Lovers, Liars and Lunatics now available on DVD!

[I'll_Always_Find_You]

Whoo Hoo I got mine the other day. It was hillarious. Can't wait to watch it again. Its funny seeing Amber play a not so smart girl.

[taralicious]

I watched LL&L this afternoon and I'll see Megansmom's 'WOW' and raise her a WOO-HOO!
As much as I adore "Chance", it's extremely gratifying to see that Amber has matured as an artist both in the technical side of things and also in her writing.
First the technical aspect:
LL&L looks absolutely beautiful and the cinematography is superb with a number of intricate dolly and crane shots.
The camera angles and use of space are not as claustrophobic as she was forced to work with in "Chance."
Amber had this entire house for location shooting so she was free to play around with the space by moving the various characters around albeit most of them were tied to chairs at the time.
She also was fortunate to have an entire crew of session musicians, nearly a full orchestra it sounded like at times, scoring the musical background cues, so it was a very theatrical touch to have musical cues underscoring the particular emotions of any scene.
The choice of shooting it on film also leant it a very theatrical nuance as well.
Now for the content of the film itself,
Amber has shown herself to be a very darkly comedic and macabrely twisted writer.
She has namedropped Preston Sturges, among others, as past masters of the screwball comedy, and Amber is kind of his progeny if he were mixed with the offbeat sensibilities of Quentin Tarentino as she has Tarentino's gift for wonderfully witty and nonsequitur dialogue in the midst of high tension situations.
She also has P.G. Wodehouse's innate ability to weave multiple strands of plot together as Amber introduces all of her cast of characters, has them weave and meander about over hill and dale interacting with each other, each with their own aganda as loyalties are exchanged and deals are made and reneged upon, until all of their lives meet up at an intersection and no one escapes unscathed from the fall-out.
If Wodehouse had ever written a dysfunctional ending, that is.
Amber herself shines and is so adorable you want to give her a hug as Justine, the slighly misguided and fragile burglar.
The rest of the cast is stellar in their roles as well but particular emphasis must go again to the incredible comedic talents of Christine Estabrook, this time in the role of the cuckolded wife and mother.
And just when it can't get any better, along comes the funniest man on the planet, James Leary, as your friendly neighborhood policeman.
Proud am I to have invested in the post-production costs of LL&L as Amber has worked her ass off to deliver a film which shows her as an artist whose talent is constantly evolving and who really embraces the collaborative process.

[Roger Doger]

Got my copy and watched it right away (amid various interruptions provided by other family members). I also have a copy of Chance, and I must say I liked Chance better. I guess it's because Chance is a character you can identify with, whereas there aren't many totally loveable characters in LL&L which get close to your heart. [spoiler]Also, I dislike watching films where violence happens to Amber's characters, especially the mortal kind. I still haven't gotten over Tara's death.[/spoiler]

Some of the shots I would've edited tighter, but otherwise, good movie.

[Alicepire]

Has anyone from Aus gotten theirs yet? Cos I'm meant to be writing an article on Amber for next weeks Green Guide that's gotta be in on Friday.. and it would be nice to have seen the movie I'm writing about... The interview with Amber is great but some informed commentary could be useful...

[JujuDeRoussie]

Hello !

I'm waiting mine... i suppose there are not subtitle in french huh? I hope they articulate ^^ .. well it's a way to learn english ^^

I'm relly eager !!!! Maybe I could have it for my birthday


Julia

[littlecrazy80]

A friend of mine asked me to post the following text to help the Bensons to sell LLL:

I'm not sure if you are familiar with American television and our shows, but we have a bunch of talk shows, and each of these talk shows has their own websites. On each website they have suggestions for "future show ideas" and I thought perhaps if all of Amber's fans wrote into these shows to tell them how much they would love to see Amber their show it would create an interest in Amber. Most importantly when writing about Amber, L,L&L should be talked about because that would be the reason Amber would be on their shows. If more people were aware of their film, I'm sure the DVD sales would increase tenfold! And perhaps a distribution company would take notice as well.

I think if each of these shows received a thousand emails about Amber they would take notice!

I thought the best shows would be:

"The Oprah Winfrey Show" www.oprah.com (for some reason you can't just click and this link and have it take you to it...sorry) then go to the "be on the show...find out what we're working on" link and then click on "Harpo Hookup"...if anyone should get a "Harpo Hookup" it's Diane and Amber. You'll see a spot to write why you think Amber and L,L&L show get the Harpo Hookup.

"Live with Regis and Kelly"... www.tvplex.go.com/buenavista/livewithre ... /today.htm
go to "Show Idea" and you'll find a shot to write about Amber there as well.

"The Ellen DeGeneres Show"... www.ellen.warnerbros.com then go to "Be apart of the Show" and then find "People I should Know" and again there's the spot that they can write about Amber.

*lil´c*

[Hemiola]

It seems to me that the best bet would probably be Ellen's show.

[iloveamber]

i just sent in the info for the ellen show! I really want to see amber on there! I hope a lot of us do it because it can be possible and we get to see the lovely miss benson!! come on people do it!!

[Dana5140]

Realistically, the only way Amber gets on these shows is by first and foremost acknowleding and talking about Tara Maclay and her time on Buffy; the shows usually try to grab people who are currently in the news or otherwise notable at the current time and Tara is how most of the public who does not post here or on Essnece know of her, not for Chance or for LLL or for Gryphon, etc. And given that Amber patently wishes to move past Tara- though always acknowledging how important that character is- and because it is almost unavoidable that there will be questions bout Tara's fate, this has to be approached with some caution. Not to be a contrary voice in an otherwise happy thread, mind you. :-) Just being real about the medium. Me, I'd still prefer to see her get a regular gig on L Word. My dream!

[Alicepire]

Well yeah, til she gets anything else to go big time she is going to have to keep talking about Tara, but the only way she is going to get anything else to go big time is to talk to people and do promo stuff and for the moment that means talking about Tara. But it looks like Benson Entertainment isn't really pushing Lovers, Liars and Lunatics. I was really surprised to discover that they don't even have a press release for it. How the hell they think they can get fresh eyes to see it without doing any promo for it is beyond me.

[helpfulinformationperhaps]

besides these tv shows are there any on line mags we could post asking for an amber interview? an amber chat or on line piece might be a good way to stir up some sales of the movie

[Kajun]

besides these tv shows are there any on line mags we could post asking for an amber interview? an amber chat or on line piece might be a good way to stir up some sales of the movie

Interesting you would mention that.. The three part article Amber wrote for Sirens of Cinema has been republished exclusively on the Official LOVERS, LIARS AND LUNATICS website. There's also a few other little tidbits to check out on the site.

http://www.loversliarsandlunatics.com/synopsis.htm

and

http://www.loversliarsandlunatics.com/whatsnew.htm

Spread the word!!

[taralicious]

Speaking of spreading the word, I am plugging LL&L in my holiday letter that I send to friends and family.
Give the gift of Amberhol this year as it is the investment which returns tenfold the entertainment.

[Sn0wflak3]

From the Sirens article :"..and the sweet smell of barbeque pork wafting from the giant ten-gallon crock pot like appliance sitting on the kitchen counter."

I thought she was vegetarian? =/ ..or was she being sarcastic? Lol

(edit cuz i can't type, lol)

[Dana5140]

I am pretty sure she is not vegetation, though she might be vegetarian. As for the pork, it may be that this was the food she was providing the actors, right?

[erith]

From the Sirens article :"..and the sweet smell of barbeque pork wafting from the giant ten-gallon crock pot like appliance sitting on the kitchen counter."

Well speaking as a non-vegetarian anyone who can get within sniffing distance of cooking pork without their stomach churning is just evil. Yuck! Amber really is the Spawn of Satan.

[Knock yourself out]

I don't know if she's a veggie any more because I have certainly read relatively recently that she has been seen eating chicken.

But, as a vegetarian, I can find the smell of meat attractive even if I have zip desire to eat it - hmm, bacon...

[Alicepire]

Er yeah.. incase people read my post up there and got excited at the thought of a new amber interview in the paper they can get deexcited. It got cut cos it wasn't enough about TV and couldn't be made to be enough about current TV to make my boss happy. But fear not! I'm shopping it around elsewhere so it can get published even if I don't get cash. just as long as it can be read...

[helpfulinformationperhaps]

this movie site has given LLL some press!

http://www.the-numbers.com/interactive/ ... ewsID=2289

Name: Lovers, Liars, and Lunatics - Buy Direct
Description: Amber Benson's follow-up to Chance, which she also wrote, directed and starred in. It's a story of a highly dysfunctional family led by Paddy Rayne, who is cheating on his wife with his secretary, who is trying to steal from his appliance business, to which end she enlists the help of her brother and his not-so-bright girlfriend.
Pros: Amber Benson has learned a lot about her craft since Chance, although the film still retains the same personality.
Cons: Some people might not be as obsessed with Amber Benson as I am. In fact, I don't think that's medically possible.

[still waters run deep]

well, what can I say... this is turning into a 'waiting for Godot' scenario. It's now coming up to Christmas, and I'm of the opinion that I'm unlikely to see the DVD this side of then, over here in the UK..

and I keep getting emails urging me to go see the clips and buy the dvd... I have, I want to, but where is it?

[Alicepire]

Dad rang me today to tell me that it arrived at home today. Gah! I totally couldn't focus all day.. I can't wait til tomorrow night when I get to see it.

Could someone tell me if it's the sort of movie where you feel really uncomfortable if your mum and dad watch it with you? Cos that's the only way I can see it before saturday and there is a good chance I might die of curiosity between then and now...

[I'll_Always_Find_You]

Alisepire

Could someone tell me if it's the sort of movie where you feel really uncomfortable if your mum and dad watch it with you? Cos that's the only way I can see it before saturday and there is a good chance I might die of curiosity between then and now...

This movie has several sex scenes so you might want to hold off and watch it without them. Sorry but it is worth the wait.

[Alicepire]

damn. thanks for telling me :d

[JujuDeRoussie]

Hello !!!

I received it today... I'm really glad ^^
I 'll watch it tonight I think...

kisses

[Knock yourself out]

and I'm of the opinion that I'm unlikely to see the DVD this side of then, over here in the UK..

my copy turned up yesterday so fingers crossed that you'll be happy soon

[Alicepire]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA This is HILARIOUS! Amber's mind is screwed... but in a good way.

And holey chickens the behind the scenes thing is funny and sweet... and I didn't think it possible to love amber any more... but awwwwww... :wub:

[taralicious]

Alicepire,
Hey, glad you enjoyed all that LL&L had to offer.
Amber has really shone in her writing as she has layered double-crosses and triple crosses as the protagonists involved change their loyalties as often as Julian makes iced mochas.
She makes such a hapless burglar that you want to console her and want to massage her foot.

[still waters run deep]

hoorat mine arrived today

but my dvd player has died

so I'll have to watch it on the computer, which is'nt the same

[Alicepire]

bwahahahahahaha. there was a big movie marathon at my place this week and we all watched Chance and L,L&L along with a gagillion other movies. L,L&L was like one of the first movies we watched... Then for the rest of the week whenever it went quiet someone would yell out "IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!! WE DON'T HAVE BIG SPEAKERS!!!" which was then followed by much laughter... Amber Benson: creating classics.

[Tangetman]

I watched this film and nearly fell off my bed I was laughing so hard. Amber is SO adorable as a klutzy burgler... I can't help thinking 'mmm filtered....' every time I drink a glass of water! (If I'm not sputtering it out laughing). I knew Amber's sense of humor was zanny but I had no idea she was this wicked-devious. I cannot wait to see what she does next...