To inspire some more interactivity with this little series I have going, I'm going to open up the floor to any of my readers. I've got a prompt that I'd like you to answer. You can either send me your response via e-mail to TheRockinDTB@aol.com, or you can post it on your own website, and I will be sure to direct people to your post. Simply answer the following prompt in any way that you see fit:
If I were a Serenity crew member, I would be...
You can select a member of the actual crew, or you can come up with your own position on the ship. Have fun with it.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Summer of Firefly: "Serenity"
It's another edition of the Summer of Firefly! We're still flyin'. It may not seem like much, but it's enough.
Episode 01: "Serenity"
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Written by: Joss Whedon
Original Air Date: 12/20/02
Plot Summary:
*If you've seen the episode recently or have a pretty good memory of what happens, skip this Plot Summary*
Set five hundred years in the future, "Serenity" opens on a battle taking place in Serenity Valley. Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and Zoe Alleyne (Gina Torres) are soldiers for the Independents, aka Browncoats, a group fighting against the unification of all worlds under one government known simply as the Alliance. Despite their efforts, the Browncoats lose the Battle of Serenity due mostly to the Alliance having superior numbers.
Six years later, we find ourselves with Mal and Zoe once more, but the war is over. Malcolm Reynolds is now the captain of a Firefly class vessel named Serenity with Zoe as his second in command. The crew of Serenity includes a pilot married to Zoe, Hoban 'Wash' Washburne (Alan Tudyk), a gun hand, Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin), and a mechanic, Kaywinnit Lee Frye 'Kaylee' (Jewel Staite). Mal also rents out one of Serenity's shuttles to a companion, the Firefly 'verse's version of a sophisticated escort, named Inara Serra (Morena Baccarin). Mal and his crew have been hired to salvage some goods from an abandoned ship. Unfortunately, two things go wrong. For one, an Alliance cruiser spots their Firefly class vessel doing the illegal salvage. For two, the goods are all stamped with government insignia. These two things together make the employer, a gentleman with a very fine hat, named Badger (Mark Sheppard) unwilling to pay Mal for the job.
The news is most definitely in the bad category since Mal needs the money in order to keep Serenity flying. Unable to simply discard the cargo, Mal decides to try to sell it to one of the border planets (as opposed to the more Alliance dominated central planets). In an attempt to earn some more money, Serenity takes on some guests to act as a sort of shuttle to Boros with a brief stop on Whitefall to try to sell their troublesome cargo to a woman named Patience. Amongst the guests are a preacher, Derrial Book (Ron Glass), and a doctor, Simon Tam (Sean Maher).
More bad luck hits the crew of Serenity when they find out there's an Alliance mole on board. Further investigation reveals that the Alliance agent is actually not interested in Malcolm Reynolds or his cargo...at least not for now. In fact, Agent Dobson (Carlos Jacott) is in pursuit of Simon Tam. During the confrontation between Mal, Dobson, and Simon, Kaylee finds herself caught in the crossfire when a bullet finds its way in her abdomen. They quickly subdue the agent and Shepherd Book takes it upon himself to insure no member of the crew decides to take the life of the man. Simon agrees to patch Kaylee up, but only if Mal flees from the incoming Alliance cruiser. Mal reluctantly agrees to the arrangement, but decides to investigate just what it is that Simon Tam is hiding in his cargo.
To everybody's surprise, it's actually Simon Tam's little sister River (Summer Glau). We learn quickly that the Alliance was experimenting with her brain, and Simon risked everything he had to save her from that. It is because of this that he and his sister are now fugitives. Not exactly wanting more attention from the Alliance, Malcolm Reynolds let's Simon know that he intends to kick them off his ship as soon as possible. Moreover, if Kaylee doesn't pull through, as soon as possible include releasing him into space. Fortunately for the Tam's, Kaylee does pull through with all signs pointing towards a complete recovery.
Eventually Serenity finds its way onto Whitefall after first having a close call with a ship full of Reavers, abominations of nature who will rape you to death, eat your flesh, and sew your skin into their clothing. Anticipating a double cross by the ironically named Patience, Mal has Jayne search for snipers in the surrounding hills of where the deal will go down. Fortunately for Mal, his paranoia pays off when Patience does attempt to keep her money and the cargo. Successfully subduing Patience and her crew, as well as getting paid, Mal, Zoe, and Jayne hurry back to Serenity after news reaches them that the ship of Reavers are headed their way.
Meanwhile, Agent Dobson has broken free and taken River hostage. Simon tries to stop him, but Dobson takes advantage of his inexperience and manages to overtake him. Unfortunately for Agent Dobson, when Mal comes back, he's in no mood to waste time with a hostage situation. He walks in and takes a shot at Agent Dobson who falls down dead*. Mal and Jayne quickly toss the body outside as the ship takes off. Thanks to the skillful piloting of Wash and the bright ingenuity of Kaylee, Serenity and its crew manage to escape the party of Reavers.
At the episode's end, Mal invites Simon to join the crew as a medic so long as he follows orders and keeps his sister under control. Shepherd Book also stays to help however he can.
Discussion:
There's a lot going on in this pilot episode of Firefly. With a runtime that comes in at about an hour and a half, there's a lot of show here to think about.
Firefly is most simply labeled as a Space Western. It's not exactly a new genre. The original Star Wars trilogy dabbled in that area as well. Star Trek, in its own way, was also a member of the genre. Some might even argue that much of the Sci-Fi genre carries with it much of the Western genre, new frontiers where the notions of law and order are mostly nonexistent. Science Fiction played a fairly significant part in the decreasing popularity of the Western. The 1960's was a decade where we were dedicated to sending a man to the moon. We were looking to explore new frontiers. One of my favorite examples of this transition was recreated in the film Toy Story, a movie for which Joss Whedon was a screenwriter. The point I'm trying to make is that Science Fiction isn't so separate from the Western. A lot of the elements people came to expect from the latter were found in the former, so perhaps the notion of a Space Western isn't so far fetched. While the Western was a huge influence on Star Wars, George Lucas also took elements from some of the samurai epics, a subgenre of jedaigeki (where Lucas gets Jedi from), so Star Wars is a little too complex to be deemed a solid Space Western. Both Star Trek and Star Wars spend enough time rooted in fantasy, a genre not inherently essential to the Western.
For me, Firefly strikes the balance perfectly. Not just in style, but in substance as well. Joss Whedon created a new frontier. Star Wars had one Han Solo. Firefly has several. Most any element of the Western genre can be found in his unique vision of the future, except for the snazzy cowboy hats. When we see Serenity jump into hyperspace, we don't hear the eerie sound of a theramin, nor the big brass section John Williams is so comfortable with. There's just the twang of a guitar.
One of my favorite elements in a Joss Whedon show is the characters. Whedon creates these exceptional ensemble shows where each character brings something special to the table. They're well developed enough to feel real even if they're a vampire with a soul, for instance. Firefly is no exception to this. After watching the pilot episode, one can get a real sense of a living breathing makeshift family coming from the crew of Serenity. And as the family finds itself with new members at the episodes end, I can't help but feel an extreme curiosity as to how everything is going to happen. There's the larger plot at stake involving the mystery that is River Tam, but I'm also just as drawn in to the characters and the journeys they are bound to undergo. The pilot episode manages to successfully introduce us to a universe with many more stories to tell.
Take Malcolm Reynolds for instance. There's a definite change between the Malcolm Reynolds we see during the Battle of Serenity and the captain we see six years later. Malcolm Reynolds, the soldier, is more optimistic, and we can clearly see him putting faith in a divine power as he kisses the crucifix around his neck and makes reference to the angels which are coming to save them. Not to mention the line where he notes jokingly that he and another soldier are too pretty for God to let them die. When Mal loses the Battle of Serenity, he actually loses a part of himself. Six years later, Mal is a little more hollow as he holds on to the one thing the Alliance can't take away from him. One of the most interesting elements to look into in all of the Firefly/Serenity 'verse is the development of Malcolm Reynolds with the addition of the new crew he's taken on. Book, Simon, and River all have an impact on Mal which helps him get in touch with the man he used to be.
There are many seeds being planted in this episode. We see the hint of a relationship between Mal and Inara, as well as Kaylee and Simon. There's a hint of some marital problems between Wash and Zoe when we see how upset he is that Zoe seems to respect Mal's opinion more than his. The way River and Simon interact with one another is always touching. Then there's the threat of a possible betrayal by Jayne Cobb, provided the money is good enough. I love the way the crew takes to Kaylee. Even Jayne, the manly man that he his, can't resist checking in on her while they wait to see how she'll do. Each member of Serenity serves a purpose, and I think it's pretty clear that Kaylee is the heart. She also makes eating a strawberry look like the cat's pajamas.
Another signature of a Joss Whedon project is the witty dialogue. "Serenity" certainly has it's share of great moments in comedy. I could spend the rest of this paragraph listing some of my favorite moments, but I'd much rather leave that to you, the reader.
Let me know some of your favorite moments, comedic and not so comedic, in this episode.
That concludes this week's edition of the Summer of Firefly. I'll see you next week when I tackle "The Train Job."
*Agent Dobson may not be completely dead. We'll learn more when we get to Serenity: Those Left Behind.
Episode 01: "Serenity"Directed by: Joss Whedon
Written by: Joss Whedon
Original Air Date: 12/20/02
Plot Summary:
*If you've seen the episode recently or have a pretty good memory of what happens, skip this Plot Summary*
Set five hundred years in the future, "Serenity" opens on a battle taking place in Serenity Valley. Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and Zoe Alleyne (Gina Torres) are soldiers for the Independents, aka Browncoats, a group fighting against the unification of all worlds under one government known simply as the Alliance. Despite their efforts, the Browncoats lose the Battle of Serenity due mostly to the Alliance having superior numbers.
Six years later, we find ourselves with Mal and Zoe once more, but the war is over. Malcolm Reynolds is now the captain of a Firefly class vessel named Serenity with Zoe as his second in command. The crew of Serenity includes a pilot married to Zoe, Hoban 'Wash' Washburne (Alan Tudyk), a gun hand, Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin), and a mechanic, Kaywinnit Lee Frye 'Kaylee' (Jewel Staite). Mal also rents out one of Serenity's shuttles to a companion, the Firefly 'verse's version of a sophisticated escort, named Inara Serra (Morena Baccarin). Mal and his crew have been hired to salvage some goods from an abandoned ship. Unfortunately, two things go wrong. For one, an Alliance cruiser spots their Firefly class vessel doing the illegal salvage. For two, the goods are all stamped with government insignia. These two things together make the employer, a gentleman with a very fine hat, named Badger (Mark Sheppard) unwilling to pay Mal for the job.The news is most definitely in the bad category since Mal needs the money in order to keep Serenity flying. Unable to simply discard the cargo, Mal decides to try to sell it to one of the border planets (as opposed to the more Alliance dominated central planets). In an attempt to earn some more money, Serenity takes on some guests to act as a sort of shuttle to Boros with a brief stop on Whitefall to try to sell their troublesome cargo to a woman named Patience. Amongst the guests are a preacher, Derrial Book (Ron Glass), and a doctor, Simon Tam (Sean Maher).
More bad luck hits the crew of Serenity when they find out there's an Alliance mole on board. Further investigation reveals that the Alliance agent is actually not interested in Malcolm Reynolds or his cargo...at least not for now. In fact, Agent Dobson (Carlos Jacott) is in pursuit of Simon Tam. During the confrontation between Mal, Dobson, and Simon, Kaylee finds herself caught in the crossfire when a bullet finds its way in her abdomen. They quickly subdue the agent and Shepherd Book takes it upon himself to insure no member of the crew decides to take the life of the man. Simon agrees to patch Kaylee up, but only if Mal flees from the incoming Alliance cruiser. Mal reluctantly agrees to the arrangement, but decides to investigate just what it is that Simon Tam is hiding in his cargo.
To everybody's surprise, it's actually Simon Tam's little sister River (Summer Glau). We learn quickly that the Alliance was experimenting with her brain, and Simon risked everything he had to save her from that. It is because of this that he and his sister are now fugitives. Not exactly wanting more attention from the Alliance, Malcolm Reynolds let's Simon know that he intends to kick them off his ship as soon as possible. Moreover, if Kaylee doesn't pull through, as soon as possible include releasing him into space. Fortunately for the Tam's, Kaylee does pull through with all signs pointing towards a complete recovery.Eventually Serenity finds its way onto Whitefall after first having a close call with a ship full of Reavers, abominations of nature who will rape you to death, eat your flesh, and sew your skin into their clothing. Anticipating a double cross by the ironically named Patience, Mal has Jayne search for snipers in the surrounding hills of where the deal will go down. Fortunately for Mal, his paranoia pays off when Patience does attempt to keep her money and the cargo. Successfully subduing Patience and her crew, as well as getting paid, Mal, Zoe, and Jayne hurry back to Serenity after news reaches them that the ship of Reavers are headed their way.
Meanwhile, Agent Dobson has broken free and taken River hostage. Simon tries to stop him, but Dobson takes advantage of his inexperience and manages to overtake him. Unfortunately for Agent Dobson, when Mal comes back, he's in no mood to waste time with a hostage situation. He walks in and takes a shot at Agent Dobson who falls down dead*. Mal and Jayne quickly toss the body outside as the ship takes off. Thanks to the skillful piloting of Wash and the bright ingenuity of Kaylee, Serenity and its crew manage to escape the party of Reavers.At the episode's end, Mal invites Simon to join the crew as a medic so long as he follows orders and keeps his sister under control. Shepherd Book also stays to help however he can.
Discussion:
There's a lot going on in this pilot episode of Firefly. With a runtime that comes in at about an hour and a half, there's a lot of show here to think about.
Firefly is most simply labeled as a Space Western. It's not exactly a new genre. The original Star Wars trilogy dabbled in that area as well. Star Trek, in its own way, was also a member of the genre. Some might even argue that much of the Sci-Fi genre carries with it much of the Western genre, new frontiers where the notions of law and order are mostly nonexistent. Science Fiction played a fairly significant part in the decreasing popularity of the Western. The 1960's was a decade where we were dedicated to sending a man to the moon. We were looking to explore new frontiers. One of my favorite examples of this transition was recreated in the film Toy Story, a movie for which Joss Whedon was a screenwriter. The point I'm trying to make is that Science Fiction isn't so separate from the Western. A lot of the elements people came to expect from the latter were found in the former, so perhaps the notion of a Space Western isn't so far fetched. While the Western was a huge influence on Star Wars, George Lucas also took elements from some of the samurai epics, a subgenre of jedaigeki (where Lucas gets Jedi from), so Star Wars is a little too complex to be deemed a solid Space Western. Both Star Trek and Star Wars spend enough time rooted in fantasy, a genre not inherently essential to the Western.For me, Firefly strikes the balance perfectly. Not just in style, but in substance as well. Joss Whedon created a new frontier. Star Wars had one Han Solo. Firefly has several. Most any element of the Western genre can be found in his unique vision of the future, except for the snazzy cowboy hats. When we see Serenity jump into hyperspace, we don't hear the eerie sound of a theramin, nor the big brass section John Williams is so comfortable with. There's just the twang of a guitar.
One of my favorite elements in a Joss Whedon show is the characters. Whedon creates these exceptional ensemble shows where each character brings something special to the table. They're well developed enough to feel real even if they're a vampire with a soul, for instance. Firefly is no exception to this. After watching the pilot episode, one can get a real sense of a living breathing makeshift family coming from the crew of Serenity. And as the family finds itself with new members at the episodes end, I can't help but feel an extreme curiosity as to how everything is going to happen. There's the larger plot at stake involving the mystery that is River Tam, but I'm also just as drawn in to the characters and the journeys they are bound to undergo. The pilot episode manages to successfully introduce us to a universe with many more stories to tell.
Take Malcolm Reynolds for instance. There's a definite change between the Malcolm Reynolds we see during the Battle of Serenity and the captain we see six years later. Malcolm Reynolds, the soldier, is more optimistic, and we can clearly see him putting faith in a divine power as he kisses the crucifix around his neck and makes reference to the angels which are coming to save them. Not to mention the line where he notes jokingly that he and another soldier are too pretty for God to let them die. When Mal loses the Battle of Serenity, he actually loses a part of himself. Six years later, Mal is a little more hollow as he holds on to the one thing the Alliance can't take away from him. One of the most interesting elements to look into in all of the Firefly/Serenity 'verse is the development of Malcolm Reynolds with the addition of the new crew he's taken on. Book, Simon, and River all have an impact on Mal which helps him get in touch with the man he used to be.
There are many seeds being planted in this episode. We see the hint of a relationship between Mal and Inara, as well as Kaylee and Simon. There's a hint of some marital problems between Wash and Zoe when we see how upset he is that Zoe seems to respect Mal's opinion more than his. The way River and Simon interact with one another is always touching. Then there's the threat of a possible betrayal by Jayne Cobb, provided the money is good enough. I love the way the crew takes to Kaylee. Even Jayne, the manly man that he his, can't resist checking in on her while they wait to see how she'll do. Each member of Serenity serves a purpose, and I think it's pretty clear that Kaylee is the heart. She also makes eating a strawberry look like the cat's pajamas.Another signature of a Joss Whedon project is the witty dialogue. "Serenity" certainly has it's share of great moments in comedy. I could spend the rest of this paragraph listing some of my favorite moments, but I'd much rather leave that to you, the reader.
Let me know some of your favorite moments, comedic and not so comedic, in this episode.
That concludes this week's edition of the Summer of Firefly. I'll see you next week when I tackle "The Train Job."
*Agent Dobson may not be completely dead. We'll learn more when we get to Serenity: Those Left Behind.
Wonder Woman (2009)
I believe this is will be the fourth straight-to-video superhero animated feature that I've talked about on here. I started with Superman Doomsday, moved on to Batman: Gotham Knight and Justice League: The New Frontier at the end of which I wrote "it looks like my days of watching these animated superhero movies aren't over..." For awhile that seemed true- until I finally got the motivation I needed to put Wonder Woman in my Netflix queue and watch that sucker.I can't put my finger on what made me so reluctant to watch this particular edition of the STVSAF's aside from the fact that I've never really cared for the Wonder Woman stories. I don't think it's because seeing a woman in what is normally a male dominated position gives me the wiggins (because it doesn't). I actually believe it might have more to do with not really knowing the motivation behind this particular character. We all know why Spider-man, Batman, and Superman are the heroes that they are, but, for me at least, Wonder Woman was never clear. This animated feature did help illuminate who Wonder Woman is, and, for that reason, I would recommend it to anybody who was even slightly curious.
Wonder Woman is an origin story. The film opens on a war many centuries ago between Ares the God of War and Queen Hippolyta. Hippolyta wins the battle, but is instructed by Zeus to let Ares live with his power bounded making him essentially an immortal human. Queen Hippolyta and her all women army then take residence on the hidden isle of Themyscira where they keep Ares under guard to ensure his bloodlust can never be satisfied. In time, the heavens see fit to give Queen Hippolyta a child. Hippolyta raises the young woman into the same warrior tradition that all of these Amazons undergo. In time, the child, Diana, rises to the top of the class so to speak. When it becomes necessary to escort an American pilot back to the U.S., Diana is the woman who earns the right to do so. Meanwhile, Ares finds a way to break free from his prisons, and with the world in peril, Diana, aka Wonder Woman, will need to be all she can be to stop the dastardly menace.
I was very surprised at how enjoyable this little animated flick was for me. There's really nothing extremely childish about these STVSAF's, and Wonder Woman is no exception to that. The violence, while not extreme, would never find its way into that Saturday Morning slot. The humor is also geared more to an older audience. The one comment I hear more than anything in regards to comic book stories is that it's just for kids. I think these STVSAF's are really working to dispel that claim.
I really enjoyed the female empowerment message contained not so subtlety in Wonder Woman. What I particularly liked was the way Diana was working to try to bridge the gap between the worlds of men and women. I love that she comments on some of the social constructions we've devised for what a man or woman can or can't do. At the same time, the message can come on a little heavy, and I don't know if that's just something that's inherent to the Wonder Woman universe, but I can only take so many man-hating comments before I start to feel some serious self-loathing. Then again, the movie does seem to be aware of this, and it tries to voice the anti-male-bashing sentiment through the American pilot who Diana was entrusted to escort back to the U.S.
Overall, I think this movie is another fantastic adaptation of these DC characters. If you enjoyed any of the previous three movies (see beginning of this post), you'll probably like Wonder Woman. Besides, it gives you a chance to see Keri Russell (Wonder Woman) and Nathan Fillion (American pilot) reunited for the first time since Waitress.
Wonder Woman gets four "indefinite integrals of one with respect to x" out of five because it was indefinitely integral to my superhero knowledge.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
Regular readers at Hoping for Something to Hope For may be fully aware that I seem to be lacking in an abundance of negative reviews. Let me appease those that crave such a thing by breaking down what was actually a painful movie-viewing experience. I don't have nearly enough patience to give a detailed account of the film, so instead, I'll just resort to a list of the top 5 things that made this movie hard to watch (even if they do come across as nitpicky):
- The movie felt like a series of gags strung loosely together by a story which failed to draw me in on so many levels.
- There's a moment where a bobblehead Einstein proceeds to use the phrase "to be exact" when listing the irrational number pi to only 9 digits. That Einstein magically knows that 9 digits are all that are necessary to break the ancient Egyptian code is equally as bad.
- The movie advertisement featured Robin Williams fairly boldly, but his total screentime couldn't have been more than 10 minutes (and those 10 minutes weren't exactly shining gems either).
- The filmmakers should be fined for what they did to Abraham Lincoln....and Einstein for that matter. And making Custer out to be some kind of hero, especially around Sacagawea, made me all kinds of disturbed.
- SPOILERS The ending where Ben Stiller meets an Amelia Earhart look-a-like and we're all supposed to believe that these two will live happily ever after actually made me angry, and yet, I don't know if revealing that it was actually Amelia Earhart would have made it that much better. SPOILERS END
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian gets two pi's out of five as well as a strong plea that no more sequels get made.
Friday, May 22, 2009
The Summer of Firefly
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The Summer of Firefly has arrived. I'm going to take you through what I consider to be one of the finer examples of television I have ever seen. Every week (ideally on Friday) I will post a review/discussion of one of the show's fourteen episodes in the order of their originally intended airings (none of this Pilot episode last nonsense that Fox pulled). I'll close it up with my thoughts on what might be considered the series finale with the film Serenity. Those with nerdophobia may want to stay clear.
In addition to an episode by episode discussion, I will also be talking about the Serenity comic books, selected essays from books like Finding Serenity and Serenity Found. I'll even look into the documentary about the fall and rise of the Firefly 'verse, Done the Impossible. I may even talk about the novelization of Serenity.I'm also willing to open up my blog to guest posts for anybody who wants to say more than they feel comfortable putting in a comment box. If you're interested, leave a comment or just shoot me an e-mail: TheRockinDTB@aol.com. I'll even accept posts containing heavy criticism, so you don't need to be a blindly devoted fan by any means.
For those who are reading this and don't have a clue what I'm talking about but are interested in finding out. You can watch all fourteen episodes of Firefly at Hulu for free. I encourage everybody to participate in what I hope will be a shiny mini-event.
That concludes this premiere edition of the Summer of Firefly. I'll see you next week when I tackle the pilot episode "Serenity,"
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Which is Joss Whedon's best television show?
Looks like Firefly is the winner of the little poll I started. You heard it here first my Whedon curious readers: Firefly is Joss Whedon's best television show (nevermind that it's based on just 5 votes and shouldn't be admissible as a valid statistic)
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Hiatus
It's probably going to be a few weeks before this blog sees much activity. As the semester comes to a close, I have projects, papers, and finals to focus on. If I can spare the time, I'll be sure to post something, but I just thought I'd give this little warning in case I go silent for awhile.
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