Appearances by Serenity cast Adam Baldwin (the host of the DVD), Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Jewel Staite, and Joss Whedon highlight the film.  It’s worth buying not only for their inspiring words and humorous rememberences but for the thrilling inside look at the world of Firefly and Serenity fans and the thrill of seeing a beloved, cancelled TV show reborn as a major studio film.

Browse on over to Done The Impossible to check out the DVD, and order it online.  You won’t regret it!  Done The Impossible and its soundtrack are also available on amazon.com.  A portion of all proceeds are donated to Equality Now.

Rating:  Serenityverse Top Pick

Approximate Price: $20.00

Available From: www.donetheimpossible.com

Since this is already a fan-biased review, I will admit to another bias: I despise horror movies. I have voluntarily watched only two of them in my life: Slither and White Noise: The Light. Fortunately, WNTL does not seek to horrify the viewer. For all its supernatural elements, the story told is a human one and while ultimately sad, it carries with it a beauty and tenderness that I wouldn’t expect to find in a movie of this genre.

WNTL is not inherently frightening; some might level that as a criticism, but to me that is a very good thing. The supernatural element, images of dead people, and some startling sound effects plant it in the horror category, but the film itself is not horrific. It lets human drama (admittedly that of the supernatural kind) move the viewer rather than resorting to cheap horrors. Instead, it builds suspense the better and more difficult way: by setting up characters you care about and setting them on the road to a conclusion you earnestly hope they can avoid.

Katee Sackhoff plays a plucky nurse who treats Abe when he wakes up in the hospital after his near-death experience. Circumstances throw the two back together, and they form an endearing and believable relationship.

Nobody plays tormented men better than happy, easygoing Fillion, and he proves it yet again through many heart-wrenching scenes. He looks in the mirror with such bravely vulnerable sadness at one point that you simply can’t help loving and feeling for Abe.

When asked about his character, Nathan said, “He’s a more vulnerable character than I’ve ever played before. He’s just a man; he’s not a soldier. He’s a Web designer, not a hero.”

One of the special things about Nathan is his ability to react in ways that are unique, but impeccably human. When his character’s car is suddenly surrounded by zombie-like ghosts, he doesn’t gasp, scream, throw his hands up, jump, or follow any such movie-character conventions. He yells “Jes-” and squirms in his seat. It’s such a different and believable reaction that you actually relate; you can see yourself doing exactly that.

I remember one message board post (about Fillion’s performance in Serenity) commenting that even his Adam’s apple conveys emotion. Well, when he hugs Katee’s character during one emotional moment, his face is not even visible: the depth of his feelings is shown with utmost clarity by the telltale waver of his hand.

This is Nathan’s movie; It’s a rare scene that Fillion isn’t in, as a matter of fact. Nathan’s acting is beautiful, and so is he. There is a hilarious and unmistakable reference to Firefly that had me grinning my little Mal-adoring browncoated heart out. Well played, and thank you. That was fun.

Abe is a very good man: a loving husband and father, a decent and understanding soul, and a brave protector. You want him to do well, therefore the film’s premise is inherently sad. Abe’s good deeds have unforeseen consequences, and if there is something I don’t like about the film, it’s the anti-heroic ethic.

The concept that one should not play God is one I can agree with; the concept that a good and decent man should be given the ability to save lives only later to discover devastating consequences I find profoundly unfair. It blames a good man for things done with only the best of intentions.

That’s an aspect I can nudge myself into overlooking, though. The film’s strength is not in its details of plot, but in its emotion and storytelling. Nathan and his costar Katee Sackhoff have lovely on-screen chemistry, and Nathan’s brooding, emotional performance will touch your heart. In fact, WN:TL reminds me a bit of Firefly in its ability to establish in the viewer a genuine caring for the characters.

The climactic scenes are remarkable not for their horror, but for their sadness and love. There is a gentle beauty to the final scenes that makes the whole film worthwhile. The conclusion of the story is a worthy one (Although I’m not so happy about the final few seconds) and well handled.

WNTL is a skillfully crafted and beautifully acted story. Perhaps not one I would ultimately choose to tell, but one I can nod to with respect and say, “well done, friends.”

The verdict? Fans should run out and buy it. Right now. You won’t regret it, trust me!

Where to find White Noise: The Light

White Noise: The Light has not yet been released theatrically or on DVD in the US. It has enjoyed theatrical release in several other countries, and is available on DVD in the UK and Australia. It is unclear at this time whether WNTL will get a theatrical release in the US.

If you live in the US or another country where WNTL is not available, you can import the DVD from the UK or Australia. These DVDs will have different reigon encoding than US DVDs, and will not play in a standard DVD player. You may be able to hack your DVD player (do a google search for reigon hacks), purchase a reigon-free DVD player, or in some cases you will be able to play the DVD on your computer.

Looking for a WNTL fan site? Head on over to my friend’s beautifully designed site www.whitenoisethelight.net.

Be a part of Hero

Martin wants the world’s voice to be a part of this project, and he want to hear your thoughts. Send him an email or post your thoughts on his blog at http://supersecretthingy.blogspot.com/blog.

It was an enormous thrill to have Martin include one of my comments in Hero part 2….so much so that I just have to show off!

Additional Links

Martin Firrell’s main page: www.martinfirrell.com

Martin Firrell’s myspace page: www.myspace.com/martinfirrell

Martin Firrell on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Firrell

Hero banners for myspace and forum signatures: http://blog.myspace.com/kcklein1

Firefly writer Tim Minear and actor Nathan Fillion (“Mal”) once again teamed up on a Fox TV show, Drive. That’s right, Fox, the very same network that cancelled Firefly prematurely…..and history repeated itself when Fox cancelled Drive after only four episodes. Firefly fans embraced the launch of Minear’s new show, which combined action, character drama, and humor with fast driving, mystery, and, well, Nathan Fillion! Unfortunately, the ratings dissapointed and Fox eliminated Drive.

Drive centers around an illegal, underground cross-country road race shrouded in mystery. Some characters are racing for money….others, like Tully racing to save his kidnapped wife, are unwilling participants, but all are desperate to win.

In an interview with USA today, Tim Minear said, “The race is a secret, so the race itself, I guess you could say, is a conspiracy. And not all the participants in said race are there of their own free will …” Every character has either a desperate reason or a mysterious reason to race that will be revealed over the course of the episodes.” Or would have, I mention as I glare at an imaginary Fox executive in my mind.

Nathan Fillion is Alex Tully, a handsome and haunted nursery owner with a dark past. He is coerced into joining the race when his wife is taken captive, and he larns that his only hope of saving her is to win. Fillion’s performance is captivating; he makes Tully a vastly sympathetic, engaging, powerful character with capacity for deep love and sudden darkness.

Currently, only four episodes of Drive are available for download (on itunes or amazon unbox), but they are well worth your time. Tim Minear and Nathan Fillion are both masters at making one care about their characters, and they work their magic as effectively as ever in Drive.

Drive Vital Statistics

Drive air dates and times: 2-night, 3-hour premier aired Sunday April 15 at 8/7c and Monday April 16 at 8/7c. The next episode aired on the subsequent Monday, and then the series was suddenly yet inevitably cancelled.

Two additional episodes have been filmed. Fox first set an air date of July 4th, 2007 for those two, and then….cancelled that. They set a new date of July 13th….Friday the 13th. Ahhh, the irony.

I think we can all guess what came next for those of us waiting for the July 13th air date. Say it with me…..Fox cancelled it! Permanently. They no longer plan to air the remaining episodes.

Drive creator, executive producer, and writer: Tim Minear with Ben Queen

Drive director and executive producer: Greg Yaitanis

Drive cast members: Nathan Fillion, Melanie Lynskey, Taryn Manning, Riley Smith, Amy Acker, Rochelle Aytes, Brian Bloom, K Callan, Patrick Fischler, Wayne Grace, Kristin Lehman, and Emma Stone.

Official Drive Promo Items (more photos coming soon)

Alex Tully Driver’s License (Mal version) This suprisingly realistic-looking Nebraska driver’s license features a photo of Alex Tully which is actually a picture of Mal! It was taken from a Firefly group promo shot. Larger image in my photo gallery. It has Alex’s address, age, height, weight, and all that fun stuff on it, and is made on nice stiff plastic just like a real license.

Alex Tully Driver’s License (Alex version) The Fox website currently shows a different version of the license with a photo of Nathan in character as Tully.

Drive Air Freshener A circular air freshener imprinted with Drive promo info.

Other character driver’s licenses Four other characters have licenses. More info pending.

Drive Screener DVD A screener DVD of the first episode, The Starting Line.

Drive Press Kit The press kit is basically a little roadside emergency/first aid kit contained in a custom imprinted black bag. It looks like it comes with the character driver’s licenses along with the band-aids and batteries. Chances are I won’t be seeing one of these in person unless someone starts considering this website “press,” (I still don’t have a gorram Serenity press kit!) but the picture is cool to look at. There’s an article about the press kit (which is where I shamelessly yanked the photo from) on ew.com.

Drive Jewelry (unofficial!)

Many of you know me as the Firefly/Serenity jewelry girl, so in the excitement over Drive I couldn’t resist making up some goodies. I’m sure more will follow after I get to, you know, actually see the show! You can see it here.

As always, suggestions are welcome. This initial batch was made in the orange/red, black, and white colors of the Drive logo, with driver’s license and steering wheel charms. I made matching earrings too. The official Drive website and forum seem to be using a bluish color scheme, and I’m seeing a lot of Alex pictures wearing a blue shirt……so I’m considering making some in those colors too.

Drive Websites

Official Fox Drive Website. Fancy graphics, show details, photos, and all that good stuff.

DriveFans.com My favorite Drive website, operated and populated by fans many of whom have followed Nathan and Tim’s careers since the days of Firefly. It has a discussion forum, interviews, photos, promos, and more.

Drive The Race. Another good Drive fan site.

Drive Promotional Photos and Screenshots

I’ve started a collection of the promo photos which have Nathan Fillion/Alex Tully in them in my photo gallery. The gallery also contains hundreds of Drive screenshots and a couple of wallpapers.

Promo images including the rest of the cast can be found at www.drivefans.com. Here’s a nice little pic to get your interest up!