The video release of A BETTER PLACE will be a new cut of the film- I’m removing one whole scene, and making some minor trims in a few others, and adding at least ONE but hopefully two scenes that haven’t been seen since I was initially editing the film back in 1995. Also, the scene I’m removing and a couple others that were cut back in 1995 and have never been seen outside of the editing room will be included in a “deleted scenes” supplement that will have it’s own commentary track. The tentative release date we’re shooting for it is early summer, and the DVD transfer will likely be letterboxed to 1.66:1. It won’t be 16:9 because 1.66 is narrower than 16:9 (which measures 1.78:1), and thus it would be “windowboxed” on normal TVs if I did a 16:9. Whereas a 16:9 transfer would gain verticle resolution, it’d lose horizontal due to the windowboxing, so letterboxing to 1.66:1 makes more sense (especially since the black bars will be so narrow that they won’t take up TOO much resolution).

Of course I already let you guys know who’s doing it (CENSORED), but since we haven’t signed the contract yet and made it 100% official I can’t announce that yet (although it looks like the contract will be signed next week).

Kevin Smith spoke at my college (Northern Illinois University) today and he mentioned a few things that may be of interest. He said he has about an hour of extra footage he’s putting on the Mallrats DVD and he’s putting the cut ending of Clerks on its DVD. He would have had the extra stuff on the Mallrats video and LD but since as he says, “it tanked” Universal put it out so fast there wasn’t any time to do it.

He also talked a bit on Dogma saying it cost Miramax about $8.5M. As far as test screening goes, he says he’s getting great results. His original cut was 3:15, he tested it, cut it to 2:30, tested it in Pittsburgh to about 440 people and got even better results. It currently runs at 2:15. Jay and Silent Bob also have the biggest parts they’ve ever had as they are in the film for about 75-80% of the time. They are about 2nd or 3rd leads.

He said he hopes to take it to Cannes in May and Miramax has it slated for a Fall ’99 release which he says could possibly mean sometime in 2000. Or not. Who knows.

He then showed us a working trailer of Dogma. (No word on when it will we out yet though) Some images we saw from it were, Hayek stripping, Silent Bob kissing Linda Fiorentino, Damon, Affleck and Jason Mewes (“Jay”) sporting some very heavy weaponery, one shot had Jay firing an automatic weapon in slow motion like Rambo which got a huge laugh, another scene had Chris Rock giving the line, “Do I know Jesus? Hell the nigger owes me $12!” (which got the biggest laugh of the night), we see Affleck and Rickman sprout their wings, and finally we saw George Carlin covered in blood freaking out inside a telephone booth.

The film also starts in McHenry, IL (filmed near Pittsburgh) and works its way to New Jersey.

The Festival of the Indies is now the Festival of the Schmoozers
By Dean Sponseller

Sundance. Mention the word, and almost any aspiring anything salivates at the idea of schmoozing with the biggest of Hollyweird’s kingpins. But was Sundance always a schmoozefest filled with Establishment moguls? Of course not.

Don’t forget that there was actually a time before Disney owned Miramax and before Bob and Harvey Weinstein (co-chairmen at Miramax) showed up and walked off with Quentin Tarantino in their back pockets. Then Sundance was a showcase for the independent film, and the word “indie” meant “pioneer.” Indie was cool. Indie was art. Indie raided the Lost Ark of huge market success all on low-budget investment.

As one New York University film professor says, Sundance originated “to open a place to filmmakers who did not find Hollywood hospitable.”

It was a refuge for those who financed their movie-making dreams on credit cards, life savings and second mortgages, hoping one day to cash in on their celluloid creations.

Even to this day, making movies “their way” is the groovessential American Dream – it still drives those who are starving to make their way in the film world. As independent producer Nicole Possert rationalized her reasons for producing her husband’s film: “[I did it] so [he] could make the dream he had a reality without competing ideas from others.”

However, in the past few years, many have accused Sundance of losing its “alternative” edge – in essence, they claim that it’s mainstreamed. And Robert Redford, the patriarch of Park City (where Sundance is held), is now probably hoarse from whispering curses on commerce-ing Angelenos who overrun this rustic Utah community.

“The Hollywood industry has looked to Sundance for young talent who can make films cheaper and then co-opt them,” says NYU’s film professor. “They become the low-budget arm of a big corporation.” Hey — if you can’t stick it to the Man, you can at least make him pay you a bunch of money, right?

To combat this “mainstreaming,” alternatives to the alternative have popped up — festivals like “Slamdance” and “Slumdance ” have come to the forefront in varying degrees of success. But what’s next? “Scumdance” featuring the new Kevin Smith-directed film “Chasing Harvey”?

But of course, the other alternative is to just go to Sundance, ignore the politicking and enjoy the party, so to speak.

“As far as schmoozing goes, I didn’t do a damn thing,” says Richard Speight Jr., one actor who attended Sundance last year. “And what parties! Sure, you’re supposed to be on a list. [But] some freshman at the University of Utah who has volunteered to work the festival is not gonna stop me from going to the Miramax party. Hell, for all they know, I’m Harvey Weinstein. Everybody looks alike in a down jacket and stocking cap.”

© Copyright 1998 Yack! All rights reserved

MOOBY T-SHIRT & MOOBY EMBROIDERED CAP

From the pages of Oni’s Jay and Silent Bob mini-series (but if yourfinger’s on the pulse, you know where their NEXT appearance is!),come the first swag featuring Silent Bob’s favorite cartoon cow.The Mooby Corp. T-shirt features the corporate bovine screenprintedin full-color on a white 100% cotton heavyweight shirt. The MoobyEmbroidered Cap pictures the “golden calf” on front with the Moobylogo on the back of this natural-color and black poly/cotton cap.The cap is just like the one Silent Bob bought at the Mooby Store,in Jay and Silent Bob #2 and as seen modeled by Kevin on theattached photo.

Watch for even more Mooby Corp. releases from Graphitti Designs inthe months ahead. The Mooby Corp…the best fun money can buy.

[ They then proceed to put a little blurb about Mooby / Graphitti ]

The Mooby Corp. (a subsidiary of the Complex Corporation), is thecorporation of the millenium and beyond. With their fingers alreadysuccessfully embedded in TV, feature films and franchised fast foodchains, it was only a matter of time before they exploited the licensed merchandise arena. Who better for them to team-up withthan long-time licensing whores, Graphitti Designs who paid the big-bucks to be awarded the official license for this worldwide, omni-present corporate monolith. Graphitti Designs’ President BobChapman remarked about this new relationship, “If you’re going tosell-out, you might as well do it right. The Mooby Corporation isin everyone’s life, whether we like it or not.”

AMC Theaters in Hampton, Virginia does midnight movies on Friday and Saturday nights…On February 26th and 27th, they’re showing Mallrats!!! You can get directions to the theater at the AMC Website.Just go to the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area and then select the Hampton Town Centre 24 theater. This is a great theater, too, by the way. All 24 screens are stadium seating with the cushioned seats and moveable arm rests. A wonderful place to bask in the glory that IS Mallrats.

Also in February, there will be another screening of Clerks & Chasing Amy in Melbourne, Australia. The Astor Theatre will be screening them as a double feature on February the 10th. More details are available HERE. The Astor is Melbourne’s premier independent cinema, so again, a great place to stop and see a View Askew flick!