Hitchin' a ride
By Casey Cavalier
Staff Writer
“In the beginning the Universe was
created. This has made a lot of people very angry
and has been widely regarded as a bad move.”
— Douglas Adams
Author, The Hitchhiker’s
Guide to the Galaxy
The buzz is building for The Hitchhiker’s
Guide to the Galaxy. With so many built-in
fans, the book-turned-film will likely be on screens
well into summer.
Only a director with courage would agree to bring
such an absurdly popular book to the big screen.
After Director Jay Roach turned down the job due
to a schedule conflict, Garth Jennings stepped
up to the plate. Who is Garth Jennings? Well,
we don’t really know.
Spike Jonze suggested Spyglass Entertainment
hire Jennings for the gig. He was brought over
from the U.K. where he is known as a successful
commercial and video director. Perhaps his leap
from obscurity to the director’s chair on
a long-awaited feature film will make him famous
or, perhaps, infamous.
When the first line on a film’s cast list
reads “Voice of the Whale,” you just
know you’re in for a unique film-going experience.
Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, John Malcovich,
Mos Def and Zooey Deschanel are primary cast members.
Freeman plays Arthur Dent who is having a bad
day. He discovers his best friend (Mos Def) is
an alien, and that planet Earth is about to be
demolished to make way for a hyperspace freeway.
Hitching a ride on a passing spacecraft and joining
his alien friend is Dent’s best chance for
survival.
The film, like the book, is certain to raise
some of life’s most mysterious and thought-provoking
questions. Dent’s adventure includes plenty
of oddball creatures and humorous situations.
The book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to
the Galaxy has been turned into a radio play,
a video game, and released in several editions.
It has been the subject of college courses. So
why not a feature film?
Touchstone Pictures releases the film on Friday,
April 29.
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