Archive for the ‘Firefly/Serenity’ Category
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
Him (Drew Z. Greenberg)
This rehash of season 2’s “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” is quite dreadful for the first two thirds. Women fighting over men is so flipping tedious and (really!) there was no need to tell the story again. It only picks up when Willow and Anya become affected because Alyson Hannigan and Emma Caulfield do funny very well indeed (I was going to point at “Triangle” for evidence and then I read my earlier reaction).
W: This isn’t about his physical presence. It’s about his heart.
A: His physical presence has a penis!
W: I can work around it!
I like the t-shirt and waistcoat look.
Sarah Michelle Gellar seemed off as if she couldn’t quite engage with a character who was bewitched in to doing the dirty on her sister and seducing a schoolboy while in a position of authority (despite being “extremely youthful. And peppy”): maybe SMG was as unamused as me. Also, as StephenT asks, does RJ know what effect the jacket has? Urgh, skeevy all round.
Poor Dawn,
Well, I guess you guys could use my help. Willow’s not very good with the practical strategizing – except when she’s evil. And Dawn – she’s not really good for anything.
She amply demonstrates this in a series of excruciating and humiliating and unfunny scenes: trying to make “Him” notice her and trying out for cheerleading, (bloody hell) sexy dancing and, naturally, a cat fight.
It was nice to see LouAnne from Girltrash! Riki Lindhome has such a distinctive face.
And look in that shop window, isn’t that Spike’s reflection?
The bazooka is funny.
Posted in Buffy Season 7, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly/Serenity, Television | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #4-16 (Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, Drew Goddard, Georges Jeanty, Paul Lee, Cliff Richards, Karl Moline)
I blogged about the first three issues and then stopped. I’m not clear why. Ahem, several issues later, I’m not actually convinced that I really like them though I wouldn’t for a minute consider stopping reading them. Buffy’s relationship with Satsu felt off to me. I know I am negatively influenced by the media coverage that Dark Horse encouraged and this definitely makes me sway towards thinking it was a cheap and sleazy gimmick except I love how they broke up which was nicely done.
The Renee thing? I’m bored now of this sort of thing, really bored. And please do something with Dawn, she is not a joke.
Jo Chen’s covers continue to amaze.
Runaways #25-30 – Dead End Kids (Joss Whedon, Michael Ryan)
I have at long last read Joss Whedon’s run on Runaways. I say at long last as if it’s my fault that it dragged over many months but I suppose it is true that in years to come no one will care what delays there were unless it is poor stuff anyway. Which this isn’t. By the end it was pretty darn good.
Xavin’s constant appearances as a man really bugged me so I was delighted when JW dealt with the issue across two superb pages. I am pissed off we didn’t see them kiss particularly since we saw Victor and Lillie (the one I think of as Caitlin from Heroes) kiss at least twice. I must say that Xavin as a woman drawn by Michael Ryan was gorgeous.
However, the run was messy and abrupt in parts but much better than I ever thought it was going to be when the delays hit.
Serenity: Better Days (Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, Will Conrad)
The least said about Adam Hughes’ covers the better though I give you the “Once More, With Feeling” soundtrack cover and rest my case. This was messy (again) and confused and frankly not very good. Shame.
Posted in Buffy Season 8, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Comics, Firefly/Serenity | 1 Comment »
Sunday, October 14th, 2007
StephenT has a very interesting analysis of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer opening credits in terms of its female to male regular cast ratio.
And does Serenity pass the Bechdel Test? I was hopeful for the deleted scene when Inara and another companion discuss Inara’s teaching abilities but then they move on to talking about men because that’s what they do.
Posted in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Films, Firefly/Serenity, Television | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007
Except for the fact it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer that made me spend all that money: this list is the same as mine (except add Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me for Farscape). So Farscape, hmm…
And the early issues of Runaways have made me love Brian K. Vaughan which in turn has led to more spending.
Posted in Books, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Comics, Dead Like Me, Films, Firefly/Serenity, Television | No Comments »
Thursday, March 1st, 2007
Type pop culture heroines into Google and it asks you if you meant pop culture heroes. Which is obviously why a blog called Pop Culture Heroines is needed.
It uses the lovely Joshua Middleton cover of River from the Serenity comic books in its banner.
Posted in Comics, Female thinking, Firefly/Serenity, Television | No Comments »
Sunday, December 31st, 2006
It’s been a good year.
Adam continues to be as lovable, funny, smart, sweet and gentle as ever and his achievement in passing his grade 2 piano exam with merit makes me especially proud.
Andy and I have now been together for sixteen years since the Villiers House Christmas party…and, in a number of ways, I don’t think our relationship has been stronger.
I like my work and I’m well paid for what I do. It’s not always inspirational but there aren’t many jobs like that that I am qualified to do (or can be bothered to do; effort and ambition not being my strong points). I have completed my sixth year of studying at the Open University and I could accept a degree if I wanted (BA/BSc Open degree). However, I think I would like to get a named degree but finding a course I want to do and finding time to do it in is getting harder.
Here are some reasons that I have less inclination to study:
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer – although we finished season seven in January, the rest of the year has been taken up with rewatching it (and in the case of some episodes, rewatching and rewatching)
- Firefly and Serenity – a Western in space is no way to sell a tv series but that’s what it is and it works very well indeed – the ensemble cast is perfect but I have a soft spot for Summer Glau who played River with serious mischievousness
- message boards
- blogs
- fan fiction – if I had been asked a year and a half ago what fan fiction was I would have had no idea and when told I would have snorted and sniggered with derision – however, I have surprised myself spending a lot of time reading the stuff – I admit that a great deal of it is poor (most of it isn’t even edited for spelling and punctuation) – and far too much of it has far too much sex (considering its early 70s roots as romantic fiction that isn’t surprising) but some of it is stunning; Bread by Tulipp is one of the best things I have ever read. And it doesn’t hurt to mention it again but Jet Wolf’s The Chosen which is a continuation of BtVS is an amazing body of sustained writing which is as funny and moving as the “real” thing. Jet Wolf loves Tara and brought her back and that leads to…
- Amber Benson – “In the end, I discovered that being the nice guy – when it’s really just a front for being a coward – eventually leads to you becoming the Spawn of Satan. It’s best just to be honest and forthright from the beginning – even if it means people call you names behind your back and don’t like you as much. Just ignore them. I do.” – I wish I was ever as insightful as that (and I am a coward).
- comics – or graphic novels to make it sound grander
- our ever expanding DVD collection – best films this year seen on DVD include Adaptation, Fight Club, Heathers, Twelve Monkeys, Doctor X, Serenity, and Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
- television – Ugly Betty, Life on Mars and University Challenge
- music – Audrey, Espers and Aimee Mann
- books – I do have time to read them, most of them unmemorable except We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, The Night Watch, Case Histories, and A Darkling Plain
Posted in Amber Benson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Comics, Films, Firefly/Serenity, Music, Other people's written work, Television | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, March 29th, 2006
What does Joss Whedon have against happy couples and irenic personalities?
Posted in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Films, Firefly/Serenity, Television | No Comments »
Sunday, November 6th, 2005
My word, I have just discovered somebody is reading this…well, I suppose that was the point!
Anyway, I have been very slack recently, in fact, ever since my OU course finished and I haven’t been up here looking for excuses not to study.
For my book club we read The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks which I remember reading when it was published twenty years or so ago. I was taken with it then but now it feels rather tiresome, sensational and poorly plotted.
I did enjoy The Dinosaur Hunters by Deborah Cadbury which is an account of the rivalry between Gideon Mantell and Richard Owen in the 19th century.
I have just finished Souls in the Great Machine by Sean McMullen, a science fiction novel set in a future where technology is on a level with the 16th century and The Call intermittently drags all mammals south east unless they are tied down. It was full of fantastic ideas but the characterisation was weak and the plotting all over the place. Still, I have ordered the sequel.
I was still persevering with Lost but only in a “I know this is crap but I need to know what happens” way.
Andy and I are currently on the fourth Season of Buffy which has had some of the worst episodes (”Beer bad”) and some of the best (”Something blue” and “Hush”).
I have Firefly waiting for us – on Maureen’s recommendation I went to see Serenity and I loved it.
Tomorrow is the release day of Aerial by Kate Bush. On Thursday and Friday, I listened to all seven albums and I was blown away by how amazing she is. However, The Red Shoes is by far the weakest. I used to say The Dreaming was my favourite but I hate to be predictable but The Kick Inside is probably my favourite now.
1. The Kick Inside
2. The Dreaming
3. Hounds of Love
4. Lionheart (I even love Oh England My Lionheart now)
5. Never For Ever
6. The Sensual World (Heads We’re Dancing and Deeper Understanding are what drag this down)
7. The Red Shoes (over produced)
Posted in Books, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Films, Firefly/Serenity, Music, Other people's written work, Television | No Comments »
