Mos Def, Deschanel Hitch Ride to 'Galaxy' [reuters.com]

I'm getting increasingly nervous about this. None of the original people who were involved with the project are involved anymore. If any of you can give me a hug and tell me everything's all right, I'd sure appreciate it.

it will be like a mix of the wiz and how high

In Response to kornz (#13570):

it will be like a mix of the wiz and how high

Kornz, you push my buttons in a most peculiar way. You don't respond to private e-mail; however, you do spread cheer in the forums whenever movies are discussed. How high is your wizard hamster?

Somehow i am unsettled by the news that Disney is working on this. I wish some producers with the technical skills of George Lucas or Ridley Scott would team up with funny people like Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam. That would be a dreamy rendition of the Hitchhiker's "trilogy".

In Response to Teledildonix (#13575):

Gilliam can have the reigns, but keep Burton away from it. Everything he touches turns to shit these days.

What makes me nervous is not Mos Def, or that none of the original people are involved with the project anymore.

What makes me nervous is that it's being directed by a first timer [imdb.com].

Now I'm left trying to figure out how high I'll have to be to be able to watch this film.

Well, that about wraps it up.

The world is coming to an end.

If anyone needs me, I'll be hiding under my desk with my forehead to the floor and both arms wrapped firmly around my neck.

In Response to zamphir (#13581):

Mostly I wonder why they waited until he was dead to bring in someone to rewrite it.

They're going to give Dent some space uzis and a love interest. I know it.

In Response to Teledildonix (#13575):

technical skills of George Lucas

Um, if the remakes of Star Wars, Empire, and Return of the Jedi show anything, it's that giving this man too much technical power is a bad, bad thing. If he'd had the special effects capabilities in the late 70s that he has now, the Star Wars trilogy would never have made it as a cult classic.

Know what I'd like to see? A 3-d animated version of Hitchiker, done by Pixar. They seem to be the only ones who are able to do real comedy these days. The other advantage with that is, it becomes less about a "star" issue, so you can make the characters look like what they really are, rather than trying to get, say, Arnold Schwarzenegger to look like a Vogon.

In Response to jon (#13586):

They're going to give Dent some space uzis and a love interest. I know it.

Now, that, I'd watch! Especially if the Babel fish didn't go in the ear....

What? No, of course not! Up the NOSE! That's what I meant.

I think they waited until he was dead to bring in someone to rewrite it because they didn't have any funding until recently.

And, just because he's dead, doesn't mean that his estate doesn't still have massive creative control. It's unlikely, but it could happen.

And hey, maybe in 20 years, Peter Jackson will come along and do another version.

In Response to zamphir (#13594):

Ralph Bakshi hasn't made any movies recently, and his roto-scoped LOTR [imdb.com] was released in 1978. I wonder what one would find in a Pixar production of a Bakshi interpretation of an Adams masterpiece in 2004?

In Response to Teledildonix (#13595):

Ralph Bakshi
That's one of the things I like about this place. Sometimes, subtlety isn't a lost art. :-)

hasn't made any movies recently
I guess Coolsville isn't that recent. Nor much of a movie, either, but that's a different point.

I wonder what one would find in a Pixar production of a Bakshi interpretation of an Adams masterpiece in 2004?
Probably a lot of half-naked Vogon women sitting around smoking banja beans, and reciting homoerotic haiku about bouncing desk-lamps.

In Response to zamphir (#13597):

I guess Coolsville isn't that recent. Nor much of a movie, either, but that's a different point.

Did you mean "Cool World" [1992]?

Probably a lot of half-naked Vogon women sitting around smoking banja beans, and reciting homoerotic haiku about bouncing desk-lamps.

I take it you're not overly fond of this Bakshi fellow, then.

I'd just like to point out that he's also done the TV Series "The Cool and the Crazy" [1994] starring Alicia Silverstone and Jared Leto, and the short-lived anime series "Spicy City" (First aired July 1997, last aired August 1997. Ouch).

In Response to Deathalicious (#13599):

Did you mean "Cool World" [1992]?

I knew I should have double-checked that.

D'oh!

In Response to Deathalicious (#13599):

I take it you're not overly fond of this Bakshi fellow, then.

I take it you haven't seen his LOTR version, then?

I like Wizards well enough, at least in context with it's time.

And Cool World had a bit of charm, but not nearly enough.

I'd say he's always been the McDonalds of the animation industry, but that's right out. The McDonalds of the animation industry has always been Disney - with Don Bluth being the Burger King. Bakshi has always sort of been that seedy cheap Mexican restaurant being run by vietnamese immigrants who have a recipe book written in Swahili, and buy all their food goods off the backs of trucks. Third rate, only sometimes edible, but always strange enough to be worth the occasional gamble.

At least, that's my opinion.

In Response to zamphir (#13605):

At least, that's my opinion.

Its been a while, but I always thought that his Lord of the Rings was pretty cool. Not perfect, but certainly not worthy of scoffing disdain. It just never got finished. Like Lynch's Dune, able to piss off fans everywhere, but a worthy undertaking in its own right that had a distinctive look and feel (especially the live action characters, which I appreciated. However, it has been a while.)

As opposed to Wizards which mostly has camp value. Just to watch elves blast away with some munitions.

Now don't get me started on 'Frodo of the Nine Fingers and the Ring of Doom'.

Why does he have nine fingers?

Where is the ring of doom?

In Response to zamphir (#13605):

Varieties of edible hobbit and seedy hepatitis-laden burrito bars are the spice of life.

In Response to zamphir (#13605):

I'd say he's always been the McDonalds of the animation industry, but that's right out. The McDonalds of the animation industry has always been Disney - with Don Bluth being the Burger King.

Does that make Dreamworks Subway?

Under the "Trivia" link for the 2005 version of THHGTTG on IMDB [imdb.com]:

The movie was first optioned in 1982 by producers Ivan Reitman, Joe Medjuck and Michael C. Gross. Douglas Adams wrote three drafts for them per his contract. During this time, Medjuck and Gross were considering 'Bill Murray' or Dan Aykroyd to play Ford Prefect, but then Aykroyd sent them his idea for Ghost Busters (1984) and they did that movie instead.

Feh. I like Ivan Reitman once in a while, but I can't see the Not-Quite-Ready-For-Primetime Players doing The Guide. And I'd love to see a new Guide movie, being a looney fan boy and all. My increasingly inaccurate Hitchhiker's Trilogy is dog-eared, yellowing and falling apart. I still have the six and a half hour mini-series on tape from the last time they showed it on Comedy Central.

It sounds to me like this has been kicked around as much as Terry Gilliam's movie version of Good Omens [imdb.com]. And it should probably be kicked around some more. It doesn't strike me as a good idea do the Guide without somebody like Terry Gilliam at the helm, and certainly not for Disney to have any hand in it at all. I think they waited until a respectful amount of time had passed after Adams died and then waved a bunch of money at whoever owns the rights so they could further mold the world in their image. But I digress.

You know what it's going to be like? The flaming ball of shit that was Inspector Gadget. That could've been such a great movie if Disney hadn't had anything at all to do with it.

In Response to Teledildonix (#13608):

Its made out of little people!

In Response to deerboy (#13607):

Its been a while, but I always thought that his Lord of the Rings was pretty cool.

This explains so much.

Not perfect, but certainly not worthy of scoffing disdain.

It had an excellent soundtrack! But, no, it's not necessarily worthy of scoffing disdain. I just don't think it can be considered a serious attempt to make a serious rendition of the source material.

But it's been a long time since I've seen it. Possibly since it was out in theaters.

As opposed to Wizards which mostly has camp value. Just to watch elves blast away with some munitions.

Right. Bakshi is good at camp. And don't forget the scantily clad nympho, I mean nymphs.

In Response to zamphir (#13611):

"Morrull... Krinkle... Frizetta!!"

In Response to zamphir (#13605):

I'll agree with all of that. Wizards is fairly fun and fairly dated.

Other than that... Bakshi's kinda... eh.

Funny thing is, when I was a kid, I went on a jyhad to find stuff by Bakshi on favorable hearsay. The results were... not satisfactory.

One of my favorite Bakshi-as-a-bastard stories is that reportedly his LotR adaptation wasn't billed as half a movie. And fans of the series came out... very angry.

In Response to zamphir (#13605):

I take it you haven't seen his LOTR version, then?

Um, no.

...sooooooo....I take it that I should remove that movie from my Netflix queue?

In Response to deerboy (#13607):

Now don't get me started on 'Frodo of the Nine Fingers and the Ring of Doom'.

Why does he have nine fingers?

Where is the ring of doom?

Been a while since you read the books, huh?

In Response to Deathalicious (#13628):

Been a while since you read the books, huh?

maybe you should leave it in your netflix queue then.

In Response to banzai (#13609):

I still have the six and a half hour mini-series on tape

Either they stick far more adverts into your shows than I was led to believe, or you miscounted. There's only a 3 hour series (not mini-series - 6 parts is normal for UK comedy).

I think they [Disney] waited until a respectful amount of time had passed after Adams died and then waved a bunch of money at whoever owns the rights

Nope - Adams signed the contract.

Cheers,
Graham

In Response to Grimicus (#13629):

Actually, Deerboy was referring to the Made For TV movie version (which had no connection to Bakshi) of ROTK, and more particularly to the horrible singing by Glenn Yarbrough.

The Bakshi, on the other hand, had "Where there's a Whip, there is a way" or some such. A light, happy orcish tune, good for parties and such.