http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/home/home.html/102-7203241-7411311

I'm trying to keep an open mind, but that looks spectacularly unpromising.....

It looks real...Star War-sy.

And a character named Zaphod seems to be missing his second head.

And a character named Zaphod seems to be missing his second head.

Brain the size of a planet and you missed it. Right after Arthur says "What exactly are we doing," Zaphod shows his second head (it's under his first one).

Star War-sy, Chris? That about covers every sci-fi movie made since 1975. Besides Alan Rickman's doing the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android.

Me, I liked what I saw and I have my towel packed and ready to go.

Jim

I too liked it.


I know it will not meet my hopes as this is one of my favorite stories of all time. But the trailer didn't have me swearing up and down as other movies (Read X-Men) did.

I laughed a couple times which is a good sign in a trailer. I think it has a sort of oddball look about it that makes it different enough. I'll give it a go.

John O.

I don't mean it looks bad - I guess I'm thinking of the BBC series with fondness, and the "ring-explosion-of-the-planet" is such a CGI cliche. I like the tone - this is a movie where I'd be going for the characters, not the effects.

Brain the size of a planet and you missed it. Right after Arthur says "What exactly are we doing," Zaphod shows his second head (it's under his first one).

Watched it on the crappy computer at work. I was lucky just to be able to see the third arm! Gotta go now, the computer's almost out of kerosene. :p

As I said, I'll try to keep an open mind, but to paraphase ChrisW it doesn't look very Douglas Adam-sy. At least it looks like they got Trillian right this time, to me that was the weak link in the BBC series.

And the black Ford Prefect just seems a little too Pc and too Disney. Looks like Lando Calrissian all over again.

Neat-o I'll have to see it !!! :thumbsup:

And the black Ford Prefect just seems a little too Pc and too Disney.
That was sort of my initial reaction, but I think he does match the description of Ford as particularly nondescript (no pun intended, I think). Once you get past the name "Mos Def," at least.

Qapla'

SSB

I didn't realize that was Mos Def in the clip, he was very good in HBO's "Something the Lord Made", so it's nothing against him.

My impression, from reading the book at least 42 times , watching the BBC TV version, and listening to the radio version, was that Arthur and Ford were a couple of pasty-faced-thirty-something British white guys. In fact, a lot of the comedy came from their reactions to events as pasty-faced-thirty-something British white guys.

Making Ford a young black guy, whether an aesthetic or commercial decision, just seems wrong IMHO. I could see someone like Don Cheadle, or stretching it a bit, Samuel Jackson as Ford, since Ford has to explain a lot of whats going on, it should be someone with a great voice, regardless of race.

I hope I'm wrong, I really hope this will be a great version of "Hitchhiker", especially since it's the last one Douglas Adams participated in.

My impression, from reading the book at least 42 times , watching the BBC TV version, and listening to the radio version, was that Arthur and Ford were a couple of pasty-faced-thirty-something British white guys. In fact, a lot of the comedy came from their reactions to events as pasty-faced-thirty-something British white guys.

The book/TV show/radio program were all produced at a time when a pasty faced Englishman like Arthur would have been unlikely to meet someone like Ford socially. Moving the story forward to present day doesn't alter the story line one bit but it would make Arthur's friendship with a black Ford Prefect completely natural.

And I'd disagree that a lot of comedy came from their reactions as pasty faced white guys. It came from Arthur's reaction as a pasty faced white guy and Ford's reaction as "Mr. Cool."

In my book (the HHGG, of course), Mos Def works great for Ford Prefect.

Jim

And I'd disagree that a lot of comedy came from their reactions as pasty faced white guys. It came from Arthur's reaction as a pasty faced white guy and Ford's reaction as "Mr. Cool."


OK, maybe "very British" is a better description than "pasty face white guys". And though undoubtably a cooler frood, to me at least Ford's attitude and reactions are still very, very British. I did like the guy who played him in the BBC version.

And remember that Ford Prefect is, in fact, not British. He's from a planet near Betelguese, if I remember correctly.

I wonder if they'll pick up the idea that he doesn't blink very often ...

Qapla'

SSB

I wonder if they'll pick up the idea that he doesn't blink very often ...

Qapla'

SSB

Michael Moore noticed the exact same thing about Steve Forbes, as an emergency room doctor pointed out, nobody human goes two minutes without blinking.

Michael Moore noticed the exact same thing about Steve Forbes, as an emergency room doctor pointed out, nobody human goes two minutes without blinking.
Steve Forbes is only half-alien, like Spock and Troi. Malcolm hailed from another world.

Qapla'

SSB

I hope that they use the same theme music for the movie, that was in the radio/TV series.

I hope that they use the same theme music for the movie, that was in the radio/TV series.

Which was (for all you trivia buffs) "Voyage of the Sorcerer" by The Eagles off the the "One of these Nights" album)

Jim

regarding the casting, adams said that as long as arthur was british, the nationality/ethnicity of the others didnt matter.

i was wondering about zaphods second head too, but it seems to be under his first one and they sort of flip over one another.... i guess they though just having them next to each other was too "ho-hum" in this fx jaded time

im dubious about this one... the only thing "wrong" with the tv series was a low budget (although it was huge in bbc terms). it was a marvelous adaptation, with a great understanding of the medium.

The link appears to no longer go directly to any trailer link. Instead it keeps bringing me to a page w/the "New Amazon Prime" announcement. :rolleyes: Can anyone post a direct link? I've tried a search, but to no avail. Would appreciate some assistance. :)

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Jeffrey Griffin
Griffworks Shipyards (http://members.aol.com/Griffworks/shipyards.html)

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Star Trek Scale Modeling WebRing (http://q.webring.com/hub?ring=startrekscalemod)

http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com/trailers/index.html

...the "ring-explosion-of-the-planet" is such a CGI cliche
This morning, I got a chance to see it again on the idiot box and the ring you may be referring to appears to be thousands of Vogon brick ships surrounding the earth in a spherical formation before and after the "urban renewal".
(Not trying to one-up ya, so please don't take it that way ;) )

Muchos grabyerass! I appreciate it! Should've done a Google search, I guess.

Thanks again!

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Jeffrey Griffin
Griffworks Shipyards (http://members.aol.com/Griffworks/shipyards.html)

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Star Trek Scale Modeling WebRing (http://q.webring.com/hub?ring=startrekscalemod)

Well, I waited almost two hours to DL only half of the trailer this morning. Dialup sux.... :rolleyes:

Anyhow, I like what I saw! Is the guy playing Arthur the same dude from "Love, Actually" who played the Porno Dude? Looks to be the same guy, if memory serves. And while I, too, pictured Ford Prefect as being a White Guy, I have no problems w/Mos Def playing Ford. I like what I've seen of him in other movies and think he works out quite well. :thumbsup:

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Jeffrey Griffin
Griffworks Shipyards (http://members.aol.com/Griffworks/shipyards.html)

* * * * * *

Star Trek Scale Modeling WebRing (http://q.webring.com/hub?ring=startrekscalemod)

I'm cautiously optimistic but for Zaphod's flip-top second head. There's no good reason for that, and it looks bloody awful. Otherwise...

Consider that a short trailer that needs to appeal to everyone is not an ideal format for Adam's humor, and what we saw at least shows a visual flair with some of tatse of Adam's whimsy (especially the brief glimpse of Malkovich). Hard to tell whether the actors will live up, but the glimpse is promising.

... Zaphod's flip-top second head. There's no good reason for that, and it looks bloody awful.
Not as awful as the TV show;)
IMHO it's an acceptable compromise ... judging by recent effects extraganzas, adding any kind of effects head on an actor's shoulder everytime he's onscreen would require a movie budget on its own.

I saw a longer trailer on Tv today, Mos Def was pretty convincing. I was afraid it was going to be "Snoop Dog in Outer Space", but it looks like Mos is playing it pretty faithful to the book.

Still can't tell who the voice of the book is tho!

Still can't tell who the voice of the book is tho!
http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000410/