I didn't expect to like Trillian nearly as much as I did; I don't think I'd seen Zooey Deschanel in anything before, but somehow I had this idea that she wouldn't be good. But she was!

it seemed to be mostly panned by critics.

Really? That's too bad. I wonder what they didn't like about it? I can see how it would appeal more to people who already know the books and don't mind that the plot more or less meanders along, but I thought it was delightful.

Freaks & Geeks is indeed fantastic. The 40-Year-Old Virgin isn't quite a well-realized as that show, but not much is.

I was so-so on Hitchhiker's. It seemed like they cut a lot of the jokes from the books.

Corwood, yeah, but I expected that. And they added some new jokes I really liked (the spatula-type things on Planet Vogsphere, for instance, that smacked people in the face whenever they had a thought).

There are a couple of good deleted scenes on the DVD, I should mention. My favorite is Arthur Dent, carrying a big gun and wearing his bathrobe cord tied around his head, Rambo-style, bursts into the office of the Vogon prison shouting "I'm Dent, Arthur Dent! DO PANIC, motherfuckers!!!!" )

I love the deleted guide entry. It is my favorite joke from the series.

HHGttG was ranked worst movie of the year by one of the EW critics. I thought that was ridiculous.

I knew a girl in high school who was the daughter of a Catholic priest

A friend dated a girl who was the daughter of a priest and a nun. Reportedly, she had a letter from the pope saying she didn't exist. (My friend may have been paraphrasing.)

I liked Hitchhikers the first time, although I was iffy on Zaphod. The second time I loved it and loved Zaphod. I know someone who hated it, though. I think he was attached more to particular jokes & storylines, whereas for me it's more about the feel.

But I liked Mostly Harmless, too.

I really really liked the Zaphod casting in this one -- he was just the wacky, mad, bad & dangerous to know that in my heart I was looking for.

Unfortunately for me, since I came to it first through the radio series, then the TV series, I was expecting a much more leisurely paced, more detailed experience. Which didn't make it a bad movie, only one that didn't live up to my very high expectations.

HHGttG was ranked worst movie of the year by one of the EW critics. I thought that was ridiculous.

That is ridiculous. Whatev.

I thought Zooey Deschanel was great, and that they sort of combined Trillian with Fenchurch for the movie.

And yes, I still sing the song every now and then.

I just got home from seeing Munich. And on a totally shallow level, Eric Bana must have legs that are about three inches long, because he's got the longest torso in the galaxy. I swear, you could have landed planes on his back muscles.

I totally didn't recognize Ciaran Hinds, the whole movie long (like, I knew I knew him, but had no idea from where) till I saw his name in the credits. Daniel Craig, I recognized, but didn't know he could pull off an Afrikaner accent till he did it.

It's a fairly OTT movie, earnest and discursive, and I think some of the flashbacks were mistakes. But, not a bad movie; and considering it's Steven Spielberg, the OTT did not make me homicidal, so that is progress.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin isn't quite a well-realized as that show, but not much is.

Can you explain this statement, Corwood? I loved 40-Year-Old Virgin and I loved F&G yet I think they're different things, having different aims. So I wouldn't compare them except for how well they each achieved their different objectives.

Not too much to explain, Spi. Both were made by some of the same people, so it hardly seems to me too outlandish to contrast them, as you yourself have done.