Cinecast #41: Signal Received
Serenity: Writer/director Joss Whedon's talent for bringing humor and unexpected depth to a genre that frequently favors special effects over dialogue and character development will come as no surprise to fans of Whedon's "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" series; but it certainly came as a surprise to Whedon initiates Adam and Sam. Though not without a few minor flaws, Whedon's new film "Serenity" is impressively imagined and executed -- and it has more brains and wit in its first five minutes than all three Star Wars prequels combined. All goes smoothly until the end of the review when Sam gives Whedon the mother of all backhanded compliments.
Also on the show, the Western-a-Week Marathon continues with a quick conversation about John Ford's 1939 classic "Stagecoach." Plus, Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre -- presented by Movies Passions.com -- and a look ahead to Friday's Top 5 Actresses.
Music by Dan Bern courtesy of Messenger Records ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.
Cinecast #41
:35-16:37 - Review: "Serenity"
Music: Dan Bern, "Baby Bye Bye"
17:47-20:12 - Cinecast Corrections
20:13-26:16 - Western-a-Week Marathon #3: "Stagecoach"
26:17-30:15 - Listener Feedback
Music: Dan Bern, "Take Back The New Millennium"
31:50-37:08 - Listener Voicemails
37:09-39:35 - Massacre Theatre
39:36-44:32 - Top 5 Actresses Preview
Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send us an e-mail at cinecast@cinecastshow.com. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.
10 Comments:
Great to hear you both loved it especially Sam, who admittedly is not a SF fan.
Great to hear you both loved it especially Sam, who admittedly is not a SF fan.
Top 5 Movies that Won You Over would be a great list to hear. You see a movie you're predisposed to hate for the genre or the actor or the director and you walked out really liking the film.
Great show. Loved to hear you two gush over 'Stagecoach'.
Serenity defies conventions--i.e. see the episode War Stories. The Wild West in space (seems to fit with your western marathon), with the wit, and the heart missing in current sci-fi on t.v. (even Battlestar...oh my!). As for Serenity the movie (just the fact it got made is a success)--it doesn't matter what anyone thinks--for fans from the FOX cancelled series Firefly, there will be no better movie in the "verse."
The show should have never been cancelled. A movie, good, but with all the crap on t.v. these days, it's too bad executives and audiences don't get it...i.e. FOX was trying to kill Arrested Development, Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night on ABC.
I just found your show and just in time for a Serenity review. I'll be back for more episodes.
jastrom, welcome!
There is almost too much to comment on in this episode of cinecast! I'm glad to see some actual conversations going on in your blog, so I'm motivated to respond.
First, I just saw Stagecoach 2 weeks ago and, although I am feeling thoroughly shallow right now, I could not get into the story at all! I didn't feel any attachment to the characters, I didn't fully understand their motivations, I didn't really care for the premise to begin with and there were some technical achievements, but none that were fully realized until Citizen Kane. The only point that I agree with is that the chase scene has stood the test of time and remains very suspenseful and exciting. However, because of your praise, I will sit down and watch the film again while keeping your points in mind.
Also, I don't want to get too deep into this but I think it needs to be said... Its clear you have liberal points of view, (and different than myself), but you have never treated politics in an inappropriate way on your show. You have always kept it about film and I really appreciate that. Its also nice to hear that a liberal film buff has problems with Fahrenheit 9/11 instead of treating Moore’s films like ultimate truth. Just thought you'd like a different view from the evil right! Ok, no more politics!
Once again, keep up the amazing work!
Jake
I think this is great that Science Fiction can still be a great genre in a day and age where special effects seem to be much more important to director's. I know this is not a movie, but I'd like to recommend Ron Moore and David Eick's remake of the television show, Battlestar Galactica. This is a fanastic representation of what science fiction can be. Science Fiction is about asking questions, which this show does all the time. It also has deep and powerful acting, sometimes more like a drama than a sci fi show.
Great show guys, keep it up!
Has the cast of Firefly/Serenity learned how to say "ain't" comfortably, though?
Thank you for bringing up the camerawork. I rather enjoyed Serenity. But sometimes the camera was too much. It felt like everyone was in EXTREME CLOSEUP. And the spinning spinning camera made me dizzy and I really wanted it to stop.
I thought it was pretty curious that River had memories of some place that she shouldn't have memories of, but the overall "solution" for her plot ended up being satisfying for me.
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