For the fourth year in a row the PDX Browncoats, of which I count myself a member, held their annual Can’t Stop the Serenity screening to raise money for Equality Now. If you are a Browncoat, you will know what that means. If you are not a Browncoat and wondered what all those people were doing lined up outside Cinema 21 this last Saturday, I will explain that Equality Now is the favored charity of Joss Whedon, creator of the show Firefly and the movie based on it, Serenity. Equality Now works to ensure the rights of girls and women around the globe, using public pressure and grass roots campaigns. Every year cities around the world show the movie to raise money for this worthy cause.
Portland returned to Cinema 21, where the first screening was held in 2006. There were two shows; your typical matinee where all ages were welcome. The second show was something special. Portland hosted the first ever Special Hell screening of Serenity. What is a Special Hell, you ask? Well, it is the fans’ chance to talk back to the movie, to shout out lines, give warnings when appropriate, to say out loud those things you may have been thinking all along, but couldn’t really say without fear of a serious geeky smack down. It was new and strange, but if the roars of laughter were any indication, it was a success!
One of the features of the Special Hell was lines specially written for people to shout or read. Unfortunately, the lines were obscured by the curtains that line the theater and some people couldn’t see them. Sorry about that. However, people got into the spirit of it and with a little prompting began to come up with their own things to say. This was not a screening for people who wanted to see the movie. This was a screening for people who have seen the movie, love it, but want something different.
Before each of the shows we were lucky enough to have Scott Allie of Dark Horse Comics regale us with stories of working with Joss on the Serenity comic books. Scott edits the Serenity comics and has a lot of inside information on the creation of the comics and, even more drool-worthy, he knows when the next ones are coming out. Not that he shared that or anything. But still! We were in the same room as that knowledge! How cool is that?
Between the screenings many of us trekked across the street to The Gypsy where a pub quiz got under way. Teams were formed, team names chosen, and questions asked. We had three rounds of Whedonverse questions and I think most would agree the third round was the most evil, although the first two were not for the lightweights. After the pub quiz we all got to sing the song of our choice during Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog karaoke. Groups of folk stood up to sing their favorite song from Dr. Horrible.
This year we had some super cool stuff come our way. Every city holding an official screening received a poster signed by Joss Whedon. Portland’s was a Serenity poster and it was won by a very lucky (and appreciative) Browncoat. (Note to self: buy lots of raffle tickets!) We expect we raised a lot of money for Equality Now, we had a great time at the Gypsy, and we look forward to next year when we hope to top our success this year! Thank you to Cinema 21, the Gypsy, all the volunteers who helped, and all the fans who have continued to come out and show their support!
If you want to get to know us better or meet up with folk you met at the screening or at the Gypsy, join us at the Moon & Sixpence on July 12th from 4PM to 9PM. You can also check out our website and forums. For more Browncoat goodness, think about attending the Browncoat Ball this fall here in lovely Portland.
