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

... when I carp about things in the LOTR films. They're so spectacular - and probably the best films of the books that could ever be, so I feel bad saying I don't like little bits.

I know exactly what you mean. I always feel obliged to point out a few flaws, even tiny ones, but the problem is, is that you're then focussing on the negative. I mean, just explaining the flaws takes a paragraph or two and were I to devote a proportional amount of space to going through all the good things about this film the review would be the length of the phone book.

It's not perfect - but it is stupendously brilliant. My mum never, ever gets excited about films but she's already talking about going to see it again.

(And going to see The Hobbit on stage, but that's another thing entirely...)

My mother seems to like taking me to see them... I had to give her a quick run through of "what happened last time..." before the start, but then she fell for Sam, and the Legolas-Gimli duo still can't quite believe that - she never likes films I do!

No film's ever going to be perfect I guess - especially not a book adaption, but LOTR is good enough for me not to mind that.

I know what you mean about the spooky appeal of these films... my parents never, but never, get that excited about films, especially not ones with lots of special effects and fighting. But they're already talking about going to see this one again in the near future.

mine aren't that bad - my dad maintains that the books are "twee", so I have to drug him sometime and make him watch the films!

I have a friend though, who "kinda" liked the first film first time round, never read the books and has progressively become as much of an addict as me - finally getting the books and wanting the DVDs before she gets a DVD player!
It's just so magnetic... was Star Wars like this first time round?

Well... let me just adjust my zimmer frame and pull this white hair out of my eyes, and say...

I'm not quite *that* old, Shee! I mean, I'm old enough to remember seeing Star Wars at the cinema back in 1978, but I was only three or four at the time, I hadn't started reviewing then. Virtually any film was a Corrr! Wow!!! Look at that!!!! experience when you were that age.

On the other hand, here I am 25 years on with an unhealthy obsession with films and SF, so it clearly did have a massive impact. I can only assume that yes, it was something like this (except perhpas moreso, because nowadays we're used to the idea of the big, FX driven adventure movie - which was a brand new idea back in 1977).

well, I'm too young to have seen them in the cinema (tho I might have been breathing when Return of the Jedi came out I think) but they're held up so much that I was wondering if the palaver around them was like the excitment for LOTR - though I suspect there's a slight difference in that LOTR is also a book so there's probably difference in the kind of expectations.

Hmmm... well, I do remember that being the first in my class to see Empire Strikes Back brought me much status and the sought-after role of 'guy who decides who plays which character' in our schoolyard reenactments. By the time ROTJ appeared, there was pirate video on the scene so everything had changed.

I think cinemagoing has changed hugely over the last 20 years. There wasn't this huge importance given to a film's opening week in terms of publicity, because there were fewer screens and films toured the country to some extent. And films weren't hyper-promoted the way they are now - these days, in this country, you almost never get sleeper word-of-mouth successes simply cos everything comes out in America first!

true - I always come accross people who download films off the web before they're released... though why you'd want to see a crappy quality version of Attack of the Clones when you can see it in digital shininess on big screen in a week escapes me.

... I just get to be the LOTR authority amongst my friends - even though I don't seem to see the films first!

There's someone I work with who's always droning on about how such-and-such a movie (not yet released hereabouts) is available over the net. I always say that I don't download or otherwise pirate movies for the same reasons I don't shoplift prerecorded videos - but inevitably he claims the two aren't the same for some reason.

(Apparently it's the film company's fault. He doesn't like going to the cinema and so why should he have to wait six or nine months to see a film? If they released them on VHS and DVD simultaneously with their cinema release there'd be a lot less piracy (he claims). Well, it's up to the filmmakers, and it's reasonable for them to want to maximise their profits, I reply. Well then, they should expect to be stolen from, is his response. Some people do not get it.)

"Mortenson's macho posturing"
you're just jealous, yes?

I think DVDs and videos cost more than they need to, so I can see the point of view of the whole piracy thing, but I'm a good girl so don't do it.

I just want to see my films looking all clean and pretty (yes that's why I got into DVDs really, I didn't just want all the LOTR extras...)

*tries to imagine Awix posing as Aragorn*

Jealous, moi? Surely not. I know my limitations.

I think by far the best place to see a film is the cinema - which must be why I've been there (eek!) 42 times this year.

Now is that a spooky Hootoo coincidence or what? I should point out I only have the figure at my fingertips because I'm in the middle of writing the 24LAS review of 2002 at the moment...

Now that'll be fun!

What're you looking forward to in 2003 then?

I want Gangs of New York, Chicago, The Hulk and ROTK
oh and I want them NOT to cast Leo or Colin Farrell as Alexander the Great.

Hmm...oh, well, who cares about keeping my powder dry? I want to see Hulk, ROTK and Gangs of New York too. But X-men 2 looks promising and fingers crossed that Daredevil won't stink as much as everyone seems to think it will. And let's not forget we should finally get Matrix Reloaded this year.

oh yeah - X-Men 2 (or squared or whatever) could be fun... would like at some point for Bryan Singer to make another different film though (not sure I'd want to see an X-Men he didn't make however)

oh - and that Adaption is it called - the one by Charlie-I-write-loopy-scripts-like-Being-John-Malkovich-Kaufman.

Not sure how I feel about Gangs of New York, I was the right age to be caught up in the whole Leonardo DiCaprio thing and so feel the need to avoid him now.

Two lots of Matrix this year, X2, RotK, and at least finding out who's going to be in Prisoner of Azkaban (which will at least stave off the cravings for seeing it).
Don't expect me to know anything else that;s coming out.

I liked Leo pre-Titanic, cos I thought he could act back then (and re-watching Who's Eating Gilbert Grape I still do) - but I don't really see him as suiting period stuff. There are some actors whose faces are just too modern to look right trundling around in turn of the century (and before) costume, and I think he might be one (Julia Roberts is another)
I'm also interested in seeing how Scorsese does "epic" - my faves of his are Mean Streets and Goodfellas.

I'm looking forward to Matrix - but I'm not sure if two in one year won't be too much (though I'll inevitably go to both since I want to see them on big screens) - I tend to have to take very long breaks between viewings of the Matrix.

Sounds like you have the same issues with Leo I have with Tarantino (only without the whole teenybopper girly thing).

I think there'll be 4-6 months at least between the two Matrices. (I am of course on full alert for people who in conversation A say 'two Matrix films in one year is overload' but in conversation B moan how 'we have to wait a full year for ROTK!')

My main thing with Leo isn't the 'he doesn't look right in costume dramas' it's that he always looks about 15 no matter what he's appearing in!

I have yet to see Elijah Wood appear pver the age of 15.

Saw The Man In The Iron Mask the other day, spent a large amount of time deciding which of the Musketeers was best.

Two Matrix films in one year is lovely, I think they're May and November (last time I heard). I have seen the first one far too often, most recently through showing it to people who casually mention that they haven't seen it, and then find themselves strapped down in front of a screen for two hours. I do give them and though.