I was finally able to watch Serenity (2005), the movie version of the cancelled FOX show Firefly. I intended to watch the film first before the episodes of the TV series and was glad to find out that it is still an enjoyable film in itself even without a familiarity with the show. My interest is now most definitely piqued and I do plan to watch the mere 14 episodes of Firefly, which chronicle events that happened before the movie.
Set 510 years in the future, a time when mankind has abandoned Earth and emigrated to a neighboring star system, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a transport and cargo ship. The captain and first mate are veterans of the Unification War, having fought on the losing side. Their lives of petty crime are interrupted by a psychic passenger who harbors a dangerous secret. [Wiki]
Written and directed by Joss Whedon, the movie stars (L-R) Adam Baldwin , Jewel Staite, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Nathan Fillion, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau.
TV shows with a cult following do make a good dollar store franchise. These shows may have been long cancelled but they live on in syndication, in DVDs, and in the Internet.
I have their three albums in my phone right now. I used to pretend I’m Amy Lee. Ok, now I’ve given people who know me an image to cringe about.
Swallow it up for the sound of my screaming
cannot cease for the fear of silent night
Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
the goddess of imaginary light
OK, that’s one question I most probably can’t ask Joss Whedon, the same guy who made that line popular among fans of his works. If I’ll ever get the chance, I’ll probably paraphrase this way: ”What’s so bad about happy endings, Joss?” He’s a great writer, no question, and maybe even better as a filmmaker. I’m trying to get acquainted with all of his works and the only way I can describe what I’ve seen so far is “heartbreakingly awesome,” with emphasis on the heartbreak.
Anyway, here’s one of his most recent works (in collaboration with his brothers Zack and Jed, and Jed’s fiancee Maurissa Tancharoen). Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is a 43-minute musical film created exclusively for the Internet (initially). It is No. 15 in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2008. You can watch the entire 3-act piece on the official site; if you are living in the United States, that is. Otherwise, there’s a DVD available with commentaries. But if you’re resourceful and interested enough, there are other ways. Just saying.
I already know that Whedon writes good music. The concept of Dr. Horrible is pretty simple. But then again, how many singing supervillains can you name? TIME magazine describes it as “think The Diaries of Lex Luthor as told by Rodgers and Hammerstein.” I’ll say it’s more like Sondheim than R&H, but anyway… Dr. Horrible is an aspiring supervillain who wants to rule the world. He is applying to be a member of the Evil League of Evil. He does video blogging to report his activities and plans, even if he knows the L.A.P.D. and his arch nemesis, Captain Hammer, are watching. And, oh, he’s in love with a girl he met at the laundromat.
Starring: Neil Patrick Harris (Billy/Dr. Horrible), Nathan Fillion (Captain Hammer), and Felicia Day (Penny).
Who will like it: Anyone with a taste for the unconventional. Buffy/Angel/Firefly fans. Fans of Neil Patrick Harris.
When my sister first told me that she’s been called for an interview with Vodafone’s representatives, for a call center agent position in Doha, Qatar, the only response I was able to give her was “Ok, go with the interview. That might be a good experience for you.” Well, she didn’t want to get her hopes up while I’m not really excited about the prospect of her relocating there. After a series of screenings, she didn’t get the job anyway, which was a relief to both of us because it turned out they’re filling sales advisor positions and she’s not really interested in sales. This made me think again, of my own aspirations to work abroad. I’d actually much prefer to go on trainings or business trips, with full travel medical insurance, instead of actually finding a permanent work in a foreign country, but I don’t think it’s in the cards with where I am at the moment. As time goes by, though, I get more and more convinced that going away may do me good. For now, I’m keeping my eyes, ears, and heart open to possibilities, in case something does come my way in the future.
When we lost our Smart Bro internet connection yesterday, my sister panicked and readily reported the problem using the 24-hour customer service. I was thinking it could be the usual I.P. problem, which normally resolves itself after a few hours (and I have no frickin’ idea why), but I said yes anyway when the technical support personnel scheduled a home visit so a technician can check what could be causing the intermittent connection. I was still asleep the next day when my cellular phone, which I set to near-maximum volume for my alarm, rang. The technician was already outside my door and I had to grudgingly let him in to check my PC. After a few minutes of adjusting settings on my computer, he asked to check the antenna on the roof (him and another guy, not me). Apparently (and I had to take his word for it because obviously I can’t see it for myself), because it’s been 2 years since it was installed up there, the antenna is already blocked by several trees around the area and that is what’s been causing the lapses in my connection. He proposed to set it up higher; I had to pay P761 for the service and the materials to be used. I wondered for a moment about the legitimacy of the transaction, but then I didn’t want to deal with losing my connection again so I had to say yes. It’s a good thing I have cash in my wallet. When I thought about it, it might have been better if they have one of those credit card readers used by delivery services; with credit card processing, I may be able to check if it what I’m paying for will be directly received by the company. Plus, if they have provision for use of credit cards by their customers, they may be able to attract more people to acquire their service. Anyway, I’m just glad that I have my Internet back. And Smart’s getting quite prompt in providing customer service. Kudos to them; although I’m still wishing they have better speed for the amount I’m paying for every month.
It’s been really cold at night these days, have you noticed? Not that I’m complaining. It actually makes December feel more like December, with the weather inconsistencies and all. The downside, however, is that a lot of people came down with the flu, myself included. It’s quite frustrating because I was not intending to take any more leaves this month since next week will be pretty much vacation galore, but I did have to take one day off from work. Also, I skipped three badminton game nights, which to me is more than a usual disappointment. Gah, those weight loss pills are starting to look appealing to me now.
SCENE 1
HIGHWAY 375
RURAL NEVADA
11:17 PM
(Night. MULDER and SCULLY driving along a desert road. There are no other cars in sight. They pass a metal sign: “WARNING US MILITARY INSTALLATION DO NOT ENTER RESTRICTED AREA USE OF DEADLY POISON IN …”
MULDER: (pointing at a sign) Milepost 134. Two miles to go.
SCULLY: (dryly) I’m all a-tingle. (they share a look) So, Mulder, this supposed clandestine source who’s contacted you how do we know that he’s not just another crackpot whose encyclopedic knowledge of extraterrestrial life isn’t derived exclusively from reruns of Star Trek?
MULDER: Because of where this particular crackpot works. Groom Lake. Area 51. Where the military has conducted…
SCULLY: … for the past 50 years, classified experiments involving extraterrestrial technology.
MULDER: It’s all our questions. The proof that we’ve suspected but never been able to hold in our hands. That… that proof is here.
SCULLY: Mulder, it’s the dim hope of finding that proof that’s kept us in this car, or one very much like it for more nights than I care to remember. (MULDER looks at her fondly) Driving hundreds if not thousands of miles through neighborhoods and cities and towns where people are raising families and buying homes and playing with their kids and their dogs, and… in short, living their lives. While we - we - we just keep driving.
MULDER: What is your point?
SCULLY: Don’t you ever just want to stop? Get out of the damn car? Settle down and live something approaching a normal life?
MULDER: (defensive) This *is* a normal life.
[SCULLY smiles to herself (z’s comment: looking like she’d just gone from a Washington DC teeth whitening clinic). They hear tires squealing and see two pairs of headlights approaching very quickly from the rear.]
Scene from Dreamland, The X-Files season 6 episode 4
Well, I don’t chase extraterrestrials. I don’t look up the sky in hopes of chancing upon an unidentified flying object. I don’t even currently have a purpose nor a personal crusade like these two are fighting for and about. But it is conversations like these that makes me reassess my place in the grand scheme of things. Where am I now? Where am I heading towards? Or am I just here, stucked and stopped in my tracks by some invisible force I don’t care to face? While these two are feeling rushed and busy and important, I am delaying and neglecting and daydreaming. Well, at least I feel a new new year’s resolution coming.
I’ve always had mixed reactions about Paolo Coelho’s works. Some of his books, I love (The Witch of Portabello, The Alchemist), some I’m awed about for some reason (Veronika Decides to Die), while others (By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept) I don’t get at all. I’ve always assumed it’s because of the different voices of the translators. It’s similar to the works of Jostein Gaarder - I love The Solitaire Mystery but reading The Orange Girl didn’t feel like reading the same author to me.
But here’s something I am definitely going to see: Veronika Decides to Die is coming to cinemas in 2009 and it stars no less than Sarah Michelle Gellar. Now if anybody have doubts about the acting abilities of SMG, I cannot agree with you. Watching seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fully convinced me that playing this part of a tragically sad, suicidal woman is something she’s going to carry in a phenomenal way. Here’s a peek at the trailer:
Eh, not really a feel-good movie, which I expect you get by the title alone. While rumors of a new Buffy movie are all but unfounded for now, I’m looking forward to this one to get my Buffyverse fix and to see how one of the books I enjoyed reading gets to be translated on the big screen. Quite frankly, I didn’t think it’s a good movie material when I was reading it; it’s a little too bleak for the most part. It felt like going bungee jumping sans safety equipment. (Yeah, I can probably get less literal than that.) But there’s always hope, even for Veronika. And that’s what I’m going to come for.
The title’s rather odd. The last time I was at Sonya’s Garden, there was a scheduled workshop that I really wanted to attend - a travel writing workshop with a short course on The Art of Doing Nothing. Now, while “doing nothing” may mean something worthwhile (well, it could, if you’ll think about the many things you can process in your mind while sitting still, for instance), ”wasting time” is an entirely different endeavor. I don’t think there’s anything positive I can salvage from the phrase. Since “art” is the conscious production of something that affects the sense of beauty, I can safely say that I’m no artist; just another doofus who spaces out at times and realizes that time has been passing me by faster than I can keep the kitchen sinks spot-free. Sure, after some time, I get to write nonsense posts such as this one. See, I’m just wasting your time. Come back some other day, will you please? I promise to have something more worth your while.
The very long upcoming holidays make me want to pack some luggage and go some place far. It’s not every year that I get that much time off work. It would be nice to go to Palawan or Boracay or even Singapore for that matter. Heh, I’m just dreaming. A friend of mine commented that, yes, something like that would be nice, but then vacations mean less pay and thus less money to spend or pay for what you’ve spent after you come back.
I don’t mean to sound so gloomy. I’ll probably stay home and try to finish all the books I haven’t had time to read, do more DVD marathons, or maybe start on a writing project. That’s pretty excitable to me, really. I just hope I won’t turn out wasting that much time on just lounging around and finishing nothing.
