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I'm reading it now, finished the second book - it's on hell of an insane book! Great monty-pythonesque humour ...

P.S. Why haven't I read this at earlier stages of my life - no one knows ... BUt better late than never

I should really read it and watch it, its supposedly brilliant.

Interesting. I would have expected that you two already knew it

It just rules.. funny characters, very great narration.. and ... some kind of story

Damn! I thought it was an amatuers guide to astronomy, or something serious like that! Dummy me!

One of my all time favourite books, it's absolutely hilarious. Man, you guys are late to the party

NordicStorm wrote:One of my all time favourite books, it's absolutely hilarious. Man, you guys are late to the party

It's never too late

I dont expect too much from the movie... the cast is strange and i dont think it is easy to make a movie out of the story, as there are so much explanations and so on...

Their choice of Ford Prefect is strange ...
About explanations - they fitted well into BBC's mini-series, I don't see any problem with them ...
I'm also interested to see how they will make Zaphod, after all the guy has 2 heads and 3 arms, looks like an interesting CGI job

Shurik wrote: I'm also interested to see how they will make Zaphod, after all the guy has 2 heads and 3 arms, looks like an interesting CGI job

Sorry shurik....unfortunately Zaphod was given flesh before CGI became a part of movies. You will find the 1980s special effects to be absolutely stunning, though.

Small bit of HHG trivia: Zaphod's extra head cost as much as the entire rest of the movie.

Funny this topic should be on the board....i actually just forced someone to watch it for the first time, they were practically kissing my feet when the movie was over, thanking me for getting them to see it. What a magnifiicent piece of literature/cinema.

I think anyone who sees the movie should read the books, and vice versa.... There is so much good stuff in the books, like the whole Genghis Khan thing and the thing about Zaphod's brain. I used to have a hardcover edition that contained the first three books, so i know it exists. Douglas Adams was a frigging genius.

Sorry shurik....unfortunately Zaphod was given flesh before CGI became a part of movies. You will find the 1980s special effects to be absolutely stunning, though.

I was talking about the new movie which is being shot now and will be ready somewhere in 2005, hopefully it will look better than BBC mini ... I found the 80s special effects very lousy, especially the second head part, which seemed to never work properly ...

I bought a hardcover edition that has all 5 parts and some short story about Zaphod, I'm in the beginning of the third part. First two were absolutely hillarious, the second was much crazier than the first IMO, I absolutley loved the Dish Of The Day scene, the whole deal with Golgafrichans and every part Marvin was in

Ha, my retardedness......i didn't even know they were shooting a new one. That's awesome!!!

The Dish of the Day thing was sick. Sick sick sick. I'm so upset that i didn't come up with it!

No, the head didn't work too well at all. i was always slightly mortified at the sight of it. Which is why it's so funny that it cost so damn much. It did talk once or twice though....badly.....

On imdb are some facts about the new movie. Dont know the older series...

Ford Prefect being black is really a bit strange, as he isnt in the book. I always expected him to be more "english"

I heard that Douglas Adams created a new character, i think its the guy played by John Malkovich... cant be bad

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is the funniest book I have ever read and I'm surely going to see the movie too.

Behold the trailer of HGTTG:

http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com/

it's really fantastic book. i love it: i have read it three times (the whole thing) and if there's going to be movie about it.. wow. i'm already waiting for it..

thanks to shz who told me about it..

My expectations for the movie isn't that high, although I was relieved to hear it's based on a screenplay by Adams himself...those of you who enjoyed the HHGTG books should check out his two books about Dirk Gently (pun presumably intended), "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" and "The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul", they're funny as well.

I have the first one but i haven't read it just yet...lately i've been on this really pretentious non-fiction kick.

Oh man.. HGTTG is probably one of the best books I've ever set my eyes on. And I've read a lot. The (sometimes utterly senseless) blabbering of Douglas Adams is really captivating.

Best comedy book ever, fantastic mix with Sci-Fi. I love serious Sci-Fi (like the Dune books) as well, and it makes it even funnier

its the second bible!!

But er....what exactly is the story about?...can someone tell me? I'll try to find the book in the library, but I dunno....I will see the movie...so please, can someone give me a piece of knowledge?

Equinox wrote:But er....what exactly is the story about?...can someone tell me? I'll try to find the book in the library, but I dunno....I will see the movie...so please, can someone give me a piece of knowledge?

Its about life, the universe and.. everything

Seriously.. its really hard to tell. Fortunately it isnt of importance at all. I´d say its about a man on his quest for tea

Just read it.

Equinox wrote:But er....what exactly is the story about?...can someone tell me? I'll try to find the book in the library, but I dunno....I will see the movie...so please, can someone give me a piece of knowledge?

Let's just call it an exercise in absurdism. Seriously, if you like some of the more absurd moments of Monty Python, this book is right up your alley (Adams himself did in fact co-write the very last episode of MP's Flying Circus).

It's a very good book, funny as hell but somehow it's like Lord of the Rings, eternally in fashion amongst certain groups of people and not really worth ALL the hype

Personally I expected something thought-provoking but actually it wasn't nothing like that, just funny incidents on top of each other and a million plot twists that don't make any sense but they're not supposed to, so... It's not art, just cheap entertainment. Just my opinion though, I guess I like more serious literature

About Monty Python, I actually haven't seen much Flying Circus stuff at least in the last 10 years I can remember, but if they're anything like their movies, I would place Monty Python much higher than Douglas Adams for the deeper understand of humor as a very sophisticated kind of art, touching a human being much deeper than sitcoms and dramas. Really the deepest you can go. Parody and absurdism is just a way to approach it but a real meaning of humor is in the way it touches people, me thinks. Monty Python is up there with Charlie Chaplin, high above the rest!

Prasie Douglas Adams! Have read the Hitchaikers... six times! Four in English and two in Norwegian.

You know, I find the Dirk Gently books better ( ) than the Hitchaikers triology (of five books )... But, I personally don't expect much from the movie. It's virtually impossible to make a good movie of a perfect book(s)!


And by the way, Ford Prefect never was English was he? As I remember it? But, I might be wrong...

Imposible? what about this book and movie: The Shawshank Redemption, the book have only 120 pages and the movie is one of the greatest ever film.....

Hm.. I'll pick it up and see Counting down to the premiere now! That is, if they bother to get it to the day here. Small town you know...

Ok, I've seen it. Just came from the cinema now (my sister works for a newspaper and there was a special preview screening tonight and I was her guest)

I wont ruin it, but I thought it was great. Of course it's impossible to fit 5 books into a 2-hour film, and I'm very glad they didn't even try to. It has a slightly condensed, different storyline (which Douglas Adams himself wrote) and it's great.

The Vogons are hilarious, and Marvin is brilliant.

Zaphrod's second head is hidden underneath his other one and comes out at inappropriate times. His third arm is hidden under his shirt and does the same. Very effective and very, very funny.

Yeah. I'm happy with it.