A BETTER PLACE (1997)
Director's Cut Blu-ray
Label: Smodcastle Cinema
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 86 Minutes 13 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.50:1)
Director: Vincent Pereira
Cast: Eion Bailey, Robert DiPatrili, Joseph Cassese, Carmen Llywellyn, Brian Lynch, Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee
Indie-drama A Better Place (1997) was a micro-budget film from Kevin Smith's View Askew Productions, written and directed by first-time and to date, only-time, director Vincent Pereira's . It's an edgy teen thriller that explores themes of teen violence and fatalism, by way of young man Barret Michaelson (Robert DiPatri), wh after the accidental death of his father a year earlier has moved to a new town in New Jersey, where he really has a rough go on first day at his new high school, where he is bullied by and ostracized, almost beat-up by a testosterone -fueled jock, but he is saved from a beating by another student named Ryan Walker (Eion Bailey, Almost Famous), who is a misanthropic loner with a dark family past. A friendship blossoms between the air and they hang on all the time, talking philosophically and venting their frustrations with each other. However, Barret soon begins to worry as Ryan's philosophical ranting have turned increasingly violent, fearing that his downward spiral will lead to the unthinkable. The divide between the pair grows further when Barrett starts hanging out with cool-girl Augustine (Carmen Llywelyn, Chasing Amy), he's clearly jealous that his new friend is capable of making new friends, and then there's an altercation in a wooded area with a man who accuses the friends of trespassing on his property that turns deadly, and then when bully Todd (Joseph Cassese) that Ryan protected Barrett from in the locker room comes after Ryan and beats him to a pulp, after which the misanthropic teens starts down a trust fatalistic path, heading towards what he considers to be his "destiny".
The film feels ahead of the curve in addressing brewing teen angst and violence, it feels raw and unpolished, the perfromances are arguablt ametuer, but I would just say they feel honest and unscripted, at least so much in that they don't feel they've been wokshopped to death, the feel pretty natura, and more akin to what an actual teen conversation would sound like, unfiltered. For the most part it;s a misanthropic drama punctuated by a simmer angst that threatens to boil over, and eventually we do get some potent acts of violence, and flashbacks to a traumatic murder-suicide that informs Ryan's disposition.
In a lot of way this infor reminds me a bit of how George A. Romero had an inner-circle of friends who formed a collective of sorts he worked with regularly, and who went on to make films as well, in particular I am thinking of the film Effects (1979), directed by Dusty Nelson, Tales from the Darkside), and which featuring Romero collaborators like Joe Pilato (Day of the Dead), Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead), John Harrison (Knightriders), and Pasquale Buba (Day of the Dead editor). In the same way Kevin Smith did not direct or star in this film, he exec produced, but there are a lot of familiar faces, including Scott Mosier (Clerks) and Jason Lee (Mallrats), as well as other familiar face from Clerks and other Smith directed flicks like Vincent Pereira himself, Bryan Lynch (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), and Ethan Suplees (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), so it sort of has a built-in View Askewniverse vibe to it, and at certain moments you can feel the Clerks-era influence of Smith on the director style and dialogue, but it's not aping it, it's just in that orbit.
Audio/Video: A Better Place (1997) gets a region-free Blu-ray from MVD Entertainment imprints MVD Marquee Collection and Smodcastle Cinema with a brand-new 2K restoration of a 3K scan of the OCN & first generation print elements, presented in 1080p in its director intended 1.50:1 aspect ratio. The film was shot on 16mm and has an appropriately grainy and fuzzy look to it, the source is in terrific shape, no blemishes, good color and clarity throughout. It's low-budget and has it's source limitations, but it looks solid. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with optional English subtitles.
The only new extras on this set is a 2-min Introduction by Writer & Director Vincent Pereira. The rest of the bonus materials are archival, and I think we have everything previously released for this collected here, starting off with Archival Commentary with Director Vincent Pereira & Cast and Crew, the 85-min 2001 Version of “A Better Place” in standard definition with DD 2.0 Stereo, a trio of goofy Vintage Introductions by Executive Producers Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier that run about 15-min, the Vintage 'Goof' Commentary (on 2001 version) with Director Vincent Pereira and Cast, 17-min of Deleted Scenes with Optional Director Commentary, 2-min of Outtakes & Bloopers, and the 1-min A Better Place 2025 Trailer in HD. Additionally there are a selection of Trailers for several Kevin Smith related properties which I am assuming will see release from MVD via the Smodcastle Cinema imprint. The single-disc release arrives n a clear keepcase with a Reversible Wrap and a Slipcover featuring the same artwork as the a-side of the wrap.
Special Features:
- Brand-new 2K Restoration of a 3K scan of the OCN & first generation print elements, presented in 1080p in its director intended 1.50:1 aspect ratio
- Audio: LPCM 5.1 Surround Sound with Optional English Subtitles
- NEW! Introduction by Writer & Director Vincent Pereira (2:03)
- Archival Commentary with Director Vincent Pereira & Cast and Crew members
- 2001 Version of “A Better Place” (presented in standard definition, 2.0 Stereo, 85:19)
- Vintage Introductions by Executive Producers Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier (SD): Introduction 1 (6:03), Introduction 2 (4:36), Introduction 3 (4:19)
- Vintage 'Goof' Commentary (on 2001 version) with Director Vincent Pereira and Cast
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Director Commentary (SD) (16:31)
- Outtakes & Bloopers (SD) 1:38,
- "A Better Place” 2025 Trailer (HD, 1:27)
- MVD Trailers: Wrong Reasons (2:02), Clerk (2:33), Film Hawk (2:53), Max Reload and the Nether Blasters (1:56), Big Helium Dog (7:53)
Screenshots from the Smodcastle Cinema Blu-ray:
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