Permutation City Blog

This is the original and in many ways the best of Hitchhikers. It shares many excellent moments with the book and especially the TV series but what is great about this version is the extra material. Too few people know about the "shoe event horizon", "the problem of Lintila", and "a cup held in mid-air by art". If you like Hitchhikers then do make an effort to get hold of this.

Follow a journalist and his attorney on a crazed trip to Las Vegas. Sit back and watch a two hour drug trip, no artificial stimulants required or recommended. This is now so much funny, not so much serious, more plain disturbed. This is an excellent adaptation of the book. Gilliam does a perfect job of presenting this wacked out tale on celluloid.

A charming film set in a fantastic, not fantasy, world. Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney play the younger and older versions of Ed Bloom. He is dying and his son tries to discover the truth behind all of his tall tales. Better connected than the book this is an enjoyable film filled with lovely moments. A lot lighter than Burton's other work despite the ending.

Having only seen the pilot episode of Firefly I knew roughly what to expect but hadn't built up any attachment to the show. I felt that this film was part of something larger and sometimes they didn't tell you the full story but apparently it was like this even for people who did know the full story. This is a good film, it has pace and story and was not afraid to go against Hollywood tradition on occasion.

I liked the original film and Tim Burton's work in general so what could go wrong? Apparently a lot. Why were the humans still able to talk? The ape city was all dark and twisted. This is typical of the director's work but just felt out of place. Towards the end I got bored and almost walked out of the cinema. The film probably had good costuming but I can't even remember any more.

Johnny Depp gives an excellent performance in many Io-friendly films. It's easy forget about the actor because the characters are so strong. His recent performances in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Pirates of the Caribbean are very fine. If he's in a film then watch out for it.

Darker than the book and much darker than the original film this adaptation adds a few new twists. We learn about Willy Wonka's childhood and how he came to be so different. Normally I'd be against such liberties but this time they work. Where we had zaniness before now we have real craziness. My big problem with this film is the Oompa-Loompas and their singing, it was annoying, just grin and bear it.

In the days before DVD and video when you wanted to see something you had to wait for it on TV. I remember waiting many years for this. TV was my first encounter with Hitchhikers and it was amazing. The comedy, the utter bizarreness of it all, the animation for the book. Watch Authur Dent travel the universe still wearing his dressing gown. Looking back on it now you see its age but I just don't care.

Take a step back from the hectic pace of many modern films. Don't be mistaken there is plot but you're not going to be swept along by over reliance on special effects. An alien comes to Earth spreading a message of peace but you know how people are. Most of the film is an exploration of the rights and wrongs of human nature. I used to avoid black & white films, they were boring. Maybe some of them are but there are classics out there as well if you're willing to take the chance.

A collection of moments from Ed Bloom's fantastic life, sometimes only a couple of pages long. This presentation could seem disparate but works just as individual tales should. Alongside we have Ed's son dealing with his dying father and trying to seperate fact from fiction.