h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It happens - but not to my entries. They are not that factually exciting
I'm far too careful

and there was me thinking it was a reflection on my character

Whatever it is - keep doing it!

OOOOooops!

Got carried away on a different computer: wrong Login.

Whatever Lipsbury Pinfold is, he's NOT a voyeur!

better repost that as myself:

Whatever it is - keep doing it!

Can I add my apologies for any confusion caused by my inadvertent possesion!

There is obviously something surreal about this particular thread, but it does make entertaining reading.

I feel honour bound to contribute now but have very little to say.

The Everyman Encyclopedia (not necessarily the worlds most definitive historical source) says that Commodus faught as a gladiator in the gladitorial shows on numerous occasions and was eventually poisoned by his mistress Marcia and then strangled by a wrestler and acrobat named Narcissus

(perhaps Narcissus wasnt a cool enough name for Hollywood - I sort of imagine him as looking more like Hulk Hogan ...

I'll have no mention of Hulk Hogan after Kinky.

I couldn't possibly comment - I might get sued for defamation of character

* thinks - why couldn't I have picked someone innocuous like Big Daddy *

My take on the dream sequence/cornfields bit is that every time a soldier, especially in that time and place, went into battle there's a good chance he'd be killed; later in the film Max talks about being ready to die and smiling as he goes...at which point the visions become clearer and closer together.....aside from an annoying bit of foreshadowing, an effective enough technique to convey the whole idea of being at peace with the idea of entering the 'next world' while still in this one.....

I, too, was troubled by how far he was able to ride on a single horse, in what appeared to be a couple of days.....and how he somehow fetched up in North Africa....

.....this is beginning to feel like every time a well-made film comes out that has something to say about personal commitment and integrity it's often dressed up in a rather silly envelope: both Gladiator and Patriot suffered this one.....and I liked Gladiator more than Patriot.....

.....a well-made epic (my idea of an epic is one where there's a personal story amidst a huge social change-story, and telling of it is skilfully executed) is hard to come by these days so I grab them where I can....although I tend to hold them rather loosely when I do....

Fruitbat

(please shout me down if I'm spouting rubbish)

The problem I have with history v storytelling is that History isn't usually neat enough. You can either do long boring films or good stories but its difficult to achieve both. The results are often a bit flaky.

I'll probably get slammed for this but I didn't think Gladiator was any more or less flaky overall than Sparticus or Ben Hur.

I'll stick up for the horse ride it is in the epic tradition - but the dream sequences were a bit corny.

(probably already said too much for a visitor - I'll leave quietly )

You've read my mind (or my review) Eric! I thought the dream device was similar to the beginning and end of American Beauty: Lester/Max is already dead, he just doesn't know it yet.

One of my many 'favourite' quotes is, 'Truth *is* stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.' Wish I could remember who said it.

The closest I can come up with is Byron:

"'Tis strange - but true; for truth is always strange;
Stranger but fiction."

But that's probably not who you're thinking of, truth be told...

And if you're right does that make it fiction ?

Byron is probably the source of the original, 'Truth is stranger than fiction'. The quote I'm thinking of explains *why* truth is stranger than fiction. I've checked my Oxford Dictionary of Quotations and it's not in there, but the book is about 15 years old. Maybe I should get a new one.

Our copy is even older - I don't think it's even heard of Margaret Thatcher

I'm sure there are many who would find that fiction more appealing than the truth.

Probably me! You have to admit at least that the film was better than The Mummy!

Apart from being overly squishy I thought The Mummy was good fun - sort of a bored on a saturday afternoon entertainment.

There should be a name for what would be 'pulp fiction' if it was a book - any thoughts?

mills and boons - as sappy as it gets

or perhaps elmore leonard would like to be