OT: Movies You Have Seen Lately

[Atrocities]

Hunpecked, you missed the whole point of the series, there is no point to trying to make you understand. Either you got the series, or you didn't. I do hope that Joss's next television effort will work out.. sounds interesting if not anything else.

[Slynky]

I've never stood here and suggested for a single moment that Firefly/Serenity was a technical masterpiece, hunpecked. I mean, correct in all aspects of what we could expect in technology and future developments.

You know, lots of people enjoy James Bond movies and they enjoy a huge box office take. Talk about stupid things that could never happen! And then, there's the blockbuster movies like Die Hard, Mission Impossible (which is mostly anything impossible!), and even more stupid [censored] like, "Armeggedon" and its hit cast doing impossible [censored] on an asteroid. Give me a break! HIT movies often fail to meet technical political correctness and succeed in the box office.

NOW, to the story liine: IF YOU WATCHED! The premise is that the Alliance needed a place to settle as Earth was getting full. Here comes the terraforming. NOT that each terraforming exercise was to convert a rock into a paradise...it was to convert a planet into something livable. THEN, after terraforming and sending colonist out, the Alliance tended to forget the poor wretches on the outskirts. THAT'S supposed to signify the difference in tech from the central core to the forgotten colonists on the outskirts. Hence the rebellion. Hence the need for basic human needs like food (cattle) and medicine.

Was/is it technically perfect? No. But does it do it as well as all the other [censored] I mentioned? Hell yes!

The mechanic you seem to dwell on? Not much different than the apparent inate abilities of several other heroes in movies...like Star Wars. I took it as an ability to understand mechanics and space travel/engines as Tiger Woods has to a golf club.

Want to really get truthful? Then try the successful series of Star Trek where people spent a few minutes splicing a few wires together and increased warp speed twice over. Or how Wesley (a kid) save the crew many times over. Was it a hit (though really ridiculous)? Hell yes!

So, get off your high horse. Go look at a lot of successful pieces of "space pablum" and give Joss the same amount of fair assessment as you have the others.

Finally, character development in Serenity/Firefly exceeds the range of that achieved by Star Wars (really, if you go do your homework, sci-fi pulp made to a movie). The characters in Firefly/Serenity tug a bit more at your heart and emotions than Star Wars ever did. I don't remember ever getting a swelled throat at any character in SW. Or Star Trek.

Joss has made, NOT a masterpiece, but a damned good series/movie that makes you visit every gamut of what a viewer should want: Excitement, plot, secrets, emotions, and sadness. Mal is the BEST representation of a ship's captain as I can remember. Name me one better!

[Black_Knyght]

Atrocities said:
Hunpecked, you missed the whole point of the series, there is no point to trying to make you understand. Either you got the series, or you didn't. I do hope that Joss's next television effort will work out.. sounds interesting if not anything else.

I gotta go with AT on this one, Hunpecked. Reread everything you wrote, and give it a moment's thought. The point of the ENTIRE show is in there.

[Slynky]

And then, there's the quoted passages where Lucas surpasses any notion of professional courtesy and calls Joss the equivalent of an wannabe hack. From what I know about human nature, if someone REALLY is a waste of a writer, other writers don't give a [censored]. BUT, when someone is a real threat to your "kingodm" and ego, you do what all the childish kids do, you say negative things about them.

Hun, you need to take a dose of real life and come up for air. Develop a bit of cynicism...you'll find it more truthful than a pair of Star Wars "rose colored glasses".

[Renegade 13]

Realism in TV is overrated. Now, that's not to say that things that are horribly impossible, as related to our everyday life are good to have; I think they can ruin a series. But bending the physical laws, having prodigies that wouldn't normally occur, that's what TV's about: escapism.

Suspension of reality is what you need. Sure, things aren't always realistic and you could watch a show pointing out all the things that are impossible or highly improbable and not enjoy the show at all. Or you could suspend your disbelief and watch it for the entertainment it's supposed to be.

NOTE: This is not related to the whole Firefly/Serenity thingy, but it is applicable since that's how I view TV/Movies in general

[mac5732]

TV shows and Movies should be made for the enjoyment of those watching them. Realism can't always be interred into either a movie or a TV series. If realism was introduced, probably 99% of the shows and movies would be dull and everyone would be outside playing in their backyards. In addition, years and years ago, flying was thought impossible, no one ever thought we'd put a man on the moon, breaking the sound barrier.. what's that. etc. SO in essance, who knows what may or may not take place or happen in the future, who knows what type of weapons, ships etc may be used. Possibly what happens in Firefly could take place as to ships, weapons, etc. The same could be said for all the gadgets and gizmos in Star Trek.. In truth, one never really knows what may happen.. Its nice to dream, and if you can relate to a show and the characters, all the more enjoyment. A TV series or movie should be enjoyable not for the sake of what is or what is not proper, but for the fun, excitment and for a short time, emersing yourself for a short time into something else other then the real world, of wars, terrorist, disease, politics and all the crap that is going on in this world. Something to give one relaxation from the hum drum life as we know it. So what is the proper weaponry, gadgets etc that should be in a space series? Who really knows? It could be any, all or none of what we see on those TV series or Movies, so to say that those weapons shouldn't be there,, well, how do we really know what will be proper and what won't.. In conclusion, If one doesn't like a particular series, thats ok, thats your right and your taste, those who do enjoy it, they have that right as well. To view a series or movies, one must have an open mind to just plain enjoy the show for what it is and hopefully, it'll be one that you look foreward to seeing again and again. If not, then you go on to something else until you find something that you relate to or really enjoy.
The problem as I see it, is politics in Hollywood, the same as everywhere else, along with jealousy. Its a shame as good shows are removed or purposfully trashed just because someone doesn't like it or its a threat to something they are doing and the heck with the viewers and what they want or are enjoying. IF the big shots knew their a.. from a whole in the ground, they would know a good popular show when they see one, but alas, they are to busy bending over for someone else and not for the viewers.

This ascertation is not meant to belittle anyone or to trash their beliefs, it is only my opinion. The moguls in Hollywood need to think for themselves and not be dictated as to what should be shown and what shouldn't, because this person or that person doesn't want it on the air or in the movies because they feel its a threat to something they are doing or because they are afraid it'll take viewers away from their shows.

So enjoy or don't enjoy, that is the question you must ask yourself....

[Atrocities]

What is so sad about Lucas and his appearant view of Joss is that at least Joss can write intelligently. Case in point, Serenity compared to any of the last three Star Wars Movies.

I like the dialog used in Serenity and the series. It gave the show and the movie a unique familarity and appeal that is not often seen in such things. BSG has tried it, in fact BSG has stolen a lot of its ideas from Firefly from the style of the camera motions to the appearant use of recognizable dialog, albeit not as western dated as Firefly, but persado modern to say the least.

Firefly had the ratings to stay on the air, however George Lucas was personally offended by the show because he felt that it stoled from his work, specifically from his concept for a Han Solo series of stories, and just like with BSG and wing commander, Lucas presured Fox into killing the show.

Lucas has publically denounced Joss W. as reportedly a hack and a no talent theif, and that is just inapproprate behavior at the least. Lucas is like the spoiled rotten kid who has all the new toys and likes the attention he gets from the poor kids. Make him mad and he will take his toys and go home and whine to his mommy who then makes a big stink about things and gets people into trouble. Just spoiled rotten behavior being affirmed by a politically correct anti-original hollywood society.

That being said, any one here going to go see the new Pirates of the Carribean movie?

[Hunpecked]

Black_Knyght said:

I gotta go with AT on this one, Hunpecked. Reread everything you wrote, and give it a moment's thought. The point of the ENTIRE show is in there.

Funny, I thought the point of the show was to make money.

[Hunpecked]

Several posters have leaped to the defense of the Firefly series, claiming I've "missed the point" of the show. Unfortunately these people seem to have missed my point: yes, I didn't "get" the show, but guess what? Neither did a lot of others. THAT is why the series was cancelled after half a season and that's why the movie tanked. There's no need to invoke conspiracy theories to explain the demise of an unpopular show.

As for the "realism" issue, yes, Firefly is probably no more "unrealistic" than Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica (don't get me started), or Armageddon, the movie that set out to prove Hollywood could make a film even worse than Deep Impact, and succeeeded. But a story that stretches the audience's credulity has to have something else for people to "get", and unfortunately Firefly doesn't seem to have that, at least for most people.

[Slynky]

It's easy for a person who doesn't care about a particular show to not care much about why it was canceled. For those who do care, we looked for the reasons. Having talked with the cast and participating in many other places on the Internet furnishing info, I can say I honestly believe there were "those" who wanted to see the show fail/removed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly...vision_series)

Scroll down to "Cancelation".

Be sure to click on footnote #5 for information that contradicts your insinuation that the show didn't have much of an audience.

Speaking of cancelation, I might point out that Fox almost canceled 24, which, for this year, is the most nominated for Emmy awards. So, whether or not Fox cancels something is no indication, apparently, of its quality. It's all about making money fast. If it isn't made fast enough, then don't "get behind" the series and push it, NO, by all means, just cancel it! One other factor (my own opinion that I've not seen written anwyhere else) that may have added to the decision to cancel the series is the onslaught of visual pablum known to all the TV masses as "reality programming" which people hungered for in droves and which the networks could produce for "pennies" compared to a series employing actual known actors. Why spend a million an episode when you could spend 100K per episode and make more money? Dumbass people would watch ANYTHING in the "reality" genre.

And, the Lucas factor in the whole thing? I tend to believe where there is smoke, there's quite a liklihood of fire. After reading an excerpt of Lucas' VERY unprofessional comments about Joss' ability, I would catagorize Lucas as very likely to have had a hand in seeing the series fail. After all, IF a person is talentless and you have no worries BECAUSE he is talentless, you don't even bother your busy schedule to spend time discussing it. But, you have to wonder why someone goes out of his way to practice a bit of character assassination for a person who "competes" directly in your "arena". I think it's because he knows Joss has something that people like and he worried about his "hold" on the space genre being challenged.