I expected the worst. I mean, when was the last time Hollywood took a beloved property and turned it into something just as special? Oh, right, that fruity dwarf and wizard movie. I never cared much for those books in the first place.
The movies were far superior to the books by that Tolkien guy.
Xhixen thumbs an early ride to a test screening of HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY and declares it 'Mostly Terrific!!'
Hey folks, Harry here with the very first film review of HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY - now both Moriarty and Quint were going to attempt to break into this screening all undercover style, and I've yet to hear if they've succeeded or not. On other news - CHUD has images of the toys we'll all be getting soon enough!
Note: the following review will try in every way possible to avoid making cliche jokes using references such as "Don't Panic," "42," or "Pangalactic Gargle Blaster." Please ignore the previous self-aware occurrences of these terms.
Hello folks. I just returned home after an evening in Pasadena, where I had the privilege to see a screening of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I must admit that as a slightly-more-than-casual fan of the original works -- I read the first three books of the trilogy years ago and have listened to the radio serial -- I expected the worst. I mean, when was the last time Hollywood took a beloved property and turned it into something just as special? Oh, right, that fruity dwarf and wizard movie. I never cared much for those books in the first place. Rings aside, I'm happy to report that at least 75% of the things I liked about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy were preserved in this movie.
I won't bore you with a rehashing of the story of The Hitchhiker's Guide, as everyone reading this knows "the answer" by now. Rather than beginning with the imminent demolition of one Arthur Dent's flat (a la the book), the movie starts with a musical number (hold your groans) recounting the dolphins' escape from the planet Earth. It rather nicely sets the tone for those who go into the movie not knowing what to expect. Still, the fact that the film immediately deviated from the book had me a bit uneasy.
However, after the destruction of the Earth (oops, did I spoil something?) the credits began to roll with some odd, spacey banjo picking. When the title appeared along with a remixed version of the amazingly ridiculous Eagles song from the radio series, most of my concern was alleviated. It was obvious that the filmmaker's intent was to preserve all of the quirky appeal that has made the series so enduring.
Visually, the movie was absolutely perfect. The entire scene of Earth's destruction felt like it came straight out of my imagination. And oh what a joy it was to see The Guide itself unfurl. While it was really no more than a glorified Flash animation on a laptop, the animation was executed with great wit and respect for Adams' sense of humor. Narratives from The Guide were interjected throughout the movie, just as in the book/radio series, and always drew a big laugh. The Heart of Gold, and its shift into improbability (by transforming into various improbable objects) was also well conceived. I really have a hard time finding anything not to appreciate about the visual design of the film, except perhaps for the previously reported liberties taken with Zaphod's two heads.
Unfortunately that was not the only fault I found with Zaphod and some of the other characters. Most of the aforementioned 25% disappointment with this adaptation comes from the downright painful portrayals of some of the characters. Not surprisingly, most of the British actors were spot on (especially Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent). However, I had huge issues with Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, and to a lesser extent, Sam Rockwell. I don't know if there is an intrinsically wry sense of humor that comes with hailing from England (must have something to do with the weather), but a lot of the lines from the American actors just fell flat. Mos Def really lacked the requisite wit and charisma that defined Ford Prefect. I also found Deschanel's Trillian simply uninteresting. Speaking of Trillian, needless to say, the arc of her and Arthur falling for each other felt really out of place and was entirely gratuitous. The ending also felt slightly rushed and, if I recall correctly, largely departed from the
The only proper way to experience Star Wars was to watch the original, unbastardized Trilogy in a movie theatre. Unless you can find someone that has squirreled away a properly maintained print, this will never be possible again.
Your next best option is to find someone with the original 3 movies on laserdisc.
Stay away from the remakes and the new movies like you would avoid a bus-load of MPAA attornies infected with the plague.
"...Engineering Laboratory at the Medical University of South Carolina, is one of the scientists who has rigged Hewlett-Packard and Canon inkjet printers to shoot out proteins instead of ink, and to capture tissue on specialized gel instead of paper. Older printers work well because their spray nozzles have larger holes and are less likely to damage fragile cells. It would be great to have a use for these old printers instead of searching for a place to recycle them safely..."
Link
Just hop into the box that contains the other universe. On your way through, reach behind you and pull the box in after you. That way, your new universe won't be destroyed when the old one goes boom.
After Enron and other corporate scandals, more than twice as many public companies have had to restate their earnings. In this case, restating earnings may help them avoid as big of payout.
Bacteria have a short generation time, therefore, they evolve very quickly. With billions of long-lived people living in crowded circumstances, bacteria will evolve to take advantage of the situation.
The same goes for viruses. Let us not forget that the influenza outbreak of the early 20th century killed far more people than World War I (25 Million vs 10 Million). Reference
De Grey does not mention beefing up the immune system in his list of "seven horsemen".
Those numbers don't look so good if you compare the growth in CD sales to the sales of video (VHS/DVD's) software, or to the economy as a whole:
Video:Consumer Electronics Association:
DVD Software Sales Benefit:
Although movie-ticket sales fell one percent to $9.2 billion in 2003, consumer spending on the purchase or rental of video software (VHS tape and DVD) rose 18.2 percent to $22.5 billion, according to DEG. DVD accounted for 72 percent of total home video spending.
Overall Economy: CNN The economy has expanded at rates exceeding 3 percent for the past six quarters and seems poised to keep growing. The White House last Friday estimated GDP will expand 3-1/2 percent in 2005.
...so long as you do it right. 5 1/4 " floppies are square, the media inside is circlular.
The surface area of the floppy is about 27.5 square inches. The circular media is inscribed within the square, and can be no bigger than 21.5 square inches.
That leaves about 6 square inches that is safe for stapling.
Hmmm... about 6 inches... where have I heard that before?
CNET report Just weeks after legal attacks crippled the popular BitTorrent file-swapping community, an underground programmer from its ranks has stepped forward to announce new software designed to withstand future onslaughts from Hollywood. Sloneck, the head of that now-defunct SuprNova, officially announced the Exeem project in an interview on the NovaStream Webcasting network.
Slashdot Mirror
WinX
Surgeon General, actually.
The entire scene of Earth's destruction felt like it came straight out of my imagination.
This guy is clearly dangerous! He's planning to destroy the Earth!
Call John Ashcroft!! Let's form a coalition of the willing!
Token, Trollken, whatever.
It was previously reported that his second head is in his nostril.
If that still does not help you either insert your babelfish or move along to the next thread...
Xhixen thumbs an early ride to a test screening of HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY and declares it 'Mostly Terrific!!' Hey folks, Harry here with the very first film review of HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY - now both Moriarty and Quint were going to attempt to break into this screening all undercover style, and I've yet to hear if they've succeeded or not. On other news - CHUD has images of the toys we'll all be getting soon enough! Note: the following review will try in every way possible to avoid making cliche jokes using references such as "Don't Panic," "42," or "Pangalactic Gargle Blaster." Please ignore the previous self-aware occurrences of these terms. Hello folks. I just returned home after an evening in Pasadena, where I had the privilege to see a screening of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I must admit that as a slightly-more-than-casual fan of the original works -- I read the first three books of the trilogy years ago and have listened to the radio serial -- I expected the worst. I mean, when was the last time Hollywood took a beloved property and turned it into something just as special? Oh, right, that fruity dwarf and wizard movie. I never cared much for those books in the first place. Rings aside, I'm happy to report that at least 75% of the things I liked about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy were preserved in this movie. I won't bore you with a rehashing of the story of The Hitchhiker's Guide, as everyone reading this knows "the answer" by now. Rather than beginning with the imminent demolition of one Arthur Dent's flat (a la the book), the movie starts with a musical number (hold your groans) recounting the dolphins' escape from the planet Earth. It rather nicely sets the tone for those who go into the movie not knowing what to expect. Still, the fact that the film immediately deviated from the book had me a bit uneasy. However, after the destruction of the Earth (oops, did I spoil something?) the credits began to roll with some odd, spacey banjo picking. When the title appeared along with a remixed version of the amazingly ridiculous Eagles song from the radio series, most of my concern was alleviated. It was obvious that the filmmaker's intent was to preserve all of the quirky appeal that has made the series so enduring. Visually, the movie was absolutely perfect. The entire scene of Earth's destruction felt like it came straight out of my imagination. And oh what a joy it was to see The Guide itself unfurl. While it was really no more than a glorified Flash animation on a laptop, the animation was executed with great wit and respect for Adams' sense of humor. Narratives from The Guide were interjected throughout the movie, just as in the book/radio series, and always drew a big laugh. The Heart of Gold, and its shift into improbability (by transforming into various improbable objects) was also well conceived. I really have a hard time finding anything not to appreciate about the visual design of the film, except perhaps for the previously reported liberties taken with Zaphod's two heads. Unfortunately that was not the only fault I found with Zaphod and some of the other characters. Most of the aforementioned 25% disappointment with this adaptation comes from the downright painful portrayals of some of the characters. Not surprisingly, most of the British actors were spot on (especially Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent). However, I had huge issues with Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, and to a lesser extent, Sam Rockwell. I don't know if there is an intrinsically wry sense of humor that comes with hailing from England (must have something to do with the weather), but a lot of the lines from the American actors just fell flat. Mos Def really lacked the requisite wit and charisma that defined Ford Prefect. I also found Deschanel's Trillian simply uninteresting. Speaking of Trillian, needless to say, the arc of her and Arthur falling for each other felt really out of place and was entirely gratuitous. The ending also felt slightly rushed and, if I recall correctly, largely departed from the
You can try your skill at predicting the release date of the XBox
How about some other predictions:All have hard drive?
All use Blue Ray DVD?
Home entertaininment capability (MythTv like)?
All run Linux?
DRM-disabled, I mean enabled?
Which one out first?
Which one has highest first year sales?
Real name of X-Box next?
X-Box ignored in Japan?
New console manufacturer enters market by 2010?
Existing manufacturer leaves market by 2010?
At least one manufacturer sued by SCO? Place your bets before the window closes!
That transcript is from the Appeals Court.
First court ruled for plaintiff
Appeals Court ruled for defendent
Supreme Court ruled for plaintiff
Great suggestion grub
If I had mod points I would give them to you.
Gotta go...must..get..to..google...
Now with extra mitochondria, or mitichlorians, or mitten chlorine, or some dumb a$$ thing.
Geez lucas, how far you have fallen...
What if Palpatine does not want to be rescued...
The only proper way to experience Star Wars was to watch the original, unbastardized Trilogy in a movie theatre. Unless you can find someone that has squirreled away a properly maintained print, this will never be possible again.
Your next best option is to find someone with the original 3 movies on laserdisc.
Stay away from the remakes and the new movies like you would avoid a bus-load of MPAA attornies infected with the plague.
"...Engineering Laboratory at the Medical University of South Carolina, is one of the scientists who has rigged Hewlett-Packard and Canon inkjet printers to shoot out proteins instead of ink, and to capture tissue on specialized gel instead of paper. Older printers work well because their spray nozzles have larger holes and are less likely to damage fragile cells. It would be great to have a use for these old printers instead of searching for a place to recycle them safely..." Link
Just hop into the box that contains the other universe. On your way through, reach behind you and pull the box in after you. That way, your new universe won't be destroyed when the old one goes boom.
After Enron and other corporate scandals, more than twice as many public companies have had to restate their earnings. In this case, restating earnings may help them avoid as big of payout.
...In this upcoming Mastercard commercial:
Coffee table book on Nasa. . . . . . . . . . . $19.99
Open source images from Titan . . . . . . . . Free w/ Terragen
Beating Nasa to Mars with a manned mission . . Priceless
There are some things Bill Gates has already bought, for others, there's Mastercard."Well, we could have beaten them, except for that darn 15 day delay due to concerns over the FCC.
"I mean, what if those images captured life on Titan, and they were right in the middle of a 'wardrobe malfunction' or something?
"I guess maybe in some ways we are still proud to be your father's space agency."
"Liekens does caution that not all of the pictures will be scientifically reliable, something that ESA and NASA obviously have to take care over."
Bacteria have a short generation time, therefore, they evolve very quickly. With billions of long-lived people living in crowded circumstances, bacteria will evolve to take advantage of the situation.
The same goes for viruses. Let us not forget that the influenza outbreak of the early 20th century killed far more people than World War I (25 Million vs 10 Million). Reference
De Grey does not mention beefing up the immune system in his list of "seven horsemen".what De Grey's beard will look like by 2030.
Will those chips run Linux?
Those numbers don't look so good if you compare the growth in CD sales to the sales of video (VHS/DVD's) software, or to the economy as a whole:
Video: Consumer Electronics Association: DVD Software Sales Benefit: Although movie-ticket sales fell one percent to $9.2 billion in 2003, consumer spending on the purchase or rental of video software (VHS tape and DVD) rose 18.2 percent to $22.5 billion, according to DEG. DVD accounted for 72 percent of total home video spending.
Overall Economy: CNN The economy has expanded at rates exceeding 3 percent for the past six quarters and seems poised to keep growing. The White House last Friday estimated GDP will expand 3-1/2 percent in 2005.
...so long as you do it right. 5 1/4 " floppies are square, the media inside is circlular.
The surface area of the floppy is about 27.5 square inches. The circular media is inscribed within the square, and can be no bigger than 21.5 square inches.
That leaves about 6 square inches that is safe for stapling.
Hmmm... about 6 inches... where have I heard that before?
CNET report Just weeks after legal attacks crippled the popular BitTorrent file-swapping community, an underground programmer from its ranks has stepped forward to announce new software designed to withstand future onslaughts from Hollywood. Sloneck, the head of that now-defunct SuprNova, officially announced the Exeem project in an interview on the NovaStream Webcasting network.