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Serenity, a review by Dragonfire

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Serenity The action-packed adventure Serenity continues on Blu-ray Hi-Def! With exclusive all-new bonus features, this must-own edition takes you deeper into the incredible worlds created by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly). It's an edge-of-your-seat experience that can't be missed.

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After watching Firefly, it was time to watch Serenity again.  This is one of my rare triple dips...I have 2 DVD versions and the Blu-ray. 

The movie picks up a while after the end of the last episode.  Some time is taken at the beginning to recap some things, including showing how Simon got River out of the Alliance facility.  I liked how that was done, though that does contradict how in the series Simon said he made contact with someone to get her out and that he didn't know what had been done to her.  The Alliance hasn't forgotten about River and then send a deadly operative after her.  She shows more of the...effects of what has been done to her in a few scenes.  The plot is interesting and it does tie up things that weren't fully dealt with before the show was prematurely cancelled.  There are two things that happen that I didn't like, though the second is worse.  I'm still a bit ticked at Whedon for that. 

The same main characters return, though some of them don't get as much to do unfortunately.  The cast is great in their parts. I really liked seeing the characters again.  There are some humorous moments again, mostly from things some characters do or say.  There is action and some violence in the movie.  There is a decent conclusion, though I would have preferred to have more seasons of the show.  But the movie is better than nothing.

Serenity is a wonderfully entertaining movie that helps to tie up things from Firefly.  The movie definitely deserves to be seen.



I did post a return on Epinions after I originally saw the movie in the theater.

Serenity


(From Marie's Random Movie Viewing on June 27th, 2013)

The Lady Vanishes, a review by Achim

Title: The Lady Vanishes
Year: 1938
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Rating: NR
Length: 95 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles:

Stars:
Margaret Lockwood
Michael Redgrave
Paul Lukas
Dame May Whitty
Cecil Parker

Plot:
In this best-loved of Hitchcock's British-made thrillers, a young woman on a train meets a charming old lady (Dame May Whitty), who promptly disappears. The other passengers deny ever having seen her, leading the young woman to suspect a conspiracy. When she begins investigating, she is drawn into a complex web of mystery and high adventure.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Featurettes
Production Notes


This must have been the first Hitchcock film I ever saw. It used to play on German TV often I possibly saw it each and every time. It has, however, been at least 20 years since I saw it last.

It is a great little film. It has lots of Hitchcock's typical ingredients: MacGuffin, suspense, witty dialogue and plays out with a rather high pace that the 90min pass by very quickly. The first 30min we are slowly and ingeniously (because of the way the focus is passed on from one to the other) introduced to all main characters. This bit plays mostly like a comedy with light hearted humor and only a hint (well, a murder) that this is not a comedy at all. The second 30min are the mysery section, where "The Lady Vanishes" (I don't think I need a spoiler tag here ) and the conspiracy plays out. The last third is the suspense section, where we finally gain more knowledge than the characters in the film and Hitchcock has us worried about how it will end!

I was rather surprised how well put together this film was. Considering its age the "special effects" (some matte painting mixed with miniature work) looked quite convincing and appropriate. The dialogue, I keep finding in all the Hitchcock films I rediscover (I used to watch these as a teenager and in a dubbed version!) is quite sharp and the sarcasm(?) is great fun for modern audiences and feels fresh. I especially enjoyed the bits with the two English gentlemen. The only cringe worthy moment was when some piece of evidence "flew by" rather conveniently...

Hitchcock does appear, but near the end of the film, so I missed him.



(From Alfred Hitchcock Marathon on May 8th, 2009)

Birthday Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 5
Blood Ties
The Scooby Gang discusses plans for Buffy's birthday and dealing with Glory. Giles reveals that Glory is the god of a demon dimension and in order to stay in human form, she needs to suck energy from humans, leaving them insane. The gang starts asking questions about The Key and Buffy finally breaks down and tells them the truth about Dawn.

My Thoughts:
A good episode. This season with Glory is a good season... but not what I would call a favorite. I liked how Michelle Trachtenberg portrayed Dawn in this episode... where she finds out the truth about herself. And even though I didn't care as much for this season as I did some of them... I must admit all the fights with Glory (including the one in this episode) were always good.



(From Birthday Marathon on May 27th, 2009)