…I’m free at last from the publicity tour. Many thanks to all the outlets (print, ‘net’, TV) who devoted space to our flick this week.

Onto the news…

Here’s a review round-up I received this morning, from papers across the country. Most folks work off the star rating system (*), but for those that don’t, it’s broken down to positive and negative.

For the curious…

Albany Gazette – Mixed to Positive
Arizona Daily Star – Positive
Atlanta Journal and Constitution – Grade B
Austin American Statesman – Positive
Baltimore Sun – *** (three stars)
Buffalo News – *** and a half
Boston Globe – Positive review (many thanks, Jay Carr)
Boston Herald – Mixed to negative
Chicago Sun Times – *** (many thanks, Roger)
Chicago Tribune – * and a half (lose my email address, Caro)
Chicago Newcity – Mixed to positive
Chicago Reader – Mixed to positive
Cincinnati Enquirer – ** and a half
Cinn City Beat – Grade C
Cleveland Sun – $$$$ (they use money signs, not stars)
Cleveland Call and Post – Positive
Dallas Morning News – Grade C
Dayton Daily News – Grade C
Detroit Oakland Press – ***
Detroit News – 3 Rose Review (roses instead of stars)
Detroit Free Press – *** (many thanks, Terry)
Hartford Courant – Positive
LA Daily News – *
LA Times – Mixed to negative
Las Vegas Weekly – Grade A- (we’re money in Vegas)
Miami Herald – ** (Rene – don’t tell me how much you dig the movie in the room and then give me two stars, man; that’s just callow)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Mixed to Positive
Minneapolis Star Tribune – *** and a half
Newark Star Ledger – Positive
New York Daily News – * and a half
New York Newsday – 0 stars (a career first!!!)
New York Post – ** and a half
New York Times – Mixed
St Paul Pioneer Press – **
Philly Inquirer – ** and a half
Pittsburgh Post Gazette – ***
Pittsburgh Tribune – * and a half
Phoenix Tribune – Positive
Phoenix New Times – Negative
Portland Oregonian – Positive
Portland Willamette Week – Positive
Portland Tribune – Positive
Portland Mercury – Positive
Portland Citysearch – **** (I’m moving to Portland, folks)
Richmond Times-Dispatch – ***
Rochester Freetime – Positive
Rolling Stone – Positive
Sacramento Bee – * and a half
San Diego North County Times – Grade C-
San Diego Reader – Negative
San Francisco Chronicle – Positive
San Francisco Examiner – *** and a half (and the reviewer’s name is Jeff Anderson, ironically enough)
Seattle Post Intelligencer – Grade C
Seattle Times – **
St Louis Post Dispatch – ***
St. Petersburg Times – Grade A-
Tampa Tribune – Positive
US Weekly – ***
USA Today – *** (God Bless Mike Clark)
Washington Post – Positive (from Desson Howe, and that’s all that matters)
Washington Times – *

There should be plenty more, but those are the ones I have handy.

Not bad, I say. Not bad at all. Even the reviews that aren’t kind point out that it’s a funny movie for somebody, if not them.

Well, except that one critic who wrote the review Ming linked below. Yipes – what an unhappy cuss.

I’ve gotta say, though – one of my favorite reviews was the 0 star Newsday review. Granted, it’s historic for us (our first!), but that’s not what does it for me. What does do it for me is the fact that it pointed out folks were applauding during the screening. Shit, that’s a classy admission for a critic who hated the movie.

Here at View Askew, even in defeat, we’re able to find a little victory.

So….

What the hell are you doing sitting here reading this? Get your ass to the nearest theater and go see ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back’! Again!

And pray to your respective gods for a sweet opening weekend.

Me? I’m looking for ten to fifteen mill.

I think we can do it.

And a closing thought: most of the reviews I read (especially the negative ones) point out that this movie is for folks who liked our other movies. And that sentiment is correct. I made this movie for you guys as much as I did for me – probably more for you, actually. Please enjoy the flick, with my humble thanks. You put us where we are today – and I’m so very grateful for that every moment of my blessed life.

And now that this flick’s out of my hair, let’s spend some quality time together, shall we? It’s been too long.

Ratface: Ok, well also in The Bluntcave you’ll see ‘The ROCKETEER’ jet pack is in there (next to the “Blunt saber”) – that’s the newest thing that’s in there, but some of the machines are older than that. There’s stuff from ‘BATMAN’ and things like that and all those labels, things Jay would say but in the ‘Batman”-style. In other scenes, there’s the diner in front of Vasquez Rocks called the “Arena Diner” from the ‘STAR TREK’ episode where Capt. Kirk fights the lizard monster; there’s things like, “Marshal Willenholly” from ‘LAND OF THE LOST’ and we decided to do “Sleestak” County, Utah on all the badges and police cars. There’s just things in every scene.

Kevin Smith on The Daily Show (08.23.01)
56k , 150k

Sam Rubin Talks About Kevin Getting Jenn on 97.1 FM KLSX (8.23.01)
Part 1 , Part 2

Kevin Smith on The Early Show (8.24.01)
56k , 150k

Countingdown.com – Kevin Smith Interview
Gray Haven Magazine – “Kevin Smith: The GrayHaven Interview”
The Arizona Republic – “Jay and Silent Bob take center stage in Smith’s Jersey farewell”
USA Today – “Kevin Smith Is Seldom Silent”
Russell Lissau (Comic Book Resources) – “KEVIN SMITH ‘STRIKES’ AGAIN”

Although Bluntman and Chronic are running late, the movie will be out this weekend, and if you look close, not only will you see my art, but even a special thanks from Kevin at the end. Very cool.

I’ve attached the inside of the J+Sb Soundtrack, which has some Blunt and Chronic art on it. I couldn’t fit it all, but here you go! Kevin also dropped my name there.