It’s Baylor, McNeil, Granville and Calloway:

Rudy BAYLOR … (Matt in ‘The Rainmaker’)
Holden MCNEIL … (Duh)
C.T. GRANVILLE … (Ben in ‘The Voyage of the Mimi’)
Cotton CALLOWAY … (Matt in ‘The Good Old boys’)

MEETUPs are informal, local, face-to-face gatherings where Kevin Smith junkies of all types can MEETUP and discuss all-things-Askew!

All MEETUPs are FREE and are happening in over 500 cities WORLDWIDE!

We’ve tried to make it easy by picking some good MEETUP spots for this event, including local restaurants, book stores, and coffee shops.

Check out the Kevin Smith MEETUP page here: http://kevinsmith.meetup.com

It would be great if you could notify as many folks as possible via email.

And… If you have the power to put a link on your site, check out these excellent links: http://kevinsmith.meetup.com/link.jsp — We WILL reciprocate!

Let’s spread the word! Power in numbers!

Questions, ideas or comments?

Please drop me a line – Really, I do want to hear from you: Myles Weissleder

Kevin Smith’s hetero-lifemates are available in 3-D form in the new Jay and the Silent Bob Cold-Cast Statues. Sculpted by Clete Shields, these are the first two in what will be an ongoing series featuring the colorful characters from Smith’s View Askewniverse. Based on sculpts originally commissioned by Smith, these incredibly detailed caricature each stand roughly 11” tall and are painted with a faux-bronze finish. Jay and Silent Bob have never looked better!!

Future statues will include Rufus, Brodie, Loki & Bartleby…and other characters from Kevin’s flicks. Each statue is limited to an edition size of just 1000 each and are packaged in a full-color protective box. Supplies are limited and are subject to allocation based on orders received. PLEASE NOTE that the Jay and Silent Bob statues are sold separately and are two different products. Scheduled to ship November 2002 (CAUT: 4).

$145 each.

MEMORABILIA #6 — This issue comes with two free comics, plus an exclusive Previews variant cover! Whatever you¹re into, you¹ll find pages of authoritative features, chats with the experts and colorful price guides, as well a whole bunch of crazy stuff. This issue we¹ve got comics coming out of our ears; including the top 30 rarest comics ever, and icon Kevin Smith with all his comic know-how. (Titan) (CAUT: 4)

“…From the get-go, Lucas captures my limited imagination with one simple proposition. Darth Vader was once a teenager. How pedestrian,yet how profound! Evil’s gotta start somewhere, right? Why not show why Johnny can’t read – or in this case, can’t play well with others, and insists on using the Force to choke underlings who don’t live up to his expectations? From the hit-or-miss origin of Phantom Menace’s take on baby Anakin as the galactic Hitler in short pants, Clones ups the ante by presenting us with the heart of darkness right where everyone’s always known it lies: in the passions of a volatile high schooler.

Right off the bat, Anakin is portrayed as a kid who thinks he knows more than he does, and insists on proving to everybody that he’s as good as them, if not better. I went to high school with his guy. Granted, he didn’t grow up to carbon-freeze anybody (in truth, I believe he works at a Shell station now), but had he been given a lightsaber and taught how to pull the Jedi Mind Trick on folks, he might’ve.

In Clones, Anakin is a twelfth grader with a license and parents who want him home by eight: he’s a disaster waiting to happen. Who else but a tortured teen leaps out of a sky-speeder to capture a bounty hunter who’s talked smack about his girl (or, in the case of Clones, set loose killer centipedes in her bedroom)? With little-to-no concern for his own well-being, based largely on his assumption that he’s immortal (that worst of teenage attributes), young Skywalker forces Zam Wessel’s craft (how sad is it that I’m 31 and I know the name of a character who’s never really identified and appears only fleetingly in the film?) to crash-land in a densely populated city, and then pursues her (it) into a bar only to watch his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, make the final collar. And how does the Force-ful whelp wrap it all up with the wide-eyed cantina bystanders? He tosses them a condescending “This is Jedi business.” The balls on this kid! …

There’s something bittersweet about the fall of Darth Vader now, that hadn’t existed before Clones: had his mother simply died of old age, the guy might never have developed that extreme case of asthma he seems to suffer from in Star Wars, Empire, and Return of the Jedi.

Which leads to the most haunting moment of Clones for me: when Anakin breaks down to his puppy love, Amidala, and confesses that he butchered that no-good bunch of sand-eating bandage wearers with his hi-tech Zippo. This scene really resonated with me, because Amidala wears this expression that very quietly says “Holy Christ I’m in love with a human time-bomb.” The sad, hopeless look on her face upon learning of his murder spree brought to mind that moment in Jedi when Luke asked Leia if she rememered what her (and his) mother was like. Leia (in what may be Carrie Fisher’s finest hour in the original trilogy) reminisced that her mother always seemed sad. Here, nearly 20 years later, we get to see what Leia was talking about.

And that’s what worked best for me about the Anakin arc in Clones: the doomed love affair of Anakin and Amidala. Most of the critics dismissed this as the flick’s most ham-fistedly handled aspect, but I thought it played out tragically and beautifully. High marks to both Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman, because I completely bought their relationship. He wants her desperately without really even know! ing why, as do all teenage boys when they find who they assume is their one-true in high school. And even though she knows this guy is poison, she can’t help but fall for him – the little slave-boy that grew up to be a conflicted, impetuous hat tank who insists everyone’s giving him a raw deal. In high school, the really hot chicks always went for the massive ****-ups, and eventually wound up married to them. But this marriage doesn’t end in small town affiars and divorce; this marriage ends with the girl scattering her kids across the galaxy to save them from their father, who by that point is more machine than man.”

`Project Greenlight,’ `Stolen Summer’ — Incredible Four-Disc Box Set With Over Six Hours of Bonus Material; `Stolen Summer’ Also Available as Single DVD/VHS

HBO(R) Hit Series Featuring Star Talents Matt Damon and Ben Affleck — Includes the Unveiling of the STOLEN SUMMERFeature Film Starring Aidan Quinn, Bonnie Hunt and More

Miramax Home Entertainment presents PROJECT GREENLIGHT, the incredible real-life HBO(R) hit series on the highs and lows of filmmaking, paired together with the unveiling of the project’s moving feature film, on a four-disc DVD. You’ve seen the back-stabbing, now see the final cut! PROJECT GREENLIGHT features every episode of the hit HBO series that enthralled millions of viewers, plus over six hours of bonus programming.

STOLEN SUMMER is also available separately on DVD and is >available as a VHS rental title.

Both the PROJECT GREENLIGHT DVD set ($69.99 S.R.P.) and individual STOLEN SUMMER DVD ($29.99 S.R.P.) and VHS (rental) are available on September 24, 2002.

About the PROJECT GREENLIGHT Box Set

This special four-disc PROJECT GREENLIGHT DVD set includes the entire HBO series, the feature film STOLEN SUMMER and a fascinating array of bonus features, including audio commentaries, deleted scenes, bonus filmmaking programs and much more. With superstars (and Oscar(R)-winning screenwriters (see note)) Matt Damon (”The Bourne Identity”) and Ben Affleck (”The Sum Of All Fears”) on board with Chris Moore as producers, PROJECT GREENLIGHT follows the riveting and ultimately rewarding real-life adventures of a first-time film director.

STOLEN SUMMER, the film initiated by the “Project Greenlight” contest, features a line-up of star talent including Aidan Quinn (”Legends of the Fall”), Kevin Pollak (”Grumpy Old Men”), Brian Dennehy (”A Season On The Brink”), Bonnie Hunt (”Jerry Maguire”), Eddie Kaye Thomas (”American Pie,” “American Pie 2”) and Adi Stein.

PROJECT GREENLIGHT/STOLEN SUMMER
BONUS DVD FEATURES

DISC ONE:
– STOLEN SUMMER feature film
– Audio commentary
– Theatrical trailer
– Two deleted scenes
– Director Pete Jones’ “Project Greenlight” scene vs. final film
– Jump-to-scene feature (compare selected scenes from PROJECT GREENLIGHT during STOLEN SUMMER, via a special icon)

DISC TWO:

PROJECT GREENLIGHT episodes:
– The Contest, Part One
– The Contest, Part Two
– The Dilemma of Experience
– Don’t Be Alarmed By This Memo
– The Crunch of Time
– Execution of the Day

DISC THREE:

PROJECT GREENLIGHT episodes:
— A Nice Fertile Ground
— No Guarantees
— Self-Survival Issues
— Biagi’s Basket
— Tragic Hour
— 51/49

DISC FOUR:

– Notable filmmaker videos (ten segments)
– Top 10 filmmaker videos
– Top 10 “where are they now” videos
– Top 10 three-minute scripted scenes (ten segments)
– Producer Chris Moore’s challenge
– “How To Imitate Chris Moore” by Ben Affleck
– Top 25 Chris Moore imitations

– The PROJECT GREENLIGHT Experience:
— The Press Junket — How to make the public aware
— Crew Profiles — Assemble your crew
— Assistant Director (A.D.)
— 2nd A.D.
— Director of Photography
— Editor
— Gaffer
— Best Boy
— Production Designer
— Hair
— Fix It In Post — Matt Damon gives director Pete Jones notes
— Find A Mentor — director Kevin Smith (”Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”) talks with Pete Jones
— Take Your Film On The Festival Circuit — Sundance
— Never Forget The Little People — Ice Cream
— Remember: Someone Is Always Watching

— “Project Redlight” — spoof

About PROJECT GREENLIGHT

“Project Greenlight” began as an online screenplay competition co-sponsored by Miramax Films, HBO and LivePlanet. From its launch in the fall of 2000, Projectgreenlight.com garnered an overwhelming response, creating an online “virtual” community for aspiring writers.

“We really wanted to do something to give people a chance,” Chris Moore, PROJECT GREENLIGHT and STOLEN SUMMER co-producer, says of the philosophy behind the competition. “Project Greenlight” sought to democratize the often fickle, elusive movie industry.

“You don’t have to know anybody. You don’t have to be anybody’s brother. It’s completely on the merits of your work,” adds co-producer Ben Affleck.

The contest was absolutely unprecedented and undeniably successful. Members of the “Project Greenlight” community were the first to critique submitted screenplays, narrowing the group to a selection of 250 finalists. A team of Miramax executives, along with Moore, Affleck and co-producer Matt Damon, had the difficult task of further reducing the pack (though the exposure of the contest provided several of the finalists with work) until Pete Jones’ touching tale of faith and friendship emerged the winner.

Jones was awarded the opportunity of a lifetime. Miramax, along with producers Moore, Affleck and Damon, would make his movie with a guaranteed budget of $1 million.

The entire process was recorded — a candid look at Hollywood and the pressures placed on a first-time director as he >navigates the filmmaking journey.

About STOLEN SUMMER

STOLEN SUMMER began as the winning entry in a nationwide scriptwriting contest, “Project Greenlight,” and became the first film directed by the contest winner, Chicago native Pete Jones. Produced by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Chris Moore, STOLEN SUMMER is the touching tale about life, families and the extraordinary power of a child’s faith.

In STOLEN SUMMER, Pete O’Malley (Adi Stein) and Danny Jacobsen (Mike Weinberg) are two friends on a quest to change the world at age 8. Most third graders spend their summers playing baseball and hanging out at the pool. But when Pete’s Catholic school teacher warns him to clean up his rambunctious act or risk the wrath of his maker, he decides to embark on a divine mission to do good in his Chicago community, proving his worthiness to enter heaven. His unlikely partner is Danny, a 7-year-old Jewish boy. In one unforgettable summer, these two boys are about to embark on an adventure that will teach them, and everyone around them, the true meaning of hope and friendship.

STOLEN SUMMER
(INDIVIDUAL DVD)
BONUS DVD FEATURES

— Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Pete Jones, Producer Chris Moore and Co-Producer Jeff Balis
— Theatrical trailer
– Deleted Scenes (with commentary)
— Baseball Game
— Uncle Jim’s Wake
— Watch the “Greenlight” episode about filming the baseball game
— Writer/Director Pete Jones’ “Project Greenlight” scene vs. final film
– Jump-to-scene feature (compare selected scenes from “Project Greenlight” during STOLEN SUMMER, via a special icon)
— Filming Aidan Quinn and Adi Stein
— El Train Scene
— Fire Sequence

PROJECT GREENLIGHT/STOLEN SUMMER FACTS

PROJECT GREENLIGHT/STOLEN SUMMER 4-DISC DVD

Street date: September 24, 2002
Suggested retail price: $69.99 (DVD)
DVD direct prebook: July 30, 2002
DVD distributor prebook: August 13, 2002

PROJECT GREENLIGHT

DVD aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Sound: 2.0 Surround
Unrated Bonus material unrated and subject to change.

STOLEN SUMMER

DVD aspect ratio: 1.85:1, enhanced for 16×9 screens
Sound: 5.1 Dolby(R) Digital
Rated: “PG” for Thematic Elements and Language
Run time: Approximately 92 minutes

STOLEN SUMMER (Individual DVD and VHS)

Street date (DVD & VHS): September 24, 2002
Suggested retail price: $29.99 (DVD)
DVD direct prebook: July 30, 2002
DVD distributor prebook: August 13, 2002
VHS prebook: August 13, 2002
DVD aspect ratio: 1.85:1, enhanced for 16×9 screens
Sound: 5.1 Dolby(R) Digital
Rated: “PG” for Thematic Elements and Language
Run time: Approximately 92 minutes

Trailer park

Any list of bookmarks is incomplete without the wonderful Internet Movie Database (IMDb), now owned by Amazon. Sky Movies is unlikely to match that, but says its aim is to become “the best movie website in the UK”. (I suppose we now think IMDb is American, though it first hit the web from Cardiff University). Sky Movies’ main attraction seems to be the huge collection of trailers, including three for Minority Report. Then again, I think I’d rather read Movie Poop Shoot.

KEVIN SMITH CHANGES STRACZYNSKI’S PLANS

Joe Michael Straczynski writes on the Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.

“I have a three-pronged deal: stories with established characters in the Marvel Universe, reviving dormant characters in the MU as well as creating new characters there, and creating wholly new characters in a non-MU situation allowing me to do pretty much anything I want.”

“Well, that’s not absolutely accurate…when Kevin Smith came on board, he asked to be given dibs on bringing MJ and Peter together again, if and when that decision should be made. So in terms of that aspect, all I can do is kind of play around the edges a bit, the ball is well and truly in Kevin’s court, he’s the only one who can resolve and bring them together if that is the way Marvel wants to go.”

“I was gonna bring ‘em together again shortly, because it was my intent to get them apart only for a while, but at this point it’ll be an if/when situation between Marvel and Kevin.”

Straczynski clarified this further in email, saying “What a lot of people seem not to understand, or have chosen to understand, is that I said, from the git-go, that I only wanted to clear the decks of all the supporting characters *for a while* so that I could focus solely on who Peter was, with the goal of gradually working them all back in again once I’d tidied up the place a bit. Which is why all these “JMS hates MJ and wants her gone forever” posts always puzzled me, since I’d never said that, and had, in fact, in my public posts (searchable on any of a number of databases) said exactly what I said above, that it was meant to be a temporary situation.”

So is this long-awaited get-together happening in “Black Cat?” Or Kevin Smith’s other Spider-Man plans?

Title: Stolen Summer
Synopsis: Set in 1976 Chicago, STOLEN SUMMER is the story of a young Catholic boy, Pete O’Malley, who goes on a quest to help a dying Jewish boy, Danny Jacobsen, get into heaven. Aidan Quinn and Kevin Pollak serve as the conflicting family’s patriarchs, each with their own keen sense of right and wrong.
MPAA Rating: PG
DVD SRP: 29.99
DVD MAP: 19.95
DVD Special Features: Audio Commentary for feature
Theatrical Trailer
2 Deleted Scenes
Pete Jones’ Project Greenlight
Scene vs. Final Film
Jump to scene feature
DVD Specs: 1.85:1 for 16 x 9
5.1 Surround

Oddly enough, Jersey itself wasn’t really an option, based on how cost-prohibitive it would’ve been to shoot in Highlands (the shore town our new flick is largely set in). Highlands, unfortunately, falls outside the sixty mile radius of the “Zone” – a nebulous union parameter outside of which the show is forced to put up and pay per diem to every crew member who has to travel to set. Ultimately, this adds to the budget, and we can’t afford to spend the money there, as whatever green isn’t being spent on the de riguer coke and whores has to be allocated for making Philly and the surrounding areas look more like New Jersey.

By basing the production in Philly, we can take advantage of the wonderful crew base that’s been growing here, courtesy of M. Night Multi-Syllabic-Last-Name (the SIXTH SENSE guy), who, apparently, refuses to shoot anywhere but the Philadelphia area, and has made the Powers That Be enough bank to stand by the courage of his convictions. When a brother’s never made a flick that’s broken the thirty-million dollar glass ceiling, he doesn’t get to stomp his feet and say “We’re shooting the whole fucking movie in the real Highlands.” Well, he can, but he’ll wind up basing out of Philly anyway. Money talks, and motherfuckin’ Silent Bob walks.

Another beneficial aspect of Philly over Toronto is that we can simply cross the Ben Franklin bridge and actually shoot in the damn state the flick’s named for. The nearby town of Paulsboro will be playing the role of Highlands for most of the show, when Highlands isn’t able to play itself. For the purists (namely me), however, we’ve scheduled a few days of shooting in the real Highlands, as well as a few days in Manhattan – the city that also plays a crucial role in the flick.

But I’m not gonna lie: the biggest advantage to shooting in Philly is the Cheese Steaks. The whole fucking flick can go straight-to-video for all I care, so long as I get to chow down on Cheese Steaks for the next few months.