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

'Gender busting', Ferrettbadger? Didn't notice any cross-dressing.

Just watched "Evolution".

Enjoyed it very much as candyfloss easy-watching.

But had to be gagged by my fellow watchers to stop picking holes in the plot/ science.

Loved the music and soundtrack.

Just watched The St Trinians Great Train Robbery - fantastic rippingly hilarious stuff.

Totally dated, of course.

The Gruesome Twosome didn't understand a word of the "cockney" or the received pronunciation, so I had to translate, but it was fantastic. I'm looking for the others on DVD now.

Last night we watched The Cook, The Thief his Wife and Her Lover on dvd - first time for Noggin. He wasn't sure if he liked it. I last saw it 15 years ago at the cinema and thought it was visually amazing. Storyline perhaps a bit heavy-handed on the 'symbolism' but I still enjoyed it second-time-round. Gorgeous, even sumptuous, sets, music by Nyman, clothes by Gautier . . . quite good.

PC - I thought you had seen I Huckabees before - isn't it just wonderful? Such a take-off on practically everything you could think of. Very clever and great performances, even by Jude, who only lost his American accent in one scene.

Meanwhile, gotta disagree with you about The Ladykillers - total stinker. Though I agree with you that the Coen Brothers are very hit and miss.

Broken Flowers was also snoresville to me - and Jarmusch is my fave director of all time. But this one just didn't work for me, especially with Bill Murray re-non-acting his non-acting 'Lost in Translation' performance. Don't get me wrong - I love Bill Murray - just not in Broken Flowers.

az

>Don't get me wrong - I love Bill Murray - just not in Broken Flowers.
<

And oddly, I usually don't care for Bill Murray.

The other film I tried really hard to like but couldn't was "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". People whose tastes normally run very similarly to mine enjoyed it very much. I could barely keep my eyes open.

I didn't much like "Lost in Translation", either, Azahar, though I can't quite put my finger on *why*.

<

For me that film was simply 'okay'. Basicaly nuthin special but also not bad.

Same with Lost in Translation.

I like Bill Murray in specific comic roles, as in Groundhog Day.


az

"Roving Mars", the IMAX production by Disney telling the story of two robotic rovers looking for signs of life, or at least water, on Mars.

Overall a pretty good IMAX experience, a blend of live action from the little-seen NASA backrooms with state-of-the-art 3D animation. The challenges in such a long distance mission are well explained, from the landing parachute test failures to the "packaging" aspects of such an elaborate device into a small, light bundle which can survive the "bounce" landing. The concern was so great (several earlier Mars attempts had failed) that NASA sent two rovers, three weeks apart - both were successful.

I thought the narration was a little too breathless, "the vastness of space", "adjusting the 'bravery' of the little rover (to climb over big rocks)", etc. For me, NASA long ago lost its lily-white image and became a political animal, thirsty for ever-increasing funds via over-the-top press releases ("Only the Fourth Shuttle landing on a Thursday!"). And yet unable to fly even repetitive, low altitude Shuttle missions, much less manned moon missions (men to Mars???). I suspect the government's ongoing support is more politically contractor/lobbyist related (NASA was careful to spread its centers over lots of big states), together with CIA input (abandoning the Hubble Space Telescope, secret payloads, looking DOWN from the Shuttle rather than out at the stars). Not to mention recent reports that the Bush political appointees try to stifle NASA scientists regarding global warming, the Big Bang "theory", etc. OK, call me cynical, my wife does ...

But still, I support robotic missions where science is put above political goals. The Mars rovers represent what NASA should be doing, IMHO. And, of course, its a movie with a wide audience including many kids, so some bits of Hollywood are OK. I guess.

What *has* Bill Murray done recently that's any good? So far as I can see, they've all been pretty mediocre. Didn't think much of Lost In Translation, frankly I wondered what all the hoo-ha was about. Was Groundhog Day his last good movie? (Discuss...)

I'm currently watching Liam Neeson in Under Suspicion, a small britflick movie he made before he got famous. It's not bad.

RF

Of the past five years, I've enjoyed seeing Murray in The Royal Tennembaums, The Life Aquatic and Lost In Translation.

Which reminds me, must buy Bottle Rocket.

I've just seen half of Munich. Damn thing cut out half way through, but I liked what I saw of it.

I didn't see The Life Aquatic, but I didn't think much of him in the other two.

Meh. I think he used to be funny. Then he got all serious, and, well, he just hasn't done anything I've enjoyed. I'm not sure that it's because he's not up to it, I just think he's making some choices about films which don't appeal to me. Other people seem to think he's good...I just don't.

RF

I finally got around to watching the Importance of Being Ernest that I recorded at christmas - with Judi Dench, Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Reece Witherspoon. Thought it was fabulous!

saw chicken little.. had to be done!!! enjoyable lively but with the usual strong moral running thru it....the chicken was done wrong!!!

interesting kids film trailers shown... a shaggy dog, film starring tim allen who gets changed into a shaggy dog... certainly looked funny... then another disney pixar called the wild...which seemed like another version of madagascar...4 zoo animals in new york zoo.. agiraffe, a lion, can't remember the other 2.. was it a gnu?

anyway similar story one gets captured and sent away and others follow it....could this be the biggest rip off since a bugs life and antz?? but its the same film company which makes it all the more bizarre...

also saw secrets and lies... the mike leigh film of a few years ago... riveting stuff...but so tragic.. and not sure wether the wonderful brenda blethyn was over acting or not????????? upbeat ending though

We got "Delicatessen" out, first time for the boggits and him indoors, they all thought it was "Kind of Interesting" HA!

*stumps off chuntering about giving pigs cherries*

"Lost in Translation" was so-so, "The Royal Tennenbaums" was good. I haven't seen "The Life Aquatic" as of yet, but have heard a lot of good reviews from friends.

I never thought much of Bill Murray, I pretty much associated him with unwatchably bad stuff like "Groundhog Day". Of course, maybe that has less to do with his actual acting ability and more to do with his historically being cast in roles/films that could never have been remotely entertaining, no matter who was in them. Because over the past few years, I've enjoyed watching films he's in.

Watched "Master of the Flying Guillotine" over the weekend, as well as "Alucarda". Both enjoyable weekend fare. If anyone else has seen "Master of the Flying Guillotine", do you know why hte film get switching from dubbing to subtitles? It didn't bother us- we found it quite amusing- but I'm curious as to the reason behind it.

"Delicatessen", the Marc Caro film? That one's brilliant! Can't find it anywhere to buy it, but when I do...

i know its no use to you psycho candy but i think i've seen delicatessen in our central library... they also have the city of lost children also by same guy???

which i took out cos sexy ron perlman is in it....they come under world cinema...very bizarre film.. sure i've seen delicatessen some years ago.....

good luck with locating it... i might hire it and have a look see

I loved 'City of Lost Children', too. Your library isn't close enough to me to do me much good , but I'm sure I'll locate a copy eventually.

I've just received a lovely gift- another fantastically entertaining film, "Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311361/ . It's so bad, it's awesome. Can't wait to get it home and watch it again!

i watched blade 11, pulp fiction and kill bill both vols.

blade 11 ok but not exactly good pulp fiction was great (but

im seriouly beggining to question tarantino as a genius director)

and kill bill was completely amazing the stunts were fabulous and it

looks great (which is, after all, the point of martial arts movies)

so the fact that there was no real discernable plot didnt bother me too

much

Whoah! I knew they'd made a sequel, but didn't realise they'd got into double digits.

You know when you walk into a room and completely forget why you went in?

I watched Revenge of The Sith this afternoon.

I've been walking around doing impressions of Darth Vader since.