No deep* thoughts at the moment. Been watching Joss Whedon’s ‘Firefly’ for the first time. For those who don’t know, it’s an attempt to fuse the genres of western and SF, an attempt that’s mighty successful in my book. In large part that’s down to Whedon’s ability to create and write characters that are truly interesting and sympathetic. His style of dialogue (Whedonesque) also works better in the mouths of adults as opposed to the teenagers of Buffy, where it sometimes came across as too smug or smart-arsed. The minimalist approach to SF also works incredibly well: no aliens, no super-duper technology, etc. allowing the series to focus on the characters.
Good stuff. Which is probably why the network cancelled it.
Zoe: "Proximity alert. Must be coming up on something."
Wash: (alarmed) "Oh my god. What can it be? We're all doomed! Who's flying this thing!?" (deadpan) "Oh right, that would be me. Back to work."
I’ve also been caught up in the ongoing vandalism of the openDemocracy forums. As I've mentioned already, for almost a week now a poster – almost certainly the idiot formally known as Billy Coconut – has been disrupting them. Despite being banned, he simply registers under a different IP address and proceeds to leave a large number of empty comments on ancient threads, knocking any active ones off the front page in a manner akin to a toddler throwing toys around so that no-one else can play with them. It’s a truly pathetic – and extremely annoying – sight. It’s as close as I’ve got to seeing someone undergoing an emotional breakdown.
(*Well, less shallow at least)
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
"You can't take the sky from me..."
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8 Comments:
Could have been a really great show. I'd never even heard of it until I came over to the US. BTW, Serenity is actually not a bad movie either for a TV spin-off, and ties up a few of the more jarring loose ends.
I saw Serenity a while ago, and although I quite liked it I thought it felt too much like a TV show (if you see what I mean).
Can't remember it too well now, so I'll try to get round to watching it again after I've finished with the series.
The final episode is great fun and suggests Whedon was ready to knock it up a notch, as it were, for season two. Which, of course, never came.
He's probably one of the best TV writers around at the moment. And an atheist too.
It's only a matter of time before you succumb to Whedon's ongoing arc for Astonishing X-Men...
Emma Frost (miffed and imperious, as ever):
"Tell me, dear Walter, would you like to spend the rest of your life obsessed with the works of Leroy Neiman? I mean sexually...?"
"I saw Serenity a while ago, and although I quite liked it I thought it felt too much like a TV show (if you see what I mean)."
It didn't really work as a stand alone that's for sure. It wasn't nearly as bad as the movie they wrapped up the Farscape series with though (which also got the axe, although after a more respectable innings). That movie sucked like a Dyson on max vac.
I'm afraid this will reveal just exactly what a sad individual I am, but I've only just recovered from the cancellation of Farscape. I'm just glad I didn't get sucked into Firefly too.
If you liked 'Farscape' then you'll probably like 'Firefly' as well.
Go on, you know you want to. It's ten hours of your life that you won't regret. :-)
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