Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I read a review before I went to the movie that said "Great acting, great effects, no discernable plot."

I thought that sounded perfect, and it pretty much was. Except for one part that I felt Zaphod's third arm could have been done better, the effects were great. I loved the design of dang near everything. I think they hit all the high points of the book and really captured the spirit of it.

The only thing I felt that this changed at all was that in the books, I loved Zaphod, but in the movie he kinda grated on me. But you know, that's the type of character that would be like that.

The only thing that got left out that should have made it: Mostly Harmless. And Gin and Tonics.

Otherwise, I think it was an amazing recreation of a great book. To say thumbs up would be too cheesy though.

Jem: Finally Woken

Note: I know that the archives aren't working and you can only access the latest three posts. I'm not sure why this is happening and will try to tackle the problem soon, along with making the google ads read the content of the blog and not the footer.inc. Also: the spellcheck feature on blogger doesn't seem to be working, and so I apologize for spelling errors. I'm really a very terrible speller.

Jem: Finally Woken

It's been an incredibly long time since I bought a CD after listening to only one song. Normally I wait for two or three, or even until someone else has bought it and I can listen to the entire thing. But in the case of Jem, I loved the song "24" so much that I wanted to hear it more, and only one local radio station seemed to be playing it.

So on a whim I checked out the price at our local FYE, which is always overpriced. They had it for only $12, so I decided to check Target instead. When I found the CD for only $10, I snatched it up without thinking much about it.

I am so glad that I did. Every song on the CD is good, and I can listen to it over and over without getting tired of it. The music is very different from the typical pop songs that are getting so much airplay now, and it's a sound I love. I played it on repeat for about four hours when I first bought it, and I never listen to anything on repeat because I get sick of things too quickly. Since then it's left my CD player only to go to Cyn's house and make her listen to it.

The song that gets stuck in my head most is not 24, which I still love, but Finally Woken. Jem's voice is beautiful, and I wish I could explain the allure of this album better. But all I can say is that there's something in it, the way the songs flow, the way they work together, the way the music compliments the singing. There's something, and it's perfect. Now I'd be willing to buy any music of hers without even hearing it, which could get me into trouble but ah well.

It really is that great. I would reccomend it to anyone, and wholeheartedly so. It might not be everyone's taste, but it is absolutly worth a try.

The Pretender: Season 1

The Pretender, Season 1

I'm currently finishing up with disc 6 of the first season of Pretender, and I've got to say that I'm still extremly happy that this show was chosen to get to DVD. I know most shows are making it these days, but this was far and away one of my favorites.

One thing that's surprising me is how quickly the plot line moved along. So many things have already happened by this next to last disc that I'm trying to figure out what happens in the second season!

A few things about the navigation: I don't like it. While the graphics are pretty, the navigation is uselessly complicated. You have to click on an episode title, go to a second menu, and then chose to play episode, use the set up menu, choose chapters, or go back.

Personally, if I want to have set up something, I want to do it before I pick my episode. I didn't like this when the Stargate DVDs started doing it, though they are even worse. On those, you have to click episode, then the title, and then play. If I'm watching a tv show on dvd, chances are I just want to play it. The Friends box sets have this much better organized, though they don't offer chapter selection: a major negative.

Pretender is only better as a show that can be watched in long sittings rather than waiting each week for the next installment. You really see Jarod's versatility that way, and how quickly he moves from one thing to the next. On Disc 6 you also get treated to Jarod's first "love" (if you don't count Miss Parker), and I remembered thinking the episode wasn't as bad as I thought.

Now that I'm older, I like it even better. The woman wasn't a typical model, but a woman that was actually beautiful. Not to mention it's the episode where Jarod learns about Star Wars. Other episodes haven't stood the test of time, and every once in a while I'm starting to actually think Jarod goes a little too far.

The behind the scenes featurettes are great, and overall it's well worth watching, whether you've seen it or not.