What kind of moron network executive thought that killing this show was a good idea? How is it that Sci-fi Channel or USA or Showtime or somebody hasn't snatched this show up and started making it again (as USA did when the networks canned Monk)?
Seriously, I'm only on the last show on disk two, and I'm completely hooked. I haven't liked a SF show this well in years. Possibly ever. DS9 is the only show that stands a chance, and honestly...I'm not sure it does. At all.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I know. I loved firefly. I cursed FOX when they cancelled it.
Then they cancelled John Doe, which came after it on Friday nights.
*CURSES!!!!*
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I just finished disk 2. I need to do dishes, study spanish, read some SE Asian pre-colonial history, and change a lightbulb.
Instead I just put in disk 3.
Posted by Bob the Lawyer (Member # 3278) on :
Disc 4 blows the other 3 out of the water in every sense of the word.
I hope you didn't have any plans tonight.
Posted by Vána (Member # 6593) on :
I have become a devoted fan, thanks to xnera loaning us her copy of the box set.
Thank you again for that, xnera - seriously.
Posted by Lime (Member # 1707) on :
Just out of curiousity, Noemon, which episode pushed you from "This is pretty darn cool" to "Oh. Holy. Hell."?
In my case, it was "Out of Gas" (which you're probably just finishing up right now). But the combination of "Our Mrs. Reynolds" and "Jaynestown" right before it contributed quite a bit.
(Thank you Xnera).
[ August 11, 2004, 11:01 PM: Message edited by: Lime ]
Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
Ya, I loved it.
Universal actually bought the rights to make a trilogy. They are filming the first movie now (Called Serenity) same actors and everything.
Posted by Bob the Lawyer (Member # 3278) on :
The sad thing is, with a trilogy and all, I doubt the series will return to TV. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have *some* Firefly in my life, but I miss good TV shows all the same (there are so few).
Posted by Lime (Member # 1707) on :
A trilogy?!
Wow, that's really cool. I might be too darn optimistic, but I want to see this come off the movie(s) running and get a nice, long run on a major network that isn't Fox. They had their shot.
Posted by kwsni (Member # 1831) on :
War stories is the one that blew me away.
I even know which LINE hit me so hard. Wash saying "Mal" as Zoe's leading him away... just..wow.
I can't wait to see serenity.
I think the only series I've loved so much is farscape, and that had four seasons to grow on me.
Ni!
Posted by SoberTillNoon (Member # 6170) on :
You are right. I watched it in syndication on UPN long after it was canceled. I wish that it did not get canceled. However, I am glad the sci-fi is bringing back Farscape.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
You know, I think that the moment that the show really grabbed me was in The Train Job, at the very end, when the tatooed russian type guy announces to Mal that he will hunt him to the edges of the universe, and Mal says "Darn.", and kicks him into the intake of the ship's engine.
That was just so completely removed from what they'll usually allow a protagonist to do in a show, you know? In any other show I've watched, the protagonist would have just let the guy go, and then they would have spent several seasons having the bad guy pursue him before dying in a way that was clearly his own fault and not the protagonist's. I hate that. The closest I've seen a SF show come to having this sort of character is DS9, in the episode where Sisco beats the living crap out of Garrik.
Our Mrs. Reynolds solidified my opinion of the show, and did away with any lingering doubts I might have had (although really, I didn't have any by this point), and Jaynestown made me realize that they're going to flesh out every single one of these characters.
Out of gas was even better (although I did wonder why Mal didn't put on a suit. I mean, I know that he thought he was going to die, but I think that it would be human nature to, at the last moment, have one's resolve break down and for one to try to live just a little longer.
Really, the only episode that hasn't impressed me was Bushwacked.
I should really, really go to bed. I do have to work tomorrow. And yet...Shindig awaits. And I am weak.
Luckily, I can only do myself so much harm--I rented these from Blockbuster, and I'll have to wait until tomorrow to get disk 4. Or chew my arms off if somebody else has it checked out.
Posted by Bekenn (Member # 6602) on :
Noemon, given you liked DS9, also try out Babylon 5. Of course, you're probably already either 1) a fan or 2) convinced you never will be, having not actually seen a representative portion of the show, but I thought I'd recommend it, anyway.
And, given you liked Firefly, definitely try out Farscape.
Edit: And disc 4 of Firefly is definitely the best. Hands down, and those are awfully big hands. Or something.
[ August 11, 2004, 11:47 PM: Message edited by: Bekenn ]
Posted by ghost of xnera (Member # 3920) on :
Lime and Vána, you are most welcome. I am looking forward to getting them back, though. I've missed them.
I loved the show before I even saw it. Just, everything I heard about it sounded so very cool. But yes, it was probably Out of Gas that really did it for me. That is just one heck of an episode.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote: You know, I think that the moment that the show really grabbed me was in The Train Job, at the very end, when the tatooed russian type guy announces to Mal that he will hunt him to the edges of the universe, and Mal says "Darn.", and kicks him into the intake of the ship's engine.
This is where they got me as well.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Farscape is actually next on my list. I thought I'd start in on Babylon 5 after that. I've seen an episode of Babylon 5 here and there, but of course the story arc is so strong in that one that I didn't feel able to get into it. Rather than kind of sully it for myself, I thought I'd just wait until a time when I had an opportunity to watch the show from beginning to end, in order.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Firefly can't be on television on any other network for 10 years bgecause of their contractual agreements, and I doubt Whedon would go back to them anyway.
Gotta love FOX. Me, I'm wildly amused that one of the other shows that was misunderstood and treated poorly, Futurama, was nominated for an Emmy last year and nominated for two Emmys this year, two years after it was canceled.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Porter, are you startled by how much you and I have in common?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Yeah, it's been pretty weird.
Ooh!! I got Babylon5 seasons 1-4 for my birthday last week. I'm so excited! I'm watching Born to the Purple right now.
My next DVD set to get is Firefly.
edit: Maybe we can arrange some sort of trade...
[ August 11, 2004, 11:56 PM: Message edited by: mr_porteiro_head ]
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
I'm one of the few, apparently, who saw Firefly when it was on the air, and I can tell you that watching them in order makes a huge difference because at the time I blew it off completely. I only watched a few and thought it was pretty cool, but I could never develop the habit of tuning in since the order didn't seem to make sense and it got pre-empted for just about everything.
The last episode ever aired was the pilot, which answered a lot of questions I'd had - duh - and made me wish I'd been more faithful. The DVD set made me wish I had five minutes in a room with the FOX executive(s) in charge. So far I've loaned it out to about seven people, not counting the visiting friends who have been forced to sit down and watch, and I sent a set to a buddy in Minneapolis the day after she finished her book's first draft.
Check out www.fireflyfans.net. Lotsa news, lotsa pictures (including this one) and lotsa insider scoop on the Big Damn Movie.
[ August 12, 2004, 12:02 AM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Glad you've noticed it too. I thought maybe it was just me. Of course, this also means that you have a startling amount in common with CT and Slash, which is definitely a good thing.
Up until now, I haven't been a big fan of buying DVD sets. I kind of wanted the full run of DS9, but there's no *way* I'm paying that kind of money--that would run me almost $800! If I were going to spend that kind of money on a single multi-volume purchase, it would be Smith's Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan States. Luckily, I can rent most of what I want from Blockbuster, and once I exhaust their supply I can just switch to Netflix.
[Edit--forot an "e"]
[ August 12, 2004, 12:02 AM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Hey, Chris, how cool is that?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Mary bought the Chinese version of the Babylon 5 DVDs. The discs are the exact same discs as the American version -- they just come in a box with Chinese characters and misspelled english. She bought four seasons on eBay for about $100, and they arrived the next week from China.
About how much are the Firefly DVDs?
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
We met her at DreamCon in Jacksonville - pretty much the reason we went - and it was great. Better still would have been the ComicCon in San Diego that had the whole freaking cast and Josh Whedon, but that was out of my price range. You can listen to the hilarious panel here.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
It was $45 at Amazon.com for me to ship a set to my bud.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
The problem I have with buying copies of something like that from China is that I'm aware of how likely it is that the DVDs are pirated, and that my money is going to fund organizations like Burma's Wa army. I'd rather just rent the things from Blockbuster, or check them out from the library. Honestly, I kind of like not being weighed down with a bunch of stuff, too. Kind of funny, since I just bought a house, and I own a ridiculous number of books, but I like to keep it to a minimum where I can.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
If you've got friends or relatives with similar tastes who won't be going anywhere any time soon, maybe you can work something out. We go in half on Buffy season sets with my brother-in-law. He keeps 'em, we borrow them whenever we want. Averages $20 a set that way.
[ August 12, 2004, 12:14 AM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Ah, that's okay Chris. I'll just rent them. I've got Blockbuster's version of Netflix, so if I'm paying for that anyway, I might as well use it.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I appreciate the offer though.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Hmmm.... I hadn't thought that they might be pirated.
If I had considered that, I don't know if it would have changed things.
And I've never heard of that army before.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
The Wa are an ethnic group in Burma. Before and during British colonization, and even up into the 1970s, they were feared, apparently with good reason, as head hunters.
Hm. I'll tell you what--rather than summarize, let me quote. This is from Andrew Marshall's The Trouser People, in a section of the book where he's talking about crossing Wa territory to reach a particular lake.
quote:It wouldn't be easy. The Wa weren't headhunters any more--they harvested the last crop of skulls in the 1970s--but their modern reincarnation was just as frightening. Now the opium-rich Wa hills were controlled by one of the world's largest drug-trafficking organizations, the United Wa State Army....
It was impossible to live in Thailand, as I did, and not know about the UWSA. In many ways the 'Red Wa', as the Thais also called them, were public enemy number one. The UWSA was another breakaway faction of the defunct Communist Party of Burma, and in 1989 it had struck a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government....This peace deal effectively gave the UWSA control of large areas along Burma's border with Thailand and China, and allowed the Wa to concentrate on what they did best: refiningraw opium into heroin for the world's markets.
Then, in 1993, the UWSA also began to produce methamphetamine....
...addicts were not the UWSA's only customers. If you have been on holiday in Thailand and have bought a bootleg CD from a street vendor, then you have unwittingly made the tycoon drug lords of the UWSA a little bit richer: these CDs are believed to be manufactured in Wa-occupied areas of Burma.
p231-232
Sorry I don't have a more academic reference handy, but from other reading I've done, it would seem that Marshall has his facts straight, unfortunately.
So, while there's no guarantee that pirated CDs from China are coming from the Wa Army, I think tht it's possible, and maybe even likely.
These are not good people. I don't want to inadvertently fund them if I can help it.
[ August 12, 2004, 12:38 AM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Dude. That sucks.
Sometimes I wish I could just keep my head in the sand...
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah, doesn't it? I feel that way sometimes too.
Well, on that cheery note, I have to get to bed.
'night folks!
Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
ya, a good friend of mine came out of Burma in middle school. He talked some about the stuff that went on there when he was a kid...scary stuff.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
I think "Trash" is my favorite episode. It was NEVER shown on the air.
Don't read the back of the box. There's too many spoilers in the episode synopsies.
I saw them all when they were originally shown, but I have to agree that being shown in Order counts a lot.
Firefly was so sabotaged... shown out of order, pre-empted for the world series and given the "Death Time-Slot"... it's a wonder we got as many episodes as we did (Wonderfalls.)
This could have been my favorite show ever if it had been given half a chance. They took the sky from us.
Pix
Posted by Bekenn (Member # 6602) on :
Agreed... I also happened to catch a lot of it on the air, but with it shown out of order (when it was even shown at all, as opposed to the tail end of some baseball game), it wasn't enough to keep me watching at the time. The DVD set shows how great this show truly could have been.
Posted by AeroB1033 (Member # 6375) on :
I first saw Firefly shortly after it was cancelled. Back then, there were no DVDs, and no announcements about DVDs, just a seemingly hopeless (but we plugged along anyway) "save the show" campaign.
So I had to turn to downloading the episodes. My first glimpse of the show was "Jaynestown"--the wit, drama, writing, feel, everything was perfect. Love at first sight.
I downloaded the rest and became as avid a fan as the rest, and when the DVD set came out, I glady forked over my $35 for it as well.
Sadly, our tireless campaign seemed to be getting no results; but Joss was working away on his "baby", trying to get it back in one form or another.
In combination with our efforts, he succeeded. I can't wait until April, when Firefly returns to our 'verse. Here's hoping it succeeds, so it can return a couple more times.
By the way, Whedon's genius in Firefly persuaded me to finally check out his Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, both of which are excellent shows and almost as good as his sci-fi western. If you aren't already a fan, I highly recommend them--ignore the seemingly silly names and premises, beneath that they have writing just as good as that on Firefly.
Posted by Bekenn (Member # 6602) on :
Weeelll... almost as good. One of the things I liked about Firefly was that it had the wit and humor of Buffy and Angel without the pop-culture references and juvenile soap opera situations. 'Course, the soap opera situations might still have been forthcoming, but at least there was no danger of dumb pop culture references.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
My hero Ben Edlund actually wrote for that Jaynestown episode you mention of Firefly, as well as others. He was also a producer for Firefly and Angel. FYI. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
You know, one thing that seems a little like a plot hole in Out of Gas--why did the other scavenger ship leave? Why didn't they just wait a bit and force their way in? It was clear from the way that Mal was weaving that he wouldn't have been able to stay on his feet for very long.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
OK, he gets major props for working on The Tick, but I'm not sure if that makes up for having written Titan, A.E..
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah, Titan A.E. was pretty bad, wasn't it? I remember having an argument about it with pod, back when I was still posting under my original username. He absolutely loved it, for reasons I could never quite fathom.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
I enjoyed it, too. Even before I knew it's origins. It certainly isn't the best every but it's enjoyable in a non-Disney way. I remember an interview with Ben later where he said his original writing had been written and re-written, so little of his influence remained. Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I don't remember all that much about it, but I remember a conversation I had after watching it:
"Why did those aliens want to destroy all humans? It didn't make sense."
"So that the movie could have a undeliably evil antagonist."
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Point of order: Ben Edlund didn't work on The Tick. He created The Tick, wrote and drew the comic, way back when. That gets him more props.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Good point.
But Titan A.E. still stinks.
[ August 12, 2004, 02:12 PM: Message edited by: mr_porteiro_head ]
Posted by Lime (Member # 1707) on :
You know, I was wondering if The Tick Ben Edlund was also the guy who wrote "Jaynestown" and I never really got around to checking it out. That's awesome.
And in the same breath: Ben Edlund wrote "Jaynestown", created/wrote/drew The Tick... and somehow managed to write Titan A.E.?! It boggles the mind (though it does also remind me of a certain Penny-Arcade...)
I take an extremely long time to decide if I like something or not. It usually takes me 3 full front to back listening sessions before I decide if I like a new album by one of my favorite bands. I didn't mean to impugne the earlier episodes, 'cause I love 'em all... I sat up and paid attention when Mal kicked scarred Russian dude into Serenity's engine, and I decided it was a great show when I saw "Our Mrs. Reynolds". But "Out of Gas" confirmed that Firefly is Great, not just extremely good.
[/thought randomizer]
Posted by Speed 2: Cruise Control (Member # 6765) on :
Hey, as long as we're all saying thanks to Xnera for introducing us to Firefly, I just thought I'd throw in my two cents. Good, good stuff it is. I still need to find an adequate way of repaying you.
By the way, I'm Speed, but this is a screen name intended to postpone the inevitable landmark.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Well, I finished the 4th DVD yesterday. That was an incredible show. I'm still stunned at the treatment it received at FOX's hands.
One thing I didn't quite get--in the deleted scenes portion of the special features, the final "deleted scene" is from the final Episode, Objects in Space, scene #6. The blurb about it says "This scene was actually aired in the orignal broadcast, but has been deleted from the episode's DVD release. All of the episodes on this DVD appear as Joss Whedon originally conceived them so this reference to Inara deciding to leave no longer makes sense".
The thing is, this scene was in the episode, and did make sense in the context of the rest of the episode. So...what am I missing here? Did they intend to put a different version on the DVD and fail to do so? If so, what was Whedon's original conception of this episode? I take it that he didn't intend Inara to leave?
I can't wait to see the movie. Anybody know anything about it? Does it pick up where the show left off, or rehash the pilot, or what?
By the way, I rented Farscape season 1 (well, the best of season 1, anyway) and watched the premier episode. Is that episode indicative of the quality of the rest of the show? I ask because I found it to be...well, pretty bad. Predictable, with really wooden dialog. I didn't find the aliens particularly convincing either. I'm debating whether to watch another episode before returning it to Blockbuster.
My plan for tomorrow is to rerent the first disk of Firefly and rewatch the pilot, now that I'm familiar with the show. It definitely seems like a series that is worth rewatching.
Posted by Bekenn (Member # 6602) on :
Trust me, the show (Farscape) gets much better. And please don't just watch the "Best Of" collection; it leaves out far too much of season 1. Best to watch it in order, perhaps skipping a couple bad eps here and there.
Y'know, I can make a list....
[ August 15, 2004, 01:49 AM: Message edited by: Bekenn ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
It seems odd to me that they'd release a "best of season X" DVD set. I mean, the people who like the show enough to buy the DVD are going to want to see all the episodes, right? I'm not sure what the thought was on that one.
In any case, Bekenn, I'll give in another chance. The CD set that I rented has the following episodes on it:
Premier DNA Mad Scientist A Human Reacion Nerve The Hidden Memory Family Ties
Which of these do you consider good examples of the general quality of the show?
Also, just so that I can get a bead on how your tastes in fiction run, who would you say are your five favorite SF authors?
Posted by the_Somalian (Member # 6688) on :
I got mad when they cancelled Wonderfalls. What a great show. =(
I never cared about the cancellation of Firefly though, because I unfairly dismissed the show after seeing the intro to one episode and thought: A western in space? That's just dumb!!!
Then I changed the channel.
As it turns out, it was probably a wonderful show. To bad I never got the chance to see how good it was.
Incidentally, FOX would never sell the rights to it (I'm assuming 20th Century FOX is making the movie...) to another network--the possibility of it succeeding under someone els's hands and embarrassing the FOX network is something the puny executives who cancelled it are very concerced about. This is why few shows that become popular after their cancellation ever return.
[ August 15, 2004, 02:04 AM: Message edited by: the_Somalian ]
Posted by kwsni (Member # 1831) on :
Noem, that's a pretty good selection of the first season. There are good episodes you'll miss, but the two best episodes of the season are Nerve and Hidden memory.
Will post more good eps later.
Ni!
Posted by Bekenn (Member # 6602) on :
Noemon: Agreed; ADV's whole attitude toward the DVDs is just ridiculous.
Those episodes taken together are a good sampling of the general quality of the show, though personally I'd replace DNA Mad Scientist with The Flax or They've Got a Secret.
It's a moot point, though, because you really should send that set back and get the complete season 1 set. Once you've done that, find a way to sit through the first two or three discs (don't worry -- there are only two eps per disc (stupid ADV... grumblegrumblegrumble)) and the rest of the season should be more to your liking, with some exceptions; Jeremiah Crichton, in particular, should be avoided at all costs. I also highly recommend skipping I, E.T..
Posted by ghost of xnera (Member # 3920) on :
Hey, Speed! I am so glad you enjoyed the Firefly DVDs. And trust me, you don't have to make it up to me or anything. I love the show so much that sharing it with others is enough payback. I mean, Vána and Lime had my set for MONTHS and it didn't bother me too much. *grins* Just got it back yesterday, and am looking forward to watching it all again. Oh, and I feel bad that I never let you know that I did get your package in the mail, and squeed terribly! Thanks! I love just about everything Final Fantasy related.
quote: One thing I didn't quite get--in the deleted scenes portion of the special features, the final "deleted scene" is from the final Episode, Objects in Space, scene #6. The blurb about it says "This scene was actually aired in the orignal broadcast, but has been deleted from the episode's DVD release. All of the episodes on this DVD appear as Joss Whedon originally conceived them so this reference to Inara deciding to leave no longer makes sense".
The thing is, this scene was in the episode, and did make sense in the context of the rest of the episode. So...what am I missing here? Did they intend to put a different version on the DVD and fail to do so? If so, what was Whedon's original conception of this episode? I take it that he didn't intend Inara to leave?
The scene that made it into the DVD version of the episode is the scene as it was originally intended. Because Fox showed the episodes out of order and didn't show the full run, during the broadcast we never learned that Inara was thinking of leaving. So for the broadcast version of the episode, some dialogue was changed slightly so that it wouldn't be confusing.
quote: By the way, I rented Farscape season 1 (well, the best of season 1, anyway) and watched the premier episode. Is that episode indicative of the quality of the rest of the show? I ask because I found it to be...well, pretty bad. Predictable, with really wooden dialog. I didn't find the aliens particularly convincing either. I'm debating whether to watch another episode before returning it to Blockbuster.
The major reason I didn't wibble TOO much at being without my Firefly DVDs so long was because I was rening Farscape from Netflix. Oddly enough, I really enjoy the pilot of Farscape, though I agree that it pales in comparison with the pilot for Firefly. Farscape definitely has a touch of the cheesy at times, but the storyline gets pretty intense, and the continuity from episode to episode is amazing. I love the arc-iness of it. I also love the silliness it can have. I think Firefly is more of a character show, whereas Farscape can be more of an idea show. Not that it doesn't have strong characterization -- it so does! -- but that the individual episodes tend to revolve around some idea or concept. Farscape, at times, has actually got me thinking and wanting to write essays about science or ethics or politics, whereas Firefly makes me want to write essays about storytelling and characterization.
And now I am going to go get my groceries for the week, and then curl up in front of the TV with some junky food and some Firefly.
[ August 15, 2004, 08:32 PM: Message edited by: ghost of xnera ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I was just rewatching Shindig, from the second disk. Near the end of the program, Kaylee is sitting in her room, listening to music remeniscent of that playing at the ball the night before, eating little cracker thingies and gazing up at her dress, which she has hanging at the foot of her bed. Hanging above her bed is a tapistry or wall hanging or whatever with vaguely Chinese looking patterns on them, which is to be expected, given how common Chinese-derived culture is in this universe. What is funny is that the designs also look a *whole* lot like some of the aliens from Space Invaders.
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
They hooked me at the end of the pilot (which fortunately was one of the first eps I saw), when the Alliance agent is holding a gun to River's head and Simon's waffling... and then *bam*, the dude is dead, courtesy of Mal.
Then, just to make sure I was REALLY hooked, they fed me piles of fantastic, natural dialogue in subsequently aired eps.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah, I was impressed by that too Twink. It wasn't until The Train Job though, that I was completely convinced.
You know, I'm not really familiar with any of Joss Wheadon's work (his name is something like that, right?), but based on the strength of Firefly, I rented disk 1 of season 1 of Angel. I was surprised at how much less interesting it was to me. I may rent the second disk, just to give it a chance to develop, but the first disk didn't feel very inspired.
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Joss Whedon is most known for the Angel and Buffy tv shows, but he has worked on several movies, including the original "Buffy".
Yeah, I know that, I just haven't actually watched either of those shows (well, until I rented the Angel DVD I hadn't, anyway), or any movies that I'm aware of his involvement in.
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Now you have a quick link to the movies he has been involved in if you want to sample his "big screen" writing ability.
-Trevor
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Oh, I see. Yeah, actually, I think I'll do that. Thanks Trevor!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
He wrote Alien: Resurrection? What's everybody's opinion on that one? I've never seen it. Alien 3 was so bad that I decided I wasn't going to keep up with the series anymore, but now that I have a reason I'll have to rent #4.
Posted by ghost of xnera (Member # 3920) on :
The first season of Angel is just okay, IMO. I actually stopped watching it for a while and picked it up again in second season. It gets better after that. Seasons 2-3 of Buffy are probably his best work next to Firefly. Though now I find myself suddenly wanting to see "Hush" (season four of Buffy) again.
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Alien: Resurrection was just bad.
It was an interesting idea, but the storyline disappeared into the usual "run shrieking from the monster" scenario.
-Trevor
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
That's too bad. That looked like the direction that the series was going though. Thanks for the information though--you saved me the bother of watching it myself.
Posted by Tristan (Member # 1670) on :
Well, from all that I've read the general consensus seem to be that Alien: Resurrection isn't as good as its predecessors (the third movie possibly excepted). I however liked it. Though that may have something to do with the fact that the film featured one of my long time favourite actresses Winona -- bless her thieving heart -- Ryder.
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
This is true - it can't be as bad as three.
I mean seriously, who do you root for? The best outcome you can hope for is indigestion.
-Trevor
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
I can't tolerate Buffy or Angel, or much of anything else he's worked on aside from Firefly. So while I'm hopeful with respect to the movie, I'm not going to go in expecting to be blown away.
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
I'm not sure about Alien Resurrection, but for some other movies that Joss has written scripts for (X-Men, for instance) they didn't follow his scripts or intent. Only 2 lines of his from X-Men survived and they ruined one of them with bad delivery.
I'm a big fan of Buffy and Angel (AND Firefly). You need to watch them in order, though. Buffy first, and start watching Angel when you get to Season 4 of Buffy. Watch them in tandem, since that's how they aired.
The first season of Buffy isn't very great... it has awesome moments but it's by far my least favorite season. HOWEVER, it does get better and it's still fun to watch.
You've gotta get used to the first season of shows sucking sometimes, or at least the first few episodes. My husband and I are watching Babylon5 now, and I had a difficult time getting through the first few episodes. The acting is so overdramatic, it's hard for me to ignore. Now that we're about midway through the season, though, I'm starting to really like the show. The acting is getting better and I'm more forgiving of the WAY Over DRAMATIC parts.
I had heard the show was good, though, so decided to hang in there. My husband was a lot more forgiving of the show and liked it from the start.
Anyway.... Joss Whedon is pretty much a genius. If you liked Firefly (how could you NOT???) try Buffy and Angel. I happen to think the pop culture references were pretty funny. The shows are pretty deep as well. I'm a member at a Buffy board where people STILL discuss the show in serious and also in silly ways.
-Katarain
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah, first seasons *are* often pretty bad, and pilots even worse. Exhibit A: Encounter at Farpoint. My god that was a bad episode. What was exceptional about Firefly was that even the pilot was fantastic.
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
It's that timeslot of death. Will Fox NEVER learn???
I don't even know why they bother buying new shows if they're going to stick them on Friday nights.
I know they're trying to repeat the success of the X-Files, but didn't they give the X-Files more than 1/2 season to get a decent following?
I have no faith in TV executives. The WB are worse, cancelling Angel.
-Katarain
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I have to assume that they put shows in spots like that because they want them to fail for one reason or another. Maybe the person who approved the series in question pissed off the guy who determines the schedule or something like that. They did the same thing with DS9, airing new episodes at times that seemed almost purposely designed to be when the intended demographic wasn't watching TV.
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I am looking forward to getting them back, though. I've missed them.![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
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It certainly isn't the best every but it's enjoyable in a non-Disney way. I remember an interview with Ben later where he said his original writing had been written and re-written, so little of his influence remained. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)