Posted by Vincent at bg-tc-ppp787.monmouth.com on February 06, 2002 at 14:49:18:
In Reply to: Re: About ABP posted by A.J. on February 06, 2002 at 01:16:42:
I'm glad you're buying it. To further asuage your purchase, check out the links to reviews of the DVD below. None of these were written by the View Askew staff.
Vincent
A BETTER PLACE reviews:
The Digital Bits review of A BETTER PLACE: http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviews2/betterplace.html
DVD File review of A BETTER PLACE: http://www.dvdfile.com/software/review/dvd-video_3/betterplace.html
DVD Corner review of A BETTER PLACE: http://www.dvdcorner.net/html/betterplace.html
Digitally Obsessed review of A BETTER PLACE: http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/showreview.php3?ID=1574
Current Film review of A BETTER PLACE: http://www.currentfilm.com/dvdreviews4/betterplacedvd.html
DVD Talk review of A BETTER PLACE: http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=2580
Film Threat review of A BETTER PLACE: http://www.filmthreat.com/Reviews.asp?File=ReviewsOne.inc&Id=2250
Mysterio on A BETTER PLACE in Aint-It-Cool-News: http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/display.cgi?id=10051
Elstun Gunn on A BETTER PLACE in Aint-It-Cool-News: http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=9607
DVD Verdict review: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/abetterplace.shtml
Review of A BETTER PLACE from "In Pittsburgh Weekly":
A BETTER PLACE
With Eion Bailey, Robert DiPatri
Written and directed by Vincent Pereira
IT'S BEEN A season defined by the introduction of the New Young Hollywood Studs, from the toothy, chinny grin of Matt Damon (star of GOOD WILL HUNTING) to the omnipresent cheekbones of the elfin Leonardo DiCaprio (star of People magazine and the National Inquirer). Beautiful they are--but lest you forget the appeal of the more common "boy next door" type, meet the kids who are winning college movie audiences around the country: Eion Bailey and Robert DiPatri.
Sure, Bailey's sort of handsome, but it wasn't looks that made a generation gaga over James Dean--it was smoldering teen angst. When he glared at those around him with a look that mixed contempt and envy for their simple lives, audiences melted. Bailey can do it almost as well.
And DiPatri's the sort of sympathetic geek we haven't seen since Anthony Edwards was running around the set of Revenge of the Nerds in his pre-ER days. Big ol' glasses, awkward haircut, earnest nice-guy helpfulness--you just gotta love him.
The duo stars in A BETTER PLACE, a moody high-school drama written and directed by New Jersey's latest low-budget Gen X filmmaker, Vincent Pereira. Surprisingly, the intimate little 16mm character study turns out to be one of the most intelligent looks at teen violence to grace the screen since LORD OF THE FLIES.
DiPatri plays Barret, a gawky kid who moves to a new town after the death of his father. The new surroundings don't go very far toward cheering him up: His first day of school starts with a girl mistaking his simple hello for sexual harassment, and ends with a trio of bullies attempting to beat the crap out of him in the gym locker room. He's saved by Ryan (Bailey), a loner who hates everyone in town and is shunned by them for his family's dark past.
The two strike up an unlikely friendship, which Ryan tries to shape into an obsessive two-against-the-evil-world scenario a la HEAVENLY CREATURES. But Barret doesn't want to be a miserable outsider, and what starts off as a philosophical debate ends up as a desperate attempt on Barret's part to prevent Ryan from committing murder.
Pereira's script is admirably lean; dialogue is never overblown, even when it consists of two guys just sitting around and talking for long periods of time. Unlike his friend and executive producer, Kevin Smith of Clerks and Chasing Amy fame (more on him next week), Pereira never sacrifices a scene's basic plausibility for the sake of wit.
A BETTER PLACE is attractive to look at, too--especially for 16mm color film. It's hard to believe the North Jersey landscape can be so compelling when its reputation is one of endless concrete blocks, toxic waste and intolerable population density, but Pereira finds beachside and woodland locations that belie the myth.
The film is touring college campuses as the headlining act of Flixtour, an independent film mini-festival that opens with two hilarious shorts on the topics of car theft and cannibalism. After a showing at Point Park College earlier this month, the audience spent a full hour in a Q&A session with Pereira, who's accompanying his film around the country. The repeat Pittsburgh performance at Carnegie Mellon on Tuesday will be a welcome opportunity to poke inside the head of an up-and-coming filmmaker who deserves all the attention he gets.
- Reviewed by Stephen H. Segal April 15th, 1998- IN PITTSBURGH WEEKLY
: Thanks for the advice. Being a fan of the View Askew films, I've obviously read about "A Better Place", but most of it's been written by the staff and people who have seen it at Vulgarthon, therefore they were always going to be a bit biased. I'll take your advice on board when I place my order later in the month.