Serenity now!

The cast of "Firefly" and "Serenity"

I freely admit to being a nerd, but the works of Joss Whedon evoke mixed feelings in me. I enjoyed the first two seasons of "Buffy," (well, mostly the second) but the rest of the show and "Angel" never had the same appeal for me. I enjoy his "Astonishing X-Men" comics, but "Dollhouse" sounds boring to me, and as much as I liked the idea of him writing and directing a Wonder Woman movie, everything I  heard him say about it left me feeling cold.

But "Firefly" and the follow-up movie "Serenity" worked for me. I'm not the kind of fan who dressed up like a chracter from the show  — I've only seen each once — but it appealed to me in a way most of Whedon's other work hasn't. Probably because it continued the "Cowboys as sci fi" idea in a way nothing had since "Star Wars." Even Lucas couldn't quite get it to work after the first film.

My point to all this? There will be a charity screening of "Serenity" at the Fleur Cinema at 10 a.m. Saturday morning. There will be door prizes, weighted auctions and — if you're the kind of fan who does like dressing up like a character from the show — a costume contest.

The event is a fundraiser for Equality Now, which deals with domestic violence, rape, female genital mutilation, trafficking, and reproductive rights worldwide.

Tickets are $10. For more info check out cantstopserenitydesmoines.com