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

I'm sure the HP books are great for kids but I was a big Secret Seven fan as a sprog: I doubt I'd enjoy 'em much now!

I recognise bad writing when I see it. How does that make me a snob?

RF

Back to fillums...

Saw Shrek 3 on Thursday - absolutely loved it. Made me laugh and cry, and want to watch it again.

Saw Sleuth last night, in the VIP suite at the Odyssey in Belfast. (it was a way to pass the time while my daughter was at the Kanye West gig next door).

The film was crap.

But I'd definitely pay the extra for the VIP doo-dah again - comfy reclinging leather seats, 48 seater room - definitely the way to watch Golden Compass, I'm thinking.

Just seen "Futurama: Benders Big Score", didnt really feel like a film but great to see some new Futurama. Not enough Zap Brannigan though....

Am going to go and see The Northern Lights (*hic - 'scuse me, I mean The Golden Compass) this week.

I finally saw Withnail and I yesterday!!!

It was funny ha-ha and funny-weird. But I enjoyed it, esp Richard E Grant.

Mol

"I must have some booze. I demand to have some booze."

Yeah, I know, I didn't know that came from Withnail, and I didn't know that's where DH got "Camberwell carrot" from, and the bit about coming on holiday by accident ... I'd heard the film described as "eminently quotable" but didn't quite appreciate the full extent of this.

Not as quotable as TPB, of course, but running it a good second.

Mol

Just seen BSG: Razor.....



Awwww man I can beleive we need to wait till March for the new series...

I've just seen Office Space.

Meh. Not terribly impressed.

RF

Saw the Compass Compass last night. I'm pretty disappointed. It looked incredible, apart from the aleitheometer effect which I *hated*, but it was far too short and they messed around with the plot for some unfathomable reason - the battle with the polar bears came before the Battle of Bolvangar - and missed out crucial bits about the Gyptians, the polar bears and the witches - Serafina Pekkala in particular needed more time on screen.

All that said, the effects were amazing - the daemons were beautifully and perfectly realised and the casting worked perfectly. The issue of the Magisterium was barely touched upon but what was said makes it look like they've cleverly avoided religion while maintaining the reasons why religion is a problem.

Interesting that they've changed the chronology... Perhaps the next film has gyptian-ey bits in it or something, so each film will have it's own 'tone' to make it make more sense on screen for audiences or something... I suspect they wont be AS seperate as the books are (each book has a quite distinct feel, being in different worlds etc... wonder if they'll 'smudge' that a little to keep those who cant follow a story interested?)


Regarding the lack of religiousy bits;
That's the way it is in the books, the bit about the magesterium, the Gobblers, the Authority... I dont know why people are expecting the first one to be really religious (anti or otherwise)... It's not!

Another one for the 'Golden Compass' pile.

It's definately suffered for the hype. Re the fight to be king of the bears, the new chronology did leave me wondering why the (newly made)king of the bears turned up for a big battle without his army of keen warriors to back him up.

Still worth seeing though.

Well one of my colleagues has just piped up with the lines...

"I went to the cinema last night, only to see one of my favourite books murdered on screen..."

I'm currently reassessing whether I'm going to bother, I didn't realise they were going to squeeze the whole book into only 1 hr 40.

I'll still probably go, just for the spectacle but...

What DID you expect them to do?

A longer film?

Besides which, I haven't really heard any reviews yet that say anything particularly positive...

Oh I see! I thought you wanted it spread over more films!

Saw Bee Movie.

Can't begin to describe how awful it was.

I saw a poster advertising Bee Movie. The smuggery of the poster was enough to put me off.

I watched Stardust over the last couple of days (I kept on being interrupted by falling asleep). See it. Really. Watch it. It's very, very good.