Hitchhikers guide & the Chocolate factory

[DragonRose]

Zor: Yay! Someone else who's read the Dirk Gently novels!

Einoo:

Spoiler

1. Seeing as in the trailer Arthur's house is destroyed, we can assume that the bulldozer bit occurs.
2. He wears the dressing gown in every shot in the trailer, so it's a good chance that will be so.
3. Stephen Fry is credited as playing the voice of "The Book." In other words he's the narrator.

[close]

Is it April yet? How about now?

[PaulSC]

I'd be more excited about the Chocolate Factory film if it wasn't for the fact that Burton's last truly great film was probably Ed Wood, and that was what? Ten or eleven years ago?

I'm actually much more excited about his stop-motion Nightmare Before Christmas follow-up "The Corpse Bride"

[Grundislav]

Not to mention there is no set "canon" for Hitchhiker's Guide.  Remember, the books came after the original radio series.  This movie isn't going to follow the book exactly, just like the tv series didn't, just like the book wasn't exactly the same as the radio series.

I have faith that the movie will be good, but we'll see.

[jetxl]

I anticipate these films, but I don't have skyscraper high expectations.
I just hope the film will contain some fun.

It's like a Dutch critic once said,"I want to see great films with great actors. But if the actors aren't great, then they better be naked."

[Adamski]

Back to Hitch Hikers...

3) Try to have a NARRATOR! This will really allow them to include the funniest bits of the book (like the comparison form the Encyclopedia Galactica to the Guide about alcohol)>

The 'narrator' thing struck me as one of the problems with translating the book to a visual medium (aka the tv series), because most of the book is essentially narration. To make this work you have to take all sorts of compromises, and the visual aspect seemed to detract from the brilliance of the writing.

Incidently, the screenplay was written by someone who's not read the books and wanted to fill in the gaps in the radio series.

Remember, the books came after the original radio series.

All sorts of conflicting information in my head! I thought the first book was written before the radio show, and after that Adams went back and rewrote stuff. And the publishers released it in an unfinished state because they couldn't be bothered to wait any more months for him to finish writing the damn thing?

[Blackthorne]

I'm actually much more excited about his stop-motion Nightmare Before Christmas follow-up "The Corpse Bride"

Dear sweet lord........ a follow-up to The Nightmare Before Christmas....... holy christ..... WHY?  DEAR GOD WHY?  That's almost as appaling as "Pooh's Heffalump Movie".....


Anyhoo, I saw Constantine last night, and the Hitch-hiker's trailer ran before it.  The audience loved it - and I gotta say, on the big screen, it seems impressive.  Should be funny, and a blast.

Bt

[c.leksutin]

...Anyhoo, I saw Constantine last night...

And how was Constantine anyway? it looks fairly interesting, but it will be strange to Reeves in a movie where he might have some dialouge thats more then 3 line or: "what do I do? how will I know?  choice..."  and of course "woah!"


C.

[Blackthorne]

...Anyhoo, I saw Constantine last night...

And how was Constantine anyway? it looks fairly interesting, but it will be strange to Reeves in a movie where he might have some dialouge thats more then 3 line or: "what do I do? how will I know?Ã,  choice..."Ã,  and of course "woah!"


C.

Constantine was okay.  Reeves was his typical self, though there were a few points in which he showed SOME kind of emotion.

It was the usual melding of The Occult, Theology, Christian Mythlogy and Action Flick. 
Kind of like "The Exorcist" meets "Hellboy" meets "The Matrix".   I did dig Shia LaBeouf in it, and Rachel Weisz is always beautiful.  It's entertainment, nothing more.

Bt

[LGM]

Just what I wanted it to be! I want to go see it, but theaters are big burglars

[veryweirdguy]

Remember, the books came after the original radio series.

All sorts of conflicting information in my head! I thought the first book was written before the radio show, and after that Adams went back and rewrote stuff. And the publishers released it in an unfinished state because they couldn't be bothered to wait any more months for him to finish writing the damn thing?

I always heard that the radio series came first, but I have no proof whatsoever, so perhaps you are right...

I'm not really a Stephen Fry fan, but I think he is a better choice for the voice of "the book" than many, they certainly could have done a lot worse (although I have already typed my feelings towards "the book" on the big screen, so I'm not gonna repeat myself ).

I have also read Dirk Gently....just the first one I believe (fairly recently), though I may have started the other one and given up early on because I didn't like it (there were only two, right?). Having been a big Hitchhiker fan for several years, I had fairly high expectations for Dirkyboy, but I found I was quite disappointed. There are some clever ideas in there, but I did not think they were tied together well enough for it to be an interesting story. The complete randomness was less....random in Hitchhiker.

For example:

Spoiler

I liked the creature in the third (?) HH book who ends up being killed by Arthur in every on eof his lives, and how is was actually introduced as a plant pot before this. I don't know if he was originally planned, but I liked how this was "explained" a little. All the pieces of the plan seem to come together well, as well as at the VERY end of the fifth...even if it is a little depressing as Einoo says.

[close]

And I think they might do what they did with the TV series & end it at the end of the second book. This leaves the floor open for a sequel, but also porvides a fairly satisfying ending otherwise. Unless they plan to do all five books seperately in true "Hollywood sequel money machine" fashion.

Still...hopes remain optimistic.....at a distance....

[PaulSC]

Nightmare Before Christmas is terrific and my mind automatically rejects all statements to the contrary.

As for who I think should've played the guide... I always thought Richard Briers would've been a good choice, because he generally has a very similar tone to the guy who originally played the book in the radio and tv versions (Peter Jones?).

And the radio series definately came first.

[TheYak]

Regardless of what came first, at least Douglas Adams wrote the screenplay before he expired.  Here's hoping the people adapting it to current film standards don't flub it up too much.  And for those of you who haven't done the text adventure, the BBC has a couple editions online with static graphics (although the best way to play is in the old-school DOS, take it with you to work/school).  http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/gallery_game.shtml

[Redwall]

I have also read Dirk Gently....just the first one I believe (fairly recently), though I may have started the other one and given up early on because I didn't like it (there were only two, right?). Having been a big Hitchhiker fan for several years, I had fairly high expectations for Dirkyboy, but I found I was quite disappointed. There are some clever ideas in there, but I did not think they were tied together well enough for it to be an interesting story. The complete randomness was less....random in Hitchhiker.

Actually, Dirk Gently is much less random than H2G2, but most of the connections aren't revealed until the end, and you have to really pay attention to get some of them. Both Dirk Gently books are pure genius, IMHO.

[Snarky]

Jesus, people! It's not like this information is obscure. Instead of making random guesses, why don't you just look up "hitchhiker's guide" on Google or Wikipedia?

The radio show came first, then the book. Then all sorts of other things including a play, a TV series, a record, a computer game, four sequels, a script book, and piles of money. All of it (except for the money) is mutually inconsistent.

If you really want the whole sordid history of HGTTG, Neil Gaiman wrote a book called "Don't Panic!" that tracks down every single incarnation.

Although Adams wrote a movie script (in fact, he wrote many different scripts), the finished version they're using in the film was written by someone else: Karey Kirkpatrick (mainly). He certainly did read the books. (If there's one thing I've learned from the Internet, it's that anytime someone accuses a scriptwriter of not having read the books, they turn out to be wrong.)

[Blackthorne]

(If there's one thing I've learned from the Internet, it's that anytime someone accuses a scriptwriter of not having read the books, they turn out to be wrong.)

They're doing an ADAPTATION!  Of course they have to read the books!  Do you think they just sit in a room like this.....

PRODUCER:  Well, see - there's this guy, who knows this other guy who's an Alien......
SCREENWRITER:  Okay, okay.  What are their names?
PRODUCER: Oh, shit.... uh, Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect.
SCREENWRITER:  Oh, can I rename them Zap Westinghouse and Porsche Ferarri.  Those sound hotter.
PRODUCER: I dunno, let me as the PA down the hall - he's got enough zits that I'm sure he's read the novel....
SCREENWRITER: There's a NOVEL of this idea?  Brilliant!
PRODUCER:  I know.  The cross promotion is gonna be great.

--------

Seriously, it's not like their given a list of characters, and told what "sorta" happens, and then they run amok with a word processor.

Bt

[Meowster]

Guy: Uh, Sir, the idea of using dialogue to mock people and spread lies and  propaganda has spread. At least two people are now doing it.
Tim Burton: Excellent! Recruit them immediately.

[MrColossal]

What do you people mean when you say "The follow up to Nightmare Before Christmas"?

It's just a movie in the same art style. It has nothing to do with Nightmare Before Christmas as far as I have read. It takes place in the real world, not halloween town.

Eric

[Blackthorne]

Guy: Uh, Sir, the idea of using dialogue to mock people and spread lies andÃ,  propaganda has spread. At least two people are now doing it.
Tim Burton: Excellent! Recruit them immediately.

BLACKTHORNE: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
CONT: Shut the fuck up, you lame brained Andy Kaufman looking freak!  Get Psychonauts and be quiet!
BLACKTHORNE: Loved your version of "I Want To Break Free" too.....
CONT: You're pathetic.

Bt

[PaulSC]

What do you people mean when you say "The follow up to Nightmare Before Christmas"?

It's just a movie in the same art style. It has nothing to do with Nightmare Before Christmas as far as I have read. It takes place in the real world, not halloween town.

Eric

Well I know story wise they're unconnected, but if a film is made in the same style and (aside from the lamentable absence of director Henry Selick) from almost the exact same creative team as Nightmare, and all for the first time since the release of that film, I don't think it's unfair or inaccurate to loosely refer to that film as a follow up.

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

I'd be more excited about the Chocolate Factory film if it wasn't for the fact that Burton's last truly great film was probably Ed Wood, and that was what? Ten or eleven years ago?

Sorry for bringing up reply 41 after reply 58, I only just read it. Wasn't "Big Fish" a Burton film?

Incidently, what films DOES he have to his name? Edward Scissor Hands, The Nightmare Before Christmas (both films marked my childhood), Big Fish (which marked the day I saw it and will probably keep influencing the remainder of my adolescence and adult life, God I LOVED that film), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (which I've yet to see)... is there anything else?