And then we have something we’re quite excited to see, as we haven’t seen it before – Marvel’s “Then and Now” Q&A with Stan Lee and Joe Quesada, hosted by Kevin Smith, is now available for purchase! The disc contains of course the full program along with heaps of extras, including bonus interviews, behind-the-scenes, and more. You can purchase your copy via the Then And Now site, with proceeds benefitting the awesome Hero organizataion. This one’s another must-have for your View Askew DVD collection.

Watch for more in-depth coverage on both of these discs here at News Askew next week.

Our review copy just arrived, as well, so look for our detailed screengrabs and inside info on the disc as well. Get your copy now from the Stash, the only place you can get it sent to you SIGNED by Malcolm Ingram himself!

“This film is heartening, funny, sad, informative, and in some parts downright offensive in its candid look at reality. small town gay bar was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and though it did not win any awards, it did receive a standing ovation. The film did hit theatres in a very limited release, but will hit its stride now on DVD, at least that is the hope of executive producer Kevin Smith, who has helped shepherd the project along since Ingram had pitched the film.”

Decked out in strands upon strands of Christmas lights and surrounded by fake snow, the Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse was one of many backdrops filmed for Kevin Smith’s “Jersey Girl,” which premiered in 2004.

To the disappointment of many a lighthouse enthusiast, though, it suffered the same fate as the relationship between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez and was left on the cutting room floor.

Despite being excluded from the film, members of the Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse society say they have hosted upwards of 3,000 visitors per year since they opened the lighthouse to the public 10 years ago.

…But, to think that this compared to Kevin Smith’s Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back, which got GLAAD in a hissy fit, despite Smith being so pro-gay and always putting the homophobic stuff in the mouths of his dumbest characters while everyone around them clearly knows better, it is just phenomenal. (In fact, some of the anti-gay stuff happened in editing, as Smith’s original girl group in the movie were supposed to include a lesbian couple, so his “anti-gay” stuff actually was a result of editing, unlike Sandler and James where it happened in the writing room).


GLAAD extorted $10,000 out of Smith, by way of a donation to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, as a form of public apology. Yet this movie gets the papal dispensation? Unbelievable.

Co-financed by Kevin Smith, “Small Town Gay Bar” arrives on DVD with a full “View Askew” assortment of extras, giving the viewer a basic understanding of how this meager indie documentary came to be.

Shot with an accomplished visual palette (by Jonathon Cliff), using both stark and affectionate film and HD sources, “Gay Bar” induces a strong feeling of location and welcoming personality, which Ingram uses as clay to create this lovely snapshot of people gathering to celebrate themselves and an infrequent feeling of freedom. It’s an accomplished documentary, thankfully showcasing Ingram’s growth as a filmmaker, and provides a hopeful encapsulation of muted struggle inside a larger, overwhelming portrait of intolerance.

In terms of my hetero life mate, as Kevin Smith once said in one of his movies, we’re [He And Ben Affleck] not working on a script right now, but we’re talking about a bunch of different things. And his career has gone in this new and exciting direction because I’ve seen the movie that he [Affleck] directed and it is really good. It’s fantastic. And the performances are great. Every actor is going to want to work with him [Affleck] after they see this thing.

Kevin Smith to handle the first episode of Heroes: Origins. Smith says that when he was offered the job, he said, “I would love to write and direct an episode about the two gay heroes…you know, the Japanese dudes. They’re gay, right?!” He also added, “If you can do an autopsy on a cheerleader, you can show a couple of heroes making out.”

During his panel at the San Diego Comic-Con, Kevin Smith confirmed that a supplementary DVD will be released next year for his 1997 Spirit Award winning Chasing Amy. To keep the style of special edition versions of his movie going, Smith’s opus will get a special edition treatment, but rather than being packaged into a new “collectors edition” DVD set, a single disc will be released that is set to include a slew of extras to act as a counterpart to the Criterion Collection DVD released in 2000.

Set to be included with the new disc is a Chasing Amy documentary found on the web, a post-screening Q and A from a film festival as well as interviews and reflections from the cast and crew of the film.

Smith said to expect this new disc to be available sometime next summer.

So, there’s your answer. We’re sorry to say you’ll need to wait another year to see this stuff, but we’re sure it will be worth it — Criterion doesn’t mess around when it comes to their DVD work, and neither do Kevin and View Askew. It’ll be here before ya know it. As for a dual-disc set, at this point nothing’s been announced, so it looks like you’ll need to buy them seperately (if for some crazy reason you don’t already own it). We’ll let you know as we hear more.

“The titles recognized by the Home Entertainment Awards speak to the breadth of great entertainment that is available on home video and remind us why home video retains its hold on the public,” EMA president Bo Andersen said. “EMA is proud to acknowledge the outstanding attributes of these wonderful videos.”

DVDs released from April 1, 2006-March 31 were eligible.

The awards Clerks II Took: DVD Extras of the Year From an Independent Studio AND Marketing Campaign of the Year From an Independent Studio. Nice job and well deserved.

Even if this DVD was bare, I’d still fully recommend it. Thankfully, the DVD comes with a nice commentary, an introduction to the documentary featuring Ingram and Kevin Smith, a short “Chatting with Kev” feature, deleted scenes, and a featurette on some of the people who inhabit these small towns. Overall, it’s a great package providing additional information and content to an already stunning documentary. And if you’re wondering why Kevin Smith is featured on the DVD, well, he helped finance this documentary to get it off the ground. On top of that, he also a friend of the director. It’s great additional material to watch once you’ve been able to fully absorb Small Town Gay Bar.

If I had to recommend one documentary to see this year, it would be this one. Small Town Gay Bar had me completely enthralled, absorbed in the story of these two gay bars and how significant they are. This documentary has so much going for it, and deserves a large audience. People need to see this to understand just what it’s like to be gay in America’s Bible Best. While reality there may be stark, it’s amazing to see how people find light, comfort, and hope in a gay bar, and with each other. These are truly amazing people, and I’m thankful that Ingram was able to let me into their lives. Ingram has a great gift as a storyteller here, and one who presents both sides of the story to the audience, making the reality of their situation even more startling. While my experiences growing up may not be the same as theirs, I also came from a small town with similar (though not as intense) discrimination. This is a story that resonates throughout North America, which is why I believe that while it’s not perfect, it is still an important piece of work.

Small Town Gay Bar comes Highly Recommended. It’s an inherently moving and painfully truthful experience, about real people in a real place, struggling in a world where they are demonized. These two gay bars, and the people who inhabit them, fight for their right to just exist, and it is . . . unbelievable to watch. It’s an experience that you won’t forget, both brutal and uplifting. It will definitely make you think about your own experiences in life. In short, and as well as my shoddy writing skills can illustrate, Small Town Gay Bar is a must-see. Plain and simple.