“Judge Not…In Defense Of Dogma” Review

THE PLAYERS Kevin Smith (Writer/Director) Scott Mosier (Producer) Ben Affleck (Actor) Matt Damon (Actor) Jason Mewes (Actor) Jason Lee (Actor) Chris Rock (Actor) Alan Rickman (Actor) Kenneth Stevenson (Author/Pastor)

When Kevin Smith started writing Dogma’s script in 1994, he had no idea that he and producer Scott Mosier would be fearing for their lives in 1999 when the film drew closer to release. That’s the basis for “Judge Not: In Defense Of Dogma”, a documentary filmed, edited, and intended (though never included) as part of the Dogma Special Edition DVD coming this June of 2001. Editor JM Kenny sat down to interview Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Alan Rickman, Jason Mewes, author/pastor Dr. Kenneth Stevenson, and the aforementioned Smith and Mosier where, for the first time, this cast and crew speaks candidly about their thoughts and feelings regarding the controversy and subsequent protests that took place as “Dogma” became a reality.

For the first time, “Judge” explores in-depth the personal thoughts and effects that the Dogma had on its producer, director, and stars. Stevenson is also featured throughout to present a first-hand, Catholic point of view on the film itself. While the issue of the film’s religious aspects has been brought up before, the 40-minute documentary presents detailed insights from cast members and puts Smith and Mosier in the spotlight with detailed explanations on the incredible trials and tribulations of bringing “Dogma” before the masses.

Smith attributes the origin of the protests back to the internet leak of an early draft of the film’s script, which appeared on sites such as Drew’s Script O’Rama and this very site, News Askew, before we became official (and at that point could no longer legally carry film scripts). The head of the Catholic League, William Dohohue, cited elements of the script which had yet been filmed, and many never included in the final cut, as reasons for his protest. Furthermore, his attacks persisted with reckless abandon before he or any of his fellow protestors had even seen the film. Smith brings up the fact that he’d have been more than willing to talk with Donohoe during this period, however, no attempt was ever made to contact him.

And for what, exactly, did they go through all of this torture? It’s widely known, especially among those who have seen the film, that it questions but also simply clarifies many of the Bible’s elements. Smith himself is quick to point out that several things which William Donohoe of the Catholic League chastised him for were actually stated in the Bible and only repeated or clarified in the film. These points were all items that could have been debated had Smith wanted to respond during the film’s upcoming release, however, he opted to take the other route and keep fairly mum on the subject, thus keeping the League’s publicity at a minimum.

Speaking of the League, the documentary itself has disassociated itself from the company originally planned to release the film, Miramax, a Disney-owned franchise. In an attempt to bring more attenton to their protests, the League used the Disney name in direct association with Dogma as their strongest fighting point. Therefore, Miramax opted to drop the film due to growing pressure; it was subsequently picked up by indie distributor Lions Gate. After this took place, Smith mentions the League had little to no reason to fight further, as the “Disney vs. Catolicism” debate point was their basis. In keeping with this trend, all references to Disney, Miramax, and their employees are BLEEPed out of the documentary (as was a condition for the DVD release). These could probably be legally restored at this point, alas, no unbleeped copies exist.

The piece shines at the start of its final third, where director Smith and producer Mosier speak at length regarding their feelings about the project. It’s revealed here for the first time that Dogma was NOT an extremely fun experience for either of them, and that, looking back, it wasn’t something they’d EVER want to try again. Mosier surprisingly offers that, going in, had he known what was to come, he’d likely have dropped (or never started) the project altogether. Smith had previously spoken of his fears when death threats began to arrive as the premiere in New York drew closer, but it’s especially interesting to hear that the protests and problems turned the production into a living nightmare at times, and that, looking back, Dogma came close to never being filmed.

The documentary will not see the light of day as part of the Special Edition DVD, which it was custom-tailored for. Current plans have the documentary set to arrive via the Internet, in an exclusive streaming version that will be made available to fans who visit the View Askew and News Askew websites. It’s nice that Smith was at least able to get the rights back, and even better than the growing internet fanbase will have a chance to hear and see these folks give THEIR side of the story, about which they remained relatively tight-lipped amidst the Catholic League’s vicious attacks.

So what’s all the fuss about? I’m not sure. It seems that someone wanted this thing stopped, but for what purpose is a bit confusing. Like all documentaries, “Judge” simply offers an honest account of the feelings and experiences surrounding the movie. It’s certainly not mean-spirited or biased. In fact, JM Kenny has edited together a tight piece that does well to capture the mood, allowing Smith and his talented cast and crew their final words on a topic that they spent much of 1999 (and before) wrestling with. While some behind the scenes footage along with actual film clips appear, it’s the interviews themselves that are in the spotlight here. Why those words turned into something that was prevented from release is a real shame. Everyone had their right to speak, and deserved to be heard.

Whether you’ve seen the film, heard of it, or are simply interested in learning more about the battle for free speech in cinema, “Judge” presents an open and honest discussion on the experience from the filmmaker’s point of view. This documentary is an important lesson not only in the trials and tribulations of filmmaking, but also in the importance of religious freedom and open-mindedness. If and when it becomes available, it’s highly recommended that you seek it out and give it a few minutes of your time. You’ll never walk away from watching Dogma in the same light again. At the very least, it will certainly having you thinking twice about writing any relgiously themed films yourself.

“A Better Place” Soundtrack Review

Front and Back Covers Inside Covers

01 – Eion Bailey – How Do We Fix It? 02 – Mikael Jorgensen – Walker Road 03 – Amazing Meet Project – Stupid Of Me 04 – DiPatri, Lynch, Llywellyn – The Priest and the Little Boy 05 – Love In Reverse – Life Is Fun 06 – Amazing Meet Project – Monkey Boy Slam (elements) 07 – Auto vs. Pedestrian – Asbury Park 08 – Auto vs. Pedestrian – Pariah 09 – The Stereo Mother-Fuckers – For What It’s Worth 10 – Andres Karu_Michael Ferentino – Dieyousonofawhore 11 – Amazing Meet Project – Monkey Boy Slam 12 – Auto vs. Pedestrian – Morobia 13 – Auto vs. Pedestrian – Whipporwill 14 – Michael Ferentino – Sea Monkey Do 15 – The Stereo Mother-Fuckers – Life In Outer Space 16 – DOG – POMP

All clips run about 15-20 seconds and are in MP3 format.
Need a MP3 player? Get one here!

Vincent Pereira’s “A Better Place”, the first of the spinoff films from Kevin Smith’s View Askew Productions, has become one of the most sought-after screenings in independent film as of late, especially amongst fans of View Askew. The film, written and directed by Pereira, a longtime friend of Smith’s since the days the two worked together in Leonardo’s Quick Stop convenience store (the inspiration for “Clerks”). While Smith’s films were designed as mainly comedic in nature, ABP departs from that almost completely, with a very serious, shocking, and personal suburban tale. Fans who have seen the film at festivals and screenings have been surprised and delighted, and anxious to view it all again. With a newly remastered version coming to home video, Gig Records have compiled an all-new soundtrack, containing remixed music tracks, original songs, and dialogue from the film itself.

The soundtrack opens with a very prolific and attention-grabbing quote from actor Eion Bailey, who plays Ryan in the film. From there, we bleed into “Walker Road”, a moody and instrumental Mikael Jorgansen composition that sets the tone for things to come. The Amazing Meet Project, who along with fellow Gig artist Auto Vs. Pedestrian, provide several new songs. The standout of these, “Stupid of Me”, captures the listener’s attention with a catchy, foot-tapping guitar riff, though the darker tones of the underlying lyrics again coincide well with the themes of “A Better Place”.

Much like other classic soundtracks, ABP’s layout has been carefully crafed to mesh dialogue, score, and original songs together to take the listener through the world of the film. Music tracks flow into one another, from Love In Reverse’s brooding “Life Is Fun” into a mellow acoustic guitar arrangement, finally followed by one of several uncredited dialogue clips. This method is used throughout the disc quite effectively. As a warning, though, some of the dialogue may be considered spoiler material for those of you who have yet to see the film, though nothing very major especially considering there’s not much of an exposition.

Delving further into the disc, Auto Vs. Pedestrain’s “Asbury Park” and “Pariah”, for example, are memorable tracks, reminiscent of early score work done in the films of Dario Argento (Goblin) or David Lynch (Angelo Badalamenti) that stimulate the senses and bring memorable moments and moods from the film to mind. Following these quiet moments, things briefly kick into a heavier mode with a synthesized, off tempo tune from the Stereo Mother-Fuckers. Pereira himself has stated that the film’s sound remix was very Lynchian and it shows, particularly in the haunting “Dieyousonofawhore” and the eerie “Whipporwill”. It’s the melding of words, atmospheric score, and dialogue that give the soundtrack its distinct personality. Things end with “Pomp”, an interesting 3 minute mix of dialogue and music from the film.

This is a very impressive achievement for a film that deserved a theatrical release, where it certainly could have fared quite well. The original soundtrack to “A Better Place”, from Gig Records (www.gigrecords.com), contains 16 tracks of original songs, score, and film dialogue. It’s available for direct purchase from Jay & Silent Bob’s Secret Stash for $16 (signed by Vincent Pereira) or via e-mail through Gig Records (orders@gigrecords.com) for $15.00.

THE NEW STROKE 9 SINGLE:

“KICK SOME ASS” is the first single off our new album, the self-titled STROKE 9. There is a long story about where we got the title, but I won’t get into it now. Anyway, the song will be released to radio on JULY 3, just in time to celebrate the ass-kicking we gave the British. So if you are working the summer day-job action, feel free to call and harass your local radio station to play a little Stroke 9. If you don’t know the phone number, click over to stroke9.com and use our nifty radio request line finder. We’ve heard that some stations are playing it early, so get in.

The song is also the first single from the new Kevin Smith movie JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK. Kevin Smith is the dude who made Dogma, Chasing Amy, Clerks, and Mallrats, which is one of the damn funniest movies of all time and Jason Lee’s best performance. The song is featured in the new movie and will be on the soundtrack. J.A.S.B.S.B. comes out at the end of August. Lines are forming now.

Kevin made another radio appearance this morning, this time on DC101 (101.1FM Washington DC) during the Elliott in the Morning show. The interview was a quick six minutes over the phone to promote the new flick. Based on a few remarks, it seemed like he was still in LA at the time. Kevin said that the folks at Miramax passed him a note telling him to go on the radio and talk about the flick, which explains the sudden rush of radio appearances. He talked about how Ben Affleck was returning in a few short but important scenes, which led to an explanation of his involvement in the production of Good Will Hunting. He also said that the runtime on the new flick was 102 minutes, and that Fletch Won would be the next View Askew project. There was also mention of how talent new to Kevin as a director called his set the most ‘laid back’ they had ever seen. During the final plug, Kevin mentioned something that is either a major spoiler or just a joke: He said that Jay and Silent Bob die horribly at the end of the flick.

“Best clueless/loser/aimless duo (of the last ten years)?”.