Zarquon!

We managed to squeeze in three movies this past weekend; two on DVD and one at an actual cinema. So, in brief…
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
/5
Oh, what a dilemma. Sex with Hugh Grant vs sex with Colin Firth. What is a girl to do?
Funny moments, and Renee Zellweger, although she cannot walk (!!!) has her moments as a comic actress. I found Shirley Henderson distracting because of her role as Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter series (I have the same problem with Miriam Margolyes in the new Mystery! series).
Seriously, though, what is up with Zellweger and her inability to convincingly move like a human being?
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
/5
I did see this on the “big screen” ages ago, but since (a) Dr. T had not seen it and (b) it features Johnny Depp, who is on my list, I was happy to watch it again. Depp is perfect as Captain Jack Sparrow, and I was glad to have a second viewing, which helped me appreciate Jonathan Pryce’s performance – altough Steve has ruined Jack Davenport for me.
In short, this is a fun movie with some easy-to-ignore plot problems (as Steve mentions, there’s a presumably undead pirate underwater somewhere; also, Captain Jack is seen in his prison cell by moonlight near the beginning of the film, which in retrospect shouldn’t have happened). It’s Johnny Depp. All is forgiven.
…and finally…
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
/5
Let me begin with my credentials – I have seen the really low-budget TV series, and own it on DVD. I have read the books – all of them – several times. I have heard the radio series that started it all. I have listened to the audio book, as read by the author. I have played – albeit rather unsuccessfully – the computer game. I know the answer, if not the question.
Having said that, it is my firm belief that you cannot be a HHGG purist – HHGG has existed in too many incarnations, and your first exposure to the series partly determines your appreciation. My parents, for instance, listened avidly to the radio series eons ago on CBC. Then they bought me the first book. My kids, however, know the TV series best.
There are many, many things that I liked about this movie – for instance, Zooey Deschanel is a much better Trillian than Sandra Dickinson was in the TV series; and I loved Mos Def’s interpretation of Ford Prefect – he was just kind of, well, alien. Stephen Fry is lovely to listen to, and OH MY GOD Alan Rickman was made to be Marvin.
On the other hand, I was not thrilled with the romantic subplot – it’s not vital to the story, and at the risk of contradicting myself and all that “can’t be a purist” stuff, there’s no record of such a romance in the other versions.
Nonetheless, I was very happy with this particular incarnation, as were Dr. T and the boys, both of whom very grown-upedly sat through the movie with us. Colin has already extracted a promise from us that we will get the DVD when it becomes available.
I originally set this at 3.5 stars – the extra star is partly for the Vogons, who were priceless, and partly for the opening sequence with the dolphins, which is worth… well, perhaps not the price of admission for four people at a downtown cinema on a Saturday afternoon, but close.