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Author Topic: Blogging for Serenity  (Read 13073 times)

Spriggan

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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #75 on: October 03, 2005, 08:42:38 AM »
It should be an international crime to do so.
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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #76 on: October 03, 2005, 09:42:54 AM »
Quote
I don't know if that's our fault or whether it got messed up because of the gorram editorial comment, which I don't think was needed at all, but I bow to the discretion of our editor, who is kind enough to post our reviews.  
I think it was pretty obvious that we were being sarcastic about Harrison Ford being dead. But if you saw "Hollywood Homicide," it's much much less painful to think of him that way.

trust me, it was needed. Not only did I hesitate, but I had a couple people ask me about it.
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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #77 on: October 03, 2005, 11:49:14 AM »
Serenity had a weak opening, only grossing 10.1 million. It was still number 2 at the box-office. Largely, this was a weak box-office weekend.
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Skar

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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #78 on: October 03, 2005, 12:03:26 PM »
I'd like to clarify that the editor identified by the handle "SE", is not me.

About Serenity:
On the whole I was disappointed.  I went in with high expectations, which probably exacerbated my  disappointment.  It was a decent piece of sci-fi.  The acting was great, the story only a little unfocused.  But it was too much an extended sitcom and too little a bigger, tighter, more serious work.

I don't think entire scenes were designed to support witty banter.  I do think entire scenes were wrecked by it.  Joss did a very good job of building up emotional tension.  Unfortunately, he'd immediately dissipate it all, uselessly, with overly cute and witty sitcomesque dialogue.  Many of the scenes he built up were worth far more than he got out of them by "going for the laugh."

Oh well.  We've had the two ends of the spectrum now.  Episode III, which took itself far too seriously, and Serenity, which didn't take itself seriously enough.  Maybe someone will start striking a good balance soon.

And finally, I'm disappointed by the "naughty bits" that were thrown in.  I'll not be letting my kids see the film until I'm comfortable explaining to them what Kaylee could possibly mean by battery operated widgets in her nether regions. And therefore won't be buying the DVD anytime soon. What a sad, forced, little bit of cheapness to have been thrown in.
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Mad Dr Jeffe

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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #79 on: October 03, 2005, 12:16:57 PM »
Joss does indeed have different values than some people.. he's not afraid to touch on sex in ways that might shock some people but he did that a little on his shows too... so... and lets face its easier to explain than a full blow sex scene...

Oh yeah Kaylee had a gameboy advance...

yeah thats it


The low box office numbers...
on the whole box office numbers across the board are way lower than the last few years (I read somewhere 29% lower than last year) it seems high gas prices and movie theater malaise have caught up with movies again. Were fans a factor in serenity's moderate performance, (I doubt it there arent "that many" of them.)

Im not surprise that the reaction to the movie has been kind of love hate,... I've seen 3 major reactions so far. I love it and no one can tell me different. I hate it because its too talky/ preachy/ not like I was expecting (this also includes hard to follow), or I hate it because Joss hates true fans. (the last is sour grapes at a major spoiler that I cant discuss).


Now I do take issue at hard to follow because its not a complex movie. In fact as far as Sci-fi goes its really uncomplex. You dont have to know much about whats going on it helps to know more (there are some in jokes including the "you can't stop the signal" tag line) but mostly I think if you hated it because if you thought it was hard to follow you almost deliberately didnt really want to follow it.

« Last Edit: October 03, 2005, 12:18:37 PM by ElJeffe »
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Skar

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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #80 on: October 03, 2005, 12:37:50 PM »
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he's not afraid to touch on sex in ways that might shock some people but he did that a little on his shows too... so... and lets face its easier to explain than a full blow sex scene...


True enough.  Not nearly as bad as a full-blown sex-scene.

But why is it assumed that  touching on "sex in ways that might shock some people..." is something only brave people do?  It's all too common and trivial nowadays.  I'd say that the brave thing Joss did was leave it out as much as he did. (I don't follow his other TV shows so I can't speak beyond this movie)  My complaint was less, "How dare he talk about sex at all," and more, "Dang it, I would have loved to show this to my older kids if it weren't for those couple of things he threw in for absolutely no reason at all."  They were pointless and forced.  He could have gotten exactly the same ideas across without going for the juvenile snicker.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2005, 12:38:43 PM by Skar »
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Spriggan

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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #81 on: October 03, 2005, 12:38:14 PM »
DVD's and home theaters have cut into movie prices too, I think it was somewhere around 40% of people poled said they preferred to wait a few months and get something on DVD to watch at home the bother with seeing a movie in the theater.  This is also a slow time of the year for movies as well, and this week is going to be harder for Serenity to gain 1st place since Wallace and Grombit opens this Friday.
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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #82 on: October 03, 2005, 12:49:54 PM »
I'm fairly certain that Wallace and Gromit is going to trounce both Flightplan and Serenity.

I also agree with Jeffe, I don't think that it is that hard to follow at all. It really is a fairly straight forward action-adventure space opera. There are little things that would be explained better if you've seen Firefly, but they weren't crucial to the plot. I've only seen a few episodes of Firefly and I don't see how seeing those episodes helped me understand Serenity more.

I do agree that I don't like how much sex Whedon puts into his work. Seasons 4 and 6 of Buffy are completely ruined for me because of trivial way he treats sex in those seasons. Whedon has a promiscuous side that makes me a little distrustful of his work.

Course one thing I really like about Whedon is how he doesn't linger on one particular emotion. I really like how his stuff bounces around emotionally. He builds up tension then dissabates it with humor then breaks the humor with horror which then leads to tragic drama and back to humor. I just the like joining the ride.
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Fellfrosch

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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #83 on: October 03, 2005, 01:06:29 PM »
When you talk about the slump in ticket sales, you have to remember that last year was much larger than average, in large part due to Passion of the Christ inflating ticket sales to unrealistic degrees. I honestly don't think that we can blame "a bad year for movies" on the current ticket sales for pretty much anything.

That said, I do see a downward trend in ticket sales--I don't think it's hit yet, but it will, and the Passion of the Christ inflation might have helped us to notice it earlier than we would have otherwise. Something will ahve to be done, and my best recommendation is simply to improve the theater experience: get rid of cell phones and pre-movie commercials and you'd see a big change right there, I'm guessing.
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Mad Dr Jeffe

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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #84 on: October 03, 2005, 01:23:36 PM »
I dont think I said brave Skar I just said not afraid... Given the new trend in R movie to be near pornagraphic, I dont mind that he dialed it back a lot...



I agree w/ 42 about W&G too ... much more mass appeal, its g rated (which always sells better) and its genuinely different than traditional animation. But I think flightplan is gonna fall far out of the slot too...


I think Serenity will pick up a little steam...
Ebert gave it a good review and lots of folks still listen to him... the bulk of all reviews have said the movies fun.... compare that to flightplan which got horrible horrible reviews and I think it will be the #2 movie for a few weeks...
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Skar

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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #85 on: October 03, 2005, 02:39:14 PM »
Ok. Good point.  I rephrase:

Why is it assumed that  touching on "sex in ways that might shock some people..." is something only people who are not afraid do?

The difference in the meaning of the two sentences is truly shocking. Avast ye.

I gave Joss props for dialing it back a great deal.  My complaint is that he put what he did in at all.  It was pointless and did nothing for the film or the develpement of the characters involved.  

My point with the whole brave/not-afraid thing is that people are still given edginess/originality points for including either juvenile  or near pornographic sexual content in their work when doing so is about as mainstream as you can get.
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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #86 on: October 03, 2005, 08:02:30 PM »
So Serenity made 10.1 million in 3 days and it cost 40 million to make. That isn't bad.

Course, the theaters in this area sure are not pushing it.
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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #87 on: October 03, 2005, 09:05:40 PM »
Their poster really sucks as well.
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Fellfrosch

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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #88 on: October 03, 2005, 10:29:25 PM »
Actually, there poster is pretty bad. It really doesn't convey much about the movie.
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Skar

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Re: Blogging for Serenity
« Reply #89 on: October 03, 2005, 10:37:43 PM »
there were many posters in the info they gave to the bloggers who signed up for the advance screenings.  I'll post and link to a couple tomorrow at work.

Some of them were much better than the one they ended up using I think.
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