After seeing the movie Serenity, I got interested in the TV series it came from, Firefly. I had never seen the shows on TV but read about it on the internet. Recently, I bought the box set of all the episodes of the series as well as the movie. This is very good SciFi stuff. It has a western feel to it and the dialogue is sharp. I highly recommend. Maybe you too can aspire to become a browncoat.
Your recommendations have a great track record, Bigthumb (cf. Primer ). I’m gonna find the Firefly movie / series now.
Should I watch the movie or series first?
Thanks, Primer is an awesome film. I also rented the Constant Gardener lately and that was very good.
It’s hard to say about Firefly. I saw the movie first and they made it so that you didn’t need to know the series to understand it. But it sure got my interest.
Chronologically, wikipedia says that the movie is set six months after the last episode of the series so watching the shows first seems logical. I also think it would be kind of a build-up because the movie’s action is absolutely top notch. The fight scenes with River are just unreal. And wait until you see Inara, you’ll forget Sara Michelle Gellar! 
The creator of the series is the same that did Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Joss Whedon.
Constant Gardener was great, true to the novel, great story.
The series first, then Serenity. Shame when they cancel good stuff and roll out crap. But then again with this year’s network tv schedule (two episodes then none for two months, change days, times at whim, run one more etc), you need the DVD set anyone. Like I will to catch all the Lost episodes I missed…
…and whatever happenned to Invasion and Threshold?
Firefly was an excellent series. The script was one of the best written SciFis I’ve ever watched. Battllestar Galactica is good, but still not in the same league. Over the next few weeks while I have my leg elevated and in between World Cup Soccer matches, I’m going to rewatch the entire series. (Along with the odd Little Britain and Family Guy episodes.)