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

'The Island' does look good, indeed. I like those kind of Philip K. Dick style stories, and this one looks to be no exception! A bit heavy on the effects, but if done tastefully... mmm. How nice.

My favorite part of Wars of the Worlds was the tripods. My least favorite was the ending. I felt it a cop-out and part of me wonders if Dakota Fanning will ever be anything more than 'cute girl' or 'cute girl who is so cute you hate when scary things happen to her' - but I sure hope she turns out to be dynamic when she gets older. She is great right now. A good sci-fi blockbuster, I agree.

Sorry I haven't been posting. Been overcoming pre-jam jitters and partying too much. For what it is worth, a bunch of us, after watching 'Spartacus' and 'Ben Hur' back to back, firmly believe that 'Spartacus' is the far superior movie (and a hell of a classic) if only because of Kirk Douglas over Charlton Heston and Kubrick's great direction. That isn't to say William Wyler or Heston are bad, but the amalgamated elements of Spartacus just make a better movie! To us, at least.

I finally got off my bum, and went to see WOTW. Impressed overall, worth seeing, but as usual SS has put in a few 'emotional' bits that shouldn't be there. And the whole Tim Robbins thing. And the blatant rip offs from Independence Day (the storm/Will Smith seeing the ship for the first time) and Alien3/The Abyss (the aforementioned Tim Robbins bit).

I think I avoided any real spoilers there.

Of course, leaving the cinema, going to the pub then finding myself in the middle of a bomb scare may have put the dampeners on it somewhat!

Saw The Hours with Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep. Really liked how the different time periods were intercut. Had a beautiful soundtrack by Phillip Glass. Bit of a depressing film dealing with issues like depression and AIDS, but definitely powerful.

Great film. I thought Julianne Moore in particular was very good. Was surprised to find out that it was directed by Stephen Daldry. His other film is Billy Elliot...

I found War of the Worlds to be one of the better movies this summer so far. A great movie but has some plot holes.

*LITTLE SPOILER* Yes, someone mentioned that if the tripods were buried underground so long, wouldn't they have either rusted, or been found?

The Island was a really fun science fiction/action pic. Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johanson live in a future society where the earth is contaminated, and the survivors live in an enclosed structure. They wait for the day when they may be chosen to go to the last uncontaminated island. Or so they think! What actually happens to them is far more interesting and provocative.

Re: WOTW. A colleague told me that the film hangs together a lot better if you've read the book, as apparently it's a surprisingly faithful adaptation (apart from the inevitable relocation to the U.S.) I haven't, so found it a bit disjointed.

I still prefer listening to Jeff Wayne's musical version.

Wheeeooooh, wheeeooooh, wheeeooooh