With the DVD release of the HHGttG movie imminent, I thought I'd say a few things.
I saw this movie with Philip, Thomas, and Caleb (we couldn't justify leaving him behind).
Overall, I enjoyed it. That may be because I went in determined to do so.
But I did have some issues.
Marvin. At first I hated the way Marvin was designed. After a while I got used to it, and decided it was okay.
Zaphod. I hated the stupid “pez-dispenser” head thing. I still do. Given today's CGI technology, would it have really been that hard to give him two heads he could bang together?
Ford. Mos Def was okay, I guess, but he's certainly no Geoffrey McGivern.
The Vogons. Actually they looked pretty good, but they should have been green.
I read some reviews that complained that the story just ended, with unresolved plot points. To them I say, “Ever hear of a sequel, dumbass.”
Philip hated it. Halfway through the movie he said, “Disney must have had Douglas Adams killed to get this piece of crap made.” That's hard to misinterpret.
Thomas said it was okay.
I don't really care what Caleb thought.
Moving on...
By general consensus (that is to say, I was outvoted) the radio at work is usually kept on a country station, and I want to gripe a bit.
It claims to be a mix station, but really it's a top twenty station that occasionally plays some other songs.
I work from 5am to 3pm, Monday through Thursday. I hear the same songs at least two, sometimes three, times each day, everyday that song is in the top twenty.
I want to say something about a few of them.
Nothing About Love Makes Sense – Leeann Rimes.
Jayzeez Chroist, this song is dumb!
"Like an ocean liner shouldn't float on the sea" - Archimedes' Principle?
"That big Italian tower, well how does it lean?" - no mystery there either.
"or a bumblebee fly" - okay, I used to hear this one a lot from people trying to defend the "mystery of the universe." The claim is that, according to physics, bumblebees should not be able to fly. This is bullplop. BULLPLOP! I am not a physicist, but I can explain how bumblebees fly. It certainly does not defy science. If you want an explanation, just ask. I will happily bore you to tears.
There are other lines like this, but I want to move on to another song.
Goodbye Time – Blake Shelton
This has got to be the whiniest crap I have ever heard. Grow a pair!
Angels – Randy Travis.
Ok. Randy Travis has some songs that I like. This is not one of them. The song starts with a discussion about the literal existence of angels. One guy says that he has never seen one. The rest of the song is about a mother's love, which is a wondrous thing and certainly a worthy subject of song. But what does it have to do with the literal existence of angels?
You'll be There – George Strait
This song begins by comparing life to a ship on the ocean. How very original. I don't think I've heard that more than a dozen times. Other than that, it was okay the first couple of times, but it got really old really fast. There's a line in the chorus: "I want to go where the streets are gold, 'cause you'll be there." Every time I hear that I think, "He wants to go to Rigel?"
(I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't get that joke. If I explain it, it won't be funny anymore.)
And the not-in-the-current-top-20 songs they play.
By all means, play Reba. But she has more songs than "Fancy." (at least once a week) And is it just me, or is that song actually about a mother pushing her daughter into prostitution?
There are some others that crop up pretty often, too.
I almost passed out with shock a few months ago when they played "Poncho and Lefty" (the Willie Nelson – Waylon Jennings version).
Later.
3 people have spouted off:
A few points...
Yes, I hated the Hitchhiker movie. I had not determined that I'd like it. I had gone in expecting that it would not live up to the Hitchhiker tradition, but that it might be alright in it's own way. I was wrong. It's total crap. I hated pretty much everything about it.
If you want Hitchhiker, get the radio series. It's the original and the best. I have it and I'll lend it to anyone who wants it. I'm serious. If anyone reading this wants to hear The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy original radio series and is able to contact me, then I will see that you get a copy of it.
Most country radio stations these days are as you describe. There are a few newer songs that are decent, but they overplay them so much that they become seriously annoying. This is typical of redneck work sites (including a lot of construction sites I work on)
I like the song Fancy, and yes, it's about a mother pushing her daughter into prostitution.
Poncho and Lefty is a good song. I happen to know all the words. It was written by Townes Van Zandt. His version is a bit different from Willie's
Well, this comment is longer than many of my own blog posts, so I'll end it now.
Oh, Why don't they have a spellchecker on the comment page? I cannot be held responsible for any misspellings.
There are very few songs that I perceive myself being able to stand repeatedly at work without hating them. It's similar to the "treatment" administered to Alex in A Clockwork Orange. That's why, to the distaste of my coworkers, I often change the station to KEXP, where the music matters. Another reason to make the switch is the lack of commercials. Yeah, the DJ's promote things, but you don't hear those horrible, horrible jingles and catch-phrases. If you aren't in the area, just head over to the website (there's an easy-to-click link above) and listen over the internet.
Oh yeah, the H2G2 movie. I pretty much agree with John's assessment (eh, ok.), but Phil has a good point, too (crap!). I think that if I had never read the book, heard the radio broadcast, or even seen the old television programme (this is NOT misspelled (No, nott is not misspelled)) then I might be able to enjoy the Hollywood production. In conclusion, I say leave British humour where it belongs: in the hands of the Brits.
(go ahead, tear it all apart)
JT and I took my mom to see HHG when she was here for a visit. We all liked it. I agree with you about Marvin and Zaphod... I haven't read the book in its entirety, but I love the radio series.
As for radio stations... That's why I mix my own cds to play in my car. I tolerate what I have to in order to get weather and traffic for my morning commute, and that's about it! There is a station that plays "Breakfast with the Beatles" and that's okay for a while, but even the talk that goes with that gets annoying.
... I don't think I've done a Blog of my own, yet...
Spout off: