OK. I saw Serenity last night and it was a great movie. I had already seen it once in a prior screening, but the sound was bad and I missed some of the dialogue. Last night everything was clear and it made the movie so much better. I am still very excited 24 hours afterwards. I am hoping to see the movie again this weekend with some friends, if they ever make a decision on when they want to go. I may also try to get my dance friends to go after the Saturday Social.

Unfortunately, I am awful tired from everything. I stayed up too late on Sunday trying to get my house cleaned up for a Serenity shindig on Monday. Then I was up late with the shindig. Last night I went to the movie and then stayed up late writing the review. I have been drinking a lot of Coke to stay awake at work, but it also has been keeping me up at night. I will be glad when the week end comes and I can sleep in. It is really nice that my house is so clean. I feel less stressed when my house is clean. Now I just need to replace the TV in the basement so that I will continue to walk on the treadmill to lose some weight. It is difficult to grow old. Between the weight, the cholesterol, the aches and pains--it just doesn't seem fair. I guess this it the payment for not paying more attention to things when I was younger.

Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in the old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal-temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson

PS. The picture is from the Charleston Aquarium in Charleston, South Carolina

Joss Whedon's Serenity: A Review

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.

I just left the Serenity Blogger Bonanza and I must first thank Universal Pictures, Grace Hill Media, and townhall.com for making the screening possible and letting me in as "press". The film was shown in the second best theater in the complex (the first being IMAX) and I got to sit in the premo seats which were reserved for press. I was a bit disappointed by the number of empty seats, but it was a very large theater and I don't think the screening was well published. My friends had all bailed on me, but I met up with a fellow Freestate Browncoat and we chatted a bit before the show.

I have to say that I go to the movies for entertainment. I generally don't tear a movie apart trying to analyze every little bit, I either liked it or I didn't. I thoroughly enjoyed Serenity, but I felt I had to think more upon this if I was going to give a review.

I think the most striking thing was the cinematography. Unlike a lot of sci-fi films you feel the closeness on the ship, the dirt of the universe, and the frustration of life. The play of shadows in the ship and the starkness of daylight on the planets showed how lighting can enhance the mood of a scene. I was moved by the sound--the silence in the external space scenes and then the loud roar as the ship entered a planet's atmosphere. It was exhilerating. And it helps that someone recognized that there is no sound in space. The score moved with the story and always seemed to add to the scene without overpowering it.

And then there are the actors. The cast fit well together and the scenes flowed naturally. I have to say that I felt Sean Maher was a bit too stiff in some scenes, but given his character... I just don't know if it was the acting or how the character was portrayed. Nathan Fillion's (Malcolm Reynolds) and Alan Tudyk's (Hoban 'Wash' Washburne) comic delivery were fantastic. They had great lines and the delivery did them justice. Jewel Staite (Kaylee Frye) also delivered quite well. Unfortunately the story focussed mostly on Malcolm and River Tam (Summer Glau), so we didn't get to see the fullness of the other actors or their characters. Adam Baldwin's portrayal of Jayne Cobb was excellent. You wanted to hate him, but there was something about him that kept you from it.

The best part was the feeling of realness. You just felt like it was possibly real life--people got dirty and stayed that way. There are several scenes where Malcolm is frustrated with a situation and reacts as any man would. During a heated argument Malcom asks Jayne if he wants to run the ship and Jayne answers "yes", Malcolm is at a loss for words and says "well, you can't". It is something everyone can identify with.

The movie kept me engaged the entire time. In the words of the 'verse: it's shiny, very shiny, Don't take my word for it, go see the movie.

Visit Serenity: The Official Movie Website for more informatio.

What's in a Name?

Tonight I was hosting a shindig to watch a few episodes of Firefly in preparation for Serenity this weekend. Unfortunately, only one of the Freestate Browncoats was able to show up and I couldn't convince any of my friends to show up. We watched Out of Gas and Ariel. Out of Gas is definitely one of the best episodes. I learned about these things called the viral marketing campaign. Basically there are these clips of a River Tam unterview at school. Evidently, these clips started showing up on message boards like viruses. Anyhow, the clips can be found at http://www.session416.com.

As for the title of the blog entry, I decided I was going to start gigving a title to each post. This post is about the name of the blog and the name of the poster. No, Brock Garthok is not my true name. I am a gaming geek and Brock Garthok was a DND character I played several years ago. The character was a Dwarven Sorcerer (3.o) who had a sense of humor which was unusual in a dwarf. Brock comes from Boogie Nights. Mark Wahlberg's character used the stage name Brock Landers for his movie appearances. For some reason it seemed comical in the context, so I used it. Garthok comes from Coneheads.

Dave Thomas as the Highmaster of the Coneheads makes everyone he is unpleased with "narfle the Garthok". The Garthok turns out to be a huge snarling beast that those so condemned must face. When Beldar finally faces the Garthok he starts singing Tainted Love by Soft Cell. It is somewhat comical, but also in a way quite moving. As he sings "Sometimes I feel I've got to (UHN UHN) get away... I've got to (UHN UHN) run away", you can see his courage building as he fashions a makeshift golf club and hits a golfball size rock into the mouth of the Garthok and chokes it. It is that life defining moment that some people face. Beldar realizes at this momnet the importance of his family and makes the decision to return to Earth to make his daughter happy.

There are some that believe everyone has at least one moment like this in their life. I am not so sure.


Serenity opens Sept 30 in the US at a theater near you!

Well, I received confirmation that I am on the list for the blogger bonanza in Olathe. I am very excited about this opportunity. I also got access to some really cool publicity artwork. This is actually my test post to see how well this works. If all goes well, there will be an image on the left hand side of this post. The email also said I had to publish the following paragraph:

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.

This is the official synopsis. For a quick paragraph I think it does a pretty good job, I just don't think you can sum up the movie in a paragraph.

"May not have been on the winning side, still not convinced it was the wrong one." --Malcolm Reynolds

Now that I have a blog, I've decided to I might as well use. So here goes...

Can someone tell me why with all the destruction to the oil refineries, we haven't seen any pictures? Some friends and I were discussing the idea that the oil companies seem to be raising prices every time some little thing happens. With the threat of hurricane Rita, gas prices rose before she even entered the gulf. The only pictures any of us could remember was one wrecked derrick and a field of tanks partially under water. And those tanks are made to withstand quite a bit.

One friend commented about a fictitious TV spot with Pres. Bush. Appearing in NO he starts by talking about the terribleness of the destructive forces of the hurricane and how it will take a long time to rebuild. "But I have good news..." he continues, "I just made a killing on oil futures." Maybe you had to be there.

I am not necessarily one who wants to put all the blame on the feds. I have long believed in states rights--I think it comes from growing up in the first state to secede from the union. I am definitely concerned that Rhenquist and O'Connor are both being replaced. Both were supporters of states rights. I find it interesting that all these people start blaming the feds when they need something, yet are the first to get upset when the feds don't give the control back to the local governments after the initial clean up is done. I have to admit that Homeland Security scared me a bit, because it could put a lot of power into the hands of the federal government. Since I wasn't in any of the states hit by the hurricane, it is hard for me to say who should be blamed for the mishaps, but I can say that it makes me proud to see what the American population can do when we are sufficiently motivated. It is disappointing to think that it takes a tragedy of this nature to make some people come together.

Most disappointing of all are the people who have been taking advantage of the situation. You hear about the looting, the destruction of private property, and the improper use of funds and you wonder how they can be from the same population. Again, I have no first hand knowledge of the activities, but it sure seems that for every good and honest person, there is one who is the opposite. In this country we have always valued diversity, but I am not sure this is what is meant.

Dum Spiro, Spero
"While I breathe, I hope" --South Carolina state motto.

P.S. It looks like I will be seeing the blogger screening of Serenity (Big Damn Movie) on Sept 27. I am very excited. There are 7 days until the official release of Serenity.

So, I am starting this blog hoping to maybe get to see another advanced screening of the BDM--Serenity. If you don't know, Serenity is the big screen sequel to the short lived TV series Firefly by Joss Whedon. Yes, the Joss Whedon who created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. If you haven't seen the show, check it out. I have been assured by my friends who saw the movie at the screening, but had not watched the TV series that the movie is still an excellent movie. With the exception of some sound problems, I thought the movie was great. Maybe not Lord of the Rings great, but definitely Matrix great and greater than any of the recent star wars movies.

Check out the movie site http://www.serenitymovie.com -- the movie opens Friday Sept 30.