Our first place finiher gets a full Jay & Bob prize pack, including uncut Stroke 9 and Afroman videos, a soundtrack CD, limited edition Stroke 9 Single, and some more goodies! Our second place runner-up will also receive a soundtrack CD, and some more goodies from the News Askew prize closet. Thanks to everyone who posted reviews, and congratulations to our winners!
Kevin Smith’s new film will be shown on October 4.
Festival organiser Chris Fell says the screening was secured so late it had not been included in the official brochure.
Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Carrie Fisher and Chris Rock star in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
It is not due out in the UK until December.
Other highlights at the festival include the UK premiere of Nicole Kidman’s new film The Others.
The festival begins on September 27 with the Andie McDowell movie Crush and ends on October 12 with Ghost World, which stars Steve Buscemi.
Ananova is the Official Online News Service of the Leeds International Film Festival 2001.
We’ve also got this extended version of the DVD Review piece, which we received in the mail. It’s an extended, more compliemntary version of what we mentioned last update:
“A Better Place” is truly a toss-up. On the positive side, you’ve got a film which takes an unflinching look at disenfranchised youth and the atrocities which can occur in high-school. The finale in particular seems to have been ripped from today’s headlines. Eion Bailey is very good as Ryan, showing the apathy and rage that can seethe in a teenage boy. For a film which was shot for just $40,000, “A Better Place” looks good. But, that low-budget atmosphere hurts the film as well. Some of the acting is very bad, and View Askew veteran Vincent Pereira, who wrote, directed, produced, and edited “A Better Place”, clearly hasn’t learned much about filmmaking from his mentor Kevin Smith, as he makes some of the same shooting and editing mistakes which Smith made on “Clerks”. (I know Smith made these mistakes because he points them out on the “Clerks” commentary.) Also, I can see how some would find the characters in “A Better Place” as very stereotypical and one-dimensional. Despite its flaws, “A Better Place” is a promising debut from Pereira, and I look forward to his future films.
Despite the fact that the DVD cover art promises a widescreen transfer, “A Better Place” is presented full-frame for all intents and purposes. The film is shown in an aspect ratio of 1.5:1, which means that there is a sliver of black showing at the top and bottom of the screen. The film was transferred from the original A/B roll 16mm color negatives, and it looks very good. There is only a small amount of grain present, which is impressive for a 16mm transfer. The image is sharp and clear, and the colors look very nice for a low-budget film such as this. There are some defects from the source print visible, but they don’t detract from the viewing experience. The audio on the DVD is a newly created (at Skywalker Sound) Dolby Digital 5.1 channel track. This soundtrack is quite impressive, as it offers clear and audible dialogue and nearly constant surround sound action. Actually, this track is a bit overwhelming at times. Do I need to hear every bird in the neighborhood in a subtle dramatic film?
The DVD includes an audio commentary which features Periera and stars Robert DiPatri, Brian Lynch, and Joseph Cassese. This is an entertaining track, as this quartet obviously became close while making the film and share many detailed filled anecdotes about the production here. There are 8 deleted scenes, which can be viewed with or without commentary by Periera. Some of these are actually extended scenes from the film. Of the lot, scenes #6 and #7 are the best, and help to flesh out the film. Finally, we have an audio mix comparison, where one can compare the original mono mix with the new Skywalker Remix in three different chapters. You have the option of watching one and then the other, but it’s easier just to switch tracks within the scene using the “Audio Function” control on your remote.
On his Bluntman & Chronic graphic novel that he and Image Comics originally promised to be released by in conjunction with the release of his film Jay & Silent Strike Back, Smith told Newsarama the script is complete and artist Mike Oeming is currently close to completing the artwork.
Smith confirmed post-production work and promotion for the film caused the delays in finishing the script, and that he hears the GN is currently slated for a release at the end of this month. Image Publisher Jim Valentino has recently reported on the Image website message boards that as of yesterday, there was no specific date for Bluntman & Chronic and that October was the most specific time he’s heard.
As to not having the project in stores during the release of the film, as originally promoted, when asked Smith said he didn’t see it as a lost marketing opportunity…
“Not really,” he replied. “The book will follow the movie into the stores, and that’s always a good thing.”
Asked about the new Brave and the Bold title, which he and his entire Green Arrow creative team will move to following issue #14 or #15 of the latter series, Smith said it’s still early and he’s “not quite sure yet” how the format of the new title will work out. He reiterated his comments from Chicago’s Wizardworld that there will be “lots of Green Arrow“ and “lots of Batman”, but that he’s not sure yet and the series “might wind up being a team-up book of any characters in the DCU I feel like writing at the moment.”
“That’d be fun,” he said.
Finally, he said following the story arc ‘Quiver’, which wraps up in Green Arrow #10, readers can expect to see a few single-issue stories, and then the intro of a new villain in a story arc that will finish up his and his creative team’s run on the series.
