I don't see any "hip-hop" language, whatever that means. If you are interested in his body of work, I suggest you check out Firefly. It's exceptional. And if you do, you'll realize that he's nothing like Tarantino at all. 

Yeah, Firefly is fun! Has some seriously bangable ladies in it too :)))) 

i was put off watching firefly initially because i wanted to watch serenity first (as per a friend's suggestion), but will likely never get round to that now; i assume it works as a story in its own right too? 

Pretty sure it's meant to be the other way around, at least that's what I remember others saying in this thread. 

yeah... i wouldn't watch the film before the show. i mean, you can; the characters are introduced quickly but fairly well, but the story is much better if you watch it in order. 

yeah, i totally got the names the wrong way round in that post ;/

i meant i was put off from the film due to not having seen the series. only reading back do i realise sleepy & daz never mentioned the film. serious sleep deprivation 

and not Firefly yet. It works as a standalone film, but not more than an above average one. 

Don't really see what all the fuss is about with Firefly, it's an ok series but it's super clich�, and often quite cheesy. Definitely watchable (mostly because it doesn't take itself too seriously) but I'm always surprised by the hardcore fan following it has?

I wish there were some really good sci-fi series around. :(
Prometheus better be good. 

I think it might be related to its history. Also, it's almost 10 years old by now, so I guess it's not aging very well. But the fact that it has such hardcore fans that identify so much with it is definitely related to its super quick cancellation and bad treatment by the Fox network. 

Firefly has some of the best character writing that I've ever had the pleasure of watching. 

Firefly has some of the best character writing that I've ever had the pleasure of watching.

So you don't watch much then?

Just getting it in before anyone else. 

Hey, opinions differ but I would suspect that anyone arguing that the writing on that show isn't great (or at least, good) isn't arguing in good faith. 

The dialog was usually pretty good, some funny bits, but the actual story didn't really interest me, found it kind of boring and not very original.
But yeah the shows fine, guess it's just overly popular cause of the lack of any other good sci-fi stuff around.

I hope you will all agree that the ship is ugly as hell, but I guess maybe that was voluntary. :D 

firebird would have made more sense, seeing as it looks like a giant chicken. 

I used to enjoy Lexx. Up until like the second or third season before they returned to earth - I didn't see any more eps from that point on, but I dl'd them so i'll watch eventually.

Who else really enjoyed it? 

The Shawshank Redemption
Flawless. 

 

Therapy 

Therapy

Both masterpieces 

well Necros' post seems to be the winner of this last while lol.
I'll check out Firefly. I just get the impression that the critical acclaim Whedon has is due to nerd culture being happy to see itself recognized on a large scale; whereas 10 years ago that might have been great these days things are totally different. Nevertheless I'll definitely check Firefly out eventually.

Finally, I have NEVER, EVER seen the appeal of Tarantino. Kind of like if Michael Bay constantly tried to be Tim Burton, or the other way around: all style, no substance. In a movie industry that is constantly trying to sell me the idea that some pretty white actor is a badass, I'm the furthest thing possible from buying it from Tarantino. 

I can think of at least three really badass black characters out of QTs main films. 

He tried to make it seem as though the script is not a script, and the characters are not characters. Like the characters own the script. 

but the ones I've seen are written in the same cheesy way. In Tarantino it almost doesn't matter what race the actor/character is, because the whole thing just screams "hollywood badass" aka "verdict: retarded." sure it doesn't take itself as seriously as 80's action films but it's that very "clever" irony, as if it's better than it is, that pisses me off.

Plus as someone else pointed out, Samuel L Jackson has been playing the same character for 20 years, and it hasn't gotten any better. Whereas, even if Morgan Freeman has been playing the same character for 20 years, it's usually still good. And, on another note, there is no excuse, for anyone anywhere, to have any respect for John Travolta. Ass-chinned scientologist ugly dried-up washed-up ass(chin). lol. 

But in PF Travolta and Jackson were well-cast. It was Jackson's break-through roll.

TBH as much as I like Kill Bill, I don't think they are as legendary as Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. Jackie Brown also wasn't as good. Death Proof was OK because it was slightly different, but it was still a bit Meh. But Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs are classics. Untouchable. If not only for the performances in them, and how different they were from other movies around at the time. 

I'm right there with you, Tronyn. Tarantino is a hack who is very adept at hiding that very fact behind "clever" dialogue and "references" (could also call it theft). There is simply nothing left once you subtract all that.

Whedon on the other hand does have a real knack for great writing and dialogue. His characters often work, and if he finds a good ensemble, his writing shines. But I do agree that he's a bit overhyped by the nerds. I never got into Buffy, either - maybe I am too old (and male) for that. But Firefly was simply one of the best shows in its time. And I wouldn't really call it a Sci Fi show because the major story elements and themes don't require the story to be set in the future (same applies, to a lesser extent, to BSG btw).

TL;DR version: Whedon > Tarantino