Eschewed Obfuscation

Stardust (film)

Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, obviously. I enjoyed but wasn't enthused with Gaiman's work, so I only just got around to watching this at SHP. Conclusion: good humor, sappy romance. It also requires a certain suspension of disbelief regarding the plot; I don't recall Gaiman being so silly, but he may or may not have been. Moving on...

The Reduced Shakespeare Company's Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged

I get the feeling that this would be a lot funnier if I was more familiar with Shakespeare canon. I know Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, and Taming of the Shrew--that's barely a fraction. Also, the actors talk really fast. This would be a good film to show to non-native speakers as a fluency test; I'm native and I can only follow half of the dialogue.

Firefly: Serenity
Directed by Joss Whedon
1 hr 59 min
PG-13

[oblique spoilers]

I saw about the first half of this at Alpha, but went to bed that night before the film ended. So I finally got around to reserving it at the library and watched the entire thing. And it was amazing. (Hmm, am I the only person who hasn't seen this and is/was going to?)

So, I'll work backwards. The ending was superb, hitting just the right emotional note for me. I confess, at the climax with the Reavers, I got up and walked to the kitchen for a little while. They are scary. Simon surviving is something of a deus ex machina, which annoyed me enough that it doesn't count as a real spoiler. I am mightily annoyed when emotional lows turn out to be unwarranted. I loved River throughout the entire movie, except for her clothes--why did she always wear flimsy/skimpy dresses when everyone else was sensible? Especially on the ice planet--I mean, ice=cold! Some other issues: how exactly did the crew lure the Reavers to fight the battle for them; and if the Reavers are beyond madness, how can they coordinate raids and not kill each other?

Still, the directing and acting were equally beautiful. My first impression of Joss Whedon is certainly favorable--enough that I might reserve the 4 season discs at the library, too. Oh--and Mr. Universe looks really familiar. Is he played by the same guy who plays Charlie in Numb3rs?