Yeah, the TV show really isn't that good (having just watched the first 5 episodes.) But part of the whole point is the second disc, with all the special features.
I found the TV show somewhat dated, but still having some good moments; I saw it on PBS maybe six or seven years ago, so when I got the DVD I didn't know how well it would hold up, but I was surprised how much I laughed again.
In Canada, I saw a one-hour show on the making of the series -- it might be on the DVD, but I'm not sure, having not checked out the extras much yet -- but I was impressed by how good the sequences involving the Book looked considering how amazingly low-tech and hand-made the effects work for the graphics was. Nowadays it would all be done on computer -- a yak could do it, given opposable thumbs -- but they had nothing like that at their disposal when they made it in the early 80's, I guess.
Dated? How's that? Obviously the effects look cheesy nowadays, but the story's still pretty much the same as the first radio series, the only major change being that they used the whole Disaster Area thing from the books rather than the thing with the Hagunenons (or however it's spelled.) I don't know, I just thought it wasn't as funny. The people on afda often say it's the worst of the various incarnations. I thought Trillian was really annoying, she was done much better on the radio. Actually that's also something of a common complaint, that she was too much of a bimbo in the TV show, especially considering that she's an astrophysicist. The "it isn't easy being a cop" scene was done really well, though.
As for the making-of thing, yes, it's on here, along with a 20-minute extension to it. I haven't watched it yet, though, and now I'm not going to for some time, considering I'm in Massachusetts, where I'll be for the next 6 weeks, and it's in New Jersey.
I need to look up what those Easter eggs were. All I remember is that one of them involved hitting "1146" at some point.
I meant dated in the sense that it had that old BBC shot-on-video sets-made-out-of-hand-carved-styrofoam look. It was pretty faithful to both the radio and book versions.
I agree Trillian was miscast, though I suppose what I found compelling about the TV series was the illustration of The Guide itself. And I liked the actors playing Arthur and Ford. Simon Jones had the perfect demeanor: confused, annoyed, and just barely polite.
Two years ago I went to see a play directed by Mark Wing-Davey, who played Zaphod. It was absolutely brilliant; not funny or anything you'd expect from Hitchhiker's, but visually stunning. Wing-Davey was sitting around in the lobby after the performace; I suspect I was the only (or close to the only) person to recognize him. Maybe if he'd been wearing the second head...
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Date: 2003-06-30 04:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-30 04:52 pm (UTC)"\/\/|-|47 |)\/|) C4|\/|3 70 `/0|_||2 |-|0|_|53?!?!"
mwhahahaha
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Date: 2003-06-30 07:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-30 09:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-30 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-01 08:38 am (UTC)Wait... is it that wierd al dvd you have been waiting for since December?
If it is, then i definately...definately don't want to see it.
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Date: 2003-07-01 09:06 am (UTC)Re:
Date: 2003-07-01 09:25 am (UTC)ohhhhhh... i dont want to see that lol
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Date: 2003-07-01 09:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-01 09:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-01 09:28 am (UTC)Re:
Date: 2003-07-01 09:32 am (UTC)Sorry, I was posting on TXB at the same time lol
Not that it looks anything near the same...
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Date: 2003-07-03 08:40 pm (UTC)In Canada, I saw a one-hour show on the making of the series -- it might be on the DVD, but I'm not sure, having not checked out the extras much yet -- but I was impressed by how good the sequences involving the Book looked considering how amazingly low-tech and hand-made the effects work for the graphics was. Nowadays it would all be done on computer -- a yak could do it, given opposable thumbs -- but they had nothing like that at their disposal when they made it in the early 80's, I guess.
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Date: 2003-07-04 12:18 pm (UTC)As for the making-of thing, yes, it's on here, along with a 20-minute extension to it. I haven't watched it yet, though, and now I'm not going to for some time, considering I'm in Massachusetts, where I'll be for the next 6 weeks, and it's in New Jersey.
I need to look up what those Easter eggs were. All I remember is that one of them involved hitting "1146" at some point.
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Date: 2003-07-04 07:18 pm (UTC)I agree Trillian was miscast, though I suppose what I found compelling about the TV series was the illustration of The Guide itself. And I liked the actors playing Arthur and Ford. Simon Jones had the perfect demeanor: confused, annoyed, and just barely polite.
Two years ago I went to see a play directed by Mark Wing-Davey, who played Zaphod. It was absolutely brilliant; not funny or anything you'd expect from Hitchhiker's, but visually stunning. Wing-Davey was sitting around in the lobby after the performace; I suspect I was the only (or close to the only) person to recognize him. Maybe if he'd been wearing the second head...