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Joss Whedon's Greedo Revenge

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I just watched Serenity with Joss Whedon commentary on today, and there's one point in the movie where the Operative (the main villain) sits down in a chair to negotiate with Mal, the main character. He sits and says, "I am unarmed." Mal replies, "Good," takes out his pistol and shoots him before walking away. Of course, he was wearing body armor (why the hell didn't he shoot him in the head?!) so he wasn't dead, but it was still pretty cool. In the commentary, Joss says, more or less, "Including this, Mal shoots a total of three unarmed men in this movie. Besides being a response to the Greedo confrontation in the revised Star Wars, it's also to show that Mal isn't quite your traditional hero, and he'll do what he has to do..." etc, etc. The first time, I didn't even listen to the explanation. As soon as he made that quip about Star Wars, I immediately ran it back and watched again. I was laughing so hard!

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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That's great! I'll have to listen to the commentary track. I just bought the 'Serenity' DVD and watched the extra features last night. At one point, I think in the outtake reel, one of the production staff in reaction to something that happens just off camera says "Take a picture of THAT George Lucas!" and everybody starts laughing. Not sure what it was about but the tone was clear.
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Hmm, I've watched the outtakes twice, but I don't remember that. Do you know what scene they were screwing up?

EDIT: But as long as we're on the subject, I have to say that my favorite outtake is when they're discussing Mal and Inara's contact. "Did you see us fight?" "No." "TRAP!!!" My girlfriend says they should have used that take. ^_^

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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Ahahahaaaa.... that was a great one too! Most had me cracking up. "I've got to... (flubs line) SHIT!" "(laughing) You've got to shit? There's a bathroom right down the hall a bit..."

I'll have to double check- the GL reference might have been in one of the 'making of' features too.
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I am now totally buying this movie just for that reference. Go Firefly...er..Serenity!!
"I am altering the movies. Pray I don't alter them any further." -Darth Lucas
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Originally posted by: Invader Jenny
I am now totally buying this movie just for that reference. Go Firefly...er..Serenity!!


Not to get off-topic Jenny but you should buy Serenity and the Firefly series even *without* the reference- GOOD STUFF!!!!
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All the recent talk of it has got me interested as well.
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Originally posted by: Adamwankenobi
All the recent talk of it has got me interested as well.


Well heck until I get a chance to refind that reference wee *can* just talk about the film/series!

Have you seen any of the Firefly tv series AWK? If not by all means rent the DVDs and watch them! Sci-Fi Network if showing re-runs but I think it really helps to be introduced to the series on DVD. Great cast, great scripts, plausible (for sci-fi) premises. Though 'Serenity' *can* and *does* stand alone as a film, if you see the series first there are so many more levels you can enjoy the film on.

Gaffer- did you see the 'easter egg' on the making of the Fruity Oaty Bar commercial? Joss- "Can you make it weirder? More surreal? Uh, how about a little stranger..?"
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I saw the first episode and I loved the premise, but the cinematography drove me nuts.

I like the dialogue and the whole idea behind the show, but the camera would cut away in the middle of people talking and there were way too many jump cuts in the middle of dialogue and then jump back. Stuff like that drove me nuts and I have a feeling that is what lead to it's downfall (not including the whole FOX screwing the show over thing, that they do to so many of their shows.) I think I'll go rent the movie.
"I am altering the movies. Pray I don't alter them any further." -Darth Lucas
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No, I haven't seen any of the Firefly episodes yet. But I'm wondering, does Serenity take place after or before the series? I would assume after, but I wanted to know so I can watch the entire story in order.

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I got the DVD for christmas, but the fact that Serenity was just announced for HD-DVD has me slapping my forhead.

as well as the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360.

Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabris, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.

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Originally posted by: Adamwankenobi
No, I haven't seen any of the Firefly episodes yet. But I'm wondering, does Serenity take place after or before the series? I would assume after, but I wanted to know so I can watch the entire story in order.


The film is essentially what Joss wanted to do with seasons 2 & 3, boiled down into a movie. So yes, watch the series first!
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Yes, firefly has been given a second series because of the box office success of serenity. Fox are launching it as part of their 'sci-fi september' season this fall, which will also feature the return of futurama to our screens and a new series of Earth:1999. I can't wait.

War does not make one great.

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^^ You sure about that?

I read in a mag the other day, that due to Serenitys poor show at the box office, that Whedon wants to make more films but are likely to be staright to DVD stuff.

Anyway, I bought myself the Firefly box set the other week, and me and the missus have just started to watch it. We've only seen the first episode so far, and it's pretty good.

http://www.facebook.com/DirtyWookie

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Yeah, I was just saying it to confuse AWK, because he clearly already knows the answer to the question he asked but just likes posting.

War does not make one great.

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Originally posted by: greencapt
Originally posted by: Adamwankenobi
All the recent talk of it has got me interested as well.


Well heck until I get a chance to refind that reference wee *can* just talk about the film/series!

Have you seen any of the Firefly tv series AWK? If not by all means rent the DVDs and watch them! Sci-Fi Network if showing re-runs but I think it really helps to be introduced to the series on DVD. Great cast, great scripts, plausible (for sci-fi) premises. Though 'Serenity' *can* and *does* stand alone as a film, if you see the series first there are so many more levels you can enjoy the film on.

Gaffer- did you see the 'easter egg' on the making of the Fruity Oaty Bar commercial? Joss- "Can you make it weirder? More surreal? Uh, how about a little stranger..?"



Yes!!! I just saw the Fruity Oaty Bar easter egg last night! That was so hilarious! "Fruity Oaty Bar, make a man out of a mouse. Fruity Oaty Bar, make you bust out of your blouse." Pure comic gold.

And I agree that Serenity can stand on its own as a very fine movie, but I'm so glad I saw the series first. Some people were trying to tell me I should go ahead and see the movie when it was in theatres, but I held out to see Firefly first. It really helps you care more for the characters. Of course, the first time I saw the movie, I cared so much that it made me really angry, so angry I almost shut the movie off and refused ever to watch it or Firefly again. But I'm glad I got over that. Damn! I have never cared for fictional characters that much before.

And, Jenny, I actually love the cinemtography in the Firefly, the handheld, "You are there," feel, and the fact that it was accomplished by making the interior of Serenity a contiguous set. Rather than all these separate rooms, the camera could actually follow Mal walking from the bridge, through the crew quarters, the dining room, and to the engine room in a single shot, and that, to me, made it seem very, very real. And the sets even had ceilings!!! Who ever does that?!

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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There are actually 2 sets, there is the upstairs area, and the downstairs. In that one long opering shot that established the interiors of Serenity, they snuck a dissolve in the staircase between the two shows to make it one continuious shot.

Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabris, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.

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I was actually about to say that. And that was the cool thing for me. From watching the Firefly DVDs, I learned that they had an upstairs and a downstairs set. The first time I watched Serenity, I knew they had to recreate the set for the movie, and at that part where Simon follows Mal downstairs, the wipe completely fooled me, and I thought, "Wow, were they able to do a two-story set for this movie?" It was only when I watched the commentary, and Joss pointed out the wipe that I ever noticed it.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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In i think the blooper reel, they have a shot from the movie or tv show of a quick camera flowing through the innerds of a ship (like the RotJ DS2 run), in the blooper reel they added the Millenium Falcon to it.

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Originally posted by: Invader Jenny
I saw the first episode and I loved the premise, but the cinematography drove me nuts.

I like the dialogue and the whole idea behind the show, but the camera would cut away in the middle of people talking and there were way too many jump cuts in the middle of dialogue and then jump back. Stuff like that drove me nuts and I have a feeling that is what lead to it's downfall (not including the whole FOX screwing the show over thing, that they do to so many of their shows.) I think I'll go rent the movie.
thats how i feel about it, the movie is not much different. i thought the dialogue was a little too cute as well. i liked the outtakes the best to tell you the truth

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Since I am an editor, I'll probably be able to spot the wipe without much help.
"Who's scruffy-lookin'?" - Han Solo
"I wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself." -sybeman
"You know, putting animals in the microwave is not a good idea. I had to learn that one the hard way." -seanwookie
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It's not hard to find, even if you're not an editor, or even looking for it, for that matter. I noticed it in the theatre.
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Well, excuse me for not being my usual super-observant self. I wasn't really looking for it, but I thought it was done pretty well.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.