Can't Stop the Serenity

 

Attention Browncoats! This friday and saturday, in celebration of the birth (June 23rd, 1964), of the great Joss Whedon, The New England Browncoats present the 4th annual "Can't Stop the Serenity". The mini-festival showcases two of Whedon's finest creations, Serenity and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

For four years The New England Browncoats, in conjunction with Browncoats in America and abroad, have come together to show their support for Joss Whedon's favorite charity, Equality Now. The non-profit organization aims to stop violence and discrimination against  women, by distributing information about human rights violations across the globe. It speaks volumes about the man who has written a fair share of strong female characters that have inspired and enriched women the world over.

Serenity was Whedon's ode to fans of Firefly, a short-lived space western that premiered on the Fox network on September 20th, 2002. Firefly followed the adventures of Malcolm (Mal) Reynolds and his crew of eight misfits looking to keep the Serenity afloat while avoiding the The Blue Sun Corporation and various other questionable characters.

Firefly featured the talents of Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin, Ron Glass, Summer Glau, Sean Maher and Morena Baccarin, and gained a cult following. Fox has never been particularly fond of divergent sci fi since the final bow of The X-Files. Some said Whedon would never return to Fox again (but the impending second season of Dollhouse proves otherwise).

The Serenity movie could never have happened without the support of the Browncoats who rallied for another network to take on Firefly. They bought an Ad in Variety Magazine, and raised enough awareness to convince Universal Studios that fans of Firefly deserved closure. We deserved an ending to the story.

Joss Whedon's disenchantment with making television shows was the inspiration for a web show that held none of the constraints of a network. On July 15th, 2008 Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog's 1st act aired via Hulu. Dr. Horrible was done on a small budget and created a phenomena all its own.

Neil Patrick Harris portrayed Dr. Horrible, the misguided wanna-be villain, so desperate to join the Evil League Of Evil that he pratically humiliates himself at every turn. And as with every story with a hopelessly confused, good soul gone bad, Dr. Horrible's alter-ego Billy, falls in love. Nathan Fillion joined the cast as Captain Hammer; all bravado and comic relief. Felicia Day played the idealistic good soul, Penny...Billy/Dr. Horrible's love interest.

Both productions speak volumes about Whedon's ideas on heroism and living outside the box. Can't Stop the Serenity takes place at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. Tickets are available at the Coolidge Corner Theatre Box Office for $15 (advance), or $20 (on event day). Showings begin at midnight.

This year there will also be a non-perishable food item collection for the Greater Boston Food Bank. Donators will be eligible for a Raffle promising great prizes like an actual costume from Serenity, as well as actual bank notes used in the film. Show your support for a great cause, celebrate the WHEDONVERSE and enjoy some great entertainment, courtesy of The New England Browncoats and in some way, however distant (spatially), Joss Whedon himself.

Can't Stop the Signal!