Dude Meister Blogs 2.0

In the words of clichéd dialogue, "that went well"...

Approximately 11 weeks ago my summer began, and I made a promise to you (the world), and me, myself (or 'I' as he has also been called), that I would write and that I would be truthful and generous and varied in said writings. I have not. Written. Anything.

So tonight, I apologise for my misgivings; my failure in motivation, inspiration and productivity. I apologise for my laziness, my boringness and my absence. But most of all, and by default most importantly, I apologise if you do not care about any of this. For surely, an apathetical audience is an unsatisfied one, with which blame lies solely with me. Myself. Or, 'I'.

Like the end of a second act, things are looking bad. The protagonist is losing, everything's going wrong, the antagonist has the upper hand. Feel free to slot me into any role you like in that scenario, but the truth of the matter is this; I am down, but not out. The darkest times supply the strongest rises (just ask Batman), and that is every bit what I intend to do. (Rise, not Batman).

This is Dude Meister Blogs 2.0. A little bigger. A little better. A little more badass.

From here on out (or until I hit another lapse), this is how it's going to be. Clearer, Copiouser, Cleverer. And all brought to you by the beauty of scheduling, regularity and alliteration:

• Tuesdays are for Trailers, as they've always been, with the ever time-consuming popular, Trailer Tuesday.
• In Web Weaver, I'll be bringing you a menagerie of original web-content I've found along my travels into the WWW. Ideally this would be for a Wednesday, but that'll be a bit tough to guarantee, so these will just come along as they will, any day.
• Thursday will be a deep, unrelenting journey into philosophical and psychological lands, usually focusing on some aspect of pop-culture, no doubt. But something so intellectual needs a genius name, nay, it deserves one. Thinky Thursday it is!
• And finally, the accursed day of Rebecca Black. Fridays - not all of them, just occasionally - will be reserved for Film Content, in some way of another, from yours falsely truly.
• In between that, I'll try and churn out at least one review of something each week. Most likely there'll be some light, list-type filler posts here and there too, 'cause they're always fun and easy. God help my social life. Or failing his existence, friends. Please? Anyone?

It'll all kick off this coming week, and with a stretch of effort, most weeks after that. Because it's time I upped my game, and became the moral centre of the show, to be the integrity! Welcome to 2.0 people.

See you back here next September for the inevitable 3.0!

ATR

Kudos to anyone who picked up on what I was kind of riffing off with this; you have good taste in Sorkin-created HBO shows!

RE:View: Firefly: The Complete Series Blu-Ray

Ah Firefly, the gleaming gem in a forest of blackened crystals, whose searing brilliance was extinguished long before its time. Often considered the greatest sci-fi television series ever, and often true in that statement, Firefly become a pop-culture phenomenon after its premature cancellation in 2003, and set itself deeply into every geek guy and girl's hearts who were lucky enough to glance upon it.

    So when I first picked up the series (of which there are but 14 episodes) on DVD back in April of this year, I had some high hopes. Now, 8 months later, I don't think a day goes by where I don't spare at least one thought to the show. It is that amazing. So when the Blu-Ray was finally released in the UK, I was lucky enough to win myself a copy.

The Show

Created by TV legend Joss Whedon, Firefly is a genre-bending experience, blending that of the classic sci-fi conventions with a scruffy Western feel to bring us something entirely unique. It takes place five hundred years in the future, where a totalitarian regime known as the Alliance rules the systems as a combination of both America and China. The show follows the escapades of the crew of Serenity, a Firefly-class vessel as they drift through space looking for work (legal or not) to keep food on the table and fuel in their engines.

    Scattered with layered and deep characters (some of which are the best I've ever seen), choc-full of witty dialogue and intelligent scripting, yet still shiny in the special effects, Firefly presents you with a realistic science fiction world, in which our "Big Damn Heroes" aren't always winning. It's this honesty and relatability that gives the show its edge that has carried it in such high regard after all these years. It kick-started literally everyone in the extremely talented cast into pretty big careers, namely Nathan Fillion, who's now regarded as a God of Geekdom.

So without further a-do, I obviously present the show with:

5/5 Stars

The Quality

Of course, this is a Blu-Ray upgrade, and so I must also cast an eye on how the new and improved picture and sound matches up. Putting the show in 1080p was always a bit risky with the fan base, who adored the classic roughness the show had pertained with its grains and flares. Luckily though, this charm still remains, but the whole thing just looks a lot crisper. We don't peer at all into what I like to call "Mexican-Soap-Opera" territory (whereby the HD makes the program look cheap), and instead are rewarded with a sharp, detailed and colour popping viewing experience of Captain Mal and his Crew. And those shots of Serenity - in 1080p - are to die for. The only issue I had with the picture was when there were really dark scenes (namely the battle of Serenity, in the first episode), and it became almost squint worthy to get what was going on.

   The sound, now in 5.1 audio is obviously a vast improvement on the DVD's tinned noise. While volume may be a problem with this (i.e. effects too loud over voice), and some SFX still sounding cheesy as hell (*Kapow!* for punch!), the thing that makes up for it most is Greg Edmonson's rich and culturally bizarre score. The stuff is like gold dust to the ears - banjos, violins, big round drum thingys - you name it, it's in there, and it sounds great.

All in all, I'd give the quality:

4/5 Stars


The Extras


A blu re-release always means one thing for sure, and that's new special features. Building upon the DVD's bonuses (which included a few short featurettes, 4 deleted scenes, gag reel, 7 commentaries and a few goodies), is a new commentary track (on Our Mrs Reynolds) featuring Joss and literally half the cast (it's mostly them laughing for 40 minutes, but still fun) and a half hour "Reunion Lunch" with Joss, Nathan, Ron and Alan. Both new features are worth the watch, almost purely because they were recorded over 5 years after the show's original 2003 run, so there's a lot of hindsight and reminisce. They also talk about Monster Cows and how there should have been an episode where someone's hands expand...

More Firefly stuff obviously equals more awesome, but only 2 added things is slightly lacking compared to how some re-releases work. Paired with the original extras, this is easily 5 Star (mostly down to the insightful commentaries alone), but as the bonuses on top alone I'm only going to say...:

3.5/5 Stars

If you own a Blu-Ray and are a Firefly fan (or Browncoat), then it is literally your duty to go out and buy this, even if it's for the picture upgrade alone. Fans without a Blu-Player, I'd say that this isn't your sole reason to get one, because even though the new stuff is cool, it's not quite worth that much, especially if you're not too interested in commentaries or behind-the-scenes stuff. And those who've never seen Firefly, well shame on you! Go out and at least pick up the DVD and experience this most tasty of TV shows. 

Show: 5 Star

Quality: 4 Star

Extras: 3.5 Star

Stand-Out Episodes: "Serenity", "Shindig", "Out of Gas", "Ariel", "The Message" and "Objects in Space".

ATR

Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing' Announced

Late Sunday night, Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle) tweeted a link to the site muchadothemovie.com, announcing the new Joss Whedon project, an adaptation of the Shakespeare comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. And the amazing part? It has already been written, cast and filmed, with the principal photography being completed within 12 days in Santa Monica.

   The cast includes a huge array of actors from Whedon's expansive library, with stars from his previous shows, Angel, Dollhouse and Firefly, as well as The Avengers' Clark Gregg and, obviously, Nathan Fillion. As a modern take on Shakespeare's "Romance Deconstruction" (as Whedon says), the film will be a "fancy" piece, premiering at film festivals once it's finished  in early Spring, and shall boast a "DIY" sense of film making and fresh dialogue, directly from the House of Whedon.

The whole thing's been shot in black and white, giving it an indie-type feel and dramatic over-tone. But if we see splashes of colour like on the title image, I reckon we can expect a very tight example of some beautiful cinematography  to accompany the quirkiness that the whole "cocktail and scuba" style portrays.

What's more, Whedon has set up his very own independent film company (which will produce the film) with wife, Kai Cole, called Bellwether. The "micro-studio" vowes to create "small, independent narratives" for all and any media, meaning Cinema, Web, TV, Page and beyond. Does this mean his further web projects, (like Wastelanders, a post-apocalyptic web series colaboration with comics/novel legend, Warren Ellis or even a Dr Horrible sequel) could be produced under the company?

I'm pretty excited about this, because I know Whedon's a pretty big Shakespeare buff, so his work will be nicely dedicated to the story, as well as offering up his own comedic flair to it all, and the super-impressive cast is sure to knock it out of the park. My one question is where does the time come from? Literally only just getting off of the set of The Avengers, with his directing duties there, Whedon couldn't have stopped working. Theory: Time Lord, definitely Time Lord.

You can read the whole press release here, with further details into casting and so forth.

ATR

Lookie What I Won!

The fansite, whedonesque.com(devoted to all things Joss Whedon), recently held a competition to win a copy of Firefly on Blu-Ray with the simple of question of "Why do you love Firefly?". Me - being the writing sort that I am - dived into it with a lengthy entry from the heart, about the greatest Sci-Fi show that ever was. And it won. So, YIPEEE! HD quality perfection is on its way now, courtesy of Amazon. Here's the "award-winning" entry:


I love Firefly because it was what it was.
It was a hybrid of two genres, that had been dying to meet in a passionate lock of love for generations.
It was shaky and unpolished - it had that homely charm of not-perfect to it, something that it mirrored in its characters and its tales, through its use of lighting, camera and sound.
It had a great cast, that were willing to take these unique and quirky characters to new and exciting places.
It told us yarns of great prose, combining that of humour, action and drama into pieces that were as much about humanity as they were about the crew.
It was inviting and fuzzy, yet deep and dark when it needed to be.
It was made by a man who loved it dear and was making it for himself and his fans, not money or fame.
It was, in summary, the Shiniest show in the 'Verse, and something that will remain in the hearts of those who were lucky enough to glance at its beauty before its sudden but inevitable defeat.
When we think of Firefly, we feel a sense of... Serenity about the memories and places it takes us to.
I guess you could say it was a unique and lonely leaf on a burst of unrelenting and cruel wind, letting us watch as it soared from its tragic struggle into our lives, our minds and our hearts.
It was Firefly.
And it was great.


Dramatic? Yes. Pretentious? Perhaps. But did it save me £25? You betcha!


What can I say? The words just kind of flowed out my fingers into something I'm pretty proud of, considering it was just for a small competition. So I guess it's time to re-live all my favourite moments, listen to all new commentaries (yes, I actually watch those...) and experience the Big Damn Heroes in stunning 1080p quality. Shiny - that's all I'm saying...


ATR

RE:Commend: Husbands

Husbands is the brand new and hilarious web-series from acclaimed TV Writer, Jane Espenson (Torchwood, Firefly), focusing on the age old "Did we just accidentally get married in Vegas?"-RomCom setup with a notable difference; it's a same sex marriage. Camp TV star, Cheeks, and Basesball hero, Brady, find themselves hitched after a wild night in the city of sin, and now must deal with the oncoming media onslaught and whether or not to actually make the relationship work.

    It's great to see a series all about equality really take off, and although I'm sure the gay angle may turn a lot of people away, I urge you to open your minds and stay the course, because what you'll find is a refreshingly fun and hilarity strewn series. Espenson has taken a tired formula and revitalised it with a new-world energy, teeming with spirit and charm, plus a healthy dose of camp to keep the laughs fresh.

 The way I see it, this is future at work: a bold new series focusing on a community previously unspoken for exclusively in this kind of media. Embracing the risk of an untapped source material in gay newly-weds, and sticking it on the web, network-free, proves how television is evolving to meet the open-eyed way of thinking the world has come to.

  And what with guest stars already turning up (Nathan Fillion, anyone?), it looks like these 2 minute episodes might just be shaping up to be some of the internet's finest serial content. So roll on Husbands, because it looks like you're in it for the long haul.

Watch Husbands Now!




ATR


Read My Twitter Q&A With Jane Espenson!

The Sunday Supdate: 11/09/11

Wassup home dogs!? Would you like me to start over in a less douchey way? Well touch luck, cause I'm sticking with it! Late night Sunday = tired blogger = rough post (?), so try to stick with me for this.

In Remembrance
We all know what the date at the top says and we all know it's been 10 years. That fateful day of heartache and destruction, immortalised by this haunting date. So let's all spare a thought to those who lost loved ones and have since as a result of the tragic events that took place that day. When people say it was one of those "where were you?" moments, they're really not wrong. Even me, as a 5 year old can remember my Dad's urgency to get home after picking me up from school, and then seeing all this stuff on the TV. It was as if an image of two burning towers had been etched into every screen for the next few weeks. And then being there, in New York itself a couple years ago, I could still sense this feeling of tragedy around the Ground Zero site, despite the fact it was mostly blocked off for construction purposes. RIP Victims and Heroes of 9/11.

A Photo of Epic Proportions (and Questions?)
Anyone on Twitter earlier today may have noticed a whole load of Nerdgasm coming from one image tweeted by Nathan Fillion:

For those not in the know, that's (from left to right) Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Serenity), Felicia Day (The Guild), Simon Pegg (Shaun of The Dead, Paul), Edgar Wright (Writer/Director of Shaun, Hot Fuzz) and Anthony Head (Buffy, Merlin, Little Britain). And they're in Joss-Freakin'-Whedon's house! So much awesome in one place!

     It's no surprise then that my head (along with many others out there) has been buzzing about what this meet up could mean. My theory? Well, Edgar Wright has recently finished writing the script (along with Attack The Block creator, Joe Cornish) for a movie adaptation of Marvel hero, Ant Man. This links into the rumours that Nathan Fillion could be the one to play him (YES PLEASE), and that Joss is writing and directing The Avengers, another Marvel property. So, could this be a meeting to discuss plans on working Ant-Man into the Marvel Cinematic continuity, with possibly the other actors involved. Pegg as villain, perhaps?

Or maybe something else from the many Whedon properties? Dr Horrible related? Buffy? Dare I say, Firefly!? Or something new entirely? If it was any of these, I don't think I'd really care what because the thought of seeing all these guys working together makes my head explode. Fillion and Pegg, two of my favourite actors teamed up with Wright and Whedon, two of my favourite writers/directors, with some Felicia thrown in: I don't think I could take the amount of happiness that it would fill me with.

  But this kind of wild speculation always gets me kind of depressed when it turns out not to be nought but that. So for now let's just assume that it's a bunch of Hollywood (and Geekdom) A-listers hanging out together just for the sake of awesomeness. (Ah but come on, that "Shhh" expression from Edgar's gotta count for something?) Still the sweetest thing I saw today!

School's Back

Of course, this being September, the old school routine had kicked back in and is live and swinging. Final year of secondary school, GCSE's and all that. Big year ahead, or so I've heard (from pretty much EVERYONE). Will it all affect the blog? Hopefully not, if I can effectively maximise my time management (working on it!) then we may see a rise in some enjoyable writing. RE:Views incoming, and maybe a new "RE:Commend" section, devoted to suggesting some great things in life. Be it a TV show, book series, food, activities, websites or whatever, RE:Commend could be like a mini review feature, minus all the hard hitting critique, and a place with me just trying to introduce you to something I believe is awesome. Cool beans, eh?

So until next time, my intrepid viewers. Stay safe, stay smart, stay reading and most importantly, stay awesome. Over and Snout.

ATR

         More Marvel              More Supdates    

What The Fridge?!: Week One

And the debut WTF comes from none other than Mr Nathan Fillion, who posted this rather crass picture of the late Patrick Swayze on his Twitter.

Why, what and when this is happening, I'll leave up to you...