“Having spent the latter half of last year in Philly shooting Jersey Girl, I fell in love with the city (in a strictly hetero way). Can’t wait to go back. Couple that with the fact that it’s for a Wizard show and I may just fall in love with the city all over again (in a non-hetero way).””

Been a while. Just stopping by to say hi. Haven’t found any decent work yet. Well, truth be told, I haven’t been asked to be in any good movies. Auditioned for Martin, or should I say “Marty” Scorsese recently (well, I actually auditioned for a video camera while the casting director read lines with me) but I didn’t get the part. Met with David Fincher on “Dogtown and Z Boys”. That could be cool. I guess skateboarding really is getting big. Been skateboarding again (gotta burn off my gut). It’s been fun. Fuck, I’m rusty as hell. Still got some of it in me but it would take a long, long time to “get it back”, as they say. Almost done with my script (12 in years in the making) and my production company is finally getting started. Should be great getting my first film as a director made under my own production company. I’ve wanted this for many many years. We’ll see how it all unfolds.

Hmm, let’s see… what else? Oh, Chris Pastras and I are going to be re-releasing Stereo skateboards and possibly clothes again. Shhh, don’t tell anyone. Anyway, we’ve been meeting with skateboard distribution companies to find the right one to work with. Should be interesting to see how well it does in the now more mainstream world of skateboarding. Been working in the darkroom lately. Almost everyday, and for as much as 8 hours at a time. Should have everything printed for my first exhibition in about 8-12 months (it’s a long and arduous process). Blah, blah, blah. Hope all is well out there. Be back soon…

“Although, with all the devil worship, child endangerment, prostitution, violence, and innuendo in Quiver, it’s kinda funny that they named us one of the Best Books for Young Adults. Perhaps they meant one of the best books for adult film actors. However, if the ALA knew how late I was on Target and The Evil Men Do, they’d not only take Quiver off their list, they’d rip up my library card.” Director and writer KEVIN SMITH on Green Arrow: Quiver, his collection of 10 issues of the Green Arrow comic book, being named to the Young Adult Library Services Association’s Best Books for Young Adults 2003, Newsarama.com, February 6.

PLAY IT AGAIN J.LO

Hollywood couple J.Lo and Ben Affleck have secured a deal to remake the classic movie Casablanca, according to reports.

The pair are said to be delighted with the multi-million pound deal and are now in talks wirth American producers.

The original film was a hit in 1942 starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

Affleck will take the romantic lead as Rick, the Daily Star reports.
Lopez will play the former lover who had jilted him but comes back into his later life – married to a French resistance leader.

Actor Ben is reportedly a big fan of old movies and the project will give him a chance to indulge his passion.

It will not be the first time the two have appeared on screen together – they recently starred in the hit romance Jersey Girl.

A friend said: “They are overjoyed at the propspect of being in Casablanca together.

“It is the chance for them to show how much they love each other through their on-screen chemistry.”

Hollywood: Are Two J-Fleck Movies Too Many?

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck will costar in two movies this year scheduled to be released just three months apart

NEWSWEEK, April 14 issue — Just in case you need more of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck in your life, the couple will costar in two moviesthis year. Unfortunately, they’re scheduled to be released just three months apart, begging the obvious questions: Can they both make a profit? And is either any good?

AFFLECK AND LOPEZ fell in love last year while making “Gigli,” a dramatic comedy about gangsters. Directed by Martin Brest (whose previous outing, “Meet Joe Black,” flopped), the $54 million film began suffering from negative buzz last fall after test-screening audiences hated the ending, in which Affleck’s character (pronounced Jee-lee) died. Revolution Studios, which financed the film, forked over about $1 million for a three-day reshoot. Last week a test screening of the new version inspired a scathing review on the Ain’t It Cool News Web site—and a heated moment between Brest and Revolution head Joe Roth over the pace of the movie’s final 25 minutes. After a three-day standoff, Brest headed back to the editing room to tighten the final segment.

Meanwhile, Affleck and Lopez’s other project, the romantic drama “Jersey Girl,” had been basking in good early buzz. This sparked speculation that its director, Kevin Smith, had somehow planted the Ain’t It Cool review as sabotage. Those close to both projects describe this theory as “paranoid” and “ridiculous.” (Smith has been a close friend of Affleck’s since the two made “Chasing Amy” years ago, and even helped Affleck and Matt Damon get their “Good Will Hunting” script into Miramax’s hands.) What’s more, the fates of “Gigli” and “Jersey Girl” are actually tied together—if audiences balk at the first flick this summer, they may boycott the second film come fall. Revolution contends that “Gigli” will be vindicated. “The picture will speak for itself,” says executive Tom Sherak. “This is a really smart summer movie. It’s not a fastball down the middle. It’s not ‘The Hulk.’ It’s a curveball.” Here’s hoping it’s over the plate.

The centerpiece of this film is the dialogue and the relationships. I expected over two hours, but I expected to feel it. I think it was brilliant – I ate up every conversation, believed and loved Affleck with his Dad and with Liv Tyler (whose character I really liked – I hope we don’t lose a second of her in the final cut). I think when Tyler shows up is when I start enjoying Affleck more. The little girl is fantastic. Smith does a brilliant job of giving us a sympathetic father-son relationship that’s neither dominated by clichÈd abandonment/lack of affection issues or older-and-wiser omniscient father syndrome. It’s like most actual relationships – you feel like you’re seeing it in a context of the whole lives of these people; the film doesn’t attempt to idealize and capture the entire meaning of that relationship in one climactic scene.

I partly really value this because most of the crap that’s passed for movies about relationships is completely worthless in terms of identifying with the characters or situations – they mostly just try to get us to buy in to the fantasy. I’ll take something from Kevin Smith even if I have to watch some not-my-top-10 actors say the lines.

“I’m all for Jay trying to put his life together. I’ve been taking a tough love approach with Jay, telling him I wouldn’t hang out with him or work with him until he cleaned up. If the idea of a camera following him around impedes his drug use, that’s great. But at the same time it does seem kind of exploitative.”

“Early editorial feedback came from Rock’s old SNL friend Adam Sandler. ‘He thought things were pretty funny and had a seuggestion or two, and now he’s even got a joke in the movie. Kevin Smith will probably still get a little call, as will Keenan Ivory Wayans,’ said Rock.”

“Drop Dead Roses”
Starring: Brian O’Halloran, Eddie McGee, Diana Devlin, Barbi Castelvi, Chris Diamantopoulos

Written & Directed By: Jessica Hudson

“Drop Dead Roses” follows the story of Shawn and Jason (O’Halloran and McGee) who own a shop which specializes in the dirty job of breaking up with or otherwise telling off a former boyfriend, girlfriend, employee, or enemy. A box of dead roses here, box of bruised up chocolates there, and a nasty message to go along with it, all for one low price (The way the guys answer the phone at the place – “Hello, Drop Dead.” – was a favorite ongoing joke of mine). Sort of an anti-flower shop, the guys have a booming business going with a surprisingly steady stream of customers (as well as some nasty brusies from angry delivery recipients). However, when Shawn ends up making a delivery to a very unexpected recipient, his life goes into a tailspin as he gets involved in a relationship that just might be a little more than he can handle.

I’m not one to spoil a film’s plot in a review, so I won’t go into many particulars. Rounding out the cast, Diana Devlin (whose name View Askew fans may recognize from a small role in “Vulgar” as well as voice work in the Clerks cartoon series) plays Kayla, the object of Shawn’s affection in the film, and Barbi Castelvi rounds up the principal cast as her forward, devious roommate, Julia. Chris Diamantopoulos plays the supporting role of Trevor, Kayla’s ex-boyfriend.

The chemistry between all the leads was quite good, I had no problem at all believing that all the relationships were true, and immediately identified with them, hoping that things would work out for the best. O’Halloran and McGee in particular make a great pair. Brian spends most of the film in the “straight man” role, which, as in Clerks, he’s mastered quite well (there’s even a small VA ref in the film), with Eddie getting the chance to play the loose cannon and deliver a bunch of hilarious lines. This being the first time Brian’s been up in the leading role since “Vulgar”, it was great to see his work up on the big screen again. His characters are always so immediately likeable. McGee is fantastic in a role that has him pretty much stealing every scene in which he appears. The guy’s got instant charisma and plays a very likeable character with quite a bit of screentime, considering he had only a “with” credit in the opening. For his first film since taking home the big prize on reality TV’s “Big Brother, Season One”, he does a fantastic job – The guy’s a natural.

Diana Devin was very sweet and likeable both onscreen and off, and Barbi Castelvi played her role so well it was a bit intimidating to speak with her after seeing the film! Diamantopoulos plays the supporting role of Trevor, Kayla’s ex, and did a nice job at convincing me that his character was a pretty rotten dude. If every girl dated a guy like that, we’d probably live in a world full of lesbians. But I digress. Great performances all around, I truly enjoyed watching this cast work together.

The production values are also quite good. The film was shot on HD, and the rather low budget doesn’t even show. Hudson and her crew did a fantastic job making this film look slick given the limited about of bank they had to put into it. You wouldn’t know this is Hudson’s first feature by the direction, it’s quite good, stays visually interesting, and captures the many locations well. Several spots come up quite often (the store interior itself, Shawn’s apartment, the strip club), but there’s also many others that are visited through the course of DDR; they definitely scouted out quite a few locales before they started this one. The copy that screened was only a betamax, so I would imagine that seeing the film directly projected would look even better. All in all, though, a quality product, and one they all have the right to be very proud of, especially given the budgetary constraints.

The film, produced by Toronto, Canada-based Dark Features, doesn’t have a rating, though were it to go up in front of a ratings board here in the States, it’d certainly score an “R”, due to language and a bit of nudity here and there (the guys like to frequent a local strip club). It appears that most of the film was filmed in and around the Toronto area, on location, as well.

Keep in mind, DDR isn’t a View Askew Production, but I’m sure that fans of VA’s other independent projects, as well as O’Halloran’s work, will certainly enjoy the film. If you’ve got the chance to catch this one at a festival, do it…Otherwise, they’re hoping for a small theatrical run and eventual video distribution for the film. I believe many more of you will have the chance to see this one soon. If we hear of any more opportunities for you to check it out in the meantime, we’ll certainly let you know right here.

AT: Moving forward from this point, have you written other screenplays you want to get produced?

VP: Yes. I had written what I wanted to be my follow-up, which was may homage to Dario Aregento’s “Giallo” thrillers of the early ’70s. That took me three years to finish the first draft, and wrote two drafts after that. I put it on ice because it’s pretty obvious to me that the script is going to cost a pretty decent chunk of money to make. It’s a chunk of money at this time, and even if I could raise it, I’d have to give up any shred of artistic control that I might want to have.

I’ve been looking for a project to work on in between, and for awhile, I was working on the first screenplay Kevin ever wrote, which was this off-the-wall horror film. He wrote it for me back in high school when I asked him to write a script for me that I could do for a class project. Kevin came back with this seventy-page script loaded with religious philosophy. It was obvious there was no way I could do it at the time. Then, it was lost. Nobody knew where it was. Kevin couldn’t find the disk he had written it on. Then, while Kevin was in production on JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK, my Dad was cleaning the basement of our house. He unearthed a bunch of old things I’d had in high school, and amongst those things was that script.

I re-read it, and the interesting thing was that Kevin had barely remembered having written it, but a lot of the stuff I guess he had kept in the back of his mind, because a lot of these speeches and religious [ideas] ended up in DOGMA. In re-reading it, I thought the core idea of it could make for a visually interesting horror film that could be done on a very low budget. I tried to work on it for a long time…for whatever reason, I couldn’t connect with it, so that fell by the wayside. Now I’ve found a different project that…I want to do. That project seems to be going pretty well, and it looks like it’s going to be the next project because it can be done fairly cheaply, and it’s something that I have emotionally connected with to the point where I’m cooking pretty well on writing the script.

Saturday was my first day on a movie set. Not really, it was an old high school, but served as a set that day. The film was called “13th Grade” (don’t worry, I had never heard of it either) but it really seems funny and stars Dustin Diamond (he played “Screech” on Saved by the Bell”). You might be wondering why I am telling you this. Well, word on the set was that Jay Mewes had recently appeared in the film and did a great job. I was speaking to a few of the non-paid extras (the “paid-extras” wouldn’t speak to us) but none of us heard what his part was or who he was playing. Anywhoo, just thought I’d share my story & info with you. THANKS!