Joss Whedon's Firefly
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FIREFLY
COMING BACK IN 2008
Five hundred years in the future there's a whole new frontier, and the crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity is eager to stake a claim on the action. They'll take any job, legal or illegal, to keep fuel in the tanks and food on the table. But things get a bit more complicated after they take on a passenger wanted by the new totalitarian Alliance regime. Now they find themselves on the run, desperate to steer clear of Alliance ships and the flesh eating Reavers who live on the fringes of space.
FIREFLY
COMING BACK IN 2008
Five hundred years in the future there's a whole new frontier, and the crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity is eager to stake a claim on the action. They'll take any job, legal or illegal, to keep fuel in the tanks and food on the table. But things get a bit more complicated after they take on a passenger wanted by the new totalitarian Alliance regime. Now they find themselves on the run, desperate to steer clear of Alliance ships and the flesh eating Reavers who live on the fringes of space.
Firefly returns in late March, all 14 episodes and the Pilot. I really want to archive the whole series.
Jewel Staite Says More Firefly Coming
The Big news here is that ther're will be a re-release of Firefly….interesting as to why they would do that as there is no need for it as it is selling out everywhere.
OK. Now that I've got your attention here’s the deal.
I read an article (can't find it for the life of me) where Jewel Staite attended the Supanova Expo in Melbourne, Australia this weekend and over the two days graciously answered a lot of questions from fans of Firefly and Stargate Atlantis. During the first session Jewel was asked what she thought the storyline of Serenity would go. Jewel replied, “I always wanted Kaylee to become a mother” and added “hopefully there’ll be a Serenity 2?.
In the Q&A session the following day, a fan asked if there was any reason to still hope for another movie, Jewel’s response was “Absolutely!”.
Jewel also told fans that she’d been asked to go to LA in the Spring to record a commentary for the new special edition of Firefly that they’re working on. Great news for fans, but Jewel wonders why they don’t just make more instead of re-releasing it again.
My guess, is that the new cast commentaries (I'm expecting more than just Jewel) would be recorded for the eventual release of the Firefly on Blu-ray. Perhaps some special "picture-in-picture" commentary feature? ...but I am only speculating.
Either way, this is something else to look forward to!
Cheers!
Spence
The Big news here is that ther're will be a re-release of Firefly….interesting as to why they would do that as there is no need for it as it is selling out everywhere.
OK. Now that I've got your attention here’s the deal.
I read an article (can't find it for the life of me) where Jewel Staite attended the Supanova Expo in Melbourne, Australia this weekend and over the two days graciously answered a lot of questions from fans of Firefly and Stargate Atlantis. During the first session Jewel was asked what she thought the storyline of Serenity would go. Jewel replied, “I always wanted Kaylee to become a mother” and added “hopefully there’ll be a Serenity 2?.
In the Q&A session the following day, a fan asked if there was any reason to still hope for another movie, Jewel’s response was “Absolutely!”.
Jewel also told fans that she’d been asked to go to LA in the Spring to record a commentary for the new special edition of Firefly that they’re working on. Great news for fans, but Jewel wonders why they don’t just make more instead of re-releasing it again.
My guess, is that the new cast commentaries (I'm expecting more than just Jewel) would be recorded for the eventual release of the Firefly on Blu-ray. Perhaps some special "picture-in-picture" commentary feature? ...but I am only speculating.
Either way, this is something else to look forward to!
Cheers!
Spence
Program Guide says "The Slugger's Wife"...
PS Commentaries are audio tracks that can be selected using the DVD player remote control. Using they have the regular audio mixed with the commentary at a lower level. I have dozens of DVDs that have them, and have only listened to one or two - basically it requires allocating a whole 2 hours (or 45 minutes in the case of a TV episode) just for listening to the commentary.
Generally, I'd much rather watch something I have not seen, rather than watch something again with the commentary on... it's usually only of interest to people planning careers in show biz: " Here we decided to use the closeup only because there was not enough time to finish the whole set " etc. etc.
Yeah, its Saturday
To clarify, it's Firefly TV Series' original 2 hour pilot called "Serenity" that was not aired as the pilot by Fox.
In typical cable channel logic, the entire 2 hours is aired again as soon as it is over.
I think most people who can play a DVD, know what a commentary feature is and how to access them. I would wager that better than 80% of my 1200+ title collection has a commentary track or two. Have I listened to all of them? I should say not, but they are a nice option to have for those who care to hear the perspective of the artists behind their body of work.
I agree with you in that many commentaries, particularly the technical ones, can be boring to the average eye such as yours and mine, but there are many technical commentaries that are entertaining as well as interesting. Yes they can be boring, however cast commentaries aren't as technical, and often come off as entertaining and enlightening. Your example of "here we decided to use the closeup only because there was not enough time to finish the whole set" sounds more like the commentary of a cinematographer or director than that of an actor. However some points made in commentaries (even the technical ones), can bring to light the artistry and magic that went into making the product. The one-shot in the opening of Serenity (the film) for instance has a hidden cut that is creative and not even known to those who didn't listen to the commentary track. It points out the magic and creativity of the artists vision and the technical wizardry that brought it to life. This is where commentary tracks can really shine!
Overall, I still prefer to hear the actors reflect on their work, tell their little stories etc. They aren't for everyone, but I for one am very glad that the artistic powers that be include the option for those who care to learn more.
In addition to some of the Firefly commentaries (as well as the cast commentary for the SE release of Serenity), I would submit Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory as well as Mr. Roberts as two excellent examples of well done commentaries.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory gathers the ensemble of former children actors from the film, who view the film for the first time ever, as a group. It is hear that we learn how nice Gene Wilder was, how the actor playing Mike Teevee released bees from a container in the inventing room set, which caused a short delay in filming.
The late, great, Jack Lemon reflects back on his days working with the legendary James Cagney while performing both in the stage play, as well as the film version of Mr. Roberts. All those stories would have been lost for eternity, had they not been recorded as commentary.
So you see, commentaries have value, but the greater point is that not all commentaries have value to everyone. It is all a matter of the viewer's level of appreciation.
I have no doubt that dfergie shares much of this view as do many others. Check out the actor commentaries, you may find them more enjoyable than you imagine!
Cheers!
Spence
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I saw Joss Whedon on the BSG special last night ... I do like to check out commentaries and love the podcasts for BSG...
