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HHG2G Exec. Producer Robbie Stamp Answers
Philosophy?
by c0d3h4x0r
In my opinion, what made Douglas Adams' H2G2 books special was their combination of light-hearted wacky humor with a quite serious undercurrent of bitter socio-philosophical commentary. The movie trailers look as if they capture the light-hearted wacky humor, but my big concern is that the movie will fail to capture and blend in Adams' commentary on society. And as others have pointed out, with Disney involved somehow in the making or distribution of the movie, I doubt the suits would have let much bitter or deep underlying social commentary into the film. Do you think you actually correctly identified, related to, and captured in film format the social commentary aspect of Adams' writing? Adams had a George Carlin-esque approach that was key: he pointed out the asinine flaws in mainstream human thinking and behavior, which are things we all notice but few dare to explicitly point out or belittle. To lose that would be an artistic shame.
Robbie Stamp: Firstly I want to say thanks for the opportunity to answer these questions but also to apologise for taking so long to get to them. We have the World Wide Premiere tonight and its all been a little busy.
To the questions!
What a great question to answer first - I am doing a lot of interviews at the moment and nobody has asked me this one before. (Update - since beginning my draft reply to this question and doing 68 interviews in a single day, I was asked this by one or two journalists on Sunday.) I think that much of the social commentary is kept in the Guide entries. I think that Douglas had a fascination with and horror of bureaucracy which runs through much of his writing. His views on organised religion are well known and the development of the Humma Kuvala sub-plot (which Douglas initiated) into a full blown look at the religion, which is based on the belief that we have all been sneezed into existence by the Great Green Arklesiezure, is based on those views. In Slartibartfast's conversation with Arthur on the Planet Factory Floor, we have some of my favourite lines in the movie about human thinking and behaviour, especially the line about "paranoia."
Casting?
by jhines0042
Which character was the hardest to Cast?
RS: I think we probably spent longest over the voice of the Guide itself and in the end came back to somebody who was one of the people Douglas himself had wanted, namely Stephen Fry.
How did Martin Freeman become Arthur Dent?
by timothy
This is true: two years ago I was watching "The Office" at a co-worker's house (I'd never watched a whole episode before), and realized that Martin Freeman struck me -- out of the blue - as exactly the way I would have expected a real-life Arthur Dent to look, gesture and sound, right down to the mooning for Dawn, and the look of frustrated annoyance that he occasionally beams at (or rather just past) Gareth. At the time (having no head for celebrity news), I didn't realize he'd been cast already as Arthur, and figured some other, well-meaning but inferior actor had been cast in that role. "It's too bad that they're already shooting 'Hitchhikers,'" I said, "because that guy *is* Arthur! Anyone else will pale in comparison to the flesh-and-blood Arthur who is playing Tim in this bizarre English-type sit-com!"
My better-informed co-worker let me in on the good news, and my casting prowess was confirmed (to me, anyhow). However, I'm curious how he came to the attention of the film's makers -- or was it vice versa? Was it because of his role in The Office, or was it his idea, or what? Was he already an Adams fan, or was this just happenstance?
RS: The Office was such a big hit in the UK that you couldn't really have missed Martin Freeman as Tim. I know that he was one of Garth's earliest ideas for casting. When I saw his audition tape and saw him deliver the line "It must be Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays," I was sure we had found our Arthur - Garth and Nick of course knew that all along!
Why the decision to go with an almost totally American leading cast?
by Nothing Special
Other big book to movie adaptations (Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings) did outstanding with a fully British, and very mixed (respectively) cast. Was this by design to win over American audiences, or studio pressure, or just because they were the best auditioned actors these right roles? and also, were they the 1st choice for the roles. NOTE: I love Sam Rockwell, Mos Def and Zooey Deschanel, so these are not to be taken critically.
RS: I know that I have said this elsewhere but it's important, so it's worth repeating. Douglas himself is on record as saying that as far as he was concerned the only character who had to be British, indeed English, was Arthur Dent. As far as he was concerned everything else was up for grabs. Looking over his casting ideas over the very long period that the movie was in development he was always thinking of an American Zaphod and Ford and had a number of American actresses in mind for Trillian too. If this was OK by Douglas it was OK with us.
Working with Disney?
by LoadStar
It seemed that a lot of the reason that Hammer and Tongs was chosen to do this film was their unique style, and in a lot of ways, it works with Douglas Adams' creative vision. However, it's being distributed by Touchstone Pictures, a division of the Walt Disney Corporation, and the quirky nature of Hammer and Tongs doesn't seem like it'd mesh with the culture at Disney. Additionally, I'd imagine the "suits" would have a lot of problems with a faithful treatment of Adams' work. My question: how was the working relationship between the filmmakers and Disney (Touchstone)? Were there elements of the movie that were cut by Disney because they "just didn't get it," or were they pretty supportive of the decisions made by the filmmakers?
RS: I know that I would have been nervous about a big Studio ( though again remember that Douglas himself was always quite clear and determined about wanting a big Studio to make HHGG and it was he who signed the deal with Disney back in 1998). Once Disney and Spyglass had chosen Garth and Nick (who we found through Jay Roach via Spike Jonze) they were actually very consistent about allowing them to do what makes them different. The movie does not look like standard studio fare. At the outset, I was interested to see whether somehow the system would just gradually and almost reflexively squeeze the life out of N&G, thus negating the very creativity that the studio had embraced in the first place, but they didn't. I think that a lot of fans would be surprised to know just how much of a free hand we have been given in the making of this movie. I know how easy it is to see every decision to cut a scene as "studio" pressure but it was always much more to do with pacing and rhythm in the film itself.
Effect of the BBC television production?
by ninjagin
I was a big fan of the early '80s BBC TV show and enjoyed the characters in it. When I think of Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent, I think of those guys. As you were making the film, how much of an influence was the television production on the film, particularly with regard to the casting and portrayal of the characters but also with regard to production design?
RS: I think it would be honest to answer this question by saying "not very much." I think that the books and the radio series with their own "word pictures" were a much bigger influence. There are however some cameo appearances from one or two folks who featured in the TV series.
Marvin's appearance?
by Pengunea
What was the driving inspiration behind the look for the movie version of Marvin? Fans are all aware of the "brain the size of a planet" lament, but what's with that giant round head? A new play on words? For laffs? Because all the other MP3 players seem to be going with that look nowadays?
RS: Well the clue to this one is in your question - "brain the size of a planet", many of which are round and "giant round head!" We also quite liked that he was small enough to be looked down on by the other characters. The design of his eyes is taken straight from the book.
What held up the project for so long?
by joshdick
Douglas Adams has likened getting a movie made in Hollywood to "trying to grill a steak by having a succession of people coming into the room and breathing on it." Given the considerable success of his books and their large following, why wasn't a film adaptation released earlier? What hurdles had to be overcome?
RS: Ah! The big one. I'm going to give a very short answer to this - it was getting a script that worked as a movie that took the time.
Which changes were Adams' decisions?
by ygor
Consider: Every "incarnation" of tHHGttG has had variations such that no two are alike. Not including this one, Douglas Adams had a direct hand from start to finish of each version, so one cannot make remarks about accuracy or authenticity. While DNA started this one, he was taken from us before its completion. So, my question is: Which "divergences" in this version were done (under the guidance of) Douglas Adams and which (if any) were done by other folks after his passing. FWIW, I plan to ignore the critics and go see this film with a child-at-Christmas expectation. It should be great Eye Candy if nothing else.
RS: The script we shot was very much based on the last draft that Douglas wrote. I was also able to make available to Jay Roach and Karey Kirkpatrick many back story notes and ideas from Douglas' hard drive and Karey also had of course the book and the radio series to work with. All the substantive new ideas in the movie, Humma, the Point of View Gun and the "paddle slapping sequence" on Vogsphere are brand new Douglas ideas written especially for the movie by him. Karey came to be in awe of Douglas' genius and saw his role as primarily structural. Even the enhanced relationship between Arthur and Trillian (in which people seem to have detected the hand of the Studio) was something that Douglas was working on as well. As you yourself recognise in your question, Douglas was always up for reinventing HHGG in each of its different incarnations and he knew that working harder on some character development and some of the key relationships was an integral part of turning HHGG into a movie.
Choosing your sources?
by jd
There are many, many versions of "The Hitchiker's Guide" out there. There's the radio series, the books, the TV series, the computer game, the tea towel (!) and even a vinyl record version. In the end, how did you choose, from this range of sources, what sort of Hitch Hiker's Guide you actually wanted to make?
RS: The basis is very much the book but the towel has been a major influence as well.
Inspiration?
by Viking Coder
Peter Jackson reportedly said that he got the inspiration to work on Lord of the Rings when he finally realized that no one else was going to do it. What motivated you to get involved with Hitchhiker's? And secondly, what project would you love to see someone do?
RS: I wanted to stay with making the movie after Douglas died because I knew just how desperately Douglas wanted to see HHGG become a film. His family felt the same thing. I think we were all aware that in some ways the desire to see a film version of HHGG join the canon of works, over shadowed much of the latter part of Douglas' life. He was an enormously creative man ( there are dozens of brand new Douglas ideas for movies and TV especially, which are yet to see the light of day) but the film, always the film, seemed to prevent him from really getting stuck into them. I think that those closest to him, felt that if we could get the movie made, it would be a vindication of Douglas' belief in HHGG as a movie.
I'd like to see more Douglas ideas on screen!
BTW I once worked ( with the knowledge of the Tolkien Estate) on a fourteen part TV adaptation of Lord of the Rings, to be filmed in New Zealand with Tilda Swinton to play Galadriel! Then another version gained some momentum!
Who's the filn for?
by Tlosk
In making the film, was it ever a consideration to create a film that will appeal to people who have never read the books or heard the radio broadcasts? In making adaptations from literary works, especially ones with rich, stand alone universes, much time is spent on exposition of material that is well known to anyone who has read the works. While needed for people unfamiliar with the milieu, exposition rarely makes for riveting entertainment. But then again, so many people have read the books or heard the broadcasts, who actually makes the decision? Is it just left up to the screen adaptor?
RS: I know that Douglas wanted to reach out to new audiences with the movie ( we talked about it often) but we all felt that the best way of doing this was to be as true to the essence of the material as we could and hope that that would attract those new fans. The early signs are that people who don't know the material are loving the movie. I think that the problem of exposition would have been there whether you were making a movie solely for the existing fans or trying to reach out to new fans.
The decision was made initially by Douglas really as he had already cut down on the exposition hugely in his last script.
Rebutting the critics?
by pgpckt
Could you please respond to the review located here, in particular rebutting the parts that suggest the movie is poor in quality, is a travesty, or is otherwise unworthy of the name HHGTTG?
RS: Aha! I did a web chat recently and was asked this question and said that I was genuinely sad that Mike felt the way he did about the movie and I still feel that way. I am sure that he would much rather have written a positive review having loved the movie, but he clearly hasn't and he clearly didn't!
I am not going to rebut specific points ( to be honest I could not face reading the whole multi thousand word critique and the list of what we have left out) but did read the synopsis and that was pretty strong meat. If Mike's had been representative of all the fans I know who have seen the movie then I would be a very worried man. Indeed I would be looking for a hideaway somewhere very remote without any internet access for a few years. But thankfully of people who have actually seen the film, whose opinions I really respect, Mike has so far been a lone voice. Those closest to Douglas, his family, Ed Victor his long time friend and literary agent, many of his former colleagues, the actor who played the original Marvin, to name but a few, all loved the movie.
Many of those who have weighed in online in support of Mike, cannot have seen the movie. I see three kinds of responses to Mike:
- Aaargh, confirms my worst fears, I am really nervous now
- I am quite capable of making up my own mind thank you
- a) I know Mike and don't always agree with him. b) I don't know this man but I don't think I agree with him!
My guess is that most fans will want to make up their own minds.
Director's Cut?
by njfuzzy
I am curious whether there is a plan for an extended or "director's cut" of this movie. We have heard a lot about scenes being in and out of various cuts, suggesting that many of the things long-time fans will miss in this movie may have been filmed. So, my joint questions: Are there plans in place to have an extended cut? and Are there any particular scenes that come to mind that you believe should be added back in?
RS: I think on this one you should look out for the DVD but behind your question may lie an assumption that I would like to take a look at. Garth is very happy with his final cut. He has not been forced by anybody to make cuts that he didn't want to make. There are some Guide Entries we created which didn't make the final cut and those will appear on the DVD ( along with some "fake" deleted scenes we shot specially for the DVD). Every time we shortened an entry it was to do with rhythm and pacing in that section of the movie, not with interference from "suits". There is maybe one line in there that I would love to see back but I'm not going to say which one, but I'm talking a line or two here, not whole scenes!
Follow-ups on the way?
by Turn-X Alphonse
Will the full trilogy (5 books) be made or is it being played by ear to see how the first goes?
RS: Let's see how much people enjoy this first one, but it's a big Galaxy out there....
"Don't Panic?"
by provolt
While making the movie, did you ever start to panic and then see copy of the guide and realize, "Oh yeah, DON'T PANIC"?
RS: We all had that motto engraved on our hearts!
Clearly a SEP field in place here.
Seriously, some good answers there, but I still reserve judgement for the screening!
I like to place meaningful quotes in my sig, so people will know that I know what meaningful quotes are.
Well, obviously the only reason he answered so many questions was that the editors originally sent him 42 to answer..
I've just started reading the first novel, and I'm looking forward to the movie(high hopes).
I'm still waiting for scientist to explain the thought process of a potted plant...
My sig can beat up your sig.
I thought the whole thing pretty well skirted what's on many minds. In a he's-answering-our-questions-let's-not-offend-him sort of way.
I didn't see any explanation for the two heads, either and would have liked to see the rationale. The idea, as I understand it rather grosses me out and I always thought of Z as a pretty funny character, not gross. Nothing says funny like having two heads up on your shoulders, getting knocked together.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
I just started reading the second book and it begins with a space attack that LOOKS like it is in the movie. I wonder if it overlaps a little bit and sets up a sequel. I can't wait to see this one. I hope it scores big.
This and Serenity are my two most anticipated movies this year.
...All I can say is that my life is pretty strange...
RS: Well the clue to this one is in your question - "brain the size of a planet", many of which are round and "giant round head!"
I think marvin was talking about relative processing power, not lamenting having a big head. This movie has definately been dumbed down from the book tremendously. Worse is that this guy is on board, if not downright stupid himself.
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
-- Pablo Picasso
Pour this man a stiff, foul-smelling drink -- anything to dampen that sharp, pointed enthusiasm that keeps popping up. This degree of perkiness simply must be hazardous to the health.
perhaps we need a big, round word for it. Like... oh... I dunno... ground?
500GB of disk, 5TB of transfer, $5.95/mo
with a question. And this isn't the first time a Slashdot editor takes advantage of their position in interviews.
I guess the first people to post get modded down no matter what they say.
I like to place meaningful quotes in my sig, so people will know that I know what meaningful quotes are.
I sincerely hope the movie is not as vacuous as these interview responses. Or as cavalier with punctuation! To tell you when something is funny!
I think Rickman's voice will help a lot, but Marvin looks rather cute, as in marketable, as in toy sales. Maybe the head is where the batteries are actually kept or heatsinks (maybe he's overclocked?)
When I met Douglas, years ago, I asked who was the inspiration for Ford (I was convinced it was Eric Idle) and Douglas said the character was actually inspired by a college roommate.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
It looks like the filmmakers were as faithful to the book (or the ideas in the book) as possible. It genuinely seems that they tried their best. I would love to see a magical new classic come out of this, although I am not really sure of how well this will do. I personally don't know ANYTHING about this series, but will still see the movie in the theatre.
Here's my wishes of good luck to everyone that was involved and that your hard work shows up on screen. I'd like nothing more than more original work to be succesful in the film industry.
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
I demand that the question of why Zaphod's head is in his chest be answered!
what was the question?
At least he didn't cop out of answering any of the questions by just passing it off with a "42".
as a complete treatise on Absurdism, which I've not seen mentioned very often. Most people consider it to be a pleasant book, a light read, something funny to have to pass the time, but to me it's more like a book of lessons on reality. I personally think it affected me as much as the Tao Te Ching.
It's got a lot of philosophy woven in, no doubt, but has anyone ever seen/read about some more serious interpretations of the text?
Clearly a SEP field in place here.
The way things are warming up for this movie, it could run for 100 years on a solar panel locked in a filing cabinet in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying, "beware the leopard"
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Isn't it H2G2?
Timothy, the Slashdot author mysteriously had his own question posed to the interviewee..
To those of you who are talking about the movie being dumbed down: get a clue.
The movie must be dumbed down so that the majority of the populace will pay to see it. I think that even DA would agree that the dumbing down of HGTG for a movie is a colossal joke on the audience and is laughing somewhere is the great beyond today.
You can't make a satire on the world like HGTG and expect the world to understand. The books are for those of us who do understand.
I, for one, will go to the movie and laugh at the audience more than the film. My own private movie.
My $0.02 will always be worth more than your â0.02, so
Marvin is cute and depressed. Depressed about being cute... because he was thought up by a markedroid. That's pretty f'n hilarious to me :)
Pretty sad too :/ I gotta feel sorry for the little guy.
I wonder if it will be friends with me?
I'd be a little wary of this guy's answers. Everything that sounds like a bad idea in the conversion to the movie, he insists that Adams himself was workng on. This bascially alleviates and nullifies any possible criticism.
more than the usual number of questions
So...42 perhaps?
1. post interview with director of HHGG.
42. how many roads must a man walk down.
3. profit!!
ed
The scriptwriter interviewed himself (on the official site, I believe) and covered this detail if I recall correctly.
If my memory isn't completely gone*, the basic idea here was that a lot of the jokes on the radio and in the book were not meant to be seen. In other words, as soon as they put another head on Zaphod's shoulders, it just didn't look right, and couldn't be made to look right, and not bad in that campy-funny kind of way but just plain old-fashioned bad.
And if you think about it, "Love the third arm" is a joke that's a lot funnier when you hear it over the radio and have to try to imagine it in your head than it is if you actually see it on screen: "Why does that asshole have a plastic thing sticking out of his chest?" If you actually see it explicitly, it's just stupid. You might get a joke out of it if it's hidden (a la the "head inside a birdcage" thing) but apparently even that looked lame.
Maybe if a master were doing their makeup effects, they could get it right, and maybe not.
And apparently these things were all somewhat covered by Adams in his notes, although Adams appears to have second-guessed everything, so who knows if that means anything.
*a dubious assertion at best
This was a preview screening in London, with a Q&A session afterwards with Garth and Nick. I'm a long term fan of H2G2, having been brought up on the radio series by my parents and reading the books many times over. I think Douglas was an incredible author and I love all his books. I am not some sort of rabid fanboy, however. If I was this into LOTR, I would have gone into those movies with an open mind and enjoyed them for the fantastic things they were - inconsistencies be damned.
Here's what I though of the Hitchhiker's movie.
Casting:
Martin Freeman is absolutely perfect as Arthur. Yes, he plays it exactly the same way he plays Tim, but Tim is just like Arthur anyway, so it's all good. Mos Def makes a good Ford, just the right mix of deadpan, blasé and hoopiness. Stephen Fry and Alan Rickman are spot on as the voices of the Guide and Marvin. Bill Nighy is very good as Slartibardfast - he has the nervous pride and confusion down just right. However, Sam Rockwell just overdoes Zaphod. I always pictured Zaphod as a rather louche, laid-back who-gives-a-shit yeah-whynot kinda guy, but in the movie, he's some sort of coked-up rock idol, with no subtlety or connection with the other characters. Zooey Deschanel is just a bit of a blank as Trillian. I know the character didn't really have much depth in the first place, but I just didn't connect here. She shouldn't get it on with Arthur either, the whole point is that he never does...
FX:
All good. Obviously lots of money spent in the right places, with some great designs and original effects. Loved the Earth destruction sequence and every time the improbability drive was used, I laughed out loud. The Vogons are fantastic. Really good puppets and great design. Their bureaucratic nature shines (or is that dulls?) through perfectly.
That gets the classifiable stuff out of the way, now how was the actual movie as a whole? In one word: confused. Now, I know that an off-the-wall, episodic radio series does not translate particularly well into the traditional 3-act movie format, but I know how I would have done it. Act one, blow up the earth, bring the characters together. Act two, go on a wild hunt for Magrathea, get split up, find out about the ultimate question. Act three, go find the question, get stranded on prehistoric earth - cue 'What a Wonderful World' and roll credits.
What we get in the movie, however, is a messily edited foamy mess, that never seems to flow or build tension. The characters seem to be shaken about in a pot, randomly bumping into each other, without being given a chance to properly interact or develop. Some of the timing (so critical to good comedy) seems way off, punchlines arriving with a whimper. Some of the incidental music is especially innapropriate, with soaring bombastic orchestra scores getting in the way of the emotions you're supposed to be feeling. It's edited like a music video, never getting a chance to settle. The Humma Kavula character is entirely superfluous, in my opinion. If he'd been cut out, some of the other scenes could have been given a chance to breath.
It seems to me that it's a movie born out of conflict. It wants to be a quirky comedy and a spectacular fantasy at the same time. It kind of trips over it's shoelaces while trying to do both. The lady sitting next to me didn't know anything about H2G2 and her opinion was 'it's alright'. My girlfriend's opinion as a rabid foaming fan of H2G2 was 'they've raped my childhood!', but then she's analogous to the 'Balrogs do too have wings!' school of LOTR fandom. When the movie ended, it got polite applause (and only because the creators were in the room, I feel. I know we Brits aren't famous for making noise in the cinema, but this particular theatre has a reputation for rowdiness; people hollering at Neo to 'smack that guy!' etc.) Garth and Nick came on and answered some generic Qs at the end. They seemed really nice guys and they obviously love the source material. I just don't think
I have no
I contend that the abbreviation that redirects to the BBC's site is the correct one
How many will bring a towel when they go see it?
'cause, you know, everybody should always know where their towel is!
IIRC Douglas' pal Alan Kay was a Disney Fellow about the time this all started gelling. Disney is at its core, a company determined to bring otherwise impossible things to 'life' and amaze people often thru technology, invention and creativity. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to imagine all those entities linking up to supply DNA with a company that could support his vision. Hell, they made Tron based on a story by Alan's wife Bonnie. Back in 1998 Disney was less seemingly evil entity. Despite what goes on in the courtrooms and boardrooms, you can still be middle aged being from an unregarded region of the galaxy, spend a day or three in Disney World and be very amazed at what humans can conjure up. In those terms, they're a fitting place to try and turn this visioninto a film, and in 72 hours, we'll see if it was a safe bet.
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
If it makes money, the chances of making at least one of the other books into a movie increases.
Even the crappy Dungeons and Dragons movie gets a sequel because it made a profit.
All the kewl people call it h2g2, what lusers!!!
With all the "This movie is going to rape the book!" talk going on here, I hope the following is only half serious: From the IMDB page...
"Recommendations
If you like this title, we also recommend...
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)"
*cough*
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo!
Video Game News, FAQs, etc
Whoever modded this done is a little weird, this was a valid comment.
'I am become Shiva, destroyer of worlds'
Where is his second head? *sigh*
It's been a long time since I read the books, am I forgetting something?
In college I wrote a paper pulling out the symbolism of the book as a representation of a perpetually astonished and flummoxed Brit traveling through the US. (Not exactly an original analysis since _very_ many people have noticed this or pointed it out, but I did a good job and earned quite a decent grade.)
Actually, this view of the books gives some weight to the casting choices (mostly American cast members other than Arthur)...
Zaphod does have a second head.
If you watch the third trailer here then you'll see it.
It's a different concept to the TV series' second head, and I remain dubious about how well it'll work, but it's definitely there.
Is it just me or did this read like they were fobbing everyone off?
I don't know. What does fobbing mean? I tried Google, but it was of little assistance.
Zaphod has two heads in the movie. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding video of this on the net.
sig
The film is going to bomb for everyone EXCEPT 5 year olds. Fans will be annoyed with it and the highlight will probably be the theme song.
If your mind's set on that - presumably without even having seen it - why would you possibly want a follow-up?
They heard the Vogons were coming.
And apparently a different concept to the books as well, there are quite a few good descriptions of Zaphod's anatomy scattered about. There's a bit of 'So long and thanks for all the fish' which indicates that his heads can collide, see each other easily (which is why he had the lights off so they couldn't) and he is quite capable of sticking one under a pillow while the other does crosswords. However the clincher is when Arthur first meets Zaphod and his two head are described as 'right-hand head' and 'left-hand head'.
I suspect it was to cut the effects budget, there's no reason that the film couldn't have done Zaphod like the BBC series but it would have meant that every shot with Zaphod it would have required CGI / effects processing to make it look good (a foam rubber head wouldn't cut it in this day).
Is some reference to the green guy, even if just as a bit of graffiti in the background somewhere.
Technoli
She shouldn't get it on with Arthur either, the whole point is that he never does...
"So long" implies that Arthur and Trillian might have gotten it on way back when, but refuses to be more specific on the basis that it's none of our business....
-Rob
The crutch of Douglas Adams' input was used far too heavily... let us remember that Adams was also responsible for "Mostly Harmless" as well!
Zem: But why do you just keep walking round and round in circles?
... oh, never mind.
Marvin: Ask me if I ever get bored.
Zem: Ah... do you?
Marvin: Think of a number, any number.
Zem: Umm... five.
Marvin: Wrong. You see? Here I am, brain the size of a
Did I ask for a follow up? I asked how many more would be made. I could have been asking how many we must suffer through, or I may want to see a set scene animated.
As it goes I'd like to see how they balance Marvin on 1 leg and do Zem(s).
I like muppets.
Rather than nullify criticism, he could have just been shifting the blame...
DNA's ideas were mostly brilliant, but he had his misses too. To his credit, he often admitted them himself.
For example, if you watch the "making of" segments on the BBC's TV Hitchhiker's DVD, Adams admits that he was the one that gave the go-ahead for the Trillian actress, who didn't really work, especially her voice.
Absolute fucking truth.
It's a British expression meaning to give someone a consolation prize - to give someone something that distracts them from the real answer but is enough to barely satisfy. i.e. a girl giving you a kiss and promising to go out with you "some time" rather than aleeping with you is fobbing you off with promises instead of action.
I read all the "Douglas approved" bits as reassurances more than evasions.
Maybe I've been around the sales guys in the office too much, but all I could see was evasiveness.
The line "The script we shot was very much based on the last draft that Douglas wrote" is a perfect example: Just because you shot something, doesn't mean it didn't wind up on the cutting room floor.
I'm still skeptical.
the crappy Dungeons and Dragons movie gets a sequel
Sweet, merciful crap - isn't that one of the signs of the Apocalypse?
the book was good when i was 10, but i can't stand to read it now, it's horrible. I'm hoping the movie is enjoyable in a differnt way than the book.
My bitch of an ex-wife took off (stole) my leather bound, gilt-edged copy of the first four books of the increasingly inaccurately named trilogy back in 1991. Hope you're enjoying that Stacie.
Never argue with a man carrying a water buffalo
We just got back from the Special Advance Screening of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I'll try not to leave any spoilers in my review.
The movie was excellent. I would say that it ranks 3rd of all the movies that have come out in the last twelve months.
The humour was great. In my opinion, it's much better if you've already read the book(s), heard the radio shows, or, to a lesser extent, seen the mini series. I've only seen the mini series, so a lot of the humor went over my head. (The alternative is that it really wasn't funny, and having read the book wont help at all, but I hope that's not the case.)
The plot and story were well adapted (as best I can tell from my exposure) to the movie format, but I missed several of the funny parts that didn't make it in. I could tell that things were dumbed down a bit, but it gave a greater feeling of satisfaction at the end. I really liked the way the movie dealt with the question of life, the universe, and everything.
Several aspects of the film were extreme, in the sense that you don't see them in regular movies. For example, most of the transitions between scenes were abrupt, disjointed, and jarring; but I think that's the effect they desired. In addition, the makeup, costumes, and set were totally over-the-top and ridiculous. But again, I think that was the point. Even with all that, I still felt immersed in the story.
The special effects were top shelf, especially the many sequences in the last quarter of the film. The Guide itself was well done. Marvin had excellent treatment, but did not get nearly enough screen time.
The portrayal of organized religion was just as I suspected: true to Douglas Adams' disdainful atheistic point of view. I think the introduction could have been better, but by the time the end of the movie came around, I somehow felt that it was fitting. The acting was good.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is definitely worth seeing for humour and a good story.
Daniel
Try http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&cl ient=safari&rls=en-us&q=define%3Afob+off&btnG=Sear ch
-- Religion is not an exact science
I wonder if they'll get the oscar for Most Gratuitous Use of the Word 'fuck' in a Serious Screenplay?
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
J.
You're only jealous cos the little penguins are talking to me.
"Suffer through". Right. You still haven't even confirmed whether you've even seen the movie yet, but it seems to me that you've already made up your mind.
(I'd love to see Zems too, by the way.)
Alan Rickman's voice-work for Marvin really wasn't so great. It was rushed, the poor bastard had really bad lines to work with (I'm a robot, not a refrigerator? oh kill me now) and the pacing was terrible. The hulking oversized robot in the TV series was exactly what they could afford to produce at the time. And he really did look like a plastic pal that was fun to be with. I'm not looking for things to hate. I'm searching desperately for things to like!
Silly tidbit:
The word "fuck" has been replaced by the word "Belgium", at least among the HHGTTG fan community.
Jake
Webmaster
www.JakesJokes.com