OT: Serenity

[Guest guest]

For all you Josh Whedon fans, Serenity, the movie which was spawned by

the TV series Firefly, is now on DVD.

As I'm sure some of you know, the Fox War Channel (most of you know it

as the Fox News Channel) ran this very excellent series (14 episodes)

unceremoniously into the ground, and it then spawned such a huge cult

following that Whedon was actually able to get a movie made with ALL

the characters from the original TV cast (and a couple of more

added)..

I had never heard of Whedon nor appreciated his work until a few

months ago when I was engaging in something I rarely do, watch

television, and late night at that. Sandwiched between Fear Factor and

Blind Date (lol!) was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which by the title I

thought was going to be silly but actually turned out to be pretty

good.

It is a Josh Whedon creation and has also developed a HUGE cult

following, even being studied (along with Angel, a spinoff) on

numerous college campuses. That eventually led me to Firefly, which by

far is the most consistently freedom oriented tv series I have ever

seen, and which I didn't see until *after* the movie came out.

The boxed 7 year collection of Buffy is now also available on DVD but

I would highly recommend you see Serenity. For those of you who truly

love liberty and worry about the ever growing power of the imperial

state both left and right, esepcially as regards social engineering,

this movie is a breath of fresh air.

Set 500 years in the future, it is a western in outer space, with

themes and cultures spanning nearly eight centuries. The movie is

named after the ship Serenity, which is a Firefly class boat (i.e it

resembles a firely). But don't let the western/sci-fi motif fool you.

It is an old/new combo you can't really anticipate unless you have

seen the tv show, with old and new technology and old/new culture side

by side. I absolutely loved the role of the Geisha, a respected

capitalist who brought some dignity and honor to the ship (yes i know,

this is space and that would never happen on earth)..

The movie is extremely well done (although the series is better), and

can be enjoyed even by folks who don't like either genre and/or who

don't know/get/understand the underlying message (unlike AeonFlux,

which I don't think will be generally enjoyed by people who don't like

that genre. And while I liked it, and enjoyed parts of its message, I

tend to see most movies with Charlize Theron, even when I am hating on

the movie itself).

And the movie has been done in such a way that you do not need to see

the tv series to know what is going on. But don't get up. It requires

close attention or you will miss something important (that of course

is the advantage of DVD at home: the pause button). It is just a story

of ordinary people living quietly heroic lives in the face of a state

that is attempting to totally dehumanize them in the name of peace,

security, and " freedom "

Think of this movie as the anti-Star Trek. Think of it also as the

adventures of a young Hans Solo, except with better acting, more

character development, and much better dialogue. And when you see one

of the main characters, River, think of public education and its

horrors, LOL! The metaphors throughout the movie (and tv series) are

fabulous, although if you are statist in your thinking you may miss

many -if not most or all- of them.

Below is the theme song from the show (be careful, you won't be able

to get it out of your head after a few episodes), and a couple of

other quotes thrown in for good measure (courtesy of Seth s).

(By the way, something quite annoying is that in the movie the theme

song is nowhere to be found, but that is a minor quibble)

Take my love.

Take my land.

Take me where I cannot stand.

I don't care, I'm still free.

You can't take the sky from me.

Take me out

to the black.

Tell 'em I ain't comin' back.

Burn the land and boil the sea.

You can't take the sky from me.

Have no place

I can be

Since I found Serenity.

~ Theme Ballad of Firefly

" That's what governments are for, [to] get in a man's way. "

~ Mal Reynolds, Captain of Firefly-Class Boat Serenity

" The market is a democracy in which every penny gives a right to vote. "

~ Ludwig von Mises

Enjoy!

--

I first met her...in the Student Union at the University...sitting

across and down the table from each other. Our eyes met and that was

it. I was lost immediately in her soulful gaze (which I remember

vividly and tearfully even now) and was drawn inexorably from that

very moment into a love so certain that I never doubted anything about

it, other than the improbability that she would put up with me.

Things worked out. Glory to God!

-Mark Gilstrap