Most of you know I have a soft spot in my heart for the writing of Joss Whedon. Well, I just got word that Whedon’s Serenity will be playing at the Indianapolis International Film Festival. Dates and times will be released on March 28th (with tickets going on sale April 12th). More details to follow at IndySciFi. Until then, Ellen’s original post can be found here.

Updated Info: Whedony Schedule

• Serenity – 5:45pm Saturday, 7:15pm Sunday
• Done the Impossible – 8pm Saturday, 9:30pm Sunday
• Once More with Feeling – 10pm Friday, 10pm Saturday
• Waitress (co-staring Nathan Fillion) - 1:45pm Wednesday, 7:30pm Thursday

The final frontier of space has always had a natural metaphor in the American West. Whether it’s wagon train to the stars (Star Trek) or the post civil war frontier (Firefly), the space western has been a staple of modern pop science fiction. This marriage, while a little long in the tooth, has given us some great thrills (Star Wars) along with some cheese (Battle Beyond the Stars). But, what happens when someone bends a genre past the breaking point?

I picked up The American Astronaut a few weeks back. It was an official selection at Sundance. It sported a cool black and white cover with blurbs that said things like “Nothing short of phenomenal” (New York Times) and “May be the most wonderfully strange film experience you have this year” (Film Threat). How could I pass that up?

This is a space western musical comedy that plays out like somebody decided to combine the Rocky Horror Picture Show with Flash Gordon. I’m still not sure what to think of it. It was the worst movie I ever felt compelled to finish. Even now its bizarre originality leaves me speechless. The writer/director is working on a follow-up movie, Werewolf Hunters from the Midwest. A film I might just have to look up…

With the completion of Chapter 30, Severed Dreams has entered its final act. For those of you unfamiliar with Aristotle’s three act structure, I’ll spare you the lecture. The second draft is close to done. There are eight chapters left to revise and an epilogue to write. The action’s moving fast. The plot lines are coming together. The final battle is at hand!