Jayne: 'Cause I don't know these folks. Don't much care to. Mal: They're whores. Jayne: I'm in.

'Heart Of Gold'


Firefly 4: Also, we can kill you with our brains  

Discussion of the Mutant Enemy series, Firefly, the ensuing movie Serenity, and other projects in that universe. Like the other show threads, anything broadcast in the US is fine; spoilers are verboten and will be deleted if found.


Betsy HP - Oct 03, 2005 6:06:00 pm PDT #5830 of 10001
If I only had a brain...

I get upset about crazy fans because they make the rest of us look bad.

And then I realize that to society, I am always going to look bad, or at best weird, and if they weren't mocking me because of my Jossness, they'd be mocking my terrible taste in shoes.


beekaytee - Oct 03, 2005 6:07:32 pm PDT #5831 of 10001
Compassionately intolerant

they weren't mocking me because of my Jossness, they'd be mocking my terrible taste in shoes.

OMG. This is so completely me. Bless you for making me laugh out loud...at myself.


HiddenSky - Oct 03, 2005 6:09:34 pm PDT #5832 of 10001
"There are two sorts of people in the world: those who believe Joss Whedon is a genius and those who are wrong." - Connie Ogle, Miami Herald

I'm just happy Serenity even exists. Is it disappointing that it wasn't #1 at the box office? Yes, in the sense that it would have been a very nice achievement, but #2 isn't anything to cry about, either. I'm just sitting back and enjoying the chance to see Serenity on the big screen.

As far as the evangelizing, there's no doubt it's definitely a dedicated fan base. I'm certainly a devoted fan (the area around my computer is littered with Serenity merchandise right now) who has tried to spread the word via old fashioned word-of-mouth to my friends who I think would enjoy it (and out of the group of eight who saw it with me Friday, I'd say 75% of them did), but to force the film down people's throats and attack anyone who doesn't think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread isn't the way to go. It disappoints me when I see reactions like that. (ETA: After posting, I read my tagline and realized it sounds contradictory to what I just wrote. Pretend the tagline isn't there.)

I must say that I am surprised, though, at just how many fans I encounter outside of the usual areas I'd expect. Many of the places I go online are fandom related, so buzz about something like Serenity is to be expected. But I've also seen posts in the off-topic area of a hockey message board and other places that aren't from overzealous fans trying to reach other audiences. They're people who found Firefly through some means and they're also excited about Serenity.

I was in line at the concession stand on Friday afternoon and the man behind me saw my Serenity t-shirt and started chatting with me. He was a Firefly fan who heard about the movie and had no idea about the internet-driven advance screenings and other stuff going on. Likewise, someone was looking at the script book at work. He caught part of an episode on Sci-Fi and bought the DVDs based off that. So, yes, it might be annoying if you're not a fan to see mentions of Serenity cropping up everywhere, but I think some of it is genuine buzz by people who might not have a clue about internet browncoats, etc.

I don't get the feelings of betrayal by Joss, either. When I sit down to watch or read something, I'm ultimately putting my trust in the creator(s) behind the work. I believe they have their reasons for their actions, and if that's the way they feel their story should be told, so be it, even if I disagree. I put my trust in their hands hoping that I feel fulfilled in return, but they don't owe me anything.


Jesse - Oct 03, 2005 6:16:53 pm PDT #5833 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

In non-serious fan news, my parents loved the movie, loved the show, but my mother never got why the show was called Firefly.


Sean K - Oct 03, 2005 6:20:46 pm PDT #5834 of 10001
You can't leave me to my own devices; my devices are Nap and Eat. -Zenkitty

but #2 isn't anything to cry about, either.

Sadly, much of the time these days, it is. There is a big chunk of the Hollywood production mentality that says that if you don't open #1, you've failed (and certainly, a $10mil opening on a $45 mil film leaves a little something to be desired), however, there's also the subject of legs -- if a small movie has them, that can make up for a lot.

What's going to happen in this case? Don't know. Too soon to tell for sure, but I'll be very surprised if we get sequels.

Not that I'm "calling a time of death," mind you....


Polter-Cow - Oct 03, 2005 6:21:02 pm PDT #5835 of 10001
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!

In non-serious fan news, my parents loved the movie, loved the show, but my mother never got why the show was called Firefly.

Did you explain about the ship?


HiddenSky - Oct 03, 2005 6:26:20 pm PDT #5836 of 10001
"There are two sorts of people in the world: those who believe Joss Whedon is a genius and those who are wrong." - Connie Ogle, Miami Herald

> but #2 isn't anything to cry about, either.

Sadly, much of the time these days, it is

You've got me there when it comes to the overall finances. Thinking of a canceled TV show that got turned into a feature film, though, I think #2 (and #1 among new releases for the week) is a pretty good showing. I was worried something like Into the Blue would perform better, which really wouldn't bode well at all.


Jesse - Oct 03, 2005 6:27:27 pm PDT #5837 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

I did explain that Serenity was a Firefly class ship. My mother was like, @@.


Gandalfe - Oct 03, 2005 6:32:22 pm PDT #5838 of 10001
The generation that could change the world is still looking for its car keys.

There is a big chunk of the Hollywood production mentality that says that if you don't open #1, you've failed (and certainly, a $10mil opening on a $45 mil film leaves a little something to be desired), however, there's also the subject of legs -- if a small movie has them, that can make up for a lot.

However, when making the decision, studios are far more likely these days to factor in ancillary revenues, which, in this case, is pretty much just the DVDs and HBO (or Showtime, or whoever gets it). Oh, and books and such, too. And the anicllary on Serenity is predicted to be HUGE - at least, in relation to the box office. Look at it this way: Everyone who bought the DVDs of the show, minus, say, 10% for the BETRAYED folks, is going to buy the movie. how many is that? And that's just the built in people, not those who say, "Well, I kind of wanted to see it, I'll blow the $15 on the DVD."


HiddenSky - Oct 03, 2005 6:34:29 pm PDT #5839 of 10001
"There are two sorts of people in the world: those who believe Joss Whedon is a genius and those who are wrong." - Connie Ogle, Miami Herald

I did explain that Serenity was a Firefly class ship. My mother was like, @@.

There's also the resemblance with the glowy yellow back end. (At least the series wasn't Lobster, like the Reaver ship.)