Last night, I saw The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The biggest surprise to me, since I'd missed the theatre posters (D. and I walked right past three huge ones on the way in, but discovered it on the way out and marveled about how we've become blind to big blue things with people on it) and the full length trailer (I saw only that annoying teaser) was that Ford was black. In fact, I believe my first words after the film ended was, "Hey, Ford's not black in the book, is he?"

Still, whatever. It's not like being black is a character trait in this film, and there's Stephen Fry narrating and a funny song about dolphins leaving the planet, which is cool.

My opinion on the five Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books, of which I've read only the first two, is that they're nothing special. Some funny jokes and ordinary prose and low page count means that you can read it in an afternoon. You pass the time in a fairly reasonable way if the books catch your fancy, and you pass the time in a fairly reasonable way if they don't. They're that kind of innocuous entertainment, fit for everyone to digest, with the mileage measured by your appreciation of the comedy within.

That's how the movie is. I enjoyed Stephen Fry. The dolphin song was funny. In short, I passed the time, had a few laughs, and thought about lounge acts.