're a black woman? That would explain 2 tyhings: Why you'd give such an atypical appearance to a british chick, and why you care so damn much about the possibility that Ford wasn't written with "caucasian" in mind.

    For the record: It annoys me because it's a change. Unimportant, but unnecessary, and in a movie where the producers are telling me it's as faithfull as they could make it (don't tell me they couldn't find a guy that looked as much like the old Ford as Arthur, Zaphod and Trillian do to their old selves, it's not THAT hard).
    And, like I mentioned above, the cognitive dissonance, which WILL get in the way of my enjoyment for at least several minutes before I get aquainted with the rest.

    But, as usual, there's no hope of mentioning race and keeping the conversation rational. SIgh.

    P.S. Since you're in a flaming the Scrameustache mood over his supposed racism, I'll give you fodder: I also had a huge problem with Tuvok: 28 years of greenish/yellowish VUlcans, all with the same kind of straight features, long faces. All of a sudden, there's a black guy playing a vulcan. WTF? Are black Vulcans banned from serving on the Federation councils or something? And why in

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  181. Ford should be played by Bill Bailey by JohnCC · · Score: 1

    1. Why is Zaphod played by Chad Kroeger?
    2. Why isn't Bill Bailey playing Ford? http://www.bill-bailey.co.uk/
    3. Who thinks dullard Martin Freeman is funny even in the slightest?
    4. Why isn't the guy playing Ford not twitchy and mad enough?
    5. Why has a comedy been turned into an action flick?

    42. Why wasnt the Beeb version good enough?
    I mean DNA's dead, why can't they just let the idea go, or do they have to strain every last dollar out the guy...

  182. Re:God damn people by calculadoru · · Score: 1

    Ah, I see, a contradiction freak. You may now bugger off in the general direction of the novelisation of Hitch, the latest Will Smith blockbuster, which is sure to tickle your fancy and make you a very happy man indeed.
    Never has the phrase sounded truer: nothing for YOU to see here, please move along.

    --
    The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it. -- G.B. Shaw
  183. Re:Ah, I was expecting you, troll. by el-spectre · · Score: 1

    Eh, I'm not coming off particularly well either... I'm old enough to know not to feed the trolls :)

    --
    "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
  184. Long stretches of boring Tolkien by McSpew · · Score: 1

    I re-read the book when the movie came out and, yes, Bombadil bored me shitless. In fact, in many areas Tolkien just went on and on and on with no apparent sense of direction. He needed good editor.

    I haven't read the LOTR trilogy in over 20 years (coming up on 25 years since I read it, at this point). One of the reasons I haven't been in a big hurry to re-read it is the memory of the horribly boring parts. Tom Bombadil's part just completely flummoxed me when I read FOTR, and the endless elven songs and poems that go on for pages and pages just bored the snot out of me. Even the descriptions of the physical locations could drag on for pages.

    I have the extended DVDs of all three movies, and I remember on one of the documentaries, they talked about moving Shelob's Lair from TTT to ROTK. They described how Tolkien pretty much abandoned Frodo and Sam for the first half of ROTK, and how that worked in the book, but you could never get away with that in a movie.

    Well, I'm here to say that it pissed me off when I read the books. I couldn't believe Tolkien was wasting so much time on other stuff when Frodo and Sam were SO CLOSE to Mount Doom. By the time I got to the end of ROTK, I was relieved to be done with the trilogy, not excited about the greatness of what I'd read. Tolkien definitely needed some editing, and that's what Peter Jackson & Co. did. I thought their results were terrific. Anybody who wants the unvarnished, original Tolkien can still go buy the books.

  185. he was white on tv by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > And while I haven't watched the TV series,
    > I recall people saying that Ford was black in
    > that as well.

    Those people don't seem to have seen it as well,
    because no, he definitely was not black.
    Even the most superficial googling reveals that.

    http://www.floor42.com/Gallery/HHG_TV_Series/

  186. Zaphod? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'd say we start listening to you an this matter
    when you've learned to distinguish Ford and Zaphod ;-)

    1. Re:Zaphod? by jdbo · · Score: 1

      Whoops! Ah well, my basic argument still stands (I just swapped their names in my mind).

  187. I'm starting to panic. by MouseR · · Score: 1

    This looks to be another I Robot-like fiasco where original story is blatantly disregarded for cinematographic eye candy.

    Help.

    (Long live the BBC teleseries.)

  188. Re:Ah, I was expecting you, troll. by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


    Wow! Where to start? Calm down! You care a lot that Ford should be caucasian. I don't. I think it's irrelevant.

    I do care about being able to put together a coherent argument grounded in fact though, so let me deal with a few of your points.

    First a radio show, then a book, then a TV show, then a videogame, then a movie. I don't NEED to find it "in the book", the book isn't holly, and you have the OBVIOUS source for the image we have of Ford.
    So you're saying because your first experience of HG2G is the TV series, in which Ford was played by a white actor, that it's a deviation for him to be played by a black one? So is the movie an adaptation from the TV series or from the book or from the Radio show. For most of us, we probably came across the book first, so we have no prior ideas other than those we brought to the story ourselves.

    1-I have met black people, your sheltered and limited existance did not include such people?
    I've dated people from both ethnic groups (and others) so I think that qualifies me. But what we are talking about is the actor Mos Def who is clearly NOT deep dark black, but a quite attractive brown, so the penguin argument remains stupid (not that it wouldn't anyway). But really I just wanted to clear away the aspertions on my social exposure. Who I am or where I live have nothing to do with the validity of my arguments one way or another. They stand on their own so please focus on them.

    An alien that could reliably pretend to be from Gilford would look and sound like all the people he knew from Gilford.

    Ford didn't convince people. They thought he was weird. This is a character who thought the name "Ford Prefect" was nicely inconspicuous. I like the idea of him obliviously using an american accent for years without realizing he was the only one. And if we're talking about race, well I'm pretty sure that there are black people from Guildford also, so pretty irrlevant one way or another.

    "Adams is white, everyone around him was white, he wrote what he knew"

    That's why he wrote about space ships and improbablility drives. There are plenty of black people in Britain and have been for a long time. I know - I live here. It's pretty insulting to the author to say that he had no exposure to different ethnic groups or that he couldn't imagine a character as anything other than white. From the fact that Ford is not given a colour in any of his work except the TV series where someone had to be cast in the part, I conclude that Adams probably didn't really give a shit. It isn't relevant to the character.

    [Trillian]'s your typical blonde english girl.

    This has nothing to do with Ford's colour, but the typical British girl can be blonde, brunette, white, indian / pakistani, black or chinese ethnic. We're a real melting pot over here. You have a limited view of the British people.

    But here is the crux of the matter, I think:
    For the record: It annoys me because it's a change. Unimportant, but unnecessary,

    Why when presented with a good actor who happens to be black should they say, "sorry, we want a white guy." You even say yourself that it's unimportant to the character, but you want them to pick a different actor because the previous actor to play the part was white. This is why people are getting pissed off with - because you want to discriminate against an actor to meet your shakily founded expectations and save you from "cognitive dissonance." That is racism.

    But, lemme guess, you're a black woman?

    My gender is irrelevant to anything I've said on this subject. Anyone can care about something that is wrong.
    At least you've given up on the "Ford wasn't black because penguins have white feathers at the front" argument. I'm tired and I'm going to bed now so I guess you can say what you like from here on. My advice to you when you see a black Ford Prefect, is deal with it.

    --

    Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  189. Oh no.. by spdt · · Score: 1
    From the bottom of the IMDb page:
    If you like this title, we also recommend...

    The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) (TV)
    I hope it isn't going to be that bad!
  190. I For One: by Upaut · · Score: 2, Funny

    Welcome our new hoopy frood overlords. (It had to be done, sorry)

    --
    3 degrees of separation from Vladimir Putin
  191. Am I the only one that thinks that... by Upaut · · Score: 1

    If this movie has been ruined beyond a shadow of a doubt (not saying that it has, just that the trailer hints towards that), and tries to trash my beloved books, radio, and t.v sieries, then this is proof once and for all in the non-existance of god. Hear me out:
    God:" I refuse to prove I exist, for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."
    Me: Ah, but you see, by ruining the 'Hitchhikers guide', beyond the tamperings of mere mortals should be able to achieve, you proved you do in fact exist. Therfore you do not. QED.
    God: "Oh no, I did no thing of that" and promptly vanishes in a poof of logic.

    --
    3 degrees of separation from Vladimir Putin
  192. Fit the Fourth. by jchap · · Score: 1


    "I seem to be having this tremendous difficulty with my lifestyle. As soon as I reach some kind of definite policy about what is my kind of radio show and my kind of book, and my kind of tv series, people start blowing up my kind of movie and throwing me out of their kind of movie theatres. It's so hard to build up anything coherent. Well, I'm sorry, all this must sound rather fatuous to you."

  193. Quick question: by sharkey · · Score: 1

    What is a Hrung, anyways?

    --

    --
    "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  194. Yep, I'm dumb: by toby · · Score: 1

    I watched the wrong one - I just followed the link and somehow saw the stupid old trailer again.

    Later, someone happened to link me to the Amazon trailer... and to my surprise it looks like a pretty fun film! I love Martin Freeman from The Office, he was my favourite character and is terrific to watch.

    --
    you had me at #!
  195. Mod me down, you know you want to by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

    You.
    Are.
    Unable.
    To understand.
    My point.

    Therefore: You are stupid (or a troll, which is the same). Because it's a simple point, and I've explained it repeatedly.
    I make the stupid call thusly: can't understand something simple after repeated explanation and multiple examples? Stupid.

    I'm not calling you names to piss you off, or to get you to respond, I'm explaining to you that you are apparently not very smart.

    Either prove to me that you aren't stupid, or live with your dumbness. I'm often surrounded by persons of lesser intellect, I'm used to it by now, but I can see how you would be in denial about it.

    You care a lot that Ford should be caucasian. I don't. I think it's irrelevant.

    Completely off.
    Your whole argument is based on erroneous foundations.

    And you obviously don't think it's irrelevant, you're here arguing, obviously giving a damn. I think, in fact, that you are racist, you are happy that he's black, and you are defensive because I have a very valid reason why he shouldn't be. That would make you a racist hypocrite instead of an idiot. Which would explain your demonstrated ability to type words. You could simply be a troll, your behaviour, with the insults and the repeated baiting, is certainly troll-like. Hard to tell if you're attacking me with unfounded claims of racism because you're a troll or because you're projecting.

    I don't care that he'd be caucasian. I care that he'd be like he has always been, which happens to be caucasian. There is a subtle difference. But, that seems to be some kind of abstract concept the likes of which escapes most mortals... or just a vocal minority of very dense people.

    Do you understand that part? Can you understand THAT part? That I don't care that Ford be white, I care that the casting director of the "faithfull" movie cast his actors according to the established look of said characters if they are going to claim faithfullness?

    Is this too complicated?

    Maybe some pseudocode:

    if (!theSame) {!faithfull;}

    which is different from what you "understood", which was "if (!white) {bad;}".

    So you're saying because your first experience of HG2G is the TV series, in which Ford was played by a white actor, that it's a deviation for him to be played by a black one?

    No.
    You're wrong a lot, especially when you go "you are saying that". For a brit, you sure have a hard time understanding the english language.

    I'm saying that it's FUCKING RETARDED (oh no! bad words and capitals, oh my) to pretend that he has never been described since I can show you pictures and an animated line drawing of him that comes from a production that directly involved the author while he was alive.

    You, and others, have a hardcore quasi-religious need to have the description in black and white (now, why didn't I just say "words"?), on paper. Well toots, the story is also in audio, and in audio-visual format. Accept it.

    I find it tremendously idiotic to selectively ignore the visual information available to you when discussing how the character look. Therefore, I pass the following judgement on people who act that way: They must be stupid to do something so stupid.

    I like the idea of him obliviously using an american accent for years without realizing he was the only one.

    You... do know he doesn't actually speak english, right? I mean... There was a passage in the books, something about fishes (they were yellow, BTW, you seem to care a lot about colours that are specifically mentioned in writing)...

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  196. Ford Prefect Isn't Black - An Explanation by wintermute1974 · · Score: 1
    Quoting from the book version of The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, here is a description of Ford Prefect:
    He was not conspicuously tall, his features were striking but not conspicuously handsome. His hair was wiry and gingerish and brushed backwards from the temples. His skin seemed to be pulled backwards from the nose. There was something very slightly odd about him, but it was difficult to say what it was. Perhaps it was that his eyes didn't blink often enough and when you talked to him for any length of time your eyes began involuntarily to water on his behalf. Perhaps it was that he smiled slightly too broadly and gave people the unnerving impression that he was about to go for their neck.
    When you read this description, you sense the frustration that people have when they meet Ford Prefect. He acts and looks just ever so slightly different from his fellow Britons.

    If he were black, it would have been mentioned right away. After all, being black would signal that his ancestors were not native Britons, which Ford was assumed to be.

    If Ford were meant to be black, I am sure Douglas Adams would have offered it as a possible reason of his strangeness, with another sentence tacked on to the end of the quote I've given above.

    Of course, there are more obvious reasons too. Don't black people have curly hair, not wiry? Don't black people usually have black hair, not ginger?

    Besides, reread the quote starting at "His skin seemed to be pulled backwards from the nose" with a black person in mind. Don't these sentences now sound racist, as if Douglas Adams was describing black physiology as something freakish?
    1. Re:Ford Prefect Isn't Black - An Explanation by Blurredplacebo · · Score: 1

      you sir are racist.

      as long as arthur and ford have chemistry on screen thats all that matters and from this trailer they do seem to be reduxing nicely.

    2. Re:Ford Prefect Isn't Black - An Explanation by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      I am sure Douglas Adams would have offered it as a possible reason of his strangeness,

      You think that being black is a reason to be strange? That is so fucked up it's bizarre.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  197. Re:Ah, I was expecting you, troll. by Scrameustache · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    Eh, I'm not coming off particularly well either... I'm old enough to know not to feed the trolls :)

    I like how you consistently pretend that you weren't the troll. Especially after:
    • calling me a dick
    • implying I'm mentally retarded
    • making an empty threat of real-world violence
    • and off course starting off by calling me racist.

    Unwavering denial and systematic attack of the the other side... you've been to the Karl Rove School Of Communication, haven't you?
    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  198. LEANR WHAT FLAMEBAIT MEANS by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

    Just because I was flamed doesn't mean I was baiting for it.

    From TFFAQ:
    Flamebait refers to comments whose sole purpose is to insult and enrage. If someone is not-so-subtly picking a fight (racial insults are a dead giveaway), it's Flamebait.

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  199. Towelie says... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Never forget to bring a towel!

  200. All Things Considered Equal, Ford is a White Man by wintermute1974 · · Score: 1
    I've dated people from both ethnic groups (and others) so I think that qualifies me.
    Well, you've just used an appeal to authority, which is one of the fallacies of logical reasoning.

    I could explain to you what that means, but forget it. Poor reasoners don't want help. So instead, I'm going to fight fire with fire, and make the same claim to ethnic knowledge you did, yet end up with the exact opposite conclusion. And I'm going to do it better than you too. Watch and learn:

    "Both ethnic groups" you say, parent poster? Well, I happen to live in the City of Toronto, home to eighty ethnic groups and speakers of a hundred different languages.

    This is a city where I hear Swahili on the subway, Mandarin and Cantonese on the radio, and Dutch at work. My Wal-Mart sells died beans, both in West Indies and East Indies styles. I happened to be the only person in my 400-unit apartment building to actually have been born in the city I live in. No wonder the United Nations has designated Toronto as the World's "most ethnically-diverse city" five times in a row.

    Now, even with my day-to-day exposure to a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural experience, my brain screamed but.. but.. Ford Prefect is white! when I saw the movie trailer.

    Face it. You can work, shop, play, and learn among people from all over the world and still believe that Ford Prefect is white.

    Bow to my superior argumentation skills, parent poster!
  201. Bible vs. Adams by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And why exactly do you put one work of fiction above the other?

  202. Jim Carrey as Basil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'd watch it!

    (Of course, wouldn't that make Jim Carrey the token loon?)

  203. slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick by Paleolithic · · Score: 1

    Will bars start serving a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster?

    My guess is yes, well, if the movie does well. I suspect it will do quite well.

  204. Re:Ah, I was expecting you, troll. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't worry 'bout it. Scrameustache has been pissing all over this story, and showing what an insecure, mal-adjusted and overly serious unsociable little loner he is.

    Okay, that was harsh. But he really is coming off like one of those bad geek stereotypes - you know, the ones that spend hours getting angry about the pronunciation of Klingon on Star Trek, and wearing costumes to movie premieres.

    My advice - let it go. People like that won't quit, and you're just wasting your time letting him bait you.

  205. Tim! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Arther is played by the (only) cool guy, Tim (aka Martin Freeman), in the series "The Office".

    Yeah! :D

  206. Zaphod's Other Head IS Shown [spoiler+image] by kiddailey · · Score: 1


    He does have a second head and it is clearly displayed in the trailer, albiet only in two instances and only for a split second each. I managed to grab a snapshot of the first time it is shown:

    http://homepage.mac.com/kiddailey/images/zaphods_o ther_head.jpg

    As you can see, the head is popping out from underneath his first one.

  207. Re:Ah, I was expecting you, troll. by patches · · Score: 1

    But, lemme guess, you're a black woman? That would explain 2 tyhings: Why you'd give such an atypical appearance to a british chick, and why you care so damn much about the possibility that Ford wasn't written with "caucasian" in mind.



    Well I have personally only met two females from England. One was my English teacher in college, who was a black woman. And the second was my friends girlfriend who was white. So aside from the British shown on TV, I could be left to assume a fifty-fifty shot that any average British female was black or white.

    --
    The worst part of being athiest.... You don't have anyone to talk to during orgasm!
  208. Pronuncimicationalism is important... by el-spectre · · Score: 1

    Oh, I dunno... I think DNA mispronounced a number of names (i.e. "Zay-fod" instead of "Zahfud") in his own book... but he was a brit and they speak american funny :)

    --
    "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
  209. Re:HHGTTG was NOT a book! by nagora · · Score: 1

    Interesting moderation: factual information is trolling now, is it?

    --
    "Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"
  210. Also on apple.com/trailers by pmhudepo · · Score: 1

    The trailer is also available on apple.com/trailers (bit late, I know)

  211. Re:Gifted by eseiat · · Score: 1
    Considering he has created three of the best hiphop albums of the last ten years I believe your theory of his musical prowess is a bit skewed. Also, it's spelt "aggrandizing" and your accusations truly reveal your white Eurocentric bias towards music and towards human beings.

    If he's any good, we'll notice. If he isn't, we'll notice.

    Apparently he is good, as was noticed by the fucking Emmy committee, who has a lot more credibility than your sorry ass will ever have. Take your troll somewhere else. I wasn't over-endulging his abilities at all, I was simply stating commonly known fact.

  212. Re:Ah, I was expecting you, troll. by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

    So aside from the British shown on TV, I could be left to assume a fifty-fifty shot that any average British female was black or white.

    Meh, "aside from british TV" seem to be some kind of dogma around here. Dunno why exactly... I must have missed the "ignore the BBC" memo.

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  213. Re:All Things Considered Equal, Ford is a White Ma by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


    Bow to my superior argumentation skills, parent poster!
    Read the post you're replying to, child poster. I mentioned that I'd dated other ethnic groups because I was asked if I'd ever met a black person.
    That particular line you quoted then goes on to say:
    But really I just wanted to clear away the aspertions on my social exposure. Who I am or where I live have nothing to do with the validity of my arguments one way or another. They stand on their own so please focus on them.

    And if you really want to discuss reasoned arguments, this would not have been an "Appeal to Authority" as I referred only to myself. It might have been an appeal to actual experience however.

    --

    Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  214. "The Incredibles" DID get changed by rjung2k · · Score: 1

    The Director of the Incredibles was on the Radio last night and mentioned that the reason why animated films are often so good is because you can't muck about with the script after you've started because every frame is so expensive.

    After rendering begins, yes -- but before the animators and the geeks hit the computers, The Incredibles went through a number of significant changes as well. Check out The Art of the Incredibles for some of these. Two examples:

    1. Bob and Lucious' late-night heroics was originally intended to be a night at a bar -- after Bob tore down an abandoned building for a workout.

    2. Syndrone was originally a minor second-rate villian killed after the first act.

    1. Re:"The Incredibles" DID get changed by biglig2 · · Score: 1

      Oh, sorry, I thought from what he said in the interview that he meant that the solid diamond backspace keys they use on their word processors meant they couldn't even do script revisions before the rendering statrts.

      Of course they revised and polished the script before rendering started, that's the entire point of my comment!

      In a CGI film there is a moment where you must finish the script, whereas in a "ordinary" film the temptation is to change the script during and even after principle photography and all the way into the editing room and even on the basis of the preview results.

      --
      ~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
  215. moderators are...not good by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

    That wasn't flamebait either.

    The parent of that post, however, was a troll.

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  216. After the cool down period by Scrameustache · · Score: 1
    Take a deep breath, Scrameustache.

    Well, it's the next day, I consider the breath taken.

    Re-read the thread of posts and try and view them as if they were someone else's. See the bit where you begin your post with "Ok, first off, my opinion of you: Unintelligent, unable to grasps concepts that differ from the standard labels." This is in response to a fairly mild question.

    Firstly: El-Spectre said "So, since being qualified isn't enough... what exactly does a black actor have to do to NOT be the 'token' ?"

    That question:
    1. Is based on the assumption that being a good actor makes it impossible to be used as a token of multiracial inclusion.
    2. Uses an erroneous interpretation of "token balck guy", applying it as a permanent judgement of the individual actor instead of as a temporary function he has been made to fulfill in a specific production.
    3. Asks for an action that the actor could do to change his "state" of token.

    And was followed with an accusation of racism. Them's fighting words, you know.

    Let's ask webster.com what they have to say on the subject of tokens:

    Main Entry: 1token

    Pronunciation: 'tO-k&n
    Function: noun
    Etymology: Middle English, from Old English tAcen, tAcn sign, token; akin to Old High German zeihhan sign, Greek deiknynai to show -- more at DICTION
    1 : an outward sign or expression
    2 a : SYMBOL, EMBLEM b : an instance of a linguistic expression
    3 : a distinguishing feature : CHARACTERISTIC
    4 a : SOUVENIR, KEEPSAKE b : a small part representing the whole : INDICATION c : something given or shown as a guarantee (as of authority, right, or identity)
    5 a : a piece resembling a coin issued as money by some person or body other than a de jure government b : a piece resembling a coin issued for use (as for fare on a bus) by a particular group on specified terms
    6 : a member of a group (as a minority) that is included within a larger group through tokenism; especially : a token employee

    And more specifically, of tokenism:

    Main Entry: tokenism

    Pronunciation: 'tO-k&-"ni-z&m
    Function: noun
    : the policy or practice of making only a symbolic effort (as to desegregate)

    The token black guy phenomenon is real. It is a practice common in Hollywood to include an underused character, usually dispatched as quickly as possible, of east-african ancestry. In this instance, instead of including a black character and killing him in the first reel, they simply cast a black guy in the role of a formely white main character. Saves the trouble of writing the token a few lines before killing him off, and it serves as a surprisingly effective act of subterfuge to disguise the tokenism.

    It is less... half-assed, but it's still a token black guy in the movie: It is the inclusion, for the sake of inclusion, of a black guy. He is not the most logical choice for that role because he does not look like the previous casting choice for the role, unlike all the other actors who do look like the previous actors in their roles looked.

    Now, what do I mean by this? You, and that asshole El-Spectre decided to be prejudiced and instead of attempting to understand my point, went the lazy way and interpreted this as hstility towards black people.

    You are mistaken.

    I had explained myself to what I considered a satisfactory level of clarity in the previous posts. Therefore, his brainless reaction to these posts, not to mention his hostile question based on a false premise, led me to an obvious conclusion: he ain't smart.

    I'll give you a chance, because you do not appear to be that dumb. I know I've said otherwise in the heated discussion, but I feel now that the lack of intelligence displayed in your posts was not due to a permanent lack of mental faculties on your part, but to an emotional response on the subject. You mig

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

    1. Re:After the cool down period by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      Okay - cooling off period here too. I think we're talking at slightly different cross-purposes. I DO understand your point, but I still disagree with it. I'm afraid that this is possible.

      I'll take you at your word that your objection is based solely on it being a change, rather than racism. My disagreement with your argument wasn't actually based on thinking that you're racist.

      However, I'll summarise why your argument comes across that way:
      Firstly you are objecting to a change. Previously you were basing the "Ford is white" belief on the books. The only solid base for Ford being white is the TV series. You could argue that the TV series is the basis for the movie, but many of us, more I should think, came to HG2G through the books hence it is not a change for us.

      I think the second objection, which is more subjective, is whether Ford's race is actually a change regardless of the TV series. Clearly the actors are different races, but equally they are different heights, different hairstyles, different clothes. I could make a good argument that Ford's choice of clothes is more significan, given that the TV version was pretty patchwork and the Mos incarnation is undeniably stylish. What does this conscious choice say about the character as opposed to the happenstance of race? The point therefore would be why is race the big change that causes you cognitive dissonance?

      The third objection is probably the most important however, and it is this. Mos Def seems talented, but your reasoning would be that he should have been turned down based not on merit, but on the expectations of some of the audience who think that Ford should be white. Ford's race, as you yourself said earlier is irrelevant to the character. So at what point does that expectation cross over into discrimination. For me, it has.

      Now, I expect we have very different beliefs and attitudes to life, but we seem to both recognize that rationalism is the only way to cut through subjective beliefs and attitudes and reach some kind of truth. So I'm glad we're able to resume rational argument on this. I suspect neither of us is actually an idiot.

      It's still not relevant, btw, but I'm not black (you guessed wrong ;).

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    2. Re:After the cool down period by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      Firstly you are objecting to a change. Previously you were basing the "Ford is white" belief on the books.

      I was not. Someone was saying "where in the books" and I hazarded a guess. There's, as I've said a million times by now, the TV series, and the radio series for auditory racial profiling... he sure didn't sound like an American east coast rapper! Your selective, arbitrary dismissal of all that is troubling.

      I could make a good argument that Ford's choice of clothes is more significan, given that the TV version was pretty patchwork and the Mos incarnation is undeniably stylish.

      You could make an argument, but it wouldn't be good: clothes change. Right now, I am not wearing what I'll be wearing later on today. There is no rason to expect him to be dressed the same way 25 years later as he was before, that is purely a question of fashion... it's more about the time at which he dressed than about who he is.

      I think the second objection, which is more subjective, is whether Ford's race is actually a change regardless of the TV series. [...] The only solid base for Ford being white is the TV series. You could argue that the TV series is the basis for the movie, but many of us, more I should think, came to HG2G through the books hence it is not a change for us. [...] The point therefore would be why is race the big change that causes you cognitive dissonance?

      First of all, even though you like the idea that he'll also sound different, the basis for HHGTTG is the radio show, and they are changing him there too.
      It's not important, it's a nitpick.
      But your obsession with the books is... [expletive deleted].

      Btw, personal anecdote: There was once a man, looking very much like Ford in hairstyle and dress (right down to the scarf), that came to me and asked me technical questions about the mechanics of hyperspace. He had never even heard of the HHGTTG...
      I have led an unusual life in many respects... this one was a highpoint of weirdness : )

      Changing Ford's look might diminish my enjoyment of that memory. That's the bit about cognitive dissonance wich you cannot fanthom as being anything different than a prejudice against black people at large. It's kind of sad, and very frustrating, that you can't even imagine someone not liking that casting choice for anything less than a hatred of an entire wing of humanity.

      It's still not relevant, btw, but I'm not black (you guessed wrong ;).

      Minor point, to me at least. I care more about what (some) people think than about what they look like (you should go to the archive and look up the talk about the EarthSea miniseries for more on this subject, the author was alive to tell her opinion of the casting choices... it's interresting, yet almost, but not quite, the exact opposite). I'm disapointed of guessing wrong, but more importantly: Mos Def, hot or not? You care SO much about it, there's got to be a reason... If not indentification, lust? Financial interest? Holy quest? Fanboyism?

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

  217. mnb Re:complete? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Since this was their target audience here, they went back in, re-edited it, filmed more scenes, and made a 3 hour movie. Kids still bitched, of course, but less so. But then since movies can't reasonably be more than three hours long the series is doomed to have movies that are less and less like the book. Especially with Azkaban, since that movie was also only 2.5 hours.


    They are going to start making 2 movies per book.
  218. Towel sighting! by threc · · Score: 1

    Since no one mentioned it, I'm glad to report that there was indeed towel footage!! Though I think one would be hard-pressed to say they were ready for anything at that particular moment.

    --
    What do you get when you cross a mountain-climber with a mosquito? Nothing! You can't cross a scaler with a vector.
  219. Direct link to QuickTime download by A+Drake+Man · · Score: 1
    This is the BIGGEST one weighing in at 51 megs. Enjoy all the frame by frame scanning goodness!

    http://bvim-qt.vitalstream.com/HitchhikersGuide/HG 2G_Trailer2_0197_3000.mov