Author Topic: Rate the last book you read.  (Read 194198 times)

smirnoff

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #620 on: December 15, 2010, 06:11:31 PM »
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

Very fun and clever, but not overly substantial.

Hmm... I'm not sure I agree with the "not overly substantial" bit. Care to elaborate?

Bondo

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #621 on: December 15, 2010, 06:53:06 PM »
It certainly has pointed commentaries on things (bureaucracy for example) but it was so zany that the characters never really feel real or relatable or demand emotional investment or develop in meaningful ways. I'm not sure any character is at a different place at the end than they are at the beginning.

smirnoff

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #622 on: December 15, 2010, 09:43:52 PM »
That's fair. Fwiw you may find the rest of the series more satisfying in that respect, if you decide to carry on with it. Either way I'm really glad you enjoyed it :)

Are you game to watch the movie now? please say yes

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #623 on: December 15, 2010, 09:51:18 PM »
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

Very fun and clever, but not overly substantial.

Hmm... I'm not sure I agree with the "not overly substantial" bit. Care to elaborate?
Dude, there are so many life lessons to be learned:

Don't Panic
Always know where your towel is
It's not the end of the world (even thought it totally is)
If a man is qualified to be president, he should never be given the job

Bondo

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #624 on: December 15, 2010, 10:29:32 PM »
Smirnoff,

A. I put the 5-in-1 book on my christmas list so hopefully I'll be finishing the series shortly.
B. Saw the film back when it came out and laughed a lot, I loved your clip from the top-100 about the whale. Couldn't help casting it from the movie when reading it. I do want to rewatch it (and the BBC series). The TV show covers the whole series I think but the film just covers the first book? I want to hold off watching/rewatching until I've read the appropriate amount of the books.

smirnoff

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #625 on: December 16, 2010, 07:35:53 AM »
That sounds right. I haven't seen the tv series myself. I think it'd be hard to go back and watch it now, considering it's age and the amount of effects it would require.

Bondo

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #626 on: December 16, 2010, 08:52:44 AM »
Maybe so, but it is so temptingly available on Netflix Instant. Damn you Netflix for enabling film addicts across the US, and now Canada.

oldkid

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #627 on: December 16, 2010, 11:18:26 AM »
That sounds right. I haven't seen the tv series myself. I think it'd be hard to go back and watch it now, considering it's age and the amount of effects it would require.

The effects were horrible.  However, with both the tv show and the radio show, Adams wrote the script from scratch, so each version has its own freshness about it.  I actually started on Hitchhikers back in the 80s, so I heard the radio show first then the tv show then the books and finally the movie.  I was more dissatisfied with the movie more than any of the others, but it couldn't possibly meet my expectations.
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smirnoff

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #628 on: December 16, 2010, 11:43:23 AM »
That sounds right. I haven't seen the tv series myself. I think it'd be hard to go back and watch it now, considering it's age and the amount of effects it would require.

The effects were horrible.  However, with both the tv show and the radio show, Adams wrote the script from scratch, so each version has its own freshness about it.  I actually started on Hitchhikers back in the 80s, so I heard the radio show first then the tv show then the books and finally the movie.  I was more dissatisfied with the movie more than any of the others, but it couldn't possibly meet my expectations.

Yeah, I think I was kind of underwhelmed by the movie as well the first go around because of my expectations. I dunno though, it stuck in my head because there was really nothing else quite like it (much like Labyrinth or Wizard of Oz)... and as time passed I kept thinking "you know, that movie sure did a lot of neat things, like the art design, Marvin, Ford, Arthur, the random quirky stuff, the guide itself, the gorgons (another Jim Henson workshop success), the general vibe was right"... it started adding up in my head to the point I just had to see it again and ended up falling in love with it. :)

Bondo

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #629 on: December 16, 2010, 10:33:35 PM »
The TV show isn't boding well...the first episode covered less in a half-hour than I would simply by reading the book, and I'm not a notably quick reader. So I think the series is just the first book. And yeah, the graphics are horribly dated.