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

Thanks PP. It doesn't sound really my sort of thing, even if we do get to see it for free.

It might be interesting as a study in the medium of moving oil paintings....

I am way behind with film news - I haven't heard of either of those, Paul.

The sky won't fall if you never see them, TC.

Over the years I've waxed irate about the deluge of A-list movies in the narrow time between mid-November and late December. Those of us who have all we can do to cope with Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping/travelling (not to mention storm-related traffic congestion, though I guess I just did ) are going to risk missing these gems. If you're not a cinema fan it's no great loss, but the very audience that the studios most want to impress is caused a lot of stress by this late-year scheduling.

Miraculously, I have thought of a way to balance the scales a bit: best-film-of-the-month Oscars (and Golden Globes and BAFTAs, etc.). The worst possible dreck will still be released in January and February, but if a studio has a few good films that would be lost in the holiday shuffle, it could release it for consideration when the competition is less keen.

Just to say that we saw "Loving Vincent" last weekend. I see what you mean about the story, PP, but I found it well told all the same. I think it did what it set out to do. And at no point did it say that it wasn't all speculation. As it was based on things he had painted - which was mainly landscapes, objects and other people, maybe that was the reason that he didn't feature in the film quite so much.

Having seen it dubbed in the German though, I must ask if Chris O'Dowd used his own voice? The German version was so unlike his voice that it took me a while to work out that that was actually him. And did Saoirse Ronan use her natural Irish accent too?

And we have just got back from the cinema from seeing "Der Mann aus dem Eis" - a dramatic retelling of one of many possible stories behind the Ötztal body that was recovered in the 90s, when thousands of yearsworth of ice melted and revealed him.

I wasn't convinced. Unlike with "Quest for Fire", they didn't seem to have gone to a lot of trouble casting people who looked as though they might have been about at that time. Under their beards and dirty hair, they still had very refined, 20th/21st century features.

And it wasn't clear why he kept heading East, along the inhospitable snow-stormed Alps. If he'd gone South he would have found more amenable conditions far sooner.

The whole film (like Quest for Fire) was in an ancient language, but not dubbed. The characters' thoughts and intentions were quite clear from their actions.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5907748/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

So far as I remember, all of the actors kepted their own normal speaking voices - which I like.

PP.

Kepted?

Reminds me. I must see if I can find a spelling mangle on eBay!

PP.

Darkest Hour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKW4KdOZeN8

If Gary Oldman doesn't get awards for that performance I'll eat Churchill's hat.

PP.

I agree.

Last night I saw "Paddington II" and loved it.

On Tuesday, I enjoyed "The Post". I have a friend whose wife was once married to Ben Bradley Jr. She actually met Ms Graham and many others at the Post, so I was interested to learn that she thought the actors in the movie did a good job. But Tom Hanks didn't quite make a convincing Bradley. Oh, well.

I also saw 'Darkest Hour' last week on my birthday and thought it was outstanding - Gary Oldman was unrecognisable as Churchill.

<BB<

On Saturday I went to a movie with some friends. The movie was "Pitch perfect 3," an appropriate choice given that we all are in singing groups. Plus, I'm a huge fan of Anna Kendrick ["Scrappy little nobody"]. Where else but a Hollywood movie could you expect to see people going onstage cold, without rehearsal, and giving a perfect performance?

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.

The darkest of dark comedies.

With proper laughs in it.

Highly recommended.

(But we warned, there's plenty of violence and as you can see in the trailer, plenty of swearies too)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jit3YhGx5pU

PP.

Having watched all 31 'Carry On' films in the 31 days of January, we watched 'Dunkirk' (2017) yesterday.

<BB<

Went to see 'The Last Jedi' yesterday. Loved it - all the usual action, humour, pathos, conflict, heroics etc plus the familiar great soundtrack. A tad long in places & some remarkable escapes from the carnage of attacked spaceships but hey, it's entertainment!

paulh, what did you think of 'Shape of Water'? We saw a trailer & are thinking of booking for it.

"Shape of water" unnerved me enough that I walked out of it about 3/4 of the way through. Not even the amazing Sally Hawkins could induce me to see it through to the end. Not to worry, Sally was abundantly available in other 2017 movies sch as "Maudie" and "Pdddington 2".

The end of the latest Star Wars movie begged the question of whether there would be a sequel. I thought that some loose ends weren't tied up.

The only movie I saw this week was "Phantom thread." Another strange film, but not until the very end did I fully appreciate its strangeness. But I'm not saying that strange is bad. It's just strange.

Paul

I saw "Mountain Between Us" today with a lump in my throat, my late partner would have loved it for Idris Elba alone, and he was superb - add in the amazing Kate Winslet and the riveting scenery, cute dog, enough danger to keep you on the edge of your seat, I didn't even mind the freezing cold dashing for my car when it was over

10/10 loved it.

Tonight I plan to see "Peter Rabbit."

I'm sure it will be lifelike, featuring rabbits with a huge sense of entitlement. But as long as it's all make believe....

The Shape of Water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFYWazblaUA

I have mixed feelings about this one.

Sally Hawkins was fabulous.

The 'monster' looked as though it had stepped straight out of Stingray:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu4ki6Ajq68

but the whole film had a pleasing graphic novel / comic book feel to it. A little gory in places though.

And there were boobies.

And a nice twist at the end.

PP.

>The end of the latest Star Wars movie begged the question of whether there would be a sequel. I thought that some loose ends weren't tied up.<

It's already well publicised the there will be episodes 7, 8 and 9 made. (original three films being 4,5 and 6). So it's not really a question that is begging. The Last Jedi is episode 8.

Besides, Disney have the Star Wars franchise now, they will NEVER stop making them while people still go.

I still go - I was seven years old when 'Star Wars' first came out - it is easier to break a crack habit than Star Wars for such as me I am discovering

I watched Casablanca on DVD last weekend. It still holds up as a story and as a document of a sad time in history.

Also I realised I'd never seen Toy Story 3 and got the DVD of that as it was going cheap. Of course it drew a few tears, but not in the way I expected. I had really expected it to end like "Now we are six" but the sad part was about 7/8 of the way through and then it took a positive turn and finished on a cheerful note. Heart-warming.

Am looking forward to running through it again with the director's commentary.

"The Last Jedi is episode 8" [Orcus]

I must have miscounted. I thought it was number 9 . Unless they've already filmed 9, someone will need to fill in for Carrie Fisher, who is deceased. Meryl Streep, re you available?