BizzyBlog is Going to the Movies? Maybe You Can Too (”Serenity” Sneak Preview Sept. 27)
I am pleased to report that, barring a last-minute snafu of some sort, I will be attending the sneak preview of “Serenity” on Tuesday, September 27, and will post a review late that night or early Wednesday morning, depending on blogging and/or note-taking conditions in the theater.
For those of you who don’t know, “Serenity” is the “first” full-length movie based on the Scifi Channel’s “Firefly” series (see UPDATE below for more pertinent facts). The advance buzz and “Firefly” viewer anticipation of this movie is probably as great, if not greater, than the interest in “The X-Files” movie when it came out in 1998.
I have seen about a half-dozen of the “Firefly” episodes and have been very impressed with and entertained by the series’ premise, characters, and plot lines. It is following the Scifi record of carrying great original series such as current hits Battlestar Gallactica, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate SG-1. Its quality is on a par with those series and the older classic Babylon V in the 1990s (which appeared on other networks).
If you are a blogger, you can attempt to get into a sneak preview screening near you by going here (HT Instapundit via Ace).
“Serenity” Synopsis:
Joss Whedon, the Oscar® - and Emmy - nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE, ANGEL and FIREFLY, now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, Serenity. The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family –squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.
Other artwork can be found here. Movie trailers in various formats are here.
From a business perspective, having bloggers attend the sneak preview is a shrewd move, especially given that many movie critics tend to be unimpressed with the science-fiction genre, no matter how well done.
This should be fun.
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Sidebar: It looks like there will be a second “X-Files” movie, based on this comment from Gillian Anderson and this interview with David Duchovny. Anderson’s indicated timeline for filming to start is late 2006, much later than Duchovny’s interview guess.
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UPDATE: More facts on “Firefly,” from one who knows: The TV series was cancelled, apparently in 2002, and “Serenity” is an attempt not only to have a successful movie but to revive the series. Fourteen episodes were filmed, and ten (or eleven, according to Amazon) aired. All fourteen episodes are available in a DVD set.
