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

I went to see "The Darjeeling Limited" last week which you should all go and see because it's great.

That's all.

yonks after everyone else I have just watched Music & Lyrics

what can I say? I adore Hugh Grant (it's my dirty little secret)

Last evening I saw The Golden Compass. Apart from, apparently, grinding my teeth every time the alethiometer was referred to as a Golden Compass, and my very sharp and audible intake of breath when the Icebear fight was moved for no apparent reason, I thought it was pretty good.

Roymondo: You´re recommending a movie that you kept falling asleep to?

Yep, though that's not the film's fault. Blame it on the boogie.

Re: Golden compass.

Um...where did the ending go?

The bit with Roger that pays off in the third book wasn't even given the possibility of occurring nor was the reality of other worlds given any credence other than by name-check.

Most perplexing of all: shots of Asriel's machine appear in the trailer and in the promotional gubbins (The Visual Guide that I idly flicked through in Border's this morning even includes an explanatory page on how Asriel's machine works by splitting and destroying the daemon in order to bridge the dimensional crossover thingy.) So why has it been axed from the theatrical cut? Trailers are done way in advance of a film being released so that I can sort of understand but books too? Doesn;t that seem a bit sloppy?

I know they diddled about with temporal order with Helm's Deep and Shelob in Lord of the Rings but that imposed a slightly better structure on proceedings, this seems to have been cut away at the last moment and I'm not at all clear why.

Particularly since The Subtle Knife could have a clearly delineated shift into this different world stylistically, visually, tonally etc, it seems doubly weird to have this unfinished business with The Northern Lights hanging over it as this will inevitably impinge on the running time of the next part of the story which has angles, Spectres and finger chopping to squeeze in.

Overall a not bad film but not great either, which it had the potential to be. I was also rather irritated by the film's tendency to announce chatacters, title, relationship and rank just incase we weren't able to deduce anything for ourselves. eg> "Ma Costa! Billy Costa's mum and member of the Gyptians!"

A begrudging 3/5.

Pedant's post:

In the Lord of the Rings novel, although Shelob appears in the second volume, that part of the story actually happens simultaneously with some of the events at the start of the third. The timespans of the two strands in the second and third books are not always the same.

Almost besides the point because I'm not trying to compare these film adaptations to LOTR or Harry Potter, it was ratehr one cogent example i could think of an probably not a very good one.

I will likely go and see the Golden Compass anyway at some point, despite the general consensus of mediocrity. I thoroughly enjoyed the books, though from what I heard some rather curious things have been changed. Does anybody know, was Pullman consulted much?

Just seen the Bourne Ultimatum.

Absolutly top drawer, given how poor "threequals" normally are it is almost astonishing that it was even ok. As it was I would probably have to say it was the best of the three.

5/5 with no hesitation.

I thought the dvd release was tomorrow!

Please restore my faith in western cinema, you gritty espionage thriller you!

Watched crash last night, on a reccomendation from a friend.

Ive never seen a film so full of ideas. Each of the interlocking stories could have filled a film by themselves.

The scene where the shopkeeper shoots at the locksmith but his little daughter jumps int he way hadf my heart in my mouth.

I havent seen a more powerful filmin a long time and although the moral messages are slearly signposted they are so well played out that you dont mind being preached to. The music is pitched just right too.

Id have to give the film 10/10.

But do have something fun to do/watch after you dont want to be going to bed on it as its a real heavy meal of a film.

I saw The Golden Compass yesterday. Thought it was a shame they'd done it at a PG rating, which made it rather tame & sugary. I don't see how they can continue the story PG level without ruining it. Some while since I read it; I felt they'd telescoped the second half somewhat but otherwise kept the flavour fairly well, although Lyra got to be able to read the alethiometer far too easily. Liked the CGI.

I heard an interview with PP last night on radio four... He said he volountarily had little to do with the film because he wanted to 'let the people who know how to make films make the film'...

... Sounds like a slight bit of showbiz waffle mixed with a grain of truth to me, but there we go...

I've not seen "Crash" but I recall someone (Robin Ince, I think) summing up its "moral complexity" as "He's a racist... but he helps his sick old dad to wee." Never really felt the need to see it since then.

There are far more characters going through different dillemas caused by their own views on race and how others' views affect them. Matt Dillons character is a central but by no means the only character in the film.

Its an obvious and some times knowingly preachy film but when you get to know the characters you find your self asking would i do any different.

For instance if you had been robbed on the street that night and would you be jittery enough to suspect your tattooed 20 something locksmith might sell spare sets of your new keys to friends who were involved in crime?

If you were in a highly paid job would you risk that job or stick to your moral standards? Especially if you werent sure your standrads would be upheld by taking a risk and that you might not only lose your jobs but lose friends and your reputation might suffer?

I agree with Rbin Inces remark and it is funny but it doesnt by any means sum up the whole film.

I've just seen Fred Claus. Worth seeing for the "Siblings Anonymous" scene in which we get to meet Bill Clinton's brother, Sly Stallone's brother Frank (spitting image) and Stephen Baldwin who is murderously mad at "Alec" and a long-haired little dweeb non-speaking watcher who was the double of Johnny Depp

"I agree with Rbin Inces remark and it is funny but it doesnt by any means sum up the whole film."

Oh, I agree, it's a trite (if funny) summing-up of Hollywood's idea of what counts as complexity and that's the point. I'm sure the film deals with a whole raft of issues and brings up a whole lot of questions but it strikes me as Hollywood screenwriters thinking they're opening up a whole world of complexity to people without realising that that whole "complex" world of "difficult questions" is basically day-to-day life for many people.

I've not watched "Crash", as I say, so I'm treading carefully here but from what I've heard about it it seems a classic case of something that will tell me what I already know.

Watched Enchanted last night. Highly enjoyable piece of popcorn fodder and a good antidote for all those disappointed by the Golden Compass.

It managed to pull off the same trick as Stardust, poking fun at fairy tales while keeping the 'happy ever after' ending, but while Stardust was probably my favourite films this year, Enchanted was just a nice way to pass a couple of hours with my mates. The characters were charming, with James Marsden and Susan Sarandon hamming it up brilliantly and the songs were very funny.

Probably the best Christmas film this year.

I went to see "Ooh Look! Polar Bears!"* at the weekend, and, probably due to the rubbish write-ups I'd read about it, actually thought it was quite good. Not brilliant, but better than I was expecting. Our learning from Hollywood this week is "polar bears do not bleed".

RF

* Sometimes referred to by the alternative title "The Golden Compass"

I just watched 'I Am Legend.'

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480249/

A big budget Will Smith vehicle that is, and I hope you're sitting down, rather good. Honestly, I shit you not, it is really rather splendid.

Some of it is too much like an extended advert for the inevitable computer game though.