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Welp, in between painting the house and sorting out the wonky bathroom, myself and NewKate are working on two new SadGeezer Guides.
The first will be a SadGeezers Guide to Firefly and the second will be announced by NewKate when she’s ready to upload it.
All I can say about the new Firefly series is that I’m really regretting my decision to do a guide! Wheddon has spoken about the show being a sort of Sci Fi ‘Stagecoach’ and much more about characters and interaction than about effects and face makup (and possibly storyline).
Whedon firmly believes that there are no aliens and that we are all alone in the universe, as a result there will be no aliens in Firefly.
The characters don’t look particularly interesting either….
….aww, I guess I’m just upset about the whole thing. I haven’t seen a bloody episode yet and taking a big leap and investing so much time to setup a guide for something I would normally shun is scary.
Wadda dilema…..
After reading all the info I can about it on the web, I have to say that if it wasn’t for the fact that Whedon was behind this series – I wouldn’t even bother to watch it!
The New SadGeezers Guide to Firefly will be out in the next few days.
Well I guess Aint it Cool News have got a reputation for not suffering fools (or should that be shows) lightly. That’a very encouraging first review, I feel a little less depressed now. Thanks Bonnee.
Keep in mind Herc gave glowing reviews to both SW:TPM and SW:AOTC after seeing “preview” screenings.
I’ll wait until next week to see what I think.
The review is encouraging but I want to watch it myself to judge. Sometimes that funky camera work can make me feel nausaus. I’m a little leery of the handheld camera action because of that. I hope it’s not too bad, I’m looking forward to watching the story.
Here’s Herc’s P/review of Firefly (from Aint it Cool) http://aint-it-cool.com/display.cgi?id=13271
We’re not going to be seeing the “Firefly” pilot Joss Whedon wrote and directed until December, when Fox airs a version augmented with reshoots as an “origin special.”
Herc saw the version “Novagrass” did and he’s here to tell you it was a plenty fine pilot before the reshoots. But why fret? It’ll all come out on DVD eventually. Am I right?Here’s “Novagrass”:
I just got myself a copy of Firefly’s 80minute pilot episode. I thought you guys might like a review.Let’s break this down Herc Style…
So, what are you reviewing?
Firefly’s pilot episode, Serenity. People keep saying it’s two hours long, but it’s not. Maybe if they added the commercials… but as it is, it’s an 80minute episode.Well then … did you like what you saw?
I sure as hell did.Sum up the plot in 5 lines.
Mal, Zoe, and Jayne steal Alliance goods from ship. Try to sell it, fail. Pick up passengers at Persephone (Big, CG city) to bring to Boros (a planet or moon or something along those lines). Inara sponge-bathing. Fed on board, after a fugitive and his sister in box. Kaylee shot. Crew outruns Reavers in space. Mal finally sells goods. Outrun Reavers again. Simon and River offered sanctuary on Serenity.Hold up a second… who did what to who? Who are all these characters?
Mal Reynolds- Captain of the ship.Zoe- Mal’s right hand woman
Jayne- Mercenary
Wash- Pilot, Zoe’s husband
Inara- Intelligent, cultured prostitute
Kaylee- Cute mechanic
Book- Shepard who’s been out of the world for years.
Simon- Young doctor
River- Doctor’s crazy (brilliant) sister.
God that’s a lot of characters… Are they actually given personalities?
Seeing as this is a Joss Whedon show, it’s not at all surprising that every character is treated very delicately, and yes, they have distinct personalities.Who’s your favorite?
I like Simon… or Inara… or Mal… or Kaylee… or River… or… oh, I give up.While we’re talking about the all-human cast… how are the actors?
For a pilot episode, I was really impressed with how well the actors have found their characters. I especially enjoyed Adam Baldwin’s portrayal of Jayne. Sure Jayne may be the stereotypical tough-crude thuggish mercenary guy, but Baldwin plays his with this amazing subtlety that’s really great. He has the standout performance here. Sean Maher’s Simon, Jewel Staite’s Kaylee and Monica Boccarin’s Inara come close to Baldwin’s Jayne… but they fall barely short of his performance, I think. My only problem in the acting area was Gina Torres’ performance toward the middle of the episode. She seemed almost bored… and I can’t really understand why.So, we’ve talked about the characters… now, what’s the story like?
It’s slow and deliberate in places, full of action in others, and humorous in yet others. The drama is realistic, and just when you think it’s getting to be a bit too much… oops, it’s just a joke. The drama isn’t melodramatic and it isn’t too light. I’d go as far as to say it’s perfect.FOX ordered a different episode for the initial airing… why do you think that is?
Like I said above, the story is slow and deliberate. Apparently FOX doesn’t like that… something about their average viewer being too mentally incapable to keep up? They might be right… I mean, look at what was in its timeslot last season.You said earlier that there was some action. What’s it like?
Think Sergio Leone and you’re right on the money. It’s pretty spaghetti western-esque. And it’s very cool, very well done. It proves just how badass Mal and Co. really is.Firefly has been compared to Farscape. What’s your take on this?
While I love Farscape, there is little to compare between it and Firefly. They’re different shows completely, in tone and style. I think that Farscape fans will find enough similarities to keep them interested… but they’ll find more than enough differences to keep from feeling they’re watching another episode of Farscape. The differences lie mainly in the characters. And there are no aliens… or muppets.You mention style? Is there anything unique about the style?
Funny you should ask… or I should ask… or… whatever. Yes. There is A LOT of style. About 99% of the show is filmed using handheld cameras. This technique really helps in sucking you into the story. Even the special effects look handheld. I really like it. It’s cool.Since we’re relying on an all-human cast… how are the actors?
For a pilot episode, I was really impressed with how well the actors have found their characters. I especially enjoyed Adam Baldwin’s portrayal of Jayne. Sure Jayne may be the stereotypical tough-crude thuggish mercenary guy, but Baldwin plays his with this amazing subtlety that’s really great. He has the standout performance here. Sean Maher’s Simon, Jewel Staite’s Kaylee and Monica Boccarin’s Inara come close to Baldwin’s Jayne… but they fall barely short of his performance, I think. My only problem in the acting area was Gina Torres’ performance toward the middle of the episode. She seemed almost bored… and I can’t really understand why.Now to the important part… how are the special effects?
The special effects range from good to spectacular. I can easily say that these are the best television series special effects I’ve seen. Not only do they look nice, they’re almost seamlessly integrated into the show. While a show like Enterprise has some nice special effects, they are pretty boring and really don’t influence the show’s storytelling. What’s great about Firefly’s special effects is that they help in the storytelling as opposed to simply looking nice. The handheld camera look of the effects adds to the storytelling aspect. Then there’s the electronic paper. In the scene with Badger, there is this great effect where they put moving electronic imagery on regular paper. It’s like paper meets computers, and it’s a great detail… A great detail.So, we know Firefly is a Joss Whedon show. How does it compare to his other shows, Buffy and Angel?
Well… Firefly shares the great character development and intriguing relationships that Buffy and Angel are known for, and that’s about where the similarities stop. Firefly is more down to earth than Buffy/Angel. It’s more real-world centric, and while it takes place in the far future, I have an easier time putting myself in Firefly’s world than I do putting myself in Buffy’s. Firefly is a little less conventional in its camera work too, and I like that. I’m going to say that Firefly is all around better than Buffy, even though the differences between the shows might be too strong to make an accurate comparison.Firefly sounds great. Is there anything you’d like to add?
Umm… I think everyone should watch it. Cause it’s amazing.The part I find most encouraging is that Whedon focuses on story and character development. He always takes a formulaic story and turns it on its head, and his characters grow and change just like real people. It’s nice the special effects are good, but he doesn’t depend on that to carry the show, like some others I could mention.
I’m not too upset that there aren’t any aliens. Like special effects, some other shows depend on latex and weird costumes to carry the show. I’m more interested in what human beings would do in space.
The actors may not look very interesting right now, but it looks like Whedon is using relative unknowns for the most part, and that can be a very good thing. Unknowns try harder. Once we’ve seen them in action, we may like them a lot. I’m keeping my fingers crossed anyway.
quote:
Originally posted by dgrequeen:
The actors may not look very interesting right now, but it looks like Whedon is using relative unknowns for the most part, and that can be a very good thing. Unknowns try harder. Once we’ve seen them in action, we may like them a lot. I’m keeping my fingers crossed anyway.
You have a good point there.
I wouldn’t have picked out some of the actors from Buffy as being particularly “stand outish” or memorable but they’ve become that way. Must give it time!
I guess you can check for yourselves. The Guide (baring in mind that I haven’t seen an episode yet) is finished and up at:
The SadGeezers Guide to Firefly
The site format is done and there are bio’s up. Nothing on Cultures yet and the Purity Test calculation server (at Bann Consultants is down).
YOu can have a play around with the pages if you like, but I wont be adding the links through the site until the Purity Test bugs are sorted out.
Hope you like it… and the show too 🙂
I’m kinda curious, when does the rest of the world get to see the new show. For US its this Friday, is it about the same for countries elsewhere?
*trying not to sound like an ass kisser*
I liked the character summaries, Sad. They read better for me than the ones on the official Fox sight. I have no idea if it’s because I’m used to the form here or if it was just organized better, but I appreciated the work you put into it. Thank you.
As far as I’m aware, there are no plans for the show to be shown anywhere else yet.
I’m sure that’ll change very quickly, but certainly nobody in the UK has been advertising the show.
A playful introduction to the show Sad – it will be interesting to see if the show has been worth your effort, or indeed lasts longer than one season. My understanding is that Buffy and Angel have thrived where they are because they’re on networks not used to or expecting great ratings (despite all the media attention and cult following, both routinely hover around the top 100 rating position). Firefly will have to perform like no other Whedon show to survive on Fox – possibly better than Angel and Buffy put together.
Thanks Bonnee, a thoughtful complement. SG Guides, as you know, are all about playfulness 🙂
Whedon is surely betting all his talents on this show. There is so much expectation/hype about it that it’s getting nauseous. Nevertheless, as a late fan of Buffy and especially Angel, I just had to give him some support (however meagre) with a playful intro and review of the first series.
After LEXX started, I honestly believed that good Sci Fi on TV was gonna become a regular occurrence, but I’ve been hugely disappointed with the antics of the writers and producers of Andromeda and Farscape, so much so, that I find it hard to review the shows.
SadGeezers Guide isn’t in the business of doing critical reviews. Essentially they are reviews by fans, so as many of you have guessed, as far as this SadGeezer is concerned, there have been many good starts and poor finishes.
Maybe Firefly will be different. I hope so!
Thanks for the recognition Praxilla, very kind 🙂
quote:
Originally posted by Praxilla:
*trying not to sound like an ass kisser*
No you’re not and your words mean a lot more than you might think.
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