I had every intention of getting out to see Rambo last weekend (even bought a ticket to the midnight show at the Arclight), but all manner of nonsense got in the way. Since Nick and Devin and many other folks who grew up worshipping the Reagan-era killing machine professed their affection for Sylvester Stallone’s gory throwback, I know that I’ll catch up with it soon. But what I really want to see is Garth Jennings’s Son of Rambow.
Kudos to Paramount Vantage, then, for sticking the trailer for one of Sundance 2007’s most well-liked films on the front of Rambo; though most of that audience will forget the movie prior to its May 2, 2008 release (where it will counterprogram opposite Iron Man), maybe some swollen HGH-case will wander into the theater expecting to see Sage Stallone ripping the larynges out of Bangladeshi freedom fighters – again, this is an HGH-case; he’s not exactly hip to who’s throwing down globally (even though Bangladesh ain’t exactly stable) – and be charmed by this ode to DIY filmmaking (which beat the wonderful Raiders of the Lost Ark adaptation to the big screen).
I’m pleased that Jennings and Nick Goldsmith (aka Hammer and Tongs) rebounded so quickly from the financial failure of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy with this (by all reliable accounts) lovely little film. They’re extremely talented chaps, and, if you ask me, they did right by the soul of Douglas Adams’s tome. Along with The Foot Fist Way, Vantage is sitting on two of this year’s best cult comedies. Better that than being stuck trying to sell Fanboys!
6 comments
Jeremy, your "Hammer and Tongs" asterisk currently points to nothing.
And I have some love for Hitchhiker's until that last scene at the breakfast table, which completely misses the tone of the book (and yes, I'm aware it's possible that the scene in question was written by Adams for the movie).
That asterisk points to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.
Saw this at Sundance last year. It was my favorite film by far. It's just really well done and fun to watch. It kinda has a 'Millions' feel, but better. I recommend seeing it.
This movie killed at Fantastic Fest last year but i was afraid we'd never see it in theaters. It was definitely one of my favorites of 2007 and that's coming from someone who's neither a fan of the Hitchiker's movie or Rambo.
The Hitchhiker's film was marred by tons of examples of not getting the source material–from bringing in Karey Kirkpatrick for rewrites (in which he referred to his work on the script as "Monty Python in Space"–a term that doomed Ivan Reitman's vision of Hitchhiker's in the 80s) to the lame "the restaurant is at the other end of the universe" gag that closed out the film. A true cinematic abortion for fans of Adams' work.
I think the Hitchhiker's flick was a great effort, even though it didn't hit all the levels that make Adams' work so great. That's probably because the books, at least to me, rely a lot on the narrative and the tone of the narrator more than what's happening in the story. Mind you, the overall story is hilarious as much as the narration itself.
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