Genres

Visitors Review

Daryle 2012-05-24 06:55:49

As good as I could have hoped!

Which is not to say perfect but certainly a very good effort.I just finished watching it a second time and am developing a seriouscrush on Michelle Dockery. She played an almost perfect Susan of myimagination. A strong, attractive woman: cold, cynical, and subtly sexyin a stern way; was what I had in mind and this pretty much delivered.Death's voice casting was very good and Albert wasn't bad. I do thinkit would have been neat to use some effects to show Death from thepoint of view of most mortals who cannot see him "properly". Also, as Imentioned on the comment board, I think Tony Robinson could have been agood 'Albert' given his significant "sidekick to a dark figure"experience. The biggest disappointment was definitely the Wizards whowere portrayed too much on the "Bumbling Fools" end of the spectrum. Isee them more as lazy but also powerful and very suspicious men. IIRCRidcully is the only Arch Chancellor to last more than one book in thehighly "competitive" world of Wizards.The story was quite close to the book given the limitation of themedium. I would have actually cut some more peripheral sections andtightened things up a bit at the risk of incurring the wrath of thevery orthodox Pratchett fans. You will never please the most radicalanyhow. For example why not skip the shower plot completely? Ditto forthe "Oh God of Hangovers".Anyhow enough kvetching. Great first outing!

2012-05-24 00:16:36

Hogfather - The Real Thing

If you like the Discworld series, you'll love the movie. Completely true to the book, both Death and his Grandaughter are just the way you would have imagined them to be. Corporal Nobbs looked a little more human than expected, but the Wizards at Unseen were the real thing. Here's hoping they make another movie.

siderite 2012-05-23 08:57:49

"You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?"

The first Terry Pratchett adaptation was nice enough, but it was,well... first. And also the first book in the Discworld series. It isobvious that Hogfather was a handpicked book from the series, and thatthe experience from Color of Magic helped in making this even better.The plot is complex, with main characters like the Hogfather (a kind ofSanta Claus), Death (yes, The...) and his granddaughter, theToothfairy, etc. They come into conflict with the Guild of Assassins.Kind of fun as such, but the book goes even further, into the basis offaith and belief, delving into more mature matters, without losing thefun and the pleasure of watching.I highly recommend it to all.

Dario Persechino 2012-05-22 13:26:16

They did it right!!!

Thank 'insert relevant deity here' they've done it right! From the moment I heard about this I was both excited and slightlyapprehensive. Having any written work you love brought to screen canmake you fearful of it being done badly and shattering your hopes, butfrom the moment it started I was grinning from ear to ear to see thisworld brought to life in such a perfect way.It was well cast, written, acted and visually just beautiful to watch.They hadn't tried to dilute it or mess around with the great stuffPratchett had written. Susan is one of my favourite characters andMichelle Dockery did a great job. As for the Nicholas Tennant as Nobbywhen you first see him you think he doesn't look quite the 'creature'Nobby should be but from the moment he sits on the Hogfather's lap andgives that meek little "..'s" He just IS Nobby. I was very impressed!Oh, and David Jason as Albert! Genius!!* I watched it first time around with one group of friends, and havesince watched it with more. Each of them has given the same responsesaying how great a job they've done creating it.Please may they do more (although not too many to distract ourfavourite and most shop-lifted author from writing the books we allknow and love :D Thief of Time would probably make for a good follow on– it would continue the Death / Susan / Auditors story and be a greatEaster Holiday show.Either way if you haven't seen this – bloody watch it, it'sbrilliant!!!!!!!!** Oh, and HAPPY HOGSWATCH *(As a person who seldom uses the exclamation mark you can tell theeffect seeing this had on me – seven so far, obviously a sign ofmadness ;) **(that's 15 – definite insanity...)

fwomp 2012-05-15 06:00:00

Much Is Lost In Translation...

Part of the difficulties with translating a book to film is losing muchof what the author tries to convey. Books allow the writer to squeezein much more character information and wit, while films must do so in(usually) under two hours. Thankfully this duology expands that timeline a tad to a much needed three hours and nine minutes. I say muchneeded because author Terry Pratchett's books deserve the fulltreatment in terms of time. But, unfortunately, even with this extendedamount, the story suffers in translation. Although I must give creditto direct Vadim Jean (who also did the screenplay adaption andcontinues to adapt Mr. Pratchett's excellent Discworld series), it'stough to give a ravingly positive review to something that I enjoyedonly marginally as much as the written works.I remember sitting in a restaurant on a meal break one day and havingportions of a ham sandwich fly from my nose while reading Hogfather.Death (in the film voiced very well by Ian Richardson, BECOMING JANE)is a central character, and both the book and the movie keep it thatway. But what is lost is the clever witticisms of the narrator(Pratchett) that often causes the reader to nearly choke withrestrained laughter while trying to keep from puking or inhaling foodparticles. It was, however, pretty funny to see Death cloaked in Santa(i.e., Hogfather) garb while mushing a sleigh towed by heavily-tuskedboars.Marc Warren (WANTED) as Mr. Teatime was a good choice, as he had justthe right amount of ruthlessness (which was plenty) and naiveté (towardhis fellow Discworld inhabitants) to make him a fearfully funnyantagonist.However, from here things get off-track. Michelle Dockery plays Susan,the main protagonist, but is mostly lost amidst the larger story. Herpart was vital in the novel, but here we simply don't see that much ofher in terms of character development. Beating up monsters under thebed? Funny, yes. Trying to protect her scythe-wielding relative? Okay,pretty funny. But what of the rest of her development? In truth, thereisn't any in the film. She simply rushes off to help save Hogswatch Evewithout much knowledge as to why she's so gung-ho to do it.The remaining characters are also given excessively abbreviatedversions, which made the entire film much less laughable. Indeed, Ithink I only chuckled a few times during the entire three-plus hours,showing just how much was lost in translation.I will say, again, that I don't blame writer/director Vadim Jean forthis. Without a doubt, this is a tough sell. How can you make somethingso densely funny as one of Mr. Pratchett's wonderful Discworld booksinto a guffaw-riddled flick? I think the simple answer is that youcan't. And I think this adaptation proves it. But I will give Mr. Jeancredit for trying. He succeeded on a very small level but I fear thosethat haven't read the novels might be less-than-impressed.Sorry guys.

2012-05-14 20:15:48

Waiting for this since the Rumors

I have been waiting for this since i first heard the rumors about this almost two years ago. And then a couple of weeks ago i saw the last 1/2 hour of it on ION. I was so Mad, now that it's coming out i can sit down with my Discworld friends and enjoy Pratchett's work in all it's DVD glory

Presleythedog 2012-05-13 20:16:07

If only Auntie Beeb could have done it

As a dedicated follower of the Discworld, I awaited The Hogfather withtrepidation. It's not easy pleasing those of us who have already madethe movies 100s of time over in our minds (take the hitchhikers Guidefor instance, I joined the phenomenon with the TV version, Marvin isclumpy, Peter Jones IS the Guide, Zaphod's second head wobbles and Fordwas surely Caucasian... I'm sure the radio initiates would disagree).Hell, let's not nitpick, the casting is marvellous (if only Steptoe hadbeen there for Death's Butler... Mr Jason could have worn a pointyhat).I wanted to love this though and was not disappointed. My "personalAlbert" is thinner and scrawnier (more like a gentle human Greebo) asis my "personal Constable Visit" but I recognised every location. Thesets still require some work from the watcher but the detail isfabulous, clearly made to demand a slow-mo second viewing scrutiny, andthe props (ok, not the teeth) are exquisite.I can imagine that prior knowledge is of great benefit as some scenesdefy explanation by the uninitiated; Bloody Stupid Johnson's shower issurely included to stop people like me from complaining that it wasn'tbut Banjo's affiliation to Teatime is vague are the examples thatspring to mind. Oh what a gorgeous name Tee-a-tim-ay is when pronouncedthus! Why not 10/10? Adverts... the DVD should be marvellous and wellworth a Spinal Tap 11 but to be introduced to Death, immediatelyfollowed by an underarm commercial rather killed the atmosphere themakers try so hard to create. I can't believe that Sky didn't make moreof it, the way I trust the Beeb (bbc) would have... and that includes asemi-nonfunctional website with low definition wallpaper. So far thesmell of self-promotion after part one on Sky's behalf almostoverwhelmed the scent of the hogs and curry.But production crew, hats off! Brilliant, you deserved a betterplatform for your masterpiece (and perhaps a few dollars more).Fan of Pterry? You'll love it. First time with Mr Pratchett? You'll behooked! Fan of Harry Potter? Terry came first! Buy the DVD! At last, agood family Christmas production like we remember from years gone by,guaranteeing a very HAPPY HOGSWATCH!

mfcps 2012-05-13 07:09:43

Very good the first 45 minutes

Was seriously disappointed after the first 45 min or so.Rambled. But acting always consistently good. Beautiful film work.Some moments seemed disconnected.The film obviously had a message but the clear meaning somehow escapedme. At times it seemed preachy without substance.Action very good if you are into this sort of thing (which I wouldexpect one to be to view it in the first place).Although I love fantasies I did not love sitting through four hours ofthis film.Have to say,(with a straight face),Hogwash!

2012-05-12 21:56:19

Loved Death as "Santa Claus".

This review is from: Hogfather (DVD) I really need to read the book to see what the problems are that the other reviewers mentioned. To me, if one pays attention, one should have little trouble figuring out the movie.I enjoyed the portrayal of Death stumbling through the role of 'Santa Claus'.The actress portraying Death's daughter was a bit flat but passable.I didn't understand some of Deaths actions in the sand library.The only real annoyance was Mr. Teatime. Not sure if he was supposed to get on your nerves but he got on mine. The voice acting of Mr. Teatime was dreadful. He sounded like a man from England trying to be American. And maybe it was part of his character in the book but he kept correcting people with different pronunciations of his name "tee-uh-tar-may", "tee-uh-tie-may", "tee-uh-tar-mee", "tee-uh-tie-mee".The movie did feel rushed (which would make sense if things were indeed left out from the book) but I still liked it enough to watch it twice this Christmas.

2012-05-12 06:10:46

A great adaptation of the book

This review is from: Hogfather (DVD) The book was written by a brilliant word-smith who crafted each phrase with care and cleverness. The movie does not deviate from the dialog in the slightest and is all the stronger for the faithful trust in the source material. The movie is clever in music and photography to the great enjoyment of my gladdened eyes. Well worth purchasing even if the DVD lacks the standard extras found amongst the more common DVD releases.

2012-05-04 06:04:54

Much Is Lost In Translation...

Part of the difficulties with translating a book to film is losing much of what the author tries to convey. Books allow the writer to squeeze in much more character information and wit, while films must do so in (usually) under two hours. Thankfully this duology expands that time line a tad to a much needed three hours and nine minutes. I say much needed because author Terry Pratchett's books deserve the full treatment in terms of time. But, unfortunately, even with this extended amount, the story suffers in translation. Although I must give credit to direct Vadim Jean (who also did the screenplay adaption and continues to adapt Mr. Pratchett's excellent Discworld series), it's tough to give a ravingly positive review to something that I enjoyed only marginally as much as the written works. I remember sitting in a restaurant on a meal break one day and having portions of a ham sandwich fly from my nose while reading Hogfather. Death (in the film voiced very well by Ian Richardson, Becoming Jane) is a central character, and both the book and the movie keep it that way. But what is lost is the clever witticisms of the narrator (Pratchett) that often causes the reader to nearly choke with restrained laughter while trying to keep from puking or inhaling food particles. It was, however, pretty funny to see Death cloaked in Santa (i.e., Hogfather) garb while mushing a sleigh towed by heavily-tusked boars. Marc Warren (Wanted) as Mr. Teatime was a good choice, as he had just the right amount of ruthlessness (which was plenty) and naiveté (toward his fellow Discworld inhabitants) to make him a fearfully funny antagonist.However, from here things get off-track. Michelle Dockery plays Susan, the main protagonist, but is mostly lost amidst the larger story. Her part was vital in the novel, but here we simply don't see that much of her in terms of character development. Beating up monsters under the bed? Funny, yes. Trying to protect her scythe-wielding relative? Okay, pretty funny. But what of the rest of her development? In truth, there isn't any in the film. She simply rushes off to help save Hogswatch Eve without much knowledge as to why she's so gung-ho to do it. The remaining characters are also given excessively abbreviated versions, which made the entire film much less laughable. Indeed, I think I only chuckled a few times during the entire three-plus hours, showing just how much was lost in translation. I will say, again, that I don't blame writer/director Vadim Jean for this. Without a doubt, this is a tough sell. How can you make something so densely funny as one of Mr. Pratchett's wonderful Discworld books into a guffaw-riddled flick? I think the simple answer is that you can't. And I think this adaptation proves it. But I will give Mr. Jean credit for trying. He succeeded on a very small level but I fear those that haven't read the novels might be less-than-impressed.Sorry guys.

2012-05-03 20:37:24

Great movie!

This review is from: Hogfather (DVD) I bought this movie for my wife who first saw it on the ION channel. She fell in love with it. The movie is really good. It was delivered by USPS wrapped in plastic secured inside a cardboard box. No problems or issues with the DVD.

andycactus 2012-04-26 03:08:23

Hogwash to Bogwash

Good grief this is a bad film. This cost me one of my 4 monthly rentalchoices. It could have been worse I suppose and I could have paid thefull asking price and the postage.The film looks as if it had enough money spent on it, visually the setslooked as if some hard work had been done, you have Pratchett involved,some well known actors.. so what went wrong? No soul. No flow. Nomagic, comedy, passion or direction. It felt like a poor mechanicalmish-mash of bits, parts and wooden scenes with under-performing actors(no umph at all on the day) all badly stuck together.At no point in this film do you care about anything you see or hear andnone of the cast seem to care much either. You hear actors saying somewords some which were clearly attempts at humour but they fall flatevery single time. They seemed to be preoccupied perhaps trying tofigure out how they ended up in this mess. It must have seemed such agood idea when their agent landed them a part in a Pratchet film but assoon as they were on set.... oops " I'm in a stinker" and "is that myreputation I hear flushing away"?. "How do I get out of here" You willbeg for the end credits to come. I promise you its not worth the pain.Yes warning, this is painful. If you don't believe me do try the filmbut eject the disk as soon as you get the message. Go clean the toiletinstead. Bogwash! I don't write reviews as a rule but I could not letthem get away without going on record somewhere. This is easily theworst film I have seen in the last 12 months.

gufodotto 2012-04-25 22:33:43

The best fantasy mini-series I have seen so far.

I came to know about this title by chance, not being a fan of theDiscworld.I watched the two episodes back to back in a weekend, and was surprisedby the 'completeness' of the story, which appeals to both children andadults on different levels of reading.The characters are spot on and no un-necessary meddling has been doneto render them more palatable to a larger audience.The special effects are here to help the story, and do not substituteit.I really enjoyed it, so much more than all big-budget productionswithout a soul.

2012-04-19 20:22:27

Excellent!

I have never read any books by Pratchett. So, the first time I watched this DVD, I gave up after about 15 minutes. I did not understand what was going on and the acting seemed terrible. However, I felt drawn back to it, and I decided to give it one more chance. I am very glad I did! I started about 20 minutes in and was completely captivated by the philosophy and humor.I then went back to watch the start. The trouble is, there's a understanding of Discworld that you need in order to enjoy this properly. Give it a chance, and enough description is in there. There's so much detail you'll be able to watch it again and again. Wonderful ending too.

2012-04-19 10:24:06

Disappointing

I've been a huge Terry Pratchett fan for years and was thrilled to realize they'd come out with a live-action film. After the less-than-perfect animations, I'd been hoping actors could put a spin on the material that would not only follow the books faithfully (which all the films, animated and live do) but also capture that strange humor that makes the books so amazing. So I bought Hogfather back when it wasn't yet available for rent on region 2 just to see it. Did it perform as hoped?Hmm. Not so much. I blame mostly the pacing. For some reason, and this applies to Colour of Magic too (though I'm praying not to the upcoming Going Postal that has a new director) the film just plods along from sequence to sequence with no feeling of continuity or punctuation. Also, Pratchett's hilarious lines and slapstick situations are based on a very solid connection to our own reality and without that recognition and bleed-through, the jokes are not very funny. Since they never explain the details of the Discworld, newcomers are left floating in uncertainty; no connection, no funny. Also, while I felt Susan was very well played and some of the other characters done well enough, the portrayal of Teatime as Johnny Depp's Willie Wonka--almost a direct rip-off--was so distracting and annoying I flinched everytime he was on screen. He's on screen a lot. He's only occasionally menacing and for a lead villian to be annoying instead of dangerous has a way of sapping the urgency out of a film.That and the pacing. Geez, it dragged on. The sets and costumes are brilliant but many of the FX are super cheesy, reminding us this was made for TV. The slow strange timing of the script and editing made the cheesy extremely obvious as you sat there for a few seconds wondering what came after a line was delivered and nothing did but you staring at something that should've been shaved closer to the action. The action is...not exciting. Editing and pacing. Sucks. Same goes for Colour of Magic, by the way.

stevenduhig 2012-04-15 07:22:14

Hgfather got it right!

Following Vadim's projects as a fan after being introduced to him somesome years ago. Then he revealed that he, like me is a Terry Pratchettfan. Many have tried to emulate Terry's books on screen and thisproduction is by far the best to date and in my opinion is trulyoutstanding. Love just about everything about it. The sets, soundeffects and visuals are really wonderful. Camera work great. Eventhough originally conceived as a TV Series we are able to view this inone extended session with a short break, and, despite it's length, itstill carries our interest all the way through and is spell binding forour kids too. Vewed several times and I expect we will view this againat this time of year on request. Can't wait to see more of Vadim'sColour of Magic!

kiltme 2012-04-14 14:24:28

Great rendition of a fantasy work.

This movie has a real story, and real characters. Not just stand standins for special effects to happen around. The discworld universe isvery spoof'y of the fantasy style - think Shrek. So it translates wellinto a movie that doesn't take it self too seriously.It's been a long time since I read the book so I can't comment on howaccurately it follows the plot, but it exactly captures the spirit ofthe discworld. Including the 'asides' to the audience from Death toexplain something or make sarcastic comments.Many 'fantasy' books get converted in to boring movies that rely onspecial effects to distract the viewer from the lack of plot andcharacters. I fell asleep watching 2 out of 3 of the LotR movies. Whichhad spectacular scenery and visual effects, but predictable plot andwooden characters that Took Themselves Seriously.Eragon was also a really yawner for me.

2012-04-11 21:52:40

Twisted fun with spotty production values

My wife and I watched Hogfather last night. We found it entertaining, very much on a par with Stardust (DeNiro/Pfeiffer) - no better, no worse. I really like the actress who played Susan. Very classy. However, I was distracted by the constantly shifting production quality, where scenes went from very dark to bleached-out bright. This was sometimes confusing, as they attempted to indicate shifts between locations and story lines by changing the lighting, yet scenes WITHIN the castle near the end varied widely from shot to shot. I am a casual Terry Pratchett fan, having read a couple of his books, but I'm not a Discworld zealot. My wife has not read any of Pratchett's work. So we did not approach the movie with any expectations. We both felt it is a worthy effort, but a bit long (3+ hours) and wish the production had been a bit better. The Tooth Fairy's castle was so obviously a cheap plywood set!Overall, I'd give this a mild thumbs up.

2012-04-11 04:57:41

Truly love this movie!

This is truly an interesting and different take on the Santa Claus story set in an alternate universe. It's fun to watch Marc Warren in a truly creepy role. My favorite line in the movie: "...hello inner child, meet the inner babysitter." It's a fun alternative to traditional sappy Christmas movies, although I don't recommend it for small children.