Can't Stop the Serenity

Saturday was Can't Stop the Serenity here in the Phoenix area, so my husband and I trekked out to the theater and watched with a couple hundred of our fellow fans. I am so, so happy that this event is still happening. It's been three years now, and each time, I'm amazed at the turn-out. When I talk to my friends at work, and they haven't even heard of Firefly or Serenity, I start to wonder if interest in them is waning, if maybe the fandom won't survive much longer. (I know, it's foolish to take the disinterest of non-fans as a bad sign for fandom, but sometimes it worries me.) So when we show up to the theater and see people in costumes, in tee shirts bearing quotes and pictures from the show and movie, in hand-made cunning hats ... it's awesome and reassuring.

A truly fabulous Jayne costume won the costume contests, with a six year-old Mal coming in second. There were belly dancers in the lobby, horrible, off key filkers playing before the show, and a brief Once More With Feeling shadow-cast-and-sing-along. Then we watched the movie. This was my seventh time seeing Serenity on the big screen, and I've seen it on DVD tons more, and it still makes me laugh and cry. There are two sections where the dialogue feels oddly artificial, but so many sections are brilliant that I forgive it. And the moment when Mal gathers them all at the table and gives the "I aim to misbehave" speech ... those words and that delivery and the light pouring into the room make that one of my favorite bits of film ever.

Anyway, the Arizona Browncoats were estimating $5,000 raised for charity at the Phoenix screenings, which makes it a pretty great day to be a geek. Go, Browncoats! *waves flag*