The new merging has opened up potential sequels to even more franchises that Miramax owns, either theatrical or DTV, like further From Dusk till Dawn (that already had two DTV sequels) and Kevin Smith’s Clerks, which had an animated series and a well-received sequel.

Mike Lang, CEO of Miramax: “We are thrilled and honored to work with Harvey and Bob Weinstein. There is no better partner to build on these great films and turn them into franchises, while also creating exciting new TV properties. This agreement will extend the Miramax library while also enabling us to create new content without committing near-term capital.”

Thoughts?

Source: Coming Soon

The Film:

Oh, how independent film makers love the slacker comedy. You can lose count try to name them all, and even then, you’ll only be able to remember a few that standout. Kevin Smith‘s Clerks and Richard Linklater’s Slacker are the pivotal slacker comedies, and not just because they are so good, but those films launched their respective careers. I’m sure there are some directors looking at that pattern of success for their own, but I’m not going to lump director Monty Miranda into that category. I actually believe he had a solid purpose and idea to tell the story of some hapless 20-somethings and their aimless lives, like we all face during that time.

Comparisons to Wes Anderson’s breakout hit, Bottle Rocket, will be done, but that’s unfair to Berger’s script and Miranda’s direction. The film is more than just another “quirky comedy”, especially since the film allows for some dramatic tension. Yes, the film is funny, but quickly labeling it another quirky indie comedy is showing some shortsightedness. It’s not as quirky as the next Anderson indie comedy copycats, and while that sub-genre has grown immensely tiresome, Skills Like This handles the characters is a nature manner, making the characters so called quirks, believable, instead of quirk for quirk’s sake.

If there’s any knock on Skills Like This, it is the familiar feeling as you are watching it. Not really a bad thing, but I think that it might be a deal breaker for some. I found the familiarity to come from the characters, and how they felt like I knew them personally in my life, rather than the film itself. What is this status quo and how did it come to be? Why must we follow this traditional 9-to-5 routine? If we’re good at something, shouldn’t we follow it? That’s what I like about Skills Like This, is that it subtly asks these questions, and is ambiguous in answering them. There’s this overall aimlessness to life and to these characters, that is genuine and allows for us to relate to the film. It’s funny, has a great soundtrack, well acted and directed, making Skills Like This a groovy little movie about some disaffected young people. Yes, it is a bit familiar and not entirely original, but fresh enough to relate to it.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: I wasn’t expecting much, the the transfer was really good, especially with the budget they had to work with. There’s grain, but film grain, and little to no print damage. Colors have a muted look to it, but details are high, and contrast is sharp. Unfortunately the audio is only Dolby Digital Stereo, but dialogue is easy to hear, and it’s over-powered by the cool soundtrack. I would’ve liked a 5.1 to open up the film’s sound, but New Video’s disc is pretty solid regardless.

Deleted Scenes: There are some funny bits, but placing them back into the film would’ve hurt the flow in hindsight, so we can see why they were left out.

Cast and Crew Interviews: Despite the lack of a commentary track, this makes up for it, featuring most of the cast in talking about their roles, the film, and other related tidbits. Miranda stops by too, offering his take on how the film got made, but you can get a more thorough look at the making in my interview with him here.

A trailer and Monty Miranda’s filmmaker Biography round out the extras.

Conclusion: Skills Like This might get lumped in with every other indie comedy trying to get seen, and that’s unfortunate. It’s funny, smart, and unique enough to stand out from the pack of Anderson, Smith, and Linklater copycats.

The Film: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The DVD: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Clerks

The Flick:

I remember the first time I saw Clerks, my buddy Charles invited me over to check out this indie flick that he had rented. Somehow or another he had seen the flick on the big screen (Lafayette, La is a small town), and decided that everyone he knew had to see it as soon as possible. He kept telling us that the characters in the movie were exactly like us, but with thick Jersey accents instead of thick Cajun accents. So I decided to head over to his apartment to check out this flick that had clearly affected my friend deeply, also I was broke and figured he’d have beer in the fridge. Once I got to his place, and everyone settled in to watch this movie that was supposedly going to change our lives, I soon realized that Charles was right. These characters were just like us. They spoke like us (mostly), they talked about Star Wars frequently (I still do this), but most of all they spoke to us. To the generation of slackers that had embraced the grunge era, but hadn’t completely given up on 80s metal either. The generation of miscreants that worked dead-end jobs because it was easier than actually deciding to do something.

When the movie was over and the credits rolled, I couldn’t get it out of my head. The next morning I got dressed, called in sick for work, headed out to Home Video, and rented Clerks. I watched it twice back to back, and then at least 4 more times before bringing the tape back to the video store. I couldn’t believe that a black and white movie that I had never heard of was having such an affect on me. I was majoring in English at the time while working a dead-end job, but wasn’t really taking it seriously. So I decided to take a few art classes, and then changed my major to Media (we didn’t have a film school). I did this because for the first time in my life I realized that it was possible to make movies that spoke to people, real people, people that I knew, and that not all movies needed to be grand statements or blow up buildings in order to truly connect with an audience. I was a film fanatic before Clerks, but because of Clerks my life now revolves around film (don’t worry; I etch out a little time for the wife).

The

Blu-ray:

Audio/Video

The audio was clear, but it’s nothing special, which is fine because I don’t think anyone is watching this flick for it’s amazing sound. Clerks isn’t the most amazing looking movie, but that’s part of it’s charm. So while it doesn’t look amazing on blu-ray, it still looks better than ever, and that’s a good thing for any fan of the flick.

Special Features

Theatrical Version: This version of the flick features the commentary circa ’95 featuring Smith, Mewes, Mos, and more! This is my favorite cut of the flick and the commentary track is totally worth listening to.

The First Cut: This cut of the flick is the raw and original one that smith first showed the world. It’s fun to watch and while I have seen it more than once I still prefer the theatrical cut. The commentary on here is also equally as good as on the theatrical cut.

Oh, What A Lovely Tea Party: The Making Of Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back: A new feature specific only to the blu-ray, this behind-the-scenes documentary is a lot of fun. I don’t know why it’s on the Clerks disc but I don’t care because it was pretty darn funny.

Introduction By Kevin Smith: A new introduction was recorded specifically for the blu-ray disc and it’s done in typical Smith fashion.

There are a slew of other features on here, but all of them were previously released.

The Flick: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Chasing Amy

The Flick:

I didn’t think that another film could affect me the way that Kevin Smith’s film Clerks did. Clerks showed me that anyone could make a film, even with limited funds, and a cast of unknown actors. Chasing Amy showed me that a filmmaker could make a film with a soul of its own that speaks fan to boys/girls as well as people that know nothing about comic books. Chasing Amy was the first romantic comedy (can I call it that?) that I caught in the theater no less than 5 times, and that’s not counting the numerous times I’ve seen it on DVD.

I think that most comic book fans dream of creating their own comic book. Comics are similar to films because both are visual mediums used to tell a story, only filmmakers seem to get laid a little more often than comic book creators. So the fact that Smith based a whole movie around indie comic creators Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck) and Banky Edwards (Jason Lee) was a sign that not only did this director really care about comic books, he cared enough to base an entire movie around two comic book creators. Also, he was able to snag the godfather of comics, Stan Lee to appear in the flick as himself. An unforgettable role for Stan Lee, it allowed him to stretch his acting muscles as apposed to just making a brief cameo as a door man or some other such character. Kevin Smith understands the fan boy culture because he’s a fan himself, a fan that cares deeply about the subject matter he’s writing about. And just when you think you know what’s coming up next, he throws a beautiful love story into the mix, and does it in a way that I personally had never seen done before. His characters talk about the same kinds of things that real people talk about; they have faults, fears, and are always memorable down to the smallest role in the movie. There is no better example of this than in Chasing Amy.

I remember watching the credits roll after my first viewing of the flick. I sat there in the seat trying to take in all that I had just seen. Had I just watched a date movie that I could relate to, that didn’t take the easy way out the way most movies in this genre do? A movie that my girlfriend could enjoy, but had enough stuff in there that only a geek like me would catch? I remember asking myself these questions. The next night I rushed to the theater to get another look at this film, and it played better on the second viewing than it did on the first, so when I was leaving the multiplex and met up with a friend of mine that was going to see it for the first time, I decided to catch it for a third time. Once again, after the credits rolled I was just as excited as I was after the first viewing. In fact, I enjoyed Chasing Amy so much that I caught it at least two more times before it ended its run at the multiplex.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video

Like Clerks the audio on this flick isn’t jaw dropping, but it does sound better than it ever has before. Unlike Clerks, Chasing Amy looks quite a bit better on blu-ray than it did on my standard definition DVD. The colors popped off the screen. There are a few spots with a little bit of grain in them, but for the most part the transfer is solid.

Special Features

Commentary: Smith and Mos provide an interesting track that as always is a pleasure to listen to.

Tracing Amy: A documentary that chronicles the making of the flick. Totally worth checking out.

Was It Something I Said: This is a conversation between Kevin and Joey that is really cool. I enjoyed listening to them talk about that time in their lives. Another feature worth watching.

10 Years Later Q&A: The cast gets together and answers questions about the flick. This was one of my favorite features on the disc.

Everything else on the disc has been previously released on other versions of the flick.

The Flick: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

The Flick:

You can never have to much Jay and Silent Bob.  One of the main reasons I love Smith’s work so much is because of these two characters.  No matter how colorful their language gets, or how mischievous they get, their hearts are always in the right place.  These are bad-boy characters that can connect with both the rebel in all of us as well as the geek.  So the fact that these two got their own movie put a huge smile on my face.  Also, pretty much every character in View Askew universe is in the flick.  How cool is that?

This is a film that plays just as well the after the tenth viewing as it does the first, maybe even better, and that to me is the test.  If I can watch a movie multiple times without it getting old the filmmaker has done his/her job right.  Another huge contributing factor to the re-watch-ability of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is the fact that Jason Mewes is front and center.  It’s hard to not love Mewes, he is comfortable on screen, easy to relate to, and really fucking funny.  I can’t wait until Smith decides to put his old pal back into a leading-man position.  I’m extremely happy about Smith’s decision to cast Seth Rogen in his comedy Zack and Miri Make A Porno, but at the same time I’d have loved to have seen Mewes in another title role.  I think both Mewes and Rogen have that everyman quality that works in their favor, plus both of them have impeccable timing.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that in my humble opinion Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a love letter to the movie geek, and one of the most exciting comedies made by Smith.  In todays market of throwaway films Smith’s flicks are a breath of fresh air.  So if you haven’t already seen Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back or any of Smith’s other flicks, then do yourself a favor and check them out ASAP.  On the other hand if your a fan of Smith’s work, then hurry up, and watch them all again.  Oh, and they say the F-word a lot in this flick, I’m just saying.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video

The audio on this disc is pretty solid. There’s a little more action than in the previous two flicks and it shows in the audio track. The video transfer looks pretty good as well on this disc, it’s not the most amazing blu-ray in my collection, but it sure does look better than on my old copy of the flick. The colors are brighter and scenes like the one where the hotties are jumping through the laser beams look phenomenal.

Special Features

Besides the Commentary Track there isn’t a singe feature worth checking out on this disc. Bare bones folks, WTF?

The Flick: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Welcome to New Release Tuesday on Killer Film for November 17^th! You can order from Amazon by clicking on the cover art, which will help you with any holiday buying you might be starting.

Star Trek

I didn’t buy into this film prior to seeing it, and then when I did, wow we’re we all blown away. Great storytelling, acting, and fits nicely into the Trekverse without disrupting any time lines you liked from the Original Series. A must see! (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD) Jon says: Buy Donny says: Buy

Bruno

Second by second, the funniest film of the year, even if the story is a carbon copy of Borat. It’s so un-PC and yet, smart about its points, and I laughed so hard, I think I pulled something at the screening. (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD) Jon says: Buy Donny says: Rent

Thirst

Vampires are huge right now, thanks to True Blood and Twilight, but don’t let that sway you away from this new film from Oldboy director, Chan-wook Park. Reviews have been mixed, but I’m stoked regardless, because he is always interesting. (Formats: DVD only) Jon says: Buy Donny says: Rent

My Sister’s Keeper

If you’re in the mood to feel glum and cry, here’s a good offering, from the people behind The Notebook. (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD) Jon says: Rent Donny says: Rent

Limits of Control

This existential spy film from Jim Jarmusch is a bore from start to finish. Guess you gotta be a Jarmusch fan, but Isaach de Bankole is incredibly good. (Formats: DVD only) Jon says: Avoid Donny says: Buy

Humpday

This little indie comedy gained a lot of attention for being funny, as well as being well-acted and written. We missed it, sadly, but heard good things all around. (Formats: DVD only) Jon says: Rent Donny says: Rent

New to TV

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: It’s a Very Sunny Christmas (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD)

New to Blu

Gone with the Wind

Fight Club: 10^th Anniversary Edition

Sex Lies & Videotape

Kevin Smith Box set

Leon: The Professional

Keep it here for reviews of these discs and more, only on Killer Film!

Also, on the 17th of November is Clerks on Blu Ray, with new material running over 90 minutes. No word if the extras from the great Clerks X 3-disc DVD set will be ported over or not.

But alas, we finally get a new Chasing Amy disc…in high definition no less.

Source: The Digital Bits

The first preconceived notion that you’ll find broken and strewn across the floor is this: New York Lately doesn’t present you with a bunch of archetypal characters; every new role that king brought into the spotlight was unique. Very early on I found myself identifying with each and every character, being able to empathize and feel what it was they were trying to evoke in their performances. The casting was absolutely wonderful, each actor slipping into their roles like it was written for them.

The next one? Minimally funded films don’t have to look like they were shot with a camera found in the back of an old porn store. When my editor first told me that he had an indie flick for me to check out, PTSD flashbacks from grainy Sundance rejects bubbled to the surface, and suddenly I knew how draft dodgers felt. Much to my pleasant surprise, however, the camera work was astounding. For the first time in awhile I felt like a fly on the wall, actually observing everything that was going on instead of being some unwitting Kubrick-esque participant in another Rambo sequel

As much as I’d like to spend the next few hundred words giving you guys a rundown of the plot, I trust in everyone’s ability to IMDB or Google it. Instead, I’ll keep this one short. For a low budget independent film, New York Lately did exactly what it set out to do: it makes you think about the effect you have from a microcosmic perspective, the effect that you have on the lives around you, the lives you touch on a day to day basis without ever even realizing you’ve left a footprint.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars