HG2G

At last the long awaited movie version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy arrived on big screen. Douglas Adams (the author of the 5 book "trilogy" (an inside joke)) had been trying to get this done before his untimely death in May 2001. He had started writing the screenplay, and the project wasted away in limbo until it finally came together. He's still credited for the screenplay in the movie, which ends with a semi-subliminal image of his face and a dedication "For Douglas."

If you've read (and loved) the HG2G books, you'll love this movie. It has all the great moments, enacted with dedication to the Douglas' quirky offbeat humor. There's an additional sub-plot about Hama Kavula, who Zaphod beat in the election for President of the Galaxy. Hama is played by John Malcovich. The ending is a bit different, but it's not too bad. And best of all it leaves it way open for a sequel (or two, or three perhaps!).

HG2G is the closest to the funny but witty slapstick humor that made Airplane! and Naked Gun classics. Most comedies these days rely on pushing the envelope with uncomfortably squeamish situations, or are just really corny (ie: lame). Movies like Anchorman are good attempts, but still fall short of their potential. Today the cutting edge of humor can be seen after 10pm on the Cartoon Network (Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Family Guy, Harvey Birdman, Sea Lab 2021, etc.).

Looking forward to visiting the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Battlestar Galactica

Positive shields now!!!

Now wait just a centon, this ain't your old Battlestar Bonanza. Ronald Moore, a writer from Star Trek TNG, was given the reins to remake the series with a new cast, new look (mostly) and new story (mostly). In fact, this show bears more a resemblance to Space Above and Beyond than the original BSG.

In a world where an old TV show or movie is being remade every 20 minutes, the new BSG stands out as a high point of writing, acting, directing and effects. The Season 1 finale last night left me saying "Wow!", but just about every episode had the same impact. It's really great stuff.

It's not all new though-- they kept it "old school" in all the right places. The vipers look like vipers. The battlestars look like battlestars. The rag-tag fugitive fleet looks like the rag-tag fugitive fleet. It's all frackin' there!

The main characters have the same names as the original (Adama, Starbuck, Apollo, Tie, Boomer, Baltar, etc.). But they look and behave quite differently that the original, which is quite refreshing.

The special effects are a biiiig jump from the 1970's show, which were pretty damn good for that era. At least now they don't have to re-use the same viper fly-by shot every episode. They can just render another one with Lightwave.

In addition to the usual photos, promos and message board, Scifi.com also has Ron Moore's blog and an audio commentary you can listen while you watch the show! Neato!

If you haven't seen it, check it out. They'll probably be rerunning Season 1 until 2 starts up this summer.

Robots

Pixar still owns the throne of the best animation-- great design, style, story, characters, etc. They definitely paved the way for the likes of Dreamworks, Fox, etc. to offer their own animated movies.

Fox hired Blue Sky Studio to make Ice Age in 2002, which turned out to be a pretty darn good movie. The prehistoric squirrel, Scrat "made" the movie.

Robots is another Blue Sky/Fox production. It certainly earns its place next to Ice Age in terms of design and characters. The story is not too original, but it is just the backdrop to the cast of characters including Robin Williams. He has such a personality that he is really the character, not the character he's playing. But he's really funny and that's okay.

I liked the metalic rendering and camera style. They definitely took advantage of having a CG camera. I also appreciated the occasional inside computer & CG jokes. You can't have too many of those!

What really got me motivated to see Robots was the Star Wars III trailer that debuted. We were also treated to a Scrat-starred teaser for what appears to be an Ice Age sequel.

But will I buy the DVD? Probably not. I've seen it once and that's plenty. I'm looking forward to the next Blue Sky production.
See on IMDB

Alien vs Predator

Okay, I'm dedicating this Blog to the Underdogs. AvP was dissed by critics for not living up to the standards set by it's predecessors. But that's a pretty high expectation. Aliens and Predators are classics and any good movie sequel would be hard-pressed to be even half as good.

I'm just glad the movie was made at all. It took several years before the right combination of director, script, cast and studio came together and got the "green light."

The director was a big fan of both movie series. And it shows. He really pays homage to the two storylines-- almost too much sometimes. But if you enjoyed most of the A & P movies, and you like cool action/sci-fi, you'll enjoy AvP.
See on IMDB

The Jacket

Very similar to Twelve Monkeys and Butterfly effect, but still worth watching. Adrian Brody plays a Gulf War vet who goes through a series of traumatic situations, ending up in a mental hospital where he's subject to a sensory deprivation treatment. Somehow it allows him to travel into the future where he can see how things are going to turn out and try to fix them in the present.
See on IMDB