Chance

I bought this film based upon the facts that (a) I'm a huge Buffy/Angel fan (b) James Marsters fairly permanently occupies the wallpaper on my PC (c) I was heavily influenced by the other reviews here on IMDb (d) I think Amber Benson is a talented girl and I've followed other projects like The Ghosts of Albion (UK's BBC Online)

Anyway, I digress - is the film actually any good? I think so.

It's not perfect, maybe periodically a little contrived; at times I found myself wondering if Jay and Silent Bob might just appear from somewhere, as some of the characterisations aped early Kevin Smith a little too closely, although I wouldn't blame Amber for looking in that direction for inspiration, the guy is a great writer/director.

I found the principal characters of Chance and Simon likable and easy to relate to, it took me a while longer to feel comfortable with the idea and structure of some of the other characters. Maybe that was intentional, I don't know. It was fun to spot all the Buffy/Angel-related people out of context :) Amber certainly doesn't typecast...

Some of the writing was laugh-out-loud funny and quotable, and the acting was first-class in all departments. I find it hard to believe that Chance has not been able to find a distributor to date. This film, and Amber Benson, show a hell of a lot more talent than the average Hollywood offering, and coming across as a "small film" in terms of budget and production style, has all the hallmarks of a cult hit given the opportunity of more than a just few thousand getting to see it.

I wasn't disappointed in the $68 (£39) I spent getting the movie over from the US - you buy an Amber signed poster and 10x8" print and get the DVD for "free" - the system seems to work, Benson Entertainment were very efficient and I got the film in 2 weeks from start to finish - pretty impressive!

I wish Amber Benson every success in any further attempt to get Chance distributed properly, and any future productions - based on the projects she's done so far, she's got a real chance(sic) to be a big Hollywood player in the not-so-distant future.