Any excuse to write about Buffy and Firefly

As Joss Whedon basks in the glory of Avenger success, Ben Child’s blog on The Guardian looks at possible future Whedon projects, asking where he will go from here (excluding Avengers 2, naturally).  On a small side note, check this out for possible future Avenger characters after Joss Whedon has claimed there aren’t enough strong female superheroes.

So, suddenly people know Joss Whedon’s name.  He’s become mainstream.  But that doesn’t change the fact that a lot of people have known of his existence and wonderful work for years. 

Joss Whedon is a name that makes me salivate upon hearing.  He is a superb writer and director, a master of character development and subtle humour.  Joss Whedon, in many a geek’s eyes, is a genius.

I first learned his name when I was a young teenager and Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Sarah Michelle Gellar came to our screens.  Buffy - the story of a pretty blonde cheerleader who is followed into a dark alley by a bad man and kicks his arse - came into my life at just the right time, as I drifted into a gothic/grunge/emo phase and developed a traditional obsession with vampires (my generation’s Twilight).

To watch Buffy all the way through non-stop is to truly see the beauty behind it.  You can watch with ease the characters develop, how each one fits into the group and their changing dynamics.  

One of the best episodes, and the one that I point people to if they question Joss Whedon’s brilliance, is the one where Buffy’s mum, Joyce, dies (The Body).  Buffy walks in to find her mother dead on the sofa.  It is a heart wrenching look at something tragic and completely steeped in reality – not a vampire or demon in sight.  We see the human side of Buffy, the vulnerable side.  All of her training, all of the death and blood and gore she has witnessed cannot protect her from losing her mother.  And now she has to take responsibility for her younger sister, Dawn.  Just as she’s trying to figure out what few other slayers have had to – how to be a vampire slayer and live an adult life, now she has to pay the bills and make sure Dawn goes to school.  Now she has to be a mother.

My other favourite Buffy episode is the final one (Chosen).  I actually felt the empowering urge as all potential slayers in the world were woken, and I still do when I watch it.  I also felt the release from Buffy.  Eight seasons of the girl carrying the world on her shoulders, getting heavier every season and finally she is free.  For this reason, there could not be a new Buffy movie.  If future generations want to learn of Buffy, they can watch the original television series.

It was in university that I was introduced to Serenity during its UK release to cinema.  I saw it, I fell in love and I listened to the crowds leaving the cinema proclaiming that ‘Joss Whedon has done it again’.  I immediately purchased Firefly and watched it repeatedly.

Looking at Ben Child’s list, the entry that made my heart skip was Serenity 2 and 3.  Serenity is the film of the television series Firefly, a sci-fi/western following Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his misshapen crew as they honourably thief and con their way through the 'verse.  A trilogy of Mal and the Firefly crew would be epic.  Some have commented that this would be useless without Wash but during the television programme of Firefly, Wash and Zoe talked of having a baby.  Who is say that Zoe was not already pregnant when Wash was killed?

As another commenter pointed out – Nathan Fillion needs to become a household name.  He is an amazing actor and an amazing presence.  We need to see more of him, as any avid watcher of Castle, or fan of Firefly/Serenity, will tell you.

On a side note, I follow a few celebrities on Twitter and Nathan Fillion is by far the most entertaining.  He is the man everyone wants as their best friend, but I will be content with having him on the big and small screen more often.

While the Serenity sequels would almost make life complete, I would love to see the series Firefly return.  So much more could be done with the television series rather than a film, each character could be developed individually and wonderful (short) adventures could be had.  The original cast would have to return and it would have to be on another network (not Fox who played the episodes in the wrong order!) and maybe Alan Tudyk could return and bring our beloved Wash back to life.  Essentially, could Firefly carry on where it left off?  I think the fans would forgive any sequence errors to get Firefly back where it should be – long running, on our television screens and in Sheldon and Leonard’s roommate agreement...

Update and trains

I realise that this blog has not been about my writing recently.  This doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing, there just isn’t anything to report.

I’ve finished the first draft of my third novel which I am currently editing.  At the same time, I’m writing a short story for a competition and my mind is filled with problem solving for Silver.  It has occurred to me that the structure could be greatly improved, that perhaps the chapters are too long and the whole thing needs shaking up.  I will start to write the sequel next week so I’m also planning for that.  Not to mention thinking about a few other little projects I have up my sleeve.

All of that, mixed with a full time job and a sudden social life – cinema twice in one week, we went to see Rhod Gilbert last week, a Saturday night of geeky fun and seeing Dara O'Briain tomorrow and off to the theatre on Friday!  Not to mention I need to find the time to see Dark Shadows (released last Friday).  I don’t have to, but I need to.

So I apologise for the lack of intriguing, fascinating blog posts over the weekend and today.  In the meantime, this made me smile;

Stephen Preddy (writer of Green Wing) and Tony Robinson have joined forces to bring a little lightness to those travelling from Birmingham to London.  Announcements have been written by Preddy and Robinson has helped the staff learn their lines.  The announcements, which can also be heard at London’s Marylebone Station, include;

• "I'd like to welcome passengers boarding this 7.33 from Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone. If you've just bumped into someone who you barely know, you now have one hour and 30 minutes of awkward small talk. Good luck."
• "For any passengers who've not visited London before, do please prepare yourselves for the capital's overwhelmingly calm and relaxing pace of life."
• "We will shortly be passing through West Ruislip where we will be racing the Underground trains. Do please feel free to cheer for our driver."
• "Will any passengers listening to noisy iPods please get a better taste in music. Thank you."

Wonderful!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18050473

Sucker Punch: You have the weapons

Do you remember that episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where we’re left wondering if Buffy really is the Slayer or whether she’s stuck in a mental facility?

Sucker Punch is like that episode, on steroids.

Sucker Punch has received some appalling reviews and I unfortunately allowed these to put me off seeing this on the big screen.  I now strongly believe that the majority of those reviewers completely missed the point of the film.

Sucker Punch does not focus on plot or a character, this film is all about a message; be strong, take control, fight.  A young woman (Emily Browning) who suffers sexual abuse at the hands of a man, presumably her stepfather, is committed to a mental facility which she is determined to escape.

That is a very loose premise of the film.  Sucker Punch is so much more.  This is a film about survival and this woman’s coping strategy with everything she has been through and everything she is going through.

I think the main problem with this film, and possibly the cause of the bad reviews, stems from the marketing the film received.  Everywhere I look it is described as a ‘fantasy action film’ and yes, on a brief glance that is what this is, as our main character immerses herself in a fantastical world in order to fight her battles.  What I feel this film is, however, is a psychological thriller.

The film is made up of three layers; first we meet this woman and her situation in what must be considered reality.  Her dead mother, her little sister who she must protect and the terrifying figure of her abusive stepfather who, upon the death of her mother, turns his attentions onto her little sister.  In trying to protect her, our heroine accidently kills her.  Her stepfather has her committed, in order to destroy the only evidence of his abuse and allow him to take her mother’s fortune.

The second layer is a fantasy world that the woman then creates within the institute.  Everything within this layer is symbolic of what is happening in her life within the institute and her history.  She is an orphan named Babydoll brought into a brothel.  Sex obviously features heavily in Babydoll’s life and all of it represents the abuse she has suffered.  Along with the other girls in the brothel, Babydoll makes a plan for escape.

Layer three is the ‘fantasy action’ element.  It is within this layer that she finds the key to escape and where she and her friends battle for their freedom.  It is pivotal, I think, that she only goes into this world when erotic dancing within the brothel – it is another form of escapism from the second layer, which begs the question what the erotic dancing represents in layer one; reality.

Even her name, Babydoll, wreaks of control and sexual abuse.  What I found interesting was the one male in the film who is a good man, known as the Wise Man.  He appears in the third layer and shows Babydoll the way to freedom.  At the beginning of the film there is talk of angels, so my immediate reaction was that this man was Babydoll’s angel.  As he appears in the third layer, perhaps he represents her dead father; the only man she could trust.  Then again, without wanting to give too much away, maybe Babydoll is actually the angel in this film.

This film is co-written and directed by Zack Synder, the director of 300.  Similar to 300, Sucker Punch has a wonderful, twisted and dark comic book feel to it.  It is beautifully shot with excellent use of colours.  Each layer is visually different making it easy for the viewer to slip in and out along with Babydoll.  The soundtrack is powerful and modern, adding character themes to each layer throughout the film.

This film is haunting and empowering at the same time and should leave you thinking hard by the end.  The action sequences are well done and the film is very moving if you can keep up with symbolism (the provocative clothing that many reviewers are critical of, for example).  This is not a popcorn eating, laid back, fantasy action romp that the marketing might have you believe.  This film is all about survival, against all of the odds, no matter what, even if that survival isn’t quite what you expected. 

You have the weapons.

Now fight.

The Avengers Assemble - Get your geek on!

It’s the latest thing, the film everyone is talking about, possibly the best film of 2012, so far at least.  A week later than planned I finally got to see The Avengers.

There has been a great build up to this film, with individual prequels for some characters; Ironman, Thor and Captain America.  What made this film a winner and must-see was when Joss Whedon took over the writing and directing duties.  Suddenly the genius behind Buffy and Firefly was given a chance at a mainstream masterpiece and he didn’t disappoint.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston), last seen disappearing into the space from brother Thor’s grasp, arrives on Earth, takes Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and Agent Barton (Hawkeye played by Jeremy Renner) both last seen in Thor, under his command along with the Tesseract, last seen in Captain America and capable of great power.  Fury (Samuel L Jackson) gathers Black Widow (Johannson), Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Steve Rogers (Chris Pine) to retrieve the Tesseract.  Along the way, Thor arrives on Earth to take his brother home, Loki’s army arrives to take over the Earth and the Avengers are formed.

I can’t say what this film meant to the diehard Avengers fans but from what I’ve read not many have been disappointed.  As someone who has never read the comics, this film was spectacular; funny, well written and inspiring with vibrant action sequences.

The Avengers is the bringing together of a lot of characters made known and well loved by prequels; Ironman, Thor and Loki, Captain America, Hulk and to the lesser extent Fury, Black Widow and Hawkeye (who is referred to as Agent Barton throughout the film).  There was always a danger that a film culminating in so many big, individual characters could be disastrous but the writers managed to develop the dialogue and story so that the team worked but no characters were compromised.

Tony Stark is probably the best known, as there have been two Ironman films with a third on the way, and he remains charming, sarcastic and humorous. 

I was concerned about Captain America.  As you may remember I reviewed his prequel film last week and I wasn’t keen.  His character was too good, plain and boring but I had hope for his development.  My hope was well placed.  He is still plain and full of good values, that’s who he is, but in The Avengers he is struggling with the modern world, feeling out of place and missing those that he left behind.  He is looking for his place in the new world and his values rub up against Tony Stark creating a fun tension; suddenly Captain America isn’t all good and pure.  In The Avengers, Captain America becomes much more human and therefore likeable.

I have never watched a Hulk film all the way through but would wait impatiently to watch a Hulk film starring Mark Ruffalo with Joss Whedon at the helm (which is currently in discussion and Ruffalo has since signed up for more Marvel films).  Ruffalo plays Bruce Banner sympathetically and quietly, you can feel the anger boiling beneath him and the anticipation of what may happen.  This is the first film where the actor playing Banner actually plays the Hulk via virtual-camera-motion-capture rather than the big green man being purely CGI or played by a different actor.  The result of sensitive acting and the technology used is that Hulk steals the show.

I thoroughly enjoyed Thor and so was very glad to see both Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki again.  When mixed in with Earthly superheroes and warriors, these gods stand apart.  It could be said that Hemsworth is a little wooden but I believe this is simply a result of a god standing next to Tony Stark.   Loki has grown since we last saw him.  He is still jealous and living in his brother’s shadow but he is darker, having seen things in the universe that Thor could not fathom.  He still has weaknesses, struggling to be a leader, but now he is a showman with powerful allies and makes an excellent super-villian.

The two non-superheroes in The Avengers are Black Widow and Agent Barton.  While we have seen Johannson’s Black Widow in previous Ironman films, we have not yet met Hawkeye.  The Avenger’s gives viewers a chance to wet their lips at the back story to these two agents.  Black Widow is the only female in the team and she is a very effective spy.  While she fights well and she is definitely not present to be just a romantic connection, her best scene is her first.  Perhaps physical fighting is not her strong point compared to the others but at least she holds her own and makes her presence felt.  Agent Barton, on the other hand, is skilled for fighting with his bow and arrow and I found his fighting scenes just as enjoyable and thrilling as the ones with Captain America, Thor, Hulk and Ironman.  My only complaint when it comes to Barton is that we don’t learn much about him earlier as he is under Loki’s control.  Suddenly he is brought into the team and immediately fits in when it actually took the rest of the team longer, with more arguments, to gel.

Although the plot to The Avengers is simple, for a film of this scale I think anything elaborate would have ruined the whole endeavour.  The effects are well done and mostly the film is fast paced, with elements of heartfelt emotion and brilliant humour.  Perhaps the only thing I can say against this film is the length, in some places the plot feels a little stuttered and at one point I wondered if it was about to end without any conclusion.  But if you just let these moments slide, the result is a beautifully written, funny, epic action comic book hero film that I feel the desperate need to see again and again.

Make sure you stay through the end credits!

Ironman and Castle

I saw The Avengers the other night.  I'm still processing it but will be writing a review in the next day or so.

In the meantime, I just found this and had a geeky laugh!  Nathan Fillion and Robert Downey Jr...

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Chick Flick me!

Following on from the Bad Teacher post, I thought I’d give a run down of my top 5 chick-flicks (excluding Bad Teacher).  These are the films that I personally find empowering for women and are an excellent pick me up on those drab, horrible days/weeks/months when nothing goes right;

• Bridesmaids (2011)

Maya Rudolf, Kristen Wiig

Lillian (Rudolf) is getting married and Annie (Wiig) is maid of honour, except that her status of best friend is under threat and soon so is her status of maid on honour!  A hilarious, feel good film about love, friendship and just what bitches women can be! 

• The Women (2008)

Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett Smith

This is an amazing film following a group of female friends.  Mary Haines (Ryan) leaves her rich cheating husband and sets out on her own.  This film is full of good feeling and laughs, leaving you feeling inspired to do something different with your life and succeed!

• Sex and the City (2008)

Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon

Another film following a group of female friends!  Please note – this is the first film, not the second one which was utter drivel.  Carrie Bradshaw (Parker) is going to get married but it doesn’t all go to plan.  Again, another feel good film about finding your own identity, taking on something new and succeeding.

• Practical Magic (1998)

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman

A film about two witch sisters (Bullock and Kidman) who’s family is haunted by a curse for any sister who falls in love.  Sally (Bullock) tries to rescue her sister Gillian (Kidman) from her murdered ex and put off the detective that has come to arrest the dead man.  A love story with a wonderfully supernatural twist.

• You’ve Got Mail (1993)

Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks

This one beat Sleepless in Seattle to the list purely because I’ve seen this one more often and it has lots of books and a dog in it.  What is there not to love? A slushy love story, yes, but a beautiful and timeless classic and proof that losing your mother’s precious shop can still mean positive opportunities (although it helps to fall in love with a rich man).

What chick-flicks inspire, comfort and motivate you?