Don't Get Me Started
Nathon Fillion (Mal on Firefly) will appear in the November 8th Episode of Lost, if rumors are to be believed.
I have to say that this season (third season) of Lost has definately got me more on edge early on than last season did. I’m wondering if they can keep up the tension. The only way I’ll find out is if I keep watching, I guess.
Even though it hasn’t been on the air in two years, Firefly took six awards in the popularly judged SyFy Genre Awards (hosted by SyFy Portal) this year.
The SciFi Channel aired three first-run episodes of the short lived series last season, qualifying the series for consideration in the awards this year. Loyal fans of the show clearly came through with support, giving it the ‘best series’ award for 2006, beating out SciFi’s own Battlestar Galactica.
The Firefly winners were:
BEST ACTOR/Television
WINNER: Nathan Fillion, “Firefly”
RUNNER-UP: Matthew Fox, “Lost.”BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/Television
WINNER: Adam Baldwin, “Firefly”
RUNNER-UP: Terry O’Quinn, “Lost.”BEST SPECIAL GUEST/Television
WINNER: Christina Hendricks, “Trash,” Firefly
RUNNER-UP: Claudia Black, “Avalon, Part 1,” Stargate SG-1BEST EPISODE/Television
WINNER: “Trash,” Firefly
RUNNER-UP: “Dalek,” Doctor WhoBEST Series/Television
WINNER: Firefly
RUNNER-UP: Lost
The complete list of this years awards can be found here: http://www.syfyportal.com/news.php?id=2895
As the founder of Syfy Portal (Michael Hinman) observed “These types of wins shows how important fan bases are, and how effective they can be in fan-voted awards such as this,” “While some might question how much power these fanbases have, it is the fanbases that ultimately helps decide the fates of television shows and movies.”
The Wiki entry for a complete list and history can be found here: SyFy Genre Awards
So, today I get a private message from the Austin_Browncoats moderator about my negative wit, as currently displayed on her list, and a reference to a total buffoon that picked a fight with me a year ago on the list because I dared to suggest that Firefly was dead.
It is dead. The show was cancelled. It might be revived, but it won’t be the same show. Star Trek never came back from it’s cancellation. Oh, they made movies, and they made spin off series, but the Original Series (TOS, for the Trekkers out there) remains as the same 79 episodes. It effectively died when NBC pulled the plug in 1969. For the fans it ‘lives on’, but considering what they’ve done to the Star Trek universe of late, it looks more undead than alive. Perhaps 14 episodes and a movie, coda (fade out) would be a kinder fate for Firefly than the fate that befell Star Trek.
Back to the buffoon. She ranted and raved for a few days, then packed up and left the list in a huff because “she had better things to do elsewhere”. Fine by me. Hadn’t heard anything of significance from her before the meltdown, didn’t see that it was much of a loss. I made my apologies to the list, and went on.
Only to have it thrown back in my face today. Well, that’s just fine and dandy. Yes, I tend to speak my mind, and I don’t generally give much thought to the impact this might have. I try to be concise and to the point, colorful yet clear, but I don’t really care if it ruffles feathers. It’s the way I talk (when I say anything at all) and it’s the way I write. Honesty is the best policy, and I follow that policy to the letter.
Like the latest dust up. Someone who probably should know better forwards that old Cough CPR post to the list. Now, most lists (including mine) have notices about forwarding this type of junk to the list. It generally amounts to “don’t”. Being aware that this is a bogus bit of netlore that could be potentially fatal, I immediately zipped off a rebuttal. Very shortly afterward, I get a response from the original author defending her post as being sent with “the best of intentions” along with some companion sympathy shoulder rubbing posts from another member.
So here’s another tempest in a teapot starting to boil. And who’s fault is it? Mine!
Yepper. How dare I speak in such a condescending fashion. Well, excuse me for trying to keep people from killing themselves with CPR tips that won’t work as advertised, and hurting someone else’s feelings in the process. I should remember the good intentions the post was sent with and not worry about those people who might actually kill themselves with the advice contained in the post.
However, the tempest never gets to a full boil. Why? Not because the moderator put a lid on it, deleting posts on the subject (Attn: Ms. moderator. Firefly fans should have more balls than to go whining to the authorities when the other kids in the sandbox don’t play nice. It just seems a bit counter to the whole “livin’ on the raggedy edge” kind of mindset) no, it never came to a boil because I resisted saying the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
The last post in the thread shows up, tearing at the hair and bewailing my lack of common decency for daring to take this poor woman to task for something she posted with the best of intentions…
…and I let it slide.
So, in the For What It’s Worth department I have this response:
No. Good intentions are not required as a prerequisite for doing good. Knowing the difference between the good and the bad is. Good intentions that yield bad results might as well be bad intentions. Common decency compelled me to set the record straight in the first place. Otherwise I’d have been more than happy to let the boat float along undisturbed, just like the rest of the sheep who can watch someone being mugged in an alleyway and do nothing about it.
You can feel good about the fact that my good deed has not gone unpunished.
It’s all hot air, I’d just like to say that as a preface. The critiquing of art only has statistical relevance, as in the method used at rottentomatoes, and then only if the positive/negative is weighed properly. Which is why I don’t make top 10 lists, for example. It’s pretty pointless. My favorite top 10 anything will shift from day to day, and should be meaningless to just about anybody else.
I know what I like and why I like it. Conversely, I know what I don’t like and why that is as well. For example, Sin City is not a good film no matter how many tickets it sold. There is no discernible theme. There is no apparent rhyme or reason for the use of color in the film (which is done in nouveau black and white for those who haven’t seen it. Can anybody explain the Ferengi in the final segments of the film? I just don’t get that bit at all) it is an excellent representation of a graphic novel whose pictures move, but it is a very poor film. Are we clear? Good.
Having made that point clear, I’d like to respond to two points brought up here:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/showblog.asp?b=2857#8598
(non-SciFi fans will be forgiven if they run screaming…)
Gedeon wrote:
So are you saying Joss will lose his thunder like David Lynche did?I’m still a browncoat, still love the characters, but they should stop whoring the story for new fans next time around. You know, not have Simon save River thus destroying what he did in the series. Not have Jayne take River for a nice Shuttle ride… It makes the story clearer, but you and I didn’t need it.
What I was saying is that Fire Walk with Me was a failure in every way that Serenity was not; and yet it was acclaimed as a great film. I’ve never cared one way or the other for David Lynch’s work. I consider his version of Dune to be one of the worst adaptations of a movie from a novel that I have ever seen. They didn’t get one thing right except casting and makeup for the Harkonnens. I’ll have to beg off judgment on anything else he’s done since I haven’t seen it.
I personally think that Joss took the wise course in attempting to create a film that would not alienate the new viewer by catering to the fans of the TV show. I’ve said this before and it bears repeating, I’m not in charge of making the movies and I daresay that you don’t make films either. Since they don’t pay me to make decisions about what I want to see in a film but rather pay someone else to do it, I don’t expect people in a position of authority on any particular film will care much if I have a complaint about a particular scene or even complete movies. Watch or don’t watch. Those are your only choices.
The scenes in question make sense from a plot standpoint even if they don’t make sense in series continuity, and so can be forgiven. I especially love the beaning that Jayne gets. Nice pun Joss. They do not conflict with established facts from the series. So, no aspersions on Joss whatsoever, kudos to Joss for getting Serenity in the air at all.
Gedeon wrote:
To me, in years to come, we will consider Serenity like trekkies consider the first Star Trek movie. It’s the right characters, but the costumes were all wrong. The other six are much better.
The worst of the ST films was the last one. That they (Paramount) have apparently given Berman and Braga (the Nemesis of Trek) the reins of the next film as well pretty much spells the complete end of the franchise for me. If Berman is given control of this film, it will be the first Star Trek film that I won’t bother to see in theatres. Nemesis was so far removed from Gene Roddenberry’s vision of Trek that I just couldn’t sit through it more than once. That and the fact that they rehash the death of Spock with the death and rebirth of Data. They inexplicably find yet another brother for Data, while traveling on a dune buggy the only vehicle with wheels ever seen in Trek. Need I go on?
In contrast the first film, despite its meandering pacing and far too simplistic plot, clearly has a lot of Gene in it. The machine trying to become human a la Data from Next Generation, for example. The first Star Trek film is something I cherish. It got the ball rolling again.
If that is what Serenity ends up being, the film that gets the ball rolling again, then I will look back on it just as fondly.
Someone commented after I wrote this article that the next S.T. movie wasn’t going to be Berman’s, but that it would still be a prequel. That just means that it will be Harve Bennett’s “Trek Babies” (Star Fleet Academy; most likely with Kirk, Spock and McCoy in Starfleet) idea. Not only won’t I pay to see that film, I’d pay not to see it. How about we just use a plot line from one of the hundreds of books? Why is that a problem?
By the way, you all may have spoken about this LOOOONG before I joined the group, but, what did everyone think of the Serenity movie vs. the t.v. series? I personally enjoyed the series MUCH MORE than the movie.
Christina
After nearly 30 years of watching Star Trek the original TV series translated to movie form (and all the stumbling about to get back into characters the actors had long forgotten) and after watching Next Generation go directly into movies, I think I’ve gained a little insight into this process.
Watching a movie and watching a series are two completely different ways of taking in entertainment. You wouldn’t think so, but they are. A series of short simple stories with weeks between them giving you time to think about the characters and situations while anticipating the next episode; versus one long complex story, less character development, and the knowledge that you might never see these people again.
It’s kind of depressing, even if you love Serenity (which I do) to think that this might be the last time we ever see these characters. I like my SciFi to be on television. You get time for good characters that way. Shows that don’t focus on character development don’t last very long (witness the Ber-Trek Enterprise if you don’t believe me) and I find that to be the part of the show that I like. Knowing the characters. However, given the option of no more Firefly, and Firefly movies, I’ll take the movies and enjoy them anyway. I already know the characters.
As we all know now the Abramanator ended Trek as it was prior to his raping of the franchise. Not satisfied with forcing himself on Star Trek, he then raped the Star Wars franchise out of existence. Star Trek is now dead. R.I.P. Star Trek. Star Wars is dead. I know this because Disney bought them. Disney is populated by the zombified corpses of most of my childhood memories. Brrr. There was no more Firefly following the release of Serenity. There probably never will be unless someone else tries to remake it. I wish them luck.
Ever heard of a show called Firefly? I’m a fan. A hardcore fan. Ever heard of the movie Serenity? It’s a continuation of the characters and storyline in Firefly. Again, I’m a hardcore fan. I just want to get the fact that I LOVE the show(s) in the record before we go where this post goes. Stay with me here.
Firefly was canceled due to the infinite wisdom of Fox television. All television executives are omniscient, just ask the guys at NBC who canceled Star Trek in the 60’s. They knew it was junk and was never going to make any money. Don’t let the fact that Paramount has milked millions out of the franchise (and founded the 5th broadcast network with not much more than Star Trek to carry it) since that point fool you, Star Trek needed canceling. In much the same way, the red-headed (browncoated) stepchild that was Firefly needed canceling, because Fox only agreed to let Joss Whedon do it so that they could keep him for another season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You don’t promote and fund a ‘gimme’ long term. And they didn’t. 13 episodes filmed. 10 episodes aired. No promotion to speak of. You’re outta here!
But Firefly wouldn’t die, I’m sure the old guard Star Trek fans out there understand why that is. Writing. Talking. Promoting. And lo and behold the show that needed canceling is resurrected as a feature length film. Some said “that doesn’t happen” (Trekkies know better, but we let them have their moment. Kids are so cute) and marveled at the feat. And, really it was a feat. An excellent film that preserved the atmosphere of the original show, and completed the main story arc left unfinished by Fox needing to cancel the show. It was on screens all too briefly, and passed onto disk (a copy of which is already in my library) within a few short months.
And then the rumblings started from naysayers, TV executive lakeys, and Hollywood insider wannabes concerning whether Serenity the movie was a success or failure, and whether or not this should “shut the fans up”.
Personally, I don’t feel like shutting up, and I don’t count the shows short time on screen as a failure. Why you say? Because in comparison it’s just not.
I’d like to point out a show (no, not Star Trek) that had a similar fate, not so long ago. A critically acclaimed series with a very short life was resurrected as a movie (that was also critically acclaimed) that went out of theaters nearly as fast. What was the show? Twin Peaks. The movie was Fire Walk With Me. My point is this, even with the media circus that surrounded the show and the subsequent movie, if you look at the numbers here or here, you will see that the show did not in fact do an impressive amount of business. A recoup of about half of the 10 million dollar budget spent on it. But the critics loved it…
In comparison, Serenity’s numbers are just rosy here and here. All told, Serenity has made back the money spent on it, and we aren’t even done with the video sales yet. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. And still, I hear the “What if’s” and the “If onlys”. What’s done is done. The movie came out when it did, competed with the films that were out then, and left the theaters when new films crowded into the fall schedule showed up to push it out. Gotta have all the good films out right before Oscar time. Don’t ask me why, it must be that same omniscience that the TV execs have.
So why should we wear long faces and walk silently? Because the film wasn’t as popular as Lord of the Rings? Didn’t make the kind of money Titanic did? The film didn’t have the history of Lord of the Rings to promote it to every adult in the world, or the potential 200+ million dollar hickey that motivated the blitzkrieg of media exposure which ensured Titanic‘s (undeserved, in my opinion) box office sales. Serenity was good enough on its own merits to pay back it’s investors, and good enough on its own merits to inspire loyal fans of the series. I say we crow to the moon and demand a second film! Who’s with me?
Firefly moves from the little screen to the big one with minimal hiccups. I volunteered to be part of the test audience for one of the pre-release versions of the film back in May. That version didn’t have all effects and music in it yet, and that version was still good. Because we watched the television series, there were lots of extremely tense moments, but the best part of seeing the film was realizing that even if someone hadn’t seen the TV show, they’d still be able to enjoy this romping space western.
The movie is consistent with the series’ storyline and details. There are several unexpected events that leave you reeling in your seat. The characters are what make this movie worth watching. As for myself…
Well…
I’ll be there opening night to see the finished product. I loved it.
As an aside, Adam Baldwin is used heavily as a marketing tool on this film, and while he is his always excellent self in the movie, his part was smaller than originally anticipated. He was one of the actors that was out promoting the movie when I saw it back in May, or when the Wife saw it on the second go round on the test audience circuit.
We went to watch this movie on it’s opening week at one of the Rolling Roadshow events for Alamo Drafthouse. The event was held in an abandoned set for the 2004 remake of the Alamo. As usual for most Rolling Roadshow events, there was a special menu complete with vendors decked out in costumes that mimicked things worn in Firefly. The Daughter created some unique art to gift to Jewel Staite and Summer Glau who were there on that special occasion to egg on all the Firefly fans.
Unfortunately, almost none of the pictures I took that night were exposed properly, so there is no record of the event other than what I keep in my head. We had such a great time with Bear Philley and his family that night. It would be nice to have some decent photos to relate what a surreal experience the whole event was. Being outside in a derelict tribute to an iconic battle. A building that was only partially constructed in the first place and hadn’t aged well. The attendants decked out in mock-chinese apparel. Getting to meet Jewel and Summer. It really was the event of a lifetime.
