Better Things: The Life and Choices of Jeffrey Catherine Jones

I bought this dvd with certain amount of pause-- See one of my favorite art books is The Studio(which I've owned for over 30 years and had the good luck to have autographed by all four artists--Jeffrey Catherine Jones was somewhat of an enigma in that as great of artist she was there was not alot of personal information out there about her-I had just bought The Art Of Jeffrey Jones and saw this dvd (and the price was right) so I fihured why not-- I watched it and I can give it a very strong recomendation -It moves right along and features interviews with most of the people you'd want to hear from(Loise Jones Simonson, Juliana(their daughter),Michael Kaluta, Bernie Wrightson and a lot of other premier artists-Mignola,Sienkiewicz,Chiarello Guay,McKean, and Moebuis as well as others offer their insights. If you are a fan of,or just wanted to know more about Jeffrey Catherine Jones then this dvd is a great thing to watch(if not own)--

As a warts and all biography of an artist this fits the bill. The production values are decent and the editing was very well done. The problem is the film required a bigger budget and wider net. We get to see what the artist endured and created but it feels like there is a lot more to Jeffrey's story (I personally know more went on, at least from conversations with artists and friends close to him).However, none of this lacking content will affect those who knew little or nothing about the artist and the insights raised here will hopefully appeal to anyone looking for this information in an effort to better understand the person (man or woman depending on how accepting the viewer may be of Jeffrey's embracing of his feminine side). For those who knew Jones this is should more than satisfy their understanding of artist's trials and passions.All in all, this is a worthy tribute to the life of the artist, Jeffrey Catherine Jones.

I have 2 of his collected works and with this documentary which I had been waiting for for some time it completes a more concise idea of the artist. A unique figure and wonderful artist. An influential artist who I think will never get the praise the artist deserves. A sad idea, but the end path of many artists.

Jeffrey Catherine Jones left an amazing legacy, artistic creations that continue to enrich our world. And now filmmaker Mara Paz Cabardo's sensitive documentary brings into focus the unique soul that lived too short a time.

I bought this film as she is my favorite artist of the genre and in that ... I left it with feeling flat. Even in the documentary about Waterson who is not actually in the documentary ... it feels full and rounded. As ones who come into the same with Jones ... and she being in the film ... It felt ... like rain. I will watch it again. I feel disappointment in it. Perhaps, it was in how it ended ... it felt separated and . ... a critique of her choices and that bringing about her death. Sometimes grief ... loss ... comes out sideways. She was and is ... a flawed and beautiful human. Like all of us.

How can this documentary acknowledge the fact that the artist was transgender and still call her "he/him?" Just because she did not choose to come out and live as a woman until a much later ager in life does not mean you can ignore that coming out. Completely disrespectful.

As a fan, I very much enjoyed this documentary. I do wish they had had a better budget. Apologies for my short review. RIP Jeffrey Catherine Jones

Jones was and always will be a great artist to me. I've been an admirer since high school 19 years ago. I really enjoyed this documentary and highly recommend it.

Better Things: The Life and Choices of Jeffrey Catherine Jones — is an artistic documentary with a point of view — much more holistic than the Painting with Fire Frank Frazetta documentary.

I have been a huge fan of Jeff Jones since I first discovered his work in 'The Studio', which I received for my 18th birthday in 1980. Its influence on me and my appreciation of art was profound.One thing that always fascinated me about Jones was his fascination with and command of the female form and the anguish and sexual ambiguity expressed in his artwork. So it was no real surprise to me when I learnt about his sex change.All these fascinating aspects of the life of Jeffrey Catherine Jones are delved into in this touching and wonderful portrait; the artwork and the struggle for sexual identity. It makes compelling viewing and I found Jones' candour courageous and moving.The director/writer is to be highly commended for striking such a delicate balance between the documentary's two main themes; Jones' career and his quest to reconcile his sexuality and gender issues.The movie is a visual feast; lovingly, lavishly spotlighting a selection of Jones' enormous body of work; clearly showing his mastery, versatility and sensitivity as an artist. The artwork is lush and vibrant, this in stark contrast to Jones' understated but unvarnished descriptions of his struggle with his inner demons, artistic vision, gender issues, death and alcoholism. Jones has experienced the highs and lows of life and this is all expressed in his words and pictures.Jones complicated relationship with Vaughn Bode was particularly fascinating, and warrants a documentary of its own. I also love the anecdotes about the Studio and it was wonderful seeing two of my all-time artistic heroes; Berni Wrightson and Mike Kaluta getting so much screen time. Wrightson was more verbose and garrulous than I had expected and Kaluta more curmudgeonly with an infectious twinkle in his eyes. A pity Barry Smith (apparently) declined to comment. I was also very moved by Louise Simonson's honesty. It must've been very hard for her to discuss her complex relationship with Jones. Vaughn Bode's son, Mark, also added a certain emotional frisson to the film. The music perfectly complimented the narrative, underscoring the sentiments at play, and enhancing the visuals.My only quibble is the inclusion of some of the interviewees like Will Simpson, Paul Pope (as eloquent as he was), Mark Carbonaro, Roger Dean and other names that escape me. Some of them seemed gratuitous and superfluous and it wasn't immediately obvious what their connection to Jones was or in what capacity they were speaking. I would've much preferred to hear more from the aforementioned Wrightson and Kaluta, as well as the mellifluous Neil Gaiman, Bill Sienkiewicz and Mike Mignola, whose credentials for talking about Jones are abundantly clear. It also might've been nice to hear from people like Jon Jay Muth, George Pratt and Kent Williams because of the clear influence Jones had on them as artists.Playing time is a mere 82 minutes and it never drags for a second. Needless to say, it could've run at least another 38 minutes.It would also have been nice if they could've included an extra feature focussed solely on the artwork with musical accompaniment.