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

Finally got around to watching this after getting the dvd just before Christmas.

What a cracking little film, no sign of the disjointed and often irritatingly rambling style of Zwigoff's 'Crumb' and great performances from Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi. The unhinged guy in the Sidewinder Mart with the nun-chuckas reminded me so much of the kind of characters to be found in many small press comics such as 8 Ball or even Knights of the Dinner Table (even though most of it is set around precisely that).

The kind of wry observations on life that these comics excel at are so often overlooked by the film industry in its constant search for the next blockbuster and it's a good thing that there are actors such as Buscemi who are prepared to take risks in their roles and not just work for the big bucks. Though of course he does ocassionally and quite right too, who wants to starve?

I think this film struck a particular chord with me as looking at Enid was almost looking into an 18 year old mirror image of myself, not visually per se but her attitude and outlook.

I'd heartily recommend this film to anyone, worth renting if nothing else.

Should have mentioned too that 8 Ball is where the Ghost World stories originally came from. Other characters, such as the trivia guy in the wheelchair also spring up from time to time...

Finally indeed, hope you haven't got any other treasures like this tucked away in the corner...

It is indeed a wonderful film, though i've never read the graphic novel, i assume you have at some point? It's just a very very watchable film, the story is fabulous and you really get involved in the quirky (this had to be the word most associated with indie films!) characters. great stuff

One final thought, did you watch right to the end? Buscemi's character (can't remember his name ) goes back to the convenience store a fights the guy with the nun-chuka's and mullet and also the store clerk... quite funny seeing Buscemi kick butt.

Minority Report finally was in an offer today, got that and Dog Soldiers for the mesely sum of £17.98, as i also discovered i had a £10 gift voucher for use in smiths left from christmas, always a bonus.

see you later.

Ad.

Yes we did watch to the end, much mirth ensued in the Choovanski household. I've never read the Gn no, but I have read the odd issue of 8 Ball. Personally I'm not totally in love with Daniels Clowes' drawing style, but I don't care as it's so well written. Trouble is that small press comics often get ignored as most people can't look past the art and get into the story.

s'later..

buscemi was seymour... brilliant film. birch was in the hole seen it?

I havent seen it no, but it did get some good reviews when it came out. Must hve been quite hard to keep the tension up with such a small cast and limited location. I might just rent that out soon, was very impressed with Birch in Ghost World, I got kinda put off by Dungeons and Dragons... dreadful film but it did give me some good laughs I guess

I saw The Hole about 6 months ago, decidedly unimpressed. A bit too implausible. Felt like a bit of a wasted opportunity IMO, promising concept but let down in execution.

never even remotely had the desire to see the D&D film, no Venger, No Dungeon Master, No need.

god i'm really tired. time to go to bread and wake up with a bastard of a headache no doubt.

Esteban Child of the Darkened Room

So this'll be the post you'll be looking for tomorrow to find out what time you went to bed then ?

lol....I like late night after drink butties meself

indeed it is, 2am, not too bad really. got woken up at 7:30 (!!!!!!) by the workmen next door. this day has not started off too well. need some caffeine pretty quickly.

looks like you posted even later aswell.....

think i put a post on the films board somewhere, can't remember for the life of me where though, one of the good things about h2g2, it's easier to keep track of where you posted (.....if for some reason you can't remember)

Hey that reminds me! Can you remember me asking aaages ago when I went to see Dog Soldiers if anyone found that the reel of the film where SP gets disembowelled was really dark? I saw it twice at the cinema and that whole section in the woods was so dark you couldn't see what was going on! I thought that they'd done it on purpose to add more tension, then at one of the points where I actually rustled awake long enough to look last night it was at that point. It was completely different! You could see everything , big nest of intestines sitting there in his abdomen in full view. You couldn't see anything at the cinema when I went it was so dark.

They must have had an underexposed reel....

i do remember you asking about that, but how bizarre, i noticed the exact same thing. i thought you never saw Well's intestines until either the dog was pulling at them or later on when Cooper and Megan are trying to patch him back up

quite a bit of a shock when you did see them in the woods though! wasn't expecting that at all.

Ad.

p.s. listen to the cast-commentary soon if you have the time, it lives up to it's funny reputation, though there is a lot of laughing going on. dirty piss-heads

Hmmm... wonder if they sneakily made that darker to get a lower rating? Think I preferred it that way actually, the gut-nest was a wee bit unconvincing, seemed to be teeetering a tad too high off his body.

I did have the commentary on, but I didn't stay awake long enough to hear much more than Neil marshall saying that the title looked as "as cheap as sh*t" ....

Kat

®