Firefly (TV Series USA, 2002-03)
Serenity (USA, 2005)

The Cinderella of TV shows. No one gets a second chance in the universe of the television shows. But they did.

Cancelled after only half a season and mostly because the network did not do anything to support the show. Sounds familiar ? That’s because the same thing happened to Futurama, after 4 seasons of changing schedule every 4 weeks or so.

Joss Whedon created a science-fiction universe mixed with a western feel. A band of small-time crooks travel on a Firefly-class spaceship named Serenity. The ship itself is reminiscent of the Millenium Falcon. And there is a feeling of the Cowboy Bebop anime series in the Firefly universe. Something about never ending an episode with any money to speak of.

What is the most striking about Firefly and Serenity, is the dialogue and the characters. Every one of them has a moment to shine and has some very memorable quotes.

For instance:
“Well lady, I must say : you’re my kinda stupid.” -Mal
“Captain. I think there’s a problem with your brain being missing.” -Zoe

The movie answers some of the questions from the TV show. It was, however, impossible to answer all of them in one movie. There is a certain closure from it, but lots of doors were left opened for a sequel or some more episodes for the TV series. Chances are slim, though. The whole might not be commercial enough to be lucrative. But give it a try, and you’ll probably fall for it.

Watching the series before the movie is not a must, but would make the experience far more enjoyable.

Long live the Brown Coats!

Gog the Brown Coat

The Myth (Hong Kong, 2005)

Jackie Chan plays a double-role, two different characters from two different eras. Jack is an archeologist, in the present time; and General Meng-yi, a Qing Dynasty officer.

Many reviews were saying it was not a vey good Jackie Chan movie, but it is most enjoyable. The storytelling is quite what we have been used to in the recent Hong Kong movies. The script being very simple and to the point. We can feel a genuine effort to make better movies in this one. Though, a non-fan of the genre might not appreciate it. On the down side, there is the presence of computer animation, something fairly new the Hong Kong cinema. One of the reasons why movie lovers turned to Asian films, was that it was more real, with less computer animation. Still, nowadays it is part of the movie making industry all around the world, for better or worse.

Chan is over 50 now, and he proves he is still the best there is at his craft. The action is excellent and the fights are as energic as can be. And this is no sorry close-up shots and erratic editing of actors who can not make a fight scene believable : it is the real deal! One big difference from the other Chan movies, is the blood. Not usually that present, nor that splatered. It certainly gives a different feel to the movie and the fight scenes. One gets over it very quickly.

The movie is not yet available on the North American market, but can easily be found in Chinatown stores (I’m almost sure) or the YesAsia.com site. But be warned! Enter the site and you will found lots of goodies, and that might be very expensive. Believe me.

Gog