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Exclusive Review/Preview of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I don't know how exactly it happened, but I was sitting in my public relations writing class last week and someone passed to me a ticket to the preview showing of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe and said, "Here, I don't want it." So weird, but I took it home and yesterday, Claude (my boyfriend) and I used it. It was definitely worth the time spent standing in line and the really bad seats.

I like humour. I like it a lot, especially when it's not very hard to get. Movies like The Life Aquatic are great but almost too dry. Blatant humour, not stupid humour like in every single Ben Stiller movie ever made (see: Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers), is really what gets me. This movie was absolutely full of it. I heard someone talking last night while I was at work about the fact that he'd heard someone else say the movie focused more on the science fiction aspect of the book and not the humour. I would just like to state for the record that this is absolutely incorrect. I laughed more in the first five minutes of it than I did during Napoleon Dynamite. It's silly British humour, and I love it.

Having never actually read the book, I can say I am at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to analyzing the movie. I can't tell you how closely it followed the book, but I can tell you that Claude has read most of the book and said that he remembered almost all of the movie from the book. At one point he said, "Man, that looked cooler than I had imagined it." I think that counts for something.

The only thing I didn't like about it was the fact that the plot was sometimes hard to follow. There's a lot going on in the movie, from finding the meaning of life to running from the evil... things... and a lot in between. This is why I think it would probably be better if you had read the book first, though it's not necessary. I think I enjoyed it pretty well without having read it. I want to read it now, though.

The acting was absolutely superb, and with a cast like that, it's only understandable. Martin Freeman, previously seen as a porn stand-in in Love Actually and Declan in Shaun of the Dead plays Arthur Dent, an awkward, pajama-clad British lad. His best friend is Ford Prefect, played by Mos Def. Prefect is an alien posing as a human, and he saves Freeman from destruction when the Earth is imploded at the very beginning of the movie. From there, the two hitchhike through the universe with their handy dandy Hitchhiker's Guide, encountering foes and friends, sometimes both at the same time.

My favorite character is a little clinically depressed robot named Marvin. Yes, he looks like Marvin the Martian. It's so cool. Marvin is played by Warwick Davis, whom you may remember from the movie Willow, but is voiced by Alan Rickman, who co-starred in Love Actually with Freeman. Another Love Actually star was also in the movie, Bill Nighy (he was the old rock and roll star), along with the very famous John Malkovich.

If you do decide to see the movie, which I hope you do, expect to see a visual masterpiece, amazing special effects, humour that's actually funny, and wit like you've never seen before. From time to time, the characters won't be humans, and you'll also get excerpts from the guide itself. It's a superb movie, and I highly recommend seeing it. I saw it for free, but I plan on paying to see it again.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe gets a big two thumbs up, and hopefully a nice long ride.

And now, to the news...

First, some day-old news that I didn't get to tell you about when my post suddenly vanished yesterday. Jimi Goodwin, bass player and lead singer of the band Doves, has been forced by doctor's orders to postpone the first half of the band's North American tour. The tour is scheduled to resume as planned in Toronto on May 16th, but if he makes a quick recovery, they may play as soon as May 13th in Chicago. Unfortunately for those going to Coachella, this means Doves won't be able to make an appearance this year. The band is working on rescheduling the affected dates.

Universal Music Group is being sued by two independent music promoters, Majestic Promotions, Inc., in Atlanta, Georgia, and National Music Marketing, Inc., in Los Angeles, California. According to the lawsuit, Universal had forced the two promoters to submit false envoices for bands they hadn't worked with. The money was then used by Universal to promote other bands. The practice is known as racketeering, and if found guilty, Universal may have to pay as much as $100 million.

Can this be true? Sealab 2021 is cancelled? So says Brett Butler, aka Dr. Quinn, in the [adult swim] forums. More details explained in Bradley's Almanac, but I still dont understand why they would can such a great show. Speculation continues. I search for more evidence.

You know who is so pretentious it makes me want to vomit? Liam Gallagher, the music industry's most self-righteous narcissist. NME's latest cover story includes a nice long chat with him about the UK music industry, and this time, he holds nothing back. He insults Bloc Party, Keane, Franz Ferdinand, and anyone else he can get his hands and f-bombs on. To see the full story, you gotta import an NME, but it's not worth reading, I don't think. We all know he thinks he's the greatest man who ever lived. It's a shame his albums don't reflect that. I can't wait to see what sort of backlash ensues.

When the Decemberists' trailer was stolen back in March, the band lost tens of thousands of dollars in equipment. Now you can help them get some money back. The band is hosting an eBay benefit auction to raise money so they can replace the stolen equipment. Make a bid and help some artists out.

Ah, The Arcade Fire. My favorite. My love. When will you ever come back to Ohio?! The band has just announced their UK tour, with a few US dates tacked on for good measure. If you didn't get blessed by the presence of The Arcade Fire, you can check out their new animated video for "Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)" at PlatesAnimation.com, along with videos for The Shins and Mogwai. That's some good company right there.

The Sufjan Stevens album Illinois leaked yesterday. I already have it, but since I don't have a way to post it for all of you, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and guide you to TTIKTDA (long acronym for a long blog title) for one track, "Come On, Feel the Illinoise".

Upcoming Columbus Shows

Tonight - Mute Math w/ Mat Kearney - Little Brothers
Tonight - MTU Campus Invasion feat. Muse w/ Razorlight - Promowest Pavilion
5.04 - The Wedding Present w/ The Organ and Tiara - Little Brothers
5.04 - Electric Six w/ VHS or Beta - Skully's
5.07 - The Decemberists w/ Willy Mason - Little Brothers
5.08 - The Books - Wexner Center
5.13 - Mae w/ The Academy Is... and Jamison Parker - Little Brothers
5.15 - Andrew Bird w/ Antenna - Little Brothers
5.17 - Stereo Total w/ Les Georges Leningrad - Little Brothers
5.27 - The Killers w/ Hot Hot Heat and Robbers on the Street - Promowest Pavilion
6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine - The Newport

Daily Downloads:
Sufjan Stevens - Come On, Feel the Illinoise (mp3)

From Regnyouth:
(rar password = rya)

Hot Hot Heat - Make Up the Breakdown 2 (link, zip)
Ben Folds - Sunny EP (link, mp3s)
Bob Dylan - MTV Unplugged 2 3 4 (link, zip)
Michael Jackson - Bad (link, rar)