Serenity to Premiere at Edinburgh Film Fest

CABridges writes "Serenity, the science-fiction/western/comedy/drama based on Joss Whedon's TV show Firefly will receive its official Gala Premiere Screening at the 59th Edinburgh International Film Festival on Monday, August 22nd, with a 'Reel Life' interview with Whedon the next day. Serenity will make its U.S. debut September 30th and will open in the UK & Ireland on October 7th. More info available at the official movie website."

Comments

Damnit Fox

[stoanhart]

We could still be watching the actual TV show if fox hadn't screwed it over by running the episodes out of order. Man I love that show!

Re:Damnit Fox

[Anonymous Coward]

Another show bit the dust like others that had had me hooked: John Doe and...shit too many beers tonight to think, but over the last few years too many good shows have been scuppered because of industry angst about ratings.

Not really a premiere

[tenchiken]

Not sure how much a debut it is given that it's been screening fairly frequently in the US. Still one would hope for some good buzz so te trade rags notice.

I also will be interested to see what changes have occured since the first showings. I am certain there will be some.

Re:Not really a premiere

[Snaller]

Not sure how much a debut it is given that it's been screening fairly frequently in the US.

An unfished version has been previewed for a small number of people.

Re:Not really a premiere

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, this is the first screening of the finished film, with Joss + cast.

Re:Not really a premiere

[tenchiken]

Only if you think that 45 theaters, sold out every time is a small number of people. It's not huge, but it's certainly much larger then whatever occurs here.

Re:Not really a premiere

[Snaller]

45* say 600=27000 totally tiny insignificant number of people if this is every going to go anywhere and be a hit we must be talking millions.

And its not the number of people that make a premiere but the state of the film.

Re:Not really a premiere

[jdunlevy]

... and at the June 23rd screening I went to in Chicago, there were a number of folks who'd been to at least one of the two earlier screenings. Apparently the third version that I got to see was a lot further along. I have to see I can't wait for the real premiere. The un(but near-!)finished version screened on June 23rd was the best movie I've seen so far this summer -- I really don't get why it's not premiering sooner.

Re:Not really a premiere

[Babbster]

Mostly because studio execs didn't want to blow what will likely be a relatively meager ad budget trying to market against "Episode III: Maybe Lucas Is Finally Done," "War Of The Remakes," "Non-Horrible Four," etc.

I'd love to have already seen Serenity (thrice if it was as good as the series), but for the sake of the "franchise" (yes, I'm hoping it's good and there are sequels) releasing it in September is probably a good move.

Remake of the pilot?

[Jammet]

From the bits about the storyline as it is described on the official site of the movie, this all sounds exactly like the pilot episode also called Serenity, which was more like an actual movie, well over an hours length.

Is this a remake of that episode or that exact episode?

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Blackbrain]

I was lucky enough to see one of the previews and can can safely say that the movie in NOT a remake of the pilot. The story stands on it's own. There is a nice introduction to bring people who have not seen the series up to speed and plenty of new material for the fans. The movie also wraps-up a number of story lines left dangling after the series was canceled.

Considering the craptastic movies that have been released this year, it may turn out to be the best movie of the summer.

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Sancho]

It's nothing like a remake. The closest I could see to it being a remake is the fact that, as a movie, they have to revisit some of the background. The plot itself is completely new for the series.

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Sancho]

It will also be the latest movie of the summer, what with its September 30th release date.

But yeah, kickass movie. I just hope it's not the fanboy in me that thinks so. I really want to see it succeed so that more films can be made.

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Hortensia Patel]

No; it's completely new. Same core cast, but all-new script, storyline, SFX etc. It's set some time after the end of the series; there's a short comic just appearing now to bridge the gap.

Watch the trailer and see for yourself.

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Anonymous Coward]

As I understand it (and am informed by people who've seen the early screenings) the movie picks up where the series left off.

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[geekoid]

"The movie also wraps-up a number of story lines left dangling after the series was canceled."

if by 'a number' you mean 'one' then yes.

Good flick tho'

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Krach42]

Do you mean that the movie only wraps up one tangling story line, or that Firefly only left one story line hanging.

Because I've seen the series, and it DEFINITELY left a ton of story lines hanging... in fact, just about all of them were left hanging. You can definitely see that the cancellation came as a horrible and sudden event.

Serious, I gotta say this WHAT THE FUCK is up with FOX? Like, I buy all these 1 season series on DVD that aired on FOX, out of order, and they all kick butt!

I'm just reminded of the beginning of the newly-uncanceled Family Guy, and their first episode back. You know, where he lists of shows canceled by FOX for like 5 minutes. I've seen many of these series, and I know they're awesome.

Speaking of which, I'm still waiting for Space above and Beyond on DVD.

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[tenchiken]

Nope. It actually wraps several arcs that started in Serenity TV.

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Brandybuck]

Number of story lines left dangling:

1) What about River? What did "they" do to her?

2) What about Book's background? WHy does he know so much about crime, and get so much respect from the feds?

3) Will Malcom and Anara ever get together? Did they really close down that story line, or was that just a teaser?

4) And speaking of Anara, what's with that whole companion thing? It sounds like a geisha religion.

4) Will Kaylee get to tell her mom she married a doctor?

1) What's with the whole Blue Sun Corporation thing? They go through and murder an entire government office, and the government doesn't even care?

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Darkman, Walkin Dude]

Speaking of which, I'm still waiting for Space above and Beyond on DVD.

Ask and ye shall receive...

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Blackbrain]

I don't want to spoil anything for you, but I will say that four of these story lines are in the movie. ;)

Can't stop the signal.

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Anonymous Coward]

Serious, I gotta say this WHAT THE FUCK is up with FOX?

It's called Reality TV (eg. El Cheapo TV). More money for them. Money money money...

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Cerv]

1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 1? That's certainly an interesting way of counting you've got there.

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Thing 1]

I'm just reminded of the beginning of the newly-uncanceled Family Guy, and their first episode back. You know, where he lists of shows canceled by FOX for like 5 minutes. I've seen many of these series, and I know they're awesome.

I'm somewhat amazed that they didn't mention John Doe. That was on after Firefly, and I really liked it.

Family Guy, "North by North Quahog"

Peter: "Everybody, I got bad news - we've been canceled!"
Lois: "Oh no, Peter how could they do that?"
Peter: "Well unfortunately Lois, there's just no more room on the schedule. We've just gotto accept the fact that Fox has to make room for teriffic shows like Dark Angel, Titus, Undeclared, Action, That 80's Show, Wonderfalls, Fastlane, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Skin, Girls' Club, Cracking Up, The Pitts, Firefly, Get Real, Freaky Links, Wanda at Large, Costello, The Lone Gunmen, A Minute with Stan Hooper, Normal Ohio, Pasadena, Harsh Realm, Keen Eddie,The Street, American Embassy, Cedric the Entertainer, The Tick, Louie, and Greg the Bunny."
Lois: "Is there no hope?"
Peter: "Well I suppose if ALL THOSE SHOWS go down the tubes, we might have a shot." (cue intro music)

And, because I wrote this one down too, here's another funny moment from the episode:

They go on 2nd honeymoon but Peter wrecks the car and they end up at a truck stop:

Lois: "Peter there's a hooker on the bed!"
Peter: "Stand perfectly still, Lois. Their vision is based on movement."
Hooker (after pause): "Where'd you go?"

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[makomk]

Totally off-topic, but Fox are resonsible for Wonderfalls being cancelled? (It's on Sky One in the UK - got quite good reviews in the TV guides. Apparently, they're going to show the whole series - Sky One doesn't tend to cancel stuff mid-series; it's usually short enough of programming as it is.)

Getting all these series that have already been cancelled at source in the US is startng to get annoying. (Incidentaly, Firefly isn't one of them; I think it might have been shown on Sci-Fi, but I can't get that.)

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Anonymous Coward]

There is a torrent of the series (Space above and beyond) out there - good quality - it is really interesting to see what a pre-9/11 future was like.

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Anonymous Coward]

Closely followed by Alan Moore's "V for Vendetta" this November...

This year's not over yet.

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[Thing 1]

Yes. Wonderfalls lasted all of 4 broadcast episodes, and I had programmed the ReplayTV to save 3 of them. I got busy, so by the time I went to check it out I had lost the first episode.

I really, really liked the second episode. It was amazing, really cool with a catch phrase that meant different things throughout the episode. Remembering just those few words was enough for me to remember basically the entire episode, for several weeks; that is excellent programming, in several senses of the term.

The third was okay, and I didn't much care for the fourth (the catch phrase was negative, like "get off your ass" or something). Then, when I finally got to see the first episode, it wasn't nearly as good as the second. That's probably why it was cancelled; I don't know the numbers, but I'd bet many of the people who tuned in for the first one didn't bother to watch the excellent second one.

Later I got the DVD with the entire first season, and it got better. Weird family dynamics, and of course you want Eric to hook up with her, and a really cool thrilling life-threatening (and taking) ending.

It'd be neat to see where they go with it, if they made more. And the theme song was excellent as well, done by Randy Newman.

Re:Remake of the pilot?

[mink]

To bad thats only a recent list of shows FOX killed. Had they gone back to the early 90's and listed everything they might have had to use up the whole episode.

Gloat

[Sanity]

My GF got me tickets to this yesterday without even knowing what it was ("that guy who did Buffy has a new movie, I scored two tickets, wanna come?").

I love Edinburgh during the festival ;-)

Re:Gloat

[steven_r]

Hmm, how did you get tickets the day before they went on sale? The first showing was sold out by 2pm (BST) today. I just managed to get a ticket for the second showing. Whats your secret?

http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/movies/show/serenity/

Re:Gloat

[Anonymous Coward]

Yup, apart from all the touroids and culture vultures it's great.

Might see you there if they're not doing crap on the bridge again by then.

Re:Gloat

[Sanity]

A friend of my GF was standing in line... I really don't deserve these tickets, I practically got them by accident (although I ain't giving them up ;)

Re:Gloat

[op51n]

My bro managed to score tickets for it, so am going to see it on the Wednesday. Apparently they were all sold out within an hour and a half, and so they've organised two more screenings, and are trying to move the Q&A to a bigger room. Good sign for the success of the movie!

And the series starts on SciFi NOW!

[Snaller]

If you live in the states, get in there and swich on - Scifi are showing the entire series (followed by new episodes of Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis and the new Battlestar galatica)

Re:And the series starts on SciFi NOW!

[dougTheRug]

"SERENITY NOW!!!"

Re:And the series starts on SciFi NOW!

[FX2000]

HOOCHIE MAMA!!!

Re:And the series starts on SciFi NOW!

[Snaller]

Oops.

Well, at least people will be ready ;)

Re:And the series starts on SciFi NOW!

[alan_dershowitz]

Oh my God, thank you for that. I was going to post it then I saw yours. George Costanza...loving it. If I had mod points they would be yours.

Re: Gorramit Fox

[Jurph]

...and assigning it the death-slot (Friday 8pm), and cutting the advertising for it. I don't think they ever really wanted Joss to have a hit on FOX. Someone made the deal, and someone else got put in charge of fulfilling FOX's obligations, is my theory.

They were pissed that it cost so much to make, while "reality" was dirt-cheap and selling like hotcakes, so they torpedoed it. I hope the who cancelled the TV series all get invitations to the L.A. premiere. And then I hope that ABC picks up Firefly, and those same execs have to watch Firefly's second season kick the out of Fox's lineup.

Non-believer and trailers

[Telastyn]

I admit I've never watched the series, and wasn't a huge fan of Whedon's other stuff, the little I saw of it. I did see the trailer for Serenity though before Mr and Mrs Smith, which was better than I expected.

The trailer too was better than I expected. Good eye candy, interesting looking story, enough to get me to likely see the film when I wouldn't before. It made the film look like a [big] film, and not just a long TV show like so many converts these days.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[Wonko42]

If you liked the trailer even a little bit, then you'll absolutely love the movie. At least, that's my opinion after having attended two preview screenings.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[Anonymous Coward]

It made the film look like a [big] film, and not just a long TV show like so many converts these days.

Considering the size and coherency of the TV show, the main worry for fans is that a movie won't be big enough. I would personally prefer another 14 hour series over a 2 hour movie, even if that means a smaller budget (and if they make three movies giving only 6 more hours). The story and characters are what drive the show and gives it lasting appeal, not the special effects and eye candy.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[Anonymous Coward]

... I got Firefly Season 1 and watched it all in 2 days.

Thank god, I thought I might've been crazy for doing that, myself. I'm still a little nervous, because I know that if I hadn't had specific stuff to do at work, I would've called in sick and stayed up until 6 or 7am to finish watching disks 3 and 4 of the collection ...

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[DooNebbish]

You just told the full history of my relationship with Firefly.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[Mr2001]

I have a similar story:

I had never seen the series.

Then I kept reading /. articles about Firefly.

I was finally interested, so I got Firefly Season 1 and watched it all in 2 days.

I wouldn't say I *hated* it, but I was completely unimpressed. I like science fiction, but there seems to be precious little of that in Firefly. It's basically a western in space, and I can't stand westerns. Blame it on growing up in a rural community where cliquish assholes came to school in belt buckles and cowboy hats.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[Planesdragon]

I like science fiction, but there seems to be precious little of that in Firefly. It's basically a western in space, and I can't stand westerns.

Why ever would you have thought, past one instant of the series, that it WASN'T a western in space?

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[Council]

Allow me to join the chorus of "my story exactly".

Though it was my cousin who pushed me over the brink; she had the DVDs and we were on vacation with nothing to do.

And minus the Cowboy Bebop reference.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[Mr2001]

Why ever would you have thought, past one instant of the series, that it WASN'T a western in space?

I was holding out hope based on all those glowing reviews I've seen here and elsewhere. You'd think if a bunch of self-described geeks rave about a show that takes in space, there'd probably be some technical or scientific aspect to the show.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[eclectic4]

"You'd think if a bunch of self-described geeks rave about a show that takes in space, there'd probably be some technical or scientific aspect to the show.

Yeah, but that's only a small part of the story that happens to only entertain certain types of people to a heightened degree, such as ourselves, and we are the few. The series is extraordinarily entertaining, even with a bit (there is certainly some) of the techno babble and a tad of the physics removed.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[Planesdragon]

You'd think if a bunch of self-described geeks rave about a show that takes in space, there'd probably be some technical or scientific aspect to the show.

1: Why? I've seen geeks rave about 24, American Idol, and Survivor, for crying out loud.

2: Sure there is, but it's all in the cinamatography.

And more to the point, I'd wager that fantasy-geeks far outnumber "science fiction"-geeks, possibly by an order of magnitude. FireFly was quite obviously set in a semi-escapist world quite different from our own--thus setting it quite firmply in the "fantasy" realm, right alongside Buffy, Angel, StarGate, Farscape, and all the rest.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[sunwolf]

That is EXACTLY what happened to me.

The show seems cheesy for the first few minutes, then you really get into it. You end up loving the style, the characters, and the story. It's the best TV show I've watched, bar none.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[Mr2001]

1: Why? I've seen geeks rave about 24, American Idol, and Survivor, for crying out loud.

None of those take place in outer space. Furthermore, it seems to me that westerns are about as ungeeky as you can get.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[AJWM]

Cows, horses, and train robberies aside, it ain't a western.

Was "Objects In Space" a western? "Trash"? "Ariel"? "The Message"? "Shindig"? "War Stories"? "Out of Gas"?

Yeah, several of the frontier planets (moons?) they've set down on have a decided "old west" flavor, but if you look at the chronology the series was getting away from that after the first couple of episodes.

Not that I mind the "western" flavoring, although I've never been a big fan of the straight western genre. If you prefer straight SF, try some of the above named episodes.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[Mr2001]

Yeah, but that's only a small part of the story that happens to only entertain certain types of people to a heightened degree, such as ourselves, and we are the few.

That didn't seem to stop Star Trek from being successful for many years. Do you think fewer people are interested in that type of SF now than used to be?

The series is extraordinarily entertaining, even with a bit (there is certainly some) of the techno babble and a tad of the physics removed.

I suppose it might be extraordinary if you're into westerns. But that's all it really is.. a human drama between tough guys, with some CGI thrown in to establish that it's taking place in the future in space, rather than 19th century Arizona.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[AJWM]

See my reply to your parent message. At least half the shows are straight SF, with several of the others more SF than western.

Well, at least what passes for SF on TV. If you're a purist (in which case you won't like almost any self-proclaimed SF TV series), then I might limit it to "Objects in Space", "Bushwhacked", and "The Message". Probably "Trash", too; that's mostly a "heist" story but the SF elements (eg the trash pickup system from the flying island) are essential to the story line.

As for self-described geeks raving about the show, that's as much -- or more -- about the intelligent writing (plot, setting, dialog, characterization) as about technogadgetry. The days of SF being "astounding tales of super science" without regard to good writing died in the early 1940s.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[rebmaster]

I too am not a huge fan of Whedon's other recent stuff (namely, Buffy & Angel). But I am a HUGE fan of Serenity & Firefly. This is truely GREAT scifi, folks.

So if you're not a Joss Whedon fan, don't let it stop you from seeing Serenity (& getting into the Firefly DVD set).

I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the last Serenity preview showing in K.C. - I talked with a lot of people while waiting in line to get in, and though most were huge Joss fanatics, not everyone was. (And did I ever get some dirty looks from a few of the Whedonesque faithful when I admitted to not liking Buffy & Angel! Oh well!)

Now... Please let's have more Serenity sequels... Or maybe a new Serenity series on the SciFi channel... But please don't let it become "Buffy in Space" with all the focus on River. (Ya gotta see the movie to know what I'm talking about here.)

Go see Serenity. If you like a good scifi flick, you'll LOVE it. Seriously.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[PlancksCnst]

I had a similar story. Whedon does some really amazing stuff. If you watch Buffy, it's quite good, too (if you can get past the bad acting in the first couple of seasons, and the teen love stories don't make you sick).

Whedon has five remarkable talents (in my opinion): he lets the audio/video artists really do their stuff and he expiriments, he is quite witty, his character developments are amazing, his foresight for serialization is unmatched, and he really understands how to write female characters. If you watch seasons 1 through 5 straight through, you'll see what I mean - wow.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[RedWizzard]

I like science fiction, but there seems to be precious little of that in Firefly. It's basically a western in space, and I can't stand westerns.

You shouldn't have assumed that it was hard core science fiction just because it's set in the future in space. It's always been described as a western in space. Certainly if you read many /. articles about Firefly you should have know what to expect.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[Planesdragon]

it seems to me that westerns are about as ungeeky as you can get.

A single guy comes in from beyond society, sees corruption, acts, and leaves--often with no reward?

No, that's definitley in geek territory.

Re:Non-believer and trailers

[mink]

Watch High Noon some time.

Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm really excited to see this movie. *Even* after seeing the preview with the silly bar room brawling River. The horrible fight scenes are the precise reason I never watched Buffy. That, and Firefly's funny, Buffy's not.

Re:Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[Krach42]

Well, I like the idea that River is just a perfect genius, and psychic.

Basically, it lends credance to her kicking everyone's butt in the bar. It like, if I can near instantly learn anything, and I can read your thoughts... why shouldn't I be able to pick up martial arts instantly, and just kick everyone's ass.

Plus, we don't know what they might have taught her while she was being held by the alliance. If they *were* trying to make a perfect soldier, River wouldn't be a bad starting point.

Re:Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[Stunning Tard]

I'm excited too, really looking forward to it. I find most of the actors charming and Joss writes fun stuff. Not Oscar material, but top-knotch for entertainment value. Slashdot has probably passed sweet spot of diminishing returns for free marketing long ago. This festival should be a big boost. I hate it when strawberry seeds get stuck in my teeth.

Re:Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[dark404]

No, it only looks like Martial arts. She's an expert dancer (look close and see how her movement is more like a ballet than an attack) and a Genius (aka able to calculate angles/force/etc near instantly) refer to the episode she closes her eyes after calcing the angles and shoots three bad guys. Basicly when she is fighting in the trailer, think of it as accounting for all the variables and pre-planning the optimal strat.

Re:Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

What exactly was it that you didn't like about River kicking the shit out of anything in her path?

Re:Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[RedWizzard]

I never watched Buffy. That, and Firefly's funny, Buffy's not.

So you never watched Buffy, but you know it's not funny? I suggest you take a look. All of Whedon's work has a good bit of humor.

Re:Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[ArmorFiend]

That "calculating the angles" thing always bugged me. I've never fired a gun, but it seems to me the physical act of squeezing the trigger gently and dealing with recoil would lead to some insurmountable odds on the second shot.

Not to mention the bad guys were looking right at her.

I wish she'd just stuck her gun hand around the corner, and not stuck her head out while firing. That woulda been cooler.

Re:Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[Anonymous Coward]

I think it's more that River was being trained/conditioned to be some sort of futuristic ninja assassin. She was exceptionally smart, so they were experimenting with cramming her brain with relevant data and other modifications to make her come out all La Femme Nikita. Except partially psychic as well. Of course, Simon busted her out before they were "done" (or finished working out their experimental process), which explains why she's half out of her mind as well.

So she wasn't solely "calculating the angles" (although with her genius, she probably was doing something of the sort), she was using her half-finished assassin programming.

What I want to know is, when do we see one of the OTHERS from the experiments?

Re:Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[Anonymous Coward]

"No, it only looks like Martial arts. She's an expert dancer"

Depends on whether that was intended by Joss, or just a consequence of the actress being a Ballerina.

Re:Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[Krach42]

SHE'S FREAKING PSYCHIC PEOPLE!

She doesn't have to LOOK at people in order to shoot at them. Anyone thought about that?

The people in the episode say "calculating all the angles" because they still don't believe for certain that she is psychic.

So, super special assassin skills + intelligence, which is better than anyone + PSYCHIC = she can shoot with her eyes closed and hit people without any effort.

As for her turning away and closing her eyes, when we know damn well that she would be able to sense them die anyways, she's FLAKY... duh.

Re:Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[Captain Nitpick]

"No, it only looks like Martial arts. She's an expert dancer"

Depends on whether that was intended by Joss, or just a consequence of the actress being a Ballerina.

River was described in the pilot as excelling in dance.

Re:Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[Nf1nk]

"River was described in the pilot as excelling in dance."
interesting side note in episode of angel after Firefly was canceled, we get to see her (Summer the actress who played River) do ballet. Odds are that would have happened at some point on firefly if Fox wasn't run by asshats

Re:Whedon's kung fu grip chicks

[Anonymous Coward]

Buffy is probably the funniest show i've seen hit TV. You're on crack!

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[account_deleted]

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Boycott?

[Anonymous Coward]

I was thinking. If you really want to protest FOX's decision to cancel Firefly, then start a boycott. Not of the fox station, but of their advertisers.

If you can get enough people to stop drinking Pepsi's products to make it worth dropping advertisements from FOX, then that would be a major incentive to bring the show back. Some of these advertisers have to spend enough money, in total, to pay for one TV show.

the same network that killed Futurama ?

[haute_sauce]

more proof of bad programming decisions that cant be fixed by optimizing compilers !

Torrent please!

[pair-a-noyd]

Man are you people slipping up or what....

any more preview screenings in the US

[grungebox]

Are they doing any more preview screenings in the states? I missed the last, um, 3...or was it 4, and don't want to miss the 5th screening if there is one.

Re:any more preview screenings in the US

[Satertek]

If there are any more, they will also be sold out in 2.6 seconds.

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[account_deleted]

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Decent for TV...

[Magnusite]

I'm willing to give Mr. Whedon a chance, but a movie generally has a different pacing and flow to it then a episodic TV series. With each hour of a series, you have to develop a conflict, resolve it, then show how it chains to the next episode with some "twist" ending.

I just don't know if a movie like that would be appealing, even with special effects, interesting characters, and lots of action/fights.

Oh, and the formula I described above is nearly everyepisode of "Buffy" and "Angel", and "Fantastic Four".

Worked for "Buffy", but not "Fantastic Four".

Re:Decent for TV...

[Karhgath]

There wasn't a single 'cliffhanger' ending to any of the firefly episodes. It was pretty different from his other works. Firefly is in another league compared to buffy/angel.

Re:Decent for TV...

[Anonymous Coward]

Where did you see cliffhangers in Buffy or Angel ? There were some stories that lasted two episodes, but it definitely wasn't common place.

Actually, the setting of Firefly was different, but the storytelling was the same: one shot episodes liked together by the evolution of the characters and some backstory.

Re: Gorramit Fox

[Hortensia Patel]

They were pissed that it cost so much to make, while "reality" was dirt-cheap and selling like hotcakes

I'm interested - are studio bang-per-buck decisions like this really sensible in the long run, or only for the next quarterly statement? Firefly was certainly expensive to make compared to reality shite, but I can't see reality shite being good for reruns or overseas syndication or wildly successful DVD sales in the way that Firefly has proved to be.

Huge demand for tickets

[Anonymous Coward]

I tried to get tickets this lunch time but the website was crawling and the phones engaged. If you thought the slashdot effect was bad you should see the browncoat (Firefly fans) effect.

This email was sent this afternoon on the Serenity UK Screenings mailing list:

First of all, the first two screenings sold out pretty damn quickly. Over
40,000 people tried to secure tickets online.

EIFF say:

"After the extraordinary demand for the World Premiere and debut feature
from director (and Buffy creator) Joss Whedon?s new film Serenity,
Edinburgh International Film Festival and distributor UIP reacted
immediately today by arranging two more screenings.

Keen not to disappoint the fans EIFF Artistic Director Shane Danielsen
said: "When we get such a clear signal from the fans that they're so
passionate about a particular film, we're more than happy, wherever we
can, to make additional screenings possible."

The first new screening will be a matinee on Wednesday 23rd August . The
second screening will be part of the Festival's Best of the Fest line-up
on Sunday 28th August. Tickets for the first new screening will not be
available until Mon18th July and tickets for the Best of the Fest
screening will not be available until Mon 22 August."

UIP say:

"UIP and the EIFF organisers have decided to give the dedicated fans
another chance to get hold of the hottest tickets at this years event."

Re: Gorramit Fox

[x136]

From what I gathered from commentaries and the like on the DVD set, Fox wanted a show that would do for Fox what Buffy/Angel did for WB/UPN. When Joss came back with "space western," Fox balked at the idea, instead of just trusting him or giving the show a chance. Sounds like the Fox execs had decided the show's fate before a single episode had aired.

Considering that they didn't even bother the explanatory pilot episode until the end, that sounds about right.

Having finally caught the show within the last month or so on DVD, I can see that the show would have done well if it were treated correctly. Had they shown it in order in a steady timeslot, the amount of viewers would have grown as word of mouth spread. Alternatively, since TV executives can't seem to fathom "letting a show find an audience" despite it working in the past, and insist on a combination of heavy advertising and instant success, they could have hyped the hell out of the pilot episode as a "Two Hour Special Event" or something.

Oh well, Fox blew it. It's not the first time, and it surely won't be the last. They seem to be perfectly happy with more instances of She-Male Brides Attack Bachelorettes and American No-Talent Ass Clown. Why they even bother to develop new non-"reality" shows and then instantly cancel them, though, is beyond me. Sigh.

Fox, liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi!

Comic available

[gmhowell]

The comic book that bridges the movie and the series is now available. Issue one of the three issue Dark Horse mini series was released (in the US) this week.

Re:Comic available

[jdunlevy]

Each of the three issue is available with three different covers. I pre-ordered them all. Was hoping to be reading issue one tonight, actually, but the post office apparently wants me to wait until Monday. In the meantime, Dark Horse does have a preview online.

Argh

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm going to Venice for a week, on the 21st of August. I'll also miss the Pixies playing Edinburugh during that week.

There's no emotiocon for what I'm feeling.

Wrong

[teneighty]

Joss Whedon also has track record in writing screenplays. IMDB credts Joss Whedon as the writer for:

• Wonder Woman (2007) (announced)
• Serenity (2005)
• Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
• Titan A.E. (2000)
• Alien: Resurrection (1997)
• Toy Story (1995)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Full details here.

Sounds fun

[msbsod]

Sci-fi/western/comedy/drama, the good old recipe that also made Star Trek a success. I am looking forward to see the movie. Glad to see that this refreshing effort got appreciated by the organizers of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

It's not Sci-fi

[sandmaninator]

Due to all the acclaim the show got here on /., I rented season 1 on DVD.
It has absolutely no Sci-Fi in it! The guns even look like 6-shooters! And everyone acts like they are right out of the wild wild west.

It's just a western in space.
It cant hold a candle to ST:TNG. ST made you think about what it could mean to be a human. They brought up a lot of anthropological issues. It was a study in the humanities.

Firefly is just... Inara is hot but, she wears waaaay too many clothes.
Its a western drama. nothing more. If you are not into that type of thing (I am not) dont bother renting season 1.

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[Karhgath]

No sci-fi in Firefly??

So, what does define sci-fi for you then?

I won't deny the huge western influence, but even as someone who usually hate westerns, I loved Firefly.

Maybe you just didn't liked it, but it's certainly sci-fi.

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[EvanTaylor]

Heres a little secret... Almost all sci-fi shows are really westerns.

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[Scrameustache]

It has absolutely no Sci-Fi in it!

There is NO sci-fi in it, but there are spaceships, spacestations, government-created psychics, super-efficient organ-transplants, holographic HUD brain scanners, floating estates, flying cars, terraforming, sonic weapons, hand-held laser weapons... but no sci-fi! Nope, no siree Bob, none!

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[sandmaninator]

I guess it is kind of hard to imagine compelling sci-fi. Really, the only thing I know about sci-fi I learned in ST:TNG and having read Foundation 15 years ago... oh and star wars Ep. 4-6. In Firefly they just all seem like plot devices to me. Or just "A gun". or "an ultra modern medical facility". How is it interesting to have the rich guy with the original laser gun live in a place that floats in the air bespin-style? That just does not tickle my brain in any way. Look at how much slashdot interest was generated by that OLED keyboard. It is fun to imagine the possibilities of that piece of Sci-fi technology. Nothing in Firefly does that for me. Ok I will say that the two shuttles are cool. I like shuttles. The holodeck had entire episodes focused on it. Ditto Data. Firefly is character and drama driven. - not my cup o' tea. I dunno, I guess I was just checking to see if anyone else feels the same way I do about firefly not really being Sci-fi. I guess you are not one of those people.

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[AJWM]

Didn't get past the first two episodes, did you? Try the third and fourth discs. Or even the third episode (on the discs, not by air date).

Oh, and you probably didn't notice that little motor or turbo spool up whine as they cock one of those "6 shooters". Not that it matters -- slug throwers can be manufactured and maintained with the low tech infrastructure you'll find on a frontier planet, and they'll kill you just as dead as the laser pistols more prevalent on the core planets. (Inara has one too, come to think of it.)

At least they don't have Wesley saving the day by reversing the graviton flux polarity on the plasma conduits every other episode.

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[AJWM]

You're right. Firefly is not Sci-fi. It is SF. It's not space opera, either.

If you like skiffy and space opera, but not SF (eg, you don't read any of the magazines, or science fiction books that aren't TV/movie tie-ins), you probably won't like Firefly.

(There's a great scene in "Objects in Space" where they're discussing River's possible psychic abilities. Wash says something like "I don't believe that science fiction stuff". Zoe gives him a look and says "You're living on a space ship". Wash looks at her, "so?")

To me, the holodeck episodes in ST were lazy writers' mental masturbation, barely a step up from "and it was all a dream" story endings. And Data is a toaster.

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[otherniceman]

You missed the no sound in space :)

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[sandmaninator]

OK looking at IMDB.com, it appears that if a movie has something in it that we currently cannot build, or an alien, then it's sci-fi (or SF?).

http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Genres/Sci-Fi/

So I guess Firefly is SF.
But, I don't understand how it helps make a show more interesting to have the guns shoot lasers instead of bullets. Or spaceships instead of boats.

In your example:
"(There's a great scene in "Objects in Space" where they're discussing River's possible psychic abilities. Wash says something like "I don't believe that science fiction stuff". Zoe gives him a look and says "You're living on a space ship". Wash looks at her, "so?")
"

Serenity is intended to be a very unremarkable spaceship in their world. The space pirates almost passed it up entirely. My point is that living on a space ship would not be SF to them. It's science reality. Serenity would be as mundane to them as a volkswagon bus or an ocean-going boat is to us.

In star trek they were truely expanding their knowledge of science as they met strange new creatures and data "developed" and had "offspring". Those new technologies and capabilities and cultures broguht up a lot of interesting questions that could be applied to our lives in the 21st century - like, what is "life" and what should be accorded the rights of a life-form?

None of that in Firefly. They just meet other humans - and backwards ones at that. There are more advanced cultures on 21st century earth!

I mean, there are horses in the opening credits! Gaahhhh!

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[TheDisgrace]

Let's see if we can't use good ol' English to decypher the meaning of 'Science Fiction.'

Science, being that subject we all know and love, about how the universe works and how we manipulate it.

Fiction, being a story that is untrue in its entirety or in part.

So... science fiction really ought to be, well, a made up story that involves made up applications of science. Which, I have to say, Firefly had a lot of. I won't bother listing them again; they've pretty much been covered(although they forgot the part about the earth being an uninhabitable wasteland).

You've basically said that 'Anything that involves some technology that doesn't exist today is considered science fiction' and how this is a bad thing... but Firefly isn't just modern day New York and the guy who invented a time machine to visit his dad in the fifties. This is a show about people living in a spaceship.

So what your post has suggested, is that to you, science fiction cannot be character driven, or involve drama. I can think of more than a few authors who would probably like to kill you with papercuts for a comment like that.

Not all science fiction has to follow the format of Star Trek. In fact, I dare say that most doesn't. Just because you don't appreciate it doesn't mean it's not science fiction.

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[Anonymous Coward]

You do realize that there are...advantages...to horses in a comparatively low-tech colony environment, right? Such as self-reproduction? Try that with a tractor...

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[sandmaninator]

Yeah, damn words don't mean what I want them to.
I admit that Firefly will fit the definition of Sci Fi for ... almost everyone but me.

So yeah, Firefly is SF. And I dont like it.
I maybe didnt get my point across well... There was definately a lot of drama in ST:TNG. I cried when Data's daughter died.

But where are the new ideas? There are none in Firefly excpet maybe the idea that whores can be socially acceptable.
Livng together in a ship has been done a million times:

Das Boot
The life aquatic with Steve Zissou
Dead calm (more of an episode)
Battlestar Galactica
and lots more.

There is nothing new to see in Firefly. I have lived in a ship for crists sake! (40ft Bristol sailboat) There are a lot of trials and tribulations just like in the show. You worry about the fuel supply, getting run over by tankers, meet new people, etc. etc. Not exactly a common experience but the idea of living on a ship is definately NOT out of this world.

And what about the horses?????

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[TheDisgrace]

Take a look at the first season of ST:TNG. It was hardly a mastery of storytelling, I guarantee you that. And yet Firefly did more with its setting and characters in those fourteen episodes than most shows do in their entire lifetime. So you're comparing the detail of fourteen episodes of a show to the detail of a series of shows that have been going on for decades.

I'll also point out that all but one of the Star Trek's were about, you guessed it, living on a ship. The other one was about a space station. Ironically it was the best one, but that's even more telling; it had a lot in common with Firefly. It was a character driven show instead of being event based, which I find tired and dull as a medium for storytelling.

As for new ideas, I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you weren't exactly looking for any. It sounds like you heard 'science fiction' and 'western' together and pretty much had formed your opinion when the horses appeared in the intro.

Also, I'm assuming you believe that horses will be extinct in the future? Another poster pretty much summed this one up when he said that horses are far more viable in an offworld colony setting than robotics or machinery. Y'know, in reality. Where things are shiny and perfect all the time.

Stop fixating on the ship angle. For one, your comparison to sailboats is kind of ridiculous. That's like saying that a story about pirates isn't a 'historical fiction' because we have boats today, too. Thus, the story about pirates is clearly a modern fiction. Because of the boat. Nevermind the rest of the setting.

Nothing new to see, he says. Not science fiction, he says. Well, fine. Believe what you like. I say you're missing out on one of the best

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[sandmaninator]

Well folks, I think we have come to understanding.
Though I dont agree with your entire post, you hit the nail on the head with the DS9 reference.
I couldnt bear to watch that show.

And you are right, I am being unfair pitting a big budget 7 season show (TNG was 7, right?) against a low-budget first season.

But yeah.. its' just not my thing and I guess I never understood why people liked DS9 and firefly and the multitude of others I dont watch.

Re:It's not Sci-fi

[mink]

We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

Re: I want more of the episodes

[falser]

I agree with you, for a similar but different reason. Like everyone else, I kept hearing nothing except "OMG Serenity is going to be awesome, I can't wait", so I had to watch the Firefly DVD's to see what it's all about.

In short, yeah, it's a great show, I've watched every episode twice now *. I'm looking forward to the movie, but a Firefly movie is not what I really want. I want to watch another 2-3 years of episodes of the TV show. There's so much crap on TV these days that it makes me cry that neither I, nor Fox supported this show when it was airing. I know I'm not going to be satisfied with an additional 1 hour and 45 minutes more Firefly. The show had potential for such a great, long tv series on par with Babylon 5, ST DS9 etc.

Hopefully the movie will be such a big success that Fox will wake up, resign Whedon & cast and start making episodes again.

* I watched 'Our Mrs Reynolds' three times, you know why

Can we get a Firefly/Serenity category?

[Mr2001]

I've never complained about a Firefly or Serenity post before, and I'm not asking the editors to stop posting them or the submitters to stop submitting them.

I would, however, like them to be placed in a category of their own so I can filter them out. Seems like these Serenity stories are coming faster than ever, and I know I'm not the only one who has no interest in this space western. (Let's hope the mods today aren't all Joss Whedon fans...)

Re:Can we get a Firefly/Serenity category?

[Anonymous Coward]

You and me brother.

Re: Gorramit Fox

[downward dog]

I'm interested - are studio bang-per-buck decisions like this really sensible in the long run, or only for the next quarterly statement?

That is exactly the reason why you or I can sometimes make better decisions than professionals. The same phenomenon applies to mutual funds: in many (not all) cases, a fund manager is evaluated on short-term performance (say, quarterly or yearly). If they can't beat an index during each term, they lose their job. So they have no incentive to produce any long term results. The company wants long-term winners, of course, but they shoot themselves in the foot by assuming that short-term results are a reliable indication of long-term results.

4 screenings at festival instead of just 2

[krajo]

Hi, http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/news/articles/detail/ 16 rumor has it that their server crashed when Serenity tickets went online. I hope it will be good, score lots of money and they make sequels.

Serenity now....

[Anonymous Coward]

...Serenity now!

Re:Serenity now....

[hairyfeet]

Insanity Later--

a dissenting view

[Un pobre guey]

I recently saw the first two or three episodes of Firefly. In spite of the very good production values, I found it to be utterly lame. Bad acting by TV actors who look like TV actors, shallow sententious dialogue, dumb story, standard TV show characters and character development, it is essentially a not-witty Buffy Goes Sci-Fi without Buffy, Xander, or Willow. I crapped out in the middle of an episode and returned the DVD to Netflix.

The cult surrounding this crappy show is baffling.

Re: I want more of the episodes

[AJWM]

I watched 'Our Mrs Reynolds' three times, you know why

Come on, fess up. The third time it was just the scene with Saffron in Mal's cabin.

(This is where we lament the much under-used* "angle" feature on DVDs.)

*Well, on mainstream discs, anyway.

I really couldn't understand the fuss about this..

[Builder]

I'd seen a bunch of posts here about firefly, and I just couldn't see what the fuss was about. So fox cancelled a Joss Whedon TV show... So what?

I enjoyed Buffy and Angel in the early days, but towards the end, Buffy was just crap and Angel went through some bad spots.

Then I finally saw the pilot to Firefly on TV over here in the UK. It looked ok, so I bought the DVD set.

My wife and I sat down and re-watched the pilot. Then she said 'Can we watch another episode?'. We watched 7 episodes that night at her insistance, and I started to understand the fuss. The show is brilliant and it should never have been cancelled. How can CSI get two spinoffs, each worse than the last, but this work of originality get shoved in a bin?

the next star wars

[hector_uk]

Joss Wheadon is my master now.... but seriously, this IS going to be the next star wars, i aim to see it at least 4 times in the cinema, joss needs the series screened in the uk, not to many people know about it and the dvd set is non existent in retail i had to buy it from ebay, after i borrowed a box from a friend and was blow away by it. Fox is now my mortal enemy. slightly OT but over here we just got stargate atlantis and i'm like WTF is with this the acting is all over the place.

october?

[deafff]

These are going to be teh longest 10 weeks ever.

Beware, some trailers require licenses

[BigBuckHunter]

As if copyright wasn't enough, many of their downloadable trailers require a license. Their 720p trailer is unplayable under mPlayer/Xine because or this (wm9dmo can't dl licenses under linux). Files are drm V1 protected, so freeme doesn't seem to work. Shame on them!

BBH

Quoty fun

[Scrameustache]

(There's a great scene in "Objects in Space" where they're discussing River's possible psychic abilities. Wash says something like "I don't believe that science fiction stuff". Zoe gives him a look and says "You're living on a space ship". Wash looks at her, "so?")

Wash: Psychic? Sounds like something out of science fiction.
Zoë : We live on a spaceship, dear.
Wash: So?

-------

Mal: Here's how it is: Earth got used up, so we terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths, some rich and flush with new technologies, some not so much. Central Planets, them was formed the Alliance, waged war to bring everyone under their rule; a few idiots tried to fight it, among them myself. I'm Malcolm Reynolds, captain of the Serenity. Got a good crew: fighters, pilot, mechanic. We even picked up a preacher, and a bona fide companion. There's a doctor, too, his genius sister from some Alliance camp, so they're keeping a low profile. You got a job, we can do it, don't much care what it is.

Re:I really couldn't understand the fuss about thi

[Anonymous Coward]

You must only be couting the ones that actually call themselves CSI. I'd say that "NCIS" or as it's commonly know "CSI: JAG" is another spinoff -- it's even got the same characters, and Fox has a new "Don't Sue Us, We're Not Quite CSI" show coming out this fall, along with every other network and some radio stations.

You may try Buffy.....

[jotaeleemeese]

... the bat killer, or something so such, which /.ers seem to have in high regard...

In other news, /.ers know shit about movies and art.

Oh yeah, there was yet another article about "is programming an art" last week.