The love/hate relationship continues

[rabid1st]

Me and Joss Whedon. Joss and me. I went to see Serenity.

It was smart, funny, tragic and action-packed. I saw the twists coming and even spoke some of the lines with the characters but it wasn't because I thought it was predictable. It was because I know JW. I knew the INSERT BIG SPOILER THING HERE over a year ago without reading a single spoiler. But I can honestly say I would recommend Serenity and indeed I did recommend it to several people in the movie line and our waitress at Denny's.

On the other hand...the theater was practically empty, an almost unheard of occurance in my tiny town for the Sunday Matinee on an opening weekend. The line for the other movies went out into the street. Also, one of the people there was a non-Whedonite and leaving the theater he described the movie this way to his friends, "It was good. A space movie. Like Star Wars." My sister and I spoke as one saying, "It was NOTHING like Star Wars." Then, we had to explain ourselves because the people thought we meant it wasn't a good movie.

However, all that said...I was able to reassure my sweetie when I got home that I wasn't back to wanting to bear JW's children.

Rae

Comments

[serenelystrange.livejournal.com]

I wasn't expecting the 2nd shock in the movie, and I say it that way just in case I spoil anybody. I sort of knew something like that would happen, but never to who it did. Anyway, I liked it alot, and I'm glad you did too. I only have a small love/hate relationship with Joss Whedon, mostly based on the cliffhanger ending of Angel. Beautifully done, but still a cliffhanger! Lol, well, yeah, I'm just going on because I've got a wicked cold and am bored. Bye now, :)

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm usually pretty thick when it comes to plot twists, but yes, I saw them coming and I loved it, especially the dialogue twists (except I totally didn't expect the "I'm the leaf in the wind--" spoiler).

I went to the first matinees on both days and it was packed. Hardly a free seat. Also, the 9pm Saturday showing was sold out, I suspect it's the hi-tech company that gave out tickets to employees (I think it's a gaming firm). As for the demographics, 3/4 male, ages 18-40, with several older gentlemen. Very few ladies, especially in my age group.

And yes, the love-hate relationship continues.

Back when it was just a script

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

...probably over a year ago...AllyV got the inside scoop on the leaf(because she's Ally and she just can ;-D ). And she comes online to chat and she says to me, "Saw the script for the Firefly movie. You want spoilers?" And I said...No...but let me guess. So...I guess...the first one...and then she says...oh, good...but there's another. And I say..."Leaf"

A pause...and she says, "You're scaring me, now."

I ask if that's a yes? And she confirms it and says maybe it won't happen. I tell her...oh, it will happen...because he's Joss. He'll do the first one to kick off the festivities...and the Leaf in the wind...for the emotional payoff.

It was like the key in the bar...when you saw the lock down didn't you just KNOW that Mal would be patting frantically for that key later?

Anywho, I managed to have a very good time...and hopes that my town is the anomaly because even though I no longer want to have Joss Whedon's babies and almost never call out his name during the sex anymore...he's still a fluffy, little, misguided genius.

Rae

Re: Back when it was just a script

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Wait, did the 'leaf' thing come up on the show? I don't remember [hangs head... now I have another excuse to start rewatching... wait, I'm already doing that]

[pets your scary but brilliant brain]

No...no....not from the show...

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

I am using CODE here...Leaf is standing in for the thing that happened...for the unspoiled. Though why anyone unspoiled is this far into a post...I don't know.

I told Ally who the two leaf people were and the hows and whys of what would happen to them. She had seen the Serenity script but back then it was called "Firefly Movie" because they hadn't picked out the movie name.

Rae

Re: No...no....not from the show...

[allyv.livejournal.com]

It was actually a review of the earliest screenings that I read... so I knew about the leaves but that was about it.

Re: No...no....not from the show...

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Hee! Leaf is a most excellent code name! And seasonally appropriate, too. Damn it, now I can never look at autumn leaves the same way again.

Speaking of leaf no.2, I may not like it, but I get how it makes us realize that nobody on the crew is safe after that. Especially for the new audience, who's not very familiar with the significance of leaf no.1. And right before leaf no.2 takes place, the unspoiled audience is cheering and the spoiled audience is squirming (well, I was second time around) and it works, it makes the moment when others get shot so very real.

gobi
who is having way too much fun with code-speak

The leaf falls true

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

Yes, code speak is fun. And I totally agree...even as I said I wouldn't have had a second leaf...I understand WHY we had it. And it was for the reason you mention...people felt it...and it worked very well for new audience because there is an emotional connection but not the huge one the pre-existing fans had. My sister cried about it later and she really wasn't a fan though she'd seen a few episodes of the series.

My concern...was that it left the audience too emotionally torn at the end...people didn't leave the theater pumping their fists and going BOO-YEA! This meant they might have NOT gone home and immediately told their friends to see it.

For an action flick to do very well...the prevailing notion is that the audience has to have the big, old, unlikely happy. I am rather impressed with Joss' ability to convince the studio that he didn't need to have that. Probably the early test screenings with the fanbase helped him there.

Rae
very glad to hear that other town theaters are packing them in...because really people deserve smarter action films.

Re: Back when it was just a script

[allyv.livejournal.com]

I've got to work that into my sig line somewhere... something about how I know all about the leaves on the wind, cause I'm me and I can. ;-)

I enjoyed it very much, as well. As did my younger brother, so that was nice since he hates Buffy and Angel. I knew about the leaf-type plot twists, but the thing about Reaver origins blew my mind. Seriously. My mouth dropped open and I think I muttered 'oh. my. god.'. That one moment made the entire movie worthwhile to me. Nice that Joss can still shock me sometimes.

I went to the 4:35 showing on Friday afternoon and it was more full than I thought it would be. Quite a few women, actually. One family with little kids. A bunch of men there by themselves. It was weird because this old woman was in line in front of us with her middle aged daughter and Jake and I decided that the old lady wanted to go to it because she thought it was going to be about religion or something... not exactly the target demographic but she did stay through the whole thing, so that's good I suppose.

It didn't make the earth move under my feet or anything, but it was an enjoyable time with characters that I love that didn't make me want to kill Whedon with a rusty fork so I got what I wanted from it. I'll probably go again next weekend.