soapbox

It opens this Friday! Who’s with me?

Just seeing if people are searching for this term.

So, by the skin of their teeth yet again, Boston has made it to the postseason as the wild card contender.

Let’s hope they can keep it together through this next series with Chicago, and that the Yankees fall apart against the Angels.

I, for one, wouldn’t mind seeing Boston and Anaheim duke it out over the AL title (Big Papi vs. Guerrero is always a fun game, especially since they are good buddies off the field); at least it’s not the bloody rivalry that the Sox have with the Yanks. But, then again, I’m not a lifelong Boston fan, either…

That was some quality sci-fi action, it surely was.

It was a little more space-opera in feel than the “Firefly” TV series, which will always be dear to my heart for giving us the joy of cowboys-and-spaceships style sci-fi, but I reckon feature films should be a shade more grandiose, so there you have. Plus, Joss Whedon probably felt like he ought to present as much of the large-scale plot arc he would have developed in glorious detail, given a few seasons of TV time to develop “Firefly”.

I think the movie works pretty darn well as standalone piece, and also nicely puts a finishing chapter on the “Firefly” story. That being said, I’m really hoping that Joss doesn’t fall prey to the temptation to make sequels, prequels, or anything of the sort. Please, Joss, quell the -quel desire!

Excellent performances delivered by much of the cast, and Chiwetel Ejiofor was superb as our chief antagonist (I’ve loved him since seeing “Dirty Pretty Things”, which I also highly recommend), although some additional screen time for some old favorites would have been nice,but I’ll never fault Joss for avoiding the fan-service trap that other genre gurus fall into. *ahem* Lucas *ahem* Star Trek *ahem*…

There were a few points that didn’t quite mesh with the broader narrative as the TV show would have it, but that’s to be expected , I suppose. Still, a complete understanding of the character dynamics could relaly only be had if one had enough backstory to know about the war and Mal’s and Zoe’s roles in it, which were alluded to only glancingly. I feel like there will be some significant deleted scenes on the DVD when it finally comes out, as the movie I saw in the theater yesterday felt particularly chopped in a couple of spots. I was also mildly disappointed that the culture clash themes that I found so immersive in the TV series were somewhat downplayed in the film; the greater storyline was driving this piece, not the quirky situations of everday life that added lots of the unique flavor to the “Firefly” ‘verse.

Anyways, definitely a must-see for anyone who saw all or part of the “Firefly” series and enjoyed it, as well as hardcore fans of Joss Whedon’s work, since it’s very much stamped with his signature. Highly recommended for everyone else, as well, although it was not completely an ideal experience for me, but that may have more to do with how well I know the series.

I just got back from seeing Serenity. That’s quite a secre….

REAVERS!