Archive for August, 2006

Q&A With Kevin!

August 15th @ 9:27 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Brad & Chris

  • Kevin’s staying mostly at home these days after a ton of Clerks II press, and with that comes some nice Q&A online from Kevin himself. Sometimes responses are silly, especially when the questions happen to be silly, but today we’re happy to report that Kevin gives some nice scoop and answers on a variety of topics. Let’s run down some of them, shall we?
  • On Clerks II DVD Train Wrecks: “On the “Clerks II” DVD, we’ll include what we’re calling the “Top Ten” Best Wrecks. That’s it. However, depending on where you purchase “Clerks II”, there will be a bonus disc available with a shitload of other Wrecks. From what I’m told, that’s gonna be an exclusive with either Circuit City, Frye or Best Buy outlets.”
  • Status of the Clerks Animated Movie: “It doesn’t go at all. Haven’t started that yet. But when I do, rest assured, Bear will pop in.”
  • On the Jackson Five’s ABC: “I’ve just always dug that song, and waaaaaaay back in ‘99, when I was thinking of the original incarnation of “Clerks II”, that song (and the dance number that accompanies it) was always gonna be a part of the flick.

    Oddly, back then, it was Randal who was gonna be learning to dance/falling in love atop a roof at the Seaside Heights boardwalk, with all those dancers treading the boards below. The dance partner/love interest I had in mind for him?

    Alanis.”

  • On the Horror Flick Script: “I’ll start writing it once I’m done with the Edinburgh/Oz press tours, after we’ve put the DVD to bed. Shooting it? Maybe early next year.”
  • On Influences For the Horror Flick: “Favorite? Probably “The Shining” or “Halloween”. The biggest influence on me as I set out to make one? “Race with the Devil”.
  • On a Green Arrow film: “If it’s written well, acted well and directed well, it can rock. I do think there’ll be a Green Arrow flick one day. Were I to write it (which I’ve got zero interest in doing, mind you), I’d put him in the classic costume, though – as ridiculous as it may look on film.”
  • On A UK Press Trip: “I was scheduled to leave for the UK this evening to do a Thursday press day in London prior to heading to Edinburgh, but had to change plans, as Harley was having a meltdown about me and Jen heading out on the road again (we’re now thinking of bringing her on the Australian leg of the tour). All this flick-related travel has been tough on her. I mean, she’s seven.

    So as it stands, all the UK press I’ll be doing for “Clerks II” (aside from the Empire interview I’ve already done during the LA junket day) will be in Edinburgh. If UK journos can’t make it to the fest, I imagine there’ll be some phoners in my future.

    Then again, the flick doesn’t open there ’til late September, yes? So maybe I’ll be invited back closer to the theatrical release, at which point I can do a bunch of London-based press.”

So there ya have it, folks. Looks like we may get our horror on sometime in 2007! We’ll keep you informed on this and any other breaking news! Feel free to check out the full post for a few other words from the man HERE.

We Got Kevin & Roeper Right Here!

August 15th @ 9:27 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Brad & Chris

  • YouTube’s got a new 10 minute limit on clippage, sadly, so we have to bring this one to you in four chunks — Here’s the complete “At the Movies” appearance from this past weekend with Richard Roeper and our very own Kevin Smith. Watch Kevin take the reins of the program very deftly as he gives his honest opinion of the latest crop of flicks hitting theaters near you. Here’s hoping that he might be invited back after this wonderful showing. Enjoy it via our News Askew YouTube channel!

Part One (7:16)
Part Two (4:07)
Part Three (7:16)
Part Four (1:58)

View Askew NewsBites™

August 15th @ 9:27 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Seth Horvath, Greg Trawinski, Kevin Armont, E.Christopher, Chris Hayes, Varun C, Donald Goodrum

  • Check out THIS clip of some Kevin Q&A footage taken at the big Rolling Roadshow event earlier this week. This is around a 10 minute edited segment of select moments from the event. Enjoy!
  • The rock band “Supernova”, famous for contributing the song “Chewbacca” from Clerks, continues their lawsuit against the forthcoming band, also trying to use that same name, currently running that summer “Rock Star” reality show. Billboard has details. So does CNN.
  • Henry Rollins mentions Kevin in the Dispatches section of website http://www.henryrollins.com. Here’s an excerpt from the July 5th, 2006 entry:
“…I interviewed Kevin Smith of Clerks fame. Good guy, good interview. I watched Clerks II on Monday and thought it was pretty cool. I really like Jason Mewes. I was in a film with him a couple of years ago and hung out with him some, hes got a lot of energy that boy. I think he stole Clerks II and Rosario Dawson was really great as well.”
  • We really dig the 3D animated Brodie video. Maybe these guys can get some work and do the Clerks Animated Movie in this technology? Could be interesting…
  • The producer of a new low budget film called “Looking for Garth Brooks” was so inspired by Kevin that he’s including the Buddy Christ in several scenes of the flick. Check out his production news page for a nice shout-out to Kevin, as well.
  • And finally today, a very happy birthday to faithful Askewer Ben Affleck!

Welcome To Video Sunday!

August 13th @ 7:24 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Brad & Chris

  • Lots of news today involves new video clips for your enjoyment, or the realm of home viewing in general — So welcome to News Askew’s “Video Sunday” update! Read on for your chance to check out tons of multimedia today, many of which we’re hosting exclusively on our News Askew YouTube channel. Thanks for coming by. Let’s get started.

Kevin Smith On Henry Rollins: Clippage!

August 13th @ 7:24 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Brad & Chris

  • We realize many of you may not have IFC, so we’re happy to present a two-part clip of Kevin on The Henry Rollins show on that very channel. The interview runs around 12 minutes total, and is totally uncensored. Enjoy the clips ahead via our News Askew YouTube channel:

Part One (5:48)

Part Two (5:56)

Kevin & Roeper: Airing This Weekend!

August 13th @ 7:23 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Brad & Chris

  • Kevin’s stint on “At The Movies” is airing in markets across the country this weekend – Check your local listings for a place and time to catch it. We’re working on clippage as well, but want to give the show its time to air on TV before we run it here. In the meantime, check out two clips that have been airing to promote the show just ahead:

Commercial #1 (0:15)

Commercial #2 (0:30)

Movies Askew Film Fest 2006: Get Your Tix Now!

August 13th @ 7:23 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Ming

  • Thousands of entires. Twelve finalists. ONE WINNER. On September 6th, 2006 at 6:00 PM, Kevin will appear in Hollywood, along with special guests, to screen and judge the finalists from our yearlong Movies Askew costume. Want to be there? Got $20? Read on:
For an entire year, Movies Askew and Kevin Smith embarked on a yearlong quest to find the best short films in the world.

That yearlong search has now ended. Thousands of entries were submitted and 12 shorts were chosen as finalists. On September 6th, 2006 those 12 shorts will be shown at the 2006 Movies Askew Film Festival with a panel of celebrity judges will choose a grand prize winner. Join Kevin Smith and the filmmakers who participated in the Movies Askew shorts contest at Cinespace in Hollywood, California.

The 12 finalists:

Chingaso The Clown!
Soplipsist
Perils in Nude Modeling
Raymond the six fingered boy
Robin’s Big Date
Whistling Dixie
Parallel Parallel
Someone to love
Earls Your Uncle
Up Syndrome
R.U.U.
Rio Peligroso : “A Day in the life of a Legendary Coyote”

Watch the Movies Askew 12 Film round up!

The Details:
Date: Wednesday, September 6, 2006

Time: 6:00pm – Midnight

Location:

Cinespace
6356 Hollywood Blvd (corner of Hollywood and Ivar)
Second Level
Hollywood, CA 90028
323.817.FILM

http://cinespace.info

Parking:

Valet parking $8
available on Cosmo St. (Between Cahuenga & Ivar street)
Self parking
Lots and street parking are available on Cahuenga, Ivar and Vine Street

Tickets:

Tickets to this event are extremely limited.

$20.00 online/$25.00 at the door (if there are any left.)

Purchase online tickets here: http://WWW.MOVIESaskew.com/filmfest

We expect these to sell out FAST. So, if you want to be there, BUY THEM NOW. Congrats and best of luck to all of the Movies Askew finalists!

View Askew NewsBites™

August 13th @ 7:22 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Patrick Mirza, Stu Goodwin, Jan van Immerseel, Peter Cammarata, Brian Caylor, Kevin Armont, Blake Davis, Seth Horvath

  • More video-related news: The Clerks II trailer promoting the upcoming DVD release appears on the Scary Movie 4 DVD, which hits stores this Tuesday. A good trailer, though the “Goodbye Horses” music during Jay’s dance has been removed — We expect just the rights for distribution of that tune will be reserved for the disc itself (not anciallary discs).
  • Two international Clerks II release dates to confirm for you today — First up, Pathé Movietheaters have announced that they expect to be showing the flick in Netherlands starting October 19th. The link includes a trailer, the movie poster, a nice picture of Dante and Randal and the intro translates to: “Sequel to Kevin Smith’s hilarious debut film, wherein clerks Dante and Randal “promote” to jobs in a fastfood restaurant.” Expected October 19th 2006.

And as for the UK, Launching Films (the site for the Film Distributors’ Association), confirms the Friday September 22nd release.

  • Those fine folks in Australia running the campaign to get Kevin to come to Canberra got some ink in the Canberra Times plugging Kevin and their cause. You’ll find a scan right here. The Popcorn Taxi Melbourne Clerks II premiere event has sold out (over 1000 seats). Sydney still has a few tickets available for their premiere (the theatre holds over 2000).
  • Quick Clerks II DVD correction from DavisDVD: The disc will be released by The Weinstein Co. and Genius Entertainment, not MGM Home Entertainment as previously reported.
  • The latest Yahoo Buzz Log shows Clerks II as the 3rd most popular film to have quotes searched from it this week.
  • And finishing with the video theme today, here’s what some folks did to entertain themselves while waiting at the Red Bank signing last week. Catch ya next time!

Yes, We Are BACK!

August 11th @ 8:01 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Brad & Chris

  • The server email is back up and running, and it looks like all the stuff that was sitting there in the queue all got delivered…So anything you sent SHOULD have gotten to us. THANKS! Thanks so much for your patience as well. This update should make a nice end-of-week treat, catching us up on all the week’s big events and news — Enjoy, and we’ll see you again real soon.

More Red Bank Coverage!

August 11th @ 8:01 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by John T Ward, David Bales, Maleah Dust, Ron McDowell

  • Kevin’s Smith’s two-day siege of Red Bank culminated Tuesday night in Marine Park, where he delighted 2,000 fans (the official number, based on wristbands distributed) with liberal doses of naughty language. The crowd ate up every scatological reference, from Lois Lane and sex with Superman to the correct definition of ‘ass to mouth.’ Red Bank Green has a story and photos (as you see above) on the whole thing. An excerpt:
Coming off a 13-hour marathon that had him signing geek memorabilia almost until dawn at his Broad Street comic book store, filmmaker Kevin Smith entertained 2,000 fans in Marine Park last night with a mixture of endless approachability and profanity.

Local politicians, including Mayor Ed McKenna and mayoral candidate Pat Menna, all but kissed Smith at the start of his open-air Q&A and rocked with laughter at his early answers. But they grew increasingly rigid of jowl and then vanished from stage right as the director of the recently-released ‘Clerks II’ worked his way through an hour of audience questions with dozens if not hundreds of graphic references to sex.

Until a host finally interceded, many of the questions came from self-described aspiring filmmakers asking for jobs, advice or an opportunity to have picture taken with Smith. Increasingly, such requests elicited groans from the audience.

But as he had at Jay & Silent Bob’s Secret Stash on Monday, when he stayed past 4a to greet every fan who turned out seeking an autograph, Smith indulged most questions and requests, no matter how inspired or insipid. Twice he spoke by cell phone to friends of audience members, and agreed to sign one man’s penis after the event.

Read the complete story HERE.

Yahoo/Reuters also has a nice story on the event:

“Clerks” director Smith applauded on NJ home turf

RED BANK, New Jersey (Reuters) – Indie film director Kevin Smith chatted with fans, dispensed wry career advice to aspiring filmmakers and flat-out refused to sign a woman’s rear end on Tuesday night when he came home to New Jersey for an outdoor screening of his breakthrough film “Clerks.”

The show, part of mail-order DVD rental service Netflix’ “Rolling Roadshow” free summer screenings series, drew some 2,000 enthusiastic fans of both the film, shot mostly in nearby Leonardo as well as Red Bank, and Smith, born in a hospital across the street from the suburban New Jersey waterside park where his fans gathered.

In a question-and-answer session before the screening, Smith was alternately respectful and engaged, self-deprecating, profane and good-naturedly abusive of his fans and their questions.

“I don’t wanna’ read your script dude,” he told one of several would-be directors, writers, actors and producers who made brazen bids for everything from career advice to jobs. “I don’t even wanna’ read my own scripts.”

When a young woman told Smith, known for other films including “Mallrats,” “Chasing Amy,” “Dogma” and “Jersey Girl”: “I need you to sign my ass” so she could have it tattooed later, he demurred, saying “I don’t sign body parts ma’am.”

On a more reflective note, Smith said his hit 1994 film “Clerks,” about the vacuous if amusing existence of a couple of slacker convenience and video store workers in New Jersey, was a product of writing from his experience — which he noted was about the only advice he could offer.

“Part of the reason I do what I do is, I grew up fat, and I grew up in New Jersey,” he said to applause from the crowd, many of whom closely resembled the characters in his films.

“So you tend to try harder” and to develop a sense of humor, he said.

The film’s success and resonance with young adults caught Smith by surprise. “It was meant as a calling-card film, and it ended up launching a career,” he said.

The sequel, far-less well-received “Clerks II,” was released this summer. Smith also made a few references to one of his worst-reviewed films, the Ben Affleck-Jennifer Lopez bomb “Jersey Girl.”

“I’m going to do a horror movie next,” he said. “It’s called ‘Jersey Girl II.”‘

“It’s time to do a slasher movie — no comedy, just blood and gore. And boobies,” he added. “But man boobies,” he said in the kind of joke that are his films’ stock-in-trade.

Between jests, Smith obligingly spoke via cell phone to several fans’ friends who were not able to be there.

“This is such a weird job,” Smith said, almost to himself. “Write on my ass. Talk to my friend … ”

The Rolling Roadshow series stages free outdoor screenings of popular films in areas where they were shot or set. Recent events included “Jaws” on Martha’s Vineyard and “The Warriors” in Coney Island.

Finally, click here to check out streaming video of some fan interviews from outside of the Quick Stop and at the Netflix Rolling roadshow, as well as some live Q&A footage from the event courtesy the awesome Asbury Park Press.