She made this movie three years ago, and now she gets a theatrical release of ONE theater? Benson is an underrated talent throwing pearls before swine. I am happy she's getting this, but she deserves better. Of course, I never could afford to buy her DVD when she was selling copies awhile back to afford paying off the debt she incurred making it. So I feel a small percentage of the guilt that people with authority in the industry should be feeling.

I mean, how can I insist the suits who make or break talented actress' careers pay their due to this incomparable actress, writer, director and producer, when I couldn't even fork over fifty bucks to help her make it on her own? I'm either a hypocrite, a cheap bastard or a poor sot. Actually, I'm all the above. Doesn't change the fact she deserves better.

ZachsMind | February 22, 07:09 CET

Fans on OMWF should definately go and watch it, since Joss wrote a song for "Chance" as a favor to Amber.

The show wasn't fantastic, but it was good for a first timer. Part of the fun is catching all the Buffy Alumnis in the movie (and there's a lot).

NickSeng | February 22, 07:28 CET

Its a indy movie, they'd only put it in alot of theathers if it was going to make money. Thats why when a movie that is at 2000 theathers bombs, 1/4 of the theathers stop playing it that next weekend. They aren't making a profit.

eddy | February 22, 09:46 CET

Amber is extremely talented in everything she does. Don't worry, her ship will sail soon.

Madhatter | February 22, 12:29 CET

I second that

Xander | February 22, 16:20 CET

What I'm hoping for is a proper, cleaned up DVD release. I'm just viewing this as another step in that direction.

Djungelurban | February 23, 00:24 CET

For the record, today I have officially become a legal owner of the Firefly series on DVD. No more am I a heartless bootleg owner who Whedon should have shot on sight. This is partly due to the above statement I made earlier. How can I support a series I so believe in if I won't plop down forty measley bucks?

I've never seen Chance. I've never gotten a bootleg copy or the real thing. I've never thought about bootlegs as being *wrong* before, and I still don't. After all, I've had bootlegs of the Firefly series before now, but not all the episodes and not pristine quality, so I feel the real thing is a good investment. When Once More With Feeling first came out, I owned downloaded mp3s of the music a year before the official soundtrack was made available commercially. When that came out, I bought it up as soon as I could, even though I had a 'bootleg.' One could easily see that 'bootleg' can be used as a way to encourage later purchases. I mean awhile back Benson was making Chance available to a select few who helped her financially as I said before, and just doing that, getting it out there however she could, made me salivate for it like a Pavlovian dog.

Somehow, Chance has been different from other stuff where I've had the opportunity to get via bootleg. I do really want to see it. Maybe it's bad maybe not, but when I do see it I'm hoping to pay the requisite cost cuz I feel especially keen on supporting Benson as an artist. Not sure what the subtle difference is here. I don't want a bootleg this time, tho I was comfortable with it for Whedon's stuff. Why is that? I think if Chance was in the stores today, or easily available off Amazon.com, I'd probably get it. I couldn't physically afford it a year ago.

I've recently learned that I will buy the Sneakers movie on DVD for five bucks, but not Johnny Mneumonic. My attitude towards purchasing power is something that's always confused me. I still refuse to fly to Fort Lauderdale. Well, if I had THAT kind of money... *smirk*

[ edited by ZachsMind on 2005-02-22 23:12 ]

ZachsMind | February 23, 01:11 CET

I bought "Chance" on DVD when Amber was selling them on her website. It was more expensive than a regular movie DVD, but I felt it was worth it because it made me feel like I was supporting her artistic talent, whereas with other DVDs the bulk of the money is going to the studio - not to the talent. I like to buy music directly from a band rather than from a major record label for the same reason. I tend not to bootleg stuff where the artist retains control of the product and the revenue it generates. Although, I rarely bootleg anything at all.

killinj | February 23, 01:37 CET

Chance was good but not great, but I saw a lot of potential in it and I am glad to be supporting such an amazing artist. Cheers to Amber for continuing onward and I look forward to the release of her next film, which looks to be another step up. Can't wait!

zeitgeist | February 23, 01:42 CET

I think you're going to enjoy those 'Firefly' DVDs, ZachsMind. Once you watched the series in proper order, you'll curse the Fox network for their short sightlessness. What could have been.....Oh, the commentaries are under the 'Languages' menu. Very good as is the gag reel. Give Joss' comments on 'Objects in Space' a listen. Very interesting. Explains much on River. What could have been.......damn Fox!

I'm guilty of the same with 'Chance'. I've a bad copy where the sound fades at the worse times. Still, I can see much promise in the way Amber Benson thinks and directs. Again, she's a talented person awaiting discovery.

Hey! Fort Lauderdale is my place of birth. Don't make me throw holy water at you :)

Madhatter | February 23, 02:03 CET

I went thru the website and got 1 copy. Was going to get dvd and vhs versions-but I waited too long and lost...out.
I went for it because Marsters was in it. Then I really started becoming a Lorne fan. (I wasn't sure the role of Tara really brought out how much Amber can be capable of. OMWF let her shine a little bit.)
Basically, if you want to see what Marsters, Hallett, and Ms. Benson can do-beyond whedonverse-buy this if you can find it.
Or go see it if it's in your neighborhood.
I just like it because it has non-green Andy Hallett.
He's only on-screen a lil' bit, but he can sure steal a scene.
(especially with James Marsters around.)

no offence to green men intended...

terrilove | February 23, 03:03 CET

"I think you're going to enjoy those 'Firefly' DVDs, ZachsMind. Once you watched the series in proper order, you'll curse the Fox network for their short sightlessness."

I had rented the Firefly DVDs, in order, almost as soon as Netflix.com had them in stock. So I've already seen the shows in order, and I've been cursing Fox since day one.

At the time it was cheaper for me to rent than buy the set. Well, still is actually. Since then I've contemplated ordering them again through NetFlix, but there's other stuff I want to see too. And I do still have several of the episodes on videotape, but they're recorded roughly in the order that they were originally broadcast on FOX. So despite the fact I'd had access to the series before today, actually owning my own copy just mattered today in a way it hasn't mattered before now.

Personally I think it's a testament to the Firefly series, and the quality of the DVD set itself I might add, that causes one to want them despite having bootlegs. And again it's evidence that if you present the consumers with a superior product, the bootleg is a means to an end, not competition. The MST3K production company Big Brains realized this over a decade ago, which is why they'd surruptitiously encouraged their fan base to "circulate the tapes." Such behavior should be encouraged because word of mouth can be far more powerful than any thirty second spot during the Superbowl. It's just not possible to control word of mouth, which is why most advertisers opt for the Superbowl rather than encourage their fans to think outside the box.

Universal already figured out that despite the evidence on the surface, Firefly was worth the gamble. This is why the initial DVD sales translated into a movie deal. There is money in this franchise, but it's not necessarily all going to come flooding in on the same day. Not all of Whedon's fans have large sums of disposable income. Sometimes we have to make do with what's available until we can catch up with the Joneses, so to speak.

I like to think our grandchildren will buy their own copies of Whedon's work, or we'll buy them as gifts for them. This will be long after everyone's forgotten about Vin Diesel or Paris Hilton.

ZachsMind | February 23, 09:05 CET

Zachsmind - As Anya might say, "that's a gift with purchase", which is technically what the DVD and VHS versions of 'Chance' where. Since legally she could not sell them, she had to sell autograph photos & posters in order to be able to distribute the film the way she did, otherwise she would have been in violation of union rules cause hardly anybody got paid to help her make that film.

If you want to help her as an up and coming artist and see the movie - you can goto small planet pictures website and get their contact info and then call your local art house and ask them to get the film. That's how small films like these can get out, I have met the distributator of this film before cause it is the same company that distributed 'Way Off Broadway' the film debut of Morena Barrican. That goes for anyone else who wants to either of these films and support the artist. Call your local art houses and ask them to get these films in their theatres.

RavenU | February 23, 09:43 CET

Excellent information, RavenU. Thanks for getting it out to the masses. This is the publicize Amber deserves.

Madhatter | February 23, 10:34 CET