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

h2g2 is not the same when you're not around. Are you real busy, or "chillin' out" somewhere nice?

The former.

It's now 11:30pm and I'm busy writing up tomorrow morning's news. Not just for myself, mind you, but for a colleague, a radio journo. It's a quid pro quo sort of arrangement.



It suddenly occurs to me that it's been ages since I had a good (well, ok, a fortnight).

Great to hear from you. I've seen a million films since we last 'spoke', so I'm positively bursting with critical appraisal!

"All rest and no play..."

"... makes Mustapha very sleepy."

Can't be fagged writing any proper reviews at the moment, but here's a quick round-up of what I've seen (off the top of my addled brain):

* Shrek - 2nd viewing, still great
* Bridget Jones' Diary - excellent, all round esp Renee Zellweger. Found particular empathy with the character due to her profession. Found a certain empathy with Firth's character as we both seem to be self-control freaks. Interesting to note that Firth and Grant are very much playing typecast roles.
* Final Fantasy - Great animation, good cast, but like many Japanese based animations suffers from being completely unintelligible to an uninitiated Western audience.
* The Animal - formulaic and silly but that didn't prevent it from getting a laugh or two out of me
* Exit Wounds - a B-Grade actioner throwback to the late 80s, the best bit being the talkshow dialogue at the end

Also on video
* Boiler Room - very good stuff, good work all round. Like the transition from unlicenced casino operator to stock market trader. Incidentally the next day it was revealed the South Taranaki District Council had lost about $4m in its equities investments.

Exit Wounds - I liked this more than just about everyone else. One of the underated films of the year, along with Get Over It.

BJD - part of me wants to be like her, but the other 99.5% doesn't!

Boiler Room - saw this in the cinema, must confess I was disappointed, bored even. Probably more suited to video.

Cats & Dogs - go with kids, but not as bad for adults as some reviewers claim.

Jurassic Park III - what a yawn. Major disappointment. Lousy. I want my money back!

Intimacy - don't care what anyone else says, I think the 'unprecedened graphic sex scenes', which has become a major promotional point, were in fact gratuitous. They kinda spoiled what could have been a good film (bit too long).

Rush Hour 2 - call me light-headed, but I laughed along with nearly the whole theater. Dumb idea for a film, but great for a laugh, and worked really well.

Kiwi Alert re: Intimacy - one of the participants in those 'unprecedented graphic sex scenes', Kerry Fox, is a NZ-born actress. She has (or at least 'had' depending on how this film is received) a certain amount of respect and mana as an expat Kiwi.

Additional Kiwi alert. Rumours are (and that's all they are at this stage and IMHO all they ever will be) that Warner Bros is interested in using Taranaki as a location for a big blockbuster. Of course, as with a story of this nature, a spat has broken out over the release of any details, no matter how scant. According to one source, Tnk is being eyed up along with Taupo (a major tourist destination) and Canada. However attempts to confirm with WB have drawn a blank.

Oh and I can't believe they're calling Star Wars Ep 2 - Attack of the Clones.

Big blockbuster? - I'd get your Cv ready and brush up your tap dancing!

Yeah, there's been a lot of grumbling about the title of SW2 - but titles have changed before: Return of the Jedi was originally Revenge of the Jedi.

This will be the best of the SW 123 films; 1 was no good, and 3 has to finish at 4, if you get my drift.

Have you checked out the new trailer for Jet Li's 'The One'?

BTW, I saw the Ice Age trailer at the cinema; though the download was good, on the big screen it was brilliant.

Ooh, I forgot 'Swordfish' - which says it all, really!

Tonight, 'High heels and low lives' - that's the film, not my lifestyle!

Had the afternoon off so I went and saw Heartbreakers - my brain is only just beginning to wake up.

No comparison with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels or The Grifters.

And I don't what all the fuss about Jennifer Love-Hewitt is.

Me neither!

We've got Final Fantasy on the way later this week, and some Brit comedy called The Parole Officer. Next week the Apes arrive!

Apes are here today!

Probably have to wait a day to see it though - some big meetings to cover tomorrow.

Don't know if you've come across this, but the three musketeers are getting an update, with sota fight seqences, in the imaginatively named 'The Musketeer' (trailer available in the usual place).

Just wait till they decide to remake Yellow Submarine and Summer Holiday!

What about the Young One's version of Summer Holiday?

"Look out, CLIFF!!!"

I had a look at The Musketeer's cast list, looks like a very European affair, n'est-ce pas?

I remember Jeremy Clyde from the very odd series Crossbow...

Let me get the title right: "High heels and low lifes". And what a dumb title. The film was ok, I guess, but a bit stupid. The direction was uneven, and the characters difficult to believe.

I've only seen the odd clip from the Young One's. My guess is that it was, er, an acquired taste!

Should I steer clear of Heartbreakers? Only, Sigourney Weaver is someone I quite admire.

She plays her part well, but the film's no comparison to the ones I mentioned earlier. Sig Weaver, Gene Hackman, Ray Liotta - waste of a cast.

Even more disappointing was I had the whole cinema to myself.

Gene Hackman is hard to like, though he's done some great acting.

Sorry, but were you the only person in the cinema? Did you go by yourself?

Yeah, it was the middle of the afternoon, I'd finished the news so I had some time to kill.

Would it have made a difference had I been in company? No, I don't think so...

Oh, but you're so lucky. I mean, it's just about impossible for a woman to go by herself. I wouldn't dare!

Why be shackled by society's expectations of you as a woman?

You go, girl!

Er, not that easy. Apart from the way people would look at me, you must remember that there's lots of horrible people in this world who might just want to try their luck with a woman who goes to the cinema by herself.

I can honestly say I've never seen a woman on her own. And I just don't think I could do it. You're so lucky!