Hitchhiker's Guide Movie

The Hitchhiker's Guide movie was a disappointment.

"A lot of effort has gone in to keeping the film as faithful to Adams' vision as possible. But somewhere in the production process the crew has lost sight of the fundamental aspect of the books - they were immensely funny.

Did the script veer too far away from the source material or tie itself in knots trying to keep faith with it?

Bizarrely, I think the answer is both."

Read the full BBC review here.

Too many sad (and unsuccessful) attempts at comedy, too little plot. Too many attempts at insider jokes, too little jokes that actually elicited laughs. There was very little of Doulas Adams' wit in the movie, I'm afraid. They cut quite a lot out of the film. Gone were the genuinely funny bits, the intelligience, the character development, the feeling of an expansive and strange universe just a step outside Earth, ready for the hitchhiking. They settled for flash and shallow (even dumb) humor. I can really empathize with M.J. Simpson on this one. Twenty years and this. I expected them to stray off with it a little, but I didn't expect them to stray off and get lost and come back with an unrecognizable shell of what should have been a brilliantly funny thing. I will say no more, because the whole thing depresses me.

Got back from a gruelling Saturday morning interview today. Subjecting one's self to gruelling interviews is not the ideal way to spend a Saturday morning, but I want this so much that I actually made an effort to not only look nice and presentable, but to also be early for my morning in hell. Send me all your positive thought vibes, because I'm not sure just how competitive this really is.

I have a job. I am officially a Research Analyst at Critical Mention. I watch TV on the computer. I hate my job, as usual, but I hate this job the least. So far.

Drama is my right

A stupid post on stupid things

I got my jeans from the tailor today.

I still think it's unfair that petite people have to keep on plunking down an extra 10 bucks just so their clothes can fit right, but at least this tailor did a heck of a great job. I brought him my Sevens to test his skill, and they came out great. He shortenned the inseam from a 32 to a 30 and refinished the hem perfectly. He can re-attach old hems too, if that's what you prefer, but he warned me that they would get considerably thicker at the bottom, so I went with the refinished option. You can hardly tell the jeans were even altered.

Finally! Actual distressed bottoms on my distressed jeans! No more shiny just-sewn hems to sabotage my "I'm cool because I'm wearing brand new, trying hard to be vintage, $200 designer jeans and you're all geeks who aren't even worthy of kissing my carefully scuffed old school Chucks" hipster porma.

Actually, I buy my jeans at random places and I never pay more than $40. Occasionally though, I scour thrift shops for the cast-offs of painfully hip model types who are so cool that they're light years ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to denim pants. You can usually catch them at all the coolest bars and clubs. Mixing your drink. Bringing you another mug of beer. Mumbling under their breath because you only gave them a 16% tip. Oh ye Gods.

And I don't wear Chucks. I don't even own a pair. I guess I just wasn't that clued in or fashion forward. (Or maybe I just don't think it's cool that people who fight so hard to be different end up wearing the exact same pair of shoes.)

Down, girl! New York is turning me into one helluva sourgraping little poser bitch.

Anyway, random bits of news.

There was an article on a 17-year old with a $500,000 publishing contract in the Post today. She's a freshman at Harvard, and she got half a million as an advance for a book that she hasn't even finished writing. What I wouldn't do for a teeny tiny piece of that.

I had a job interview today. I'm hopeful but realistic. Finding a job I can keep for more than a month is my new mission in life.

I finished my thesis, ahem, novel a couple of days ago. It's been submitted and it looks like it will pass. And it sucks. I'll probably need to revise it for three more years or so. Everything I've written this year reads like crap. What a joke.

Don't worry folks, my ego will be back in the morning.

Books, books, books.

Online junkie's library grows.

After careful foraging on the internet, I was able to get SEVEN books for a measly 15 dollars and 22 cents (plus 6 bucks for shipping). Of course they're all secondhand, but who the hell cares? Most of them are hardcovers in prime condition anyway, and some of them aren't even available in my local bookstore - and yes, I've checked The Strand, even though that place makes me dizzy. I went through half.com, ebay, amazon, powell's, and a number of other book sites, until I finally found a seller with a huge number of interesting and well-priced titles who was willing to combine shipping. (Otherwise it would have cost me around 3 bucks a piece!)

My loot thus far:
1. Waiting by Ha Jin - 90 cents
2. Alan Moore's Voice of the Fire (recommened by Ramon) - 5.50
3. Anais Nin's Henry and June: From "A Journal of Love" The Unexpurgated Diary... - 2.75
4. Alice Munro's The Love of a Good Woman - 2.94
5. Jim Harrison's The Beast God Forgot to Invent - 48 cents
6. Annie E. Proulx's The Shipping News - 69 cents
7. Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere - 1.96

I actually need most of these books for school - or so I tell john, in an attempt to justify the literary invasion of precious apartment space.

Oh and if this deal with a craig's list guy goes through, I might get around five more books for $2! Titles include Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Ragtime by E.L Doctorow, Plum Island by Nelson DeMille, Virgil's Aeneid, etc. I mean, free books! Yahoo! I told John that I'll try not to buy any more books until the start of fall (the sixth installment of Harry Potter is an exception since I already pre-ordered it).

Oh, by the way, the manila craig's list website is up and running.

Recent Online Purchases also include a black spring/fall coat from overstock, and 2 pairs of espadrilles from zappos, one of which I'm thinking of selling on ebay since I've decided that I don't really like it. I love ebay - it gives you a chance to profit from your unwanted goods.

Bring back CARNIVALE!

HBO is cancelling one of my favorite shows, Carnivale. It's one of the most unique shows out there right now, and although it has garnered itself a few Emmies, it's still vastly underrated! The second season finale brought on the inevitable confrontation between Brother Justin and Ben (good and evil and all that), but left it open enough for a third season, which I hope HBO will show eventually. I'd really like to see the Sophie as Bro. Justin's successor/demonic secondhand vis-a-vis Sophie as Ben's lover angle played out. If you liked the series (or me) even just a bit, please take a moment to sign the Bring Back Carnivale petition here.

Something for the film people

ImaginAsian TV

Here's something someone from NYU passed on to me. Some of you might be interested - they take submissions from abroad as well.

iaTV is presently accepting submissions for feature films, shorts and documentaries. We do require that submissions have at least one (1) Asian principally involved in the production of the work either as (i) a Principal Character, (ii) a Director, or (iii) a Primary Screenwriter. iaTV would like to be your conduit for showcasing your art.

Please send a DVD or VHS copy of your work including: Name, address, telephone number and email address. Also, please include a brief description of the work, background of the cast and crew members, and any press releases, reviews, or film festival history.

After screening your work, we'll decide whether the material is ideally suited to our programming and will contact you directly should we consider airing it.

Submissions should be sent to the following address:

ImaginAsian TV
Attn: Programming Dept.
19 West 44th Street
9th Floor
New York, NY 10036

Something

I went to church on Saturday, the day I found out he had died. I didn't know why I wanted to go. I knew it wasn't out of piety or faith. And it was certainly not because of religious conviction. The apartment was empty as John had gone to a surprise birthday party for one of his former co-workers out on Long Island. It was a quiet night and I was alone. There was nothing better to do so I indulged myself.

The church was packed, even though the rain was pouring like crazy. They had a portait of the pope near the altar. Little children stood with their sad parents. Old polish grandmothers wept openly as they lit candles. Couples hugged and held hands. There was a tension in the air that's hard to describe.

As I watched the solemn faces around me, each one lost in thought, I realized what it was that had made me come out. I wanted to be part of this thing - this sorrow that was bigger than myself and my drama. I wanted to pay homage to a man who had made himself count, who had touched the world, who had stood steadfast for everything he believed in, who had made a difference, for better or for worse. I wanted to mourn for a man who strived for something higher in his life, and who sincerely wanted to make the world a better place.

I didn't stay in church for very long. There was quite a gathering outside and I didn't feel like I should deny one of the truly faithful a dry spot inside the stone walls. On the way back, I thought about how he was the only pope I have ever known, and how he had been a constant. I couldn't help thinking about mortality, about the purpose of life, about life's different paths, about greatness.

Here's to a man who lived his life well, the best way he knew how.

Saw...

SIN CITY!

Won't say much about the movie just yet because I don't want to spoil it for you guys. Liked it. Although Clive Owens came off a little too cheesy.

Also saw the Hitchhiker's Guide trailer on the big screen. Just 27 more days!