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

I wonder whether 'Jason X' is an unintentional comedy?

If you haven't seen AN, then save yourself for the re-release; this is not a film for video, this demands the big screen. I'm sure that even after over 20 years, and despite the length, it is a cinematic experience not to be missed.

I gather the SW1 DVD is quite a treat, in terms of added value. I'm half tempted to hire it out, but I'm not keen on seeing the JJB creaton again.

I've put a link in my space to a useful page which lists all the official downloads for the next Star Wars movie. This includes the latest 'Mystery' trailer, and it doesn't require the DVD!

There are seven features about the new film, which are also available on the official Star Wars site. They're quite big downloads, but some of them are real interesting.

Hello, Mustapha! I made it back in one piece. Sorry I missed your birthday; better enjoy your 20s while you still can.

I've seen LOTR, of course, and I'm still trying to guess which character was you. Hope your home is more hobbity or elvish, rather than Mount Doomish!

I played Gustav the -Tester to Gimli the Dwarf. Not that I'm actually a dwarf myself you understand, more a human-dwarvish crossbreed.

My home kind of resembles the hobbits' fireworks tent after the two hobbits were done with it.

Oh and feliz anna nueva BTW!

Oh dear, the only crossbreeds in the film were not very nice at all!

I have seen quite a few films in the last few weeks, especially in the days since my return. So, without further ado:

* Spy Game *

I rather liked this one, and not just because of the tasty presence of Mssrs Redford and Pitt. Good story, good characters, nicely paced, tastefully filmed. Gets a top K recommendation.

* Ghost World *

A knew I shouldn't have seen this. Much praised by some reviewers, this was one of the most boring and pathetic films I've seen in a long time, despite the contribution of Steve Buscemi, who is a good actor. The imdb rating of 8.3 is unbelievable; I gave it a generous 3, my lowest of my occasional contributions to their ratings.

* Heist *

Gene Hackman certainly turns out lots of film appearances. This was quite enjoyable, though the plot was uneven. I don;t want to spoil it if you haven't seen it, but I just can't make sense of the shoot out.

* Zoolander *

Didn't expect to like this, due to irritating Ben Stiller, who I didn't like in 'Meet The Parents'. But the film was quite enjoyable, much aided by the contribution from Owen Wilson.

* Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back *

More to it than I thought, but not enough to stretch out over a movie, so quite thin in places. Mildly entertaining.

* Bandits *

One reviewer I heard couldn't stop criticising this film. But he entirely missed the point at every level, because it's quite engaging. I am, of course, well disposed to Mr Willis. I'd see this one again.

* The 51st State *

I'm sure I can enjoy this much more now after living here for a few years. Bit of an odd one, this. Nice use of US-Brit cultural clashes, and plenty of mindless action. Meatloaf makes an interesting appearance.

* The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring *

What can I say? Haven't read the books, but the film was absorbing, the characters rich, the breadth of vision almost overwhelming. Not without its flaws, and probably doesn't deserve the no. 1 slot at the imdb, but it certainly delivers, and I'll be looking forward to the next installment. The multiplexes have been full, show after show, even after over two weeks. Wouldn't be surprised if this films paid for all three on its own.

* The Deep End *

Strong performances, but not a convincing story line. Left me somewhat unsatisfied.

* Serendipity *

Turn brain off, enjoy romantic comdey nonsense. Alright, if you like that sort of thing; which, in this case, I do!

* Mean Machine *

Vehicle for Vinny Jones. A vehicle which needed more work on it than this contrived stuff. Enjoyable in parts, but ultimately nowhere near the league of 'Two Barrels...' and 'Snatch'.


This weekend brought the US idealisation of the military to the fore:

* The Last Castle *

Even bad soldiers are really good. This film did badly back in the States. It's ok, but just a little too contrived. Some people I spoke to weren't keen on the whole idea of US military boys having jails.

* Behind Enemy Lines *

This is the US military as people would really like it to be. No bad guys. Always win in the end. Maybe Hollywood stands to lose too much, in terms of access, if it 'badmouths' the military. More than that, people don't like it.

Owen Wilson fared much better in this film than I would have expected. Gene Hackman was gruff and tough. I enjoyed the film, except for the predictable ending.


'Black Hawk Down' opens soon (brought forward by the distributors). Might give that one a miss. I'll definitely be giving 'Mulholland Drive' a miss - sounds too kooky. I couldn't bring myself to attempt the 220 minutes of 'Apocalypse Now - Redux'. At the moment, I'm looking forward to 'Vanilla Sky', 'The One' and 'Monsters Inc.'.

I loved Monsters Inc and I've already seen it twice, hoping to go back for a third. The little girl is absolutely adorable.

Vanilla Sky was like Total Recall without Arnold Schwarzenegger - which isn't as great as it sounds.

Zoolander wasn't too bad - thought the gas station frolics to the tune of Wham! was hilarious. It was good to see Stiller in a different role - he's pretty much cornered the "frustrated and angry young man" type.

Rockstar was decidedly average with not nearly enough hard rock music on the soundtrack despite its pretensions. Certainly no comparison with Almost Famous.

Apart from Harry Potter and Fellowship of the Ring, there haven't been too many films through NP. Mainly due to Harry Potter and Fellowship of the Ring both being shown on two screens at a time.

Saw 13 Days on video - I assume the title refers to how long it takes to watch. Nothing special - everyone trying to do "the right thing".

Saw The Contender on video as well - light years away from 13 Days in terms of sheer quality.

Saw O Brother Where Art Thou again on video and enjoyed it more the second time round. So much so I bought the soundtrack and I've ordered a CD by a contributing group, The Fairfield Four.

Ocean's 11 is out this week and I'm looking forward to it. Rat Race is also out but it doesn't look particularly appetising.

Oh well, there's always Monsters Inc or Fellowship!

I haven't seen 'Total Recall' - is it worth a trip to the rental shop?

I've seen Fellowship twice now!

The 'Rat Race' trailer is a turn-off. But nothing could be more off-putting and repulsive than the trailer for the forthcoming Ali-G movie. Not funny. But then, neither is he.

Agreed. No argument from me will be forthcoming on the over-rated, over-inflated celebrity of Ali G.

And ditto on seeing Fellowship twice. Though a number of my friends are already one up on me. I didn't pick up much more on the second viewing, but I didn't enjoy it any less either.

Total Recall - hmmm. Probably should be seen at least once though it will look a little dated in fx technology. Arnie is at the height of his powers and Paul Verhoeven does what he does best (violence and misanthropic visions of the capitalist, media-saturated future). The finale looks just a tad ridiculous but for the most part it is worth a look.

Great cast, great heist scene - but why do I feel so unimpressed and unmoved by the whole experience?

In spite of all the critical praise lumped on this one, this feels like a distinctly average film, certainly compared with so many great ones that I've seen recently.

Simply MUST see Monsters Inc again...

The review of O11 I read was downbeat. But I'm still looking forward to seeing it.

We've got an uninspiring lot this week: 'Domestic Disturbance', which is short if promising nothing else; 'The Affair of the Necklace'; 'Evil Woman', which is not really a new release at all; 'Rock Star', which was panned in The Times; 'Soul Survivors', which is not my kind of film; 'Last Orders', which sounds so dreary; and 'Rat Race' - I'll have a double lobotomy before you'll drag me to see that one!

I was seething yesterday whilst browsing thru the imbd. The latest review of A.I., posted by some total jerk, has the mind-numbing audacity to compare it to Robin Williams' murder of The Bicentennial Man. If I were Mr Spielberg, I'd set the lawyers on him.

I was checking out 'The Sixth Sense' again yesterday, and thinking how much the film score added to the enjoyment right from the title sequence. Written by someone called James Newton Howard, who did the score for 'Unbreakable' too.

Well, I'd been putting off that double lobotomy for too long, so I thought I'd go to Rat Race. Not *quite* as bad as I thought it might be, a few laughs, but certainly not great by any stretch of the imagination or meddling of the medulla.

Which is a bloody shame when you think about the cast: Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese, Jon Lovitz, Cuba Gooding Jr, Seth Green, Kathy Najimy. What a complete waste.

Also saw Reindeer Games on video. Not bad, not great but not bad, lots of double and triple crosses and shades of Guy Ritchie from film veteran John Frankenheimer. The appearance of Dennis Farina also makes one think of Snatch.

Your mention of 'Snatch' reminds me that I saw your 'Stickmen' dvd in the rental shop - but I haven't decided whether to get it yet.

Saw 'Domestic Disturbance'; have to agree with The Times - it was okay if you were treating it as a TV movie, but probably not worth a trip to the cinema. Although the plot was fairly predictable, it at least avoided some clichés. The kid was played well, but his respoone to going back home with his stepfather was har to swallow.

'The Affair of the Necklace' just didn't quite hit the spot. All very 'period' and nicely shot, but maybe the story line wasn't up to it.

'Rock Star' was panned by The Times. I think they got it wrong, we enjoyed it. Several laughs, seemed to catch something of the genre, and all credit to Mark W for his performance.

I thought the soundtrack was a bit weak and didn't really catch the flavour of the whole poodle rock genre, a couple of Def Leppard standards and an AC/DC number. They could have been a lot more adventurous - compare it with the awesome soundtracks from Almost Famous or Grosse Point Blank.

I give my tip of the hat to Jennifer Aniston, I didn't quite buy her as the sort to hang around rock & roll cover bands, but comedy really suits her. Great timing and delivery.

Shallow Hal starts tomorrow - I'm ambivalent about this but my shallow and unenlightened mates seem quite eager to see it. I'm surprised that the Farrelly Bros are able to get these hot, up-and-coming actresses (Gwyneth Paltrow, Heather Graham, Cameron Diaz) to slum it in their gutter-humour movies. What am I doing wrong? Please tell me...

Despite appearances, reviews I read back in the States were generally of surprise at how 'Shallow Hal' was not such a shallow movie.

I saw 'The Fifth Element' on dvd, not having seen it since it came out. Well, it hasn't lost its uniqueness! Has Chris Tucker no shame?

Well, the man did play a gerbil in Dr Doolittle so I think that speaks for itself.

Could that be how the French see Prince? Certainly 5th Element is very much like a French Star Wars, and the hand of Euro-comic genius of Moebius is very much evident in the design of the characters and scenery.

Was forced to watch Beautiful Creatures (starring Mummy's Rachel Weisz) on DVD the other day by a bunch of male friends who were expecting a lot more T&A than they actually got. Kind of like a British Thelma & Louise - very violent and weird. The finale is particularly messy.

Been tempted to try Stickmen yet?

I don't know - how bad are the bad bits, in terms of violence, etc?

The only new film of interest next week is 'Iris' - but I don't think I'll enjoy it that much.

Stickmen - nothing particularly gratuitous in terms of sex or violence. You should look it up on IMDB and click on the NZ rating at the bottom for similarly rated movies.

Saw Shallow Hal. Not quite as shallow as the trailers imply, at least to my mind. Not quite as cruel as Me, Myself & Irene, and Say It Isn't So (again not to my mind). However it isn't a very meaty movie and not quite in the same class as Something About Mary (although the endings are similar).

Also saw 15 Minutes on DVD - if you look at it through the eyes of a journalist, (and a TV journo no less) it takes on a different perspective. The violence against women still disturbs me though. Even better were the two short documentaries about Tabloid TV and profiting off crime (with Mark Fuhrman no less), recommended discussion material for any journalism students.

I don't think I liked '15 Minutes', as I recall.

The only movie I saw this week (avoiding 'Black Hawk Down'), was 'In The Bedroom'. Much loved by critics, now being heavily pushed by its distributor for the Oscars.

Don't bother! Leave it until it's out for rental. It's soooooo sloooooow. At over 2 hours, it's an ordeal that some of the audience couldn't face, so off they went. Even if they edited it down to an hour it would be slow.

Yeah, the acting is good, but just what is the point? Not entertainment or enlightenment, surely.

Did you say DVD? Hey, when did you get hi-tech?

When my friend decided to blow his meagre radio journalist's pay check on a new entertainment system!

Only thing is, he has neither the time nor the inclination for going to the video store and checking out the DVDs. So naturally he delegates that responsibility to a singular authority on the subject - yours truly.

It was all rather amusing - as soon as he got it all set up, he said "Come over and watch a DVD and listen to it on my marvellous new sound system".

An hour later, he said "I'm sure there's something very simple that we've missing..."

To be fair, it took a professional 90 minutes to figure out what was wrong. Apparently.

Behind Enemy Lines & Jay & Silent Bob this week...

We've got 'Vanilla Ice Cream' this week with Tom Fudgesauce and Cameron Maplesyrup. Or something!