- Kevin made another in-studio appearance on XM’s “Opie And Anthony” program this week, and our ‘ol pal Will wasn’t far behind with a complete capture of the 5 hour program — Minus commercials, of course. Tune into the 64k mp3 stream , or download it for later — Listen to Kevin hang with the guys and bring up the possibility of joining the XM family himself!
Will’s always good enough to do these captures, and never even asks us for a plug, but we’re giving him one anyway, darn it — RadioAskew is now back with some new programming, so be sure to take a listen to his professional podcast at the official site – All the latest pop culture stuff with an Askew slant to it.
- In his blog, “The Criterion Contraption”, Matthew Dessem has revisited Chasing Amy and writes a stellar review, along with tons of photos, observations, comedy, and insight. We’ve been running this site since “Amy” hit theaters, and we gotta say, this is a very in-depth interesting piece on the flick. The article may get a bit overly critical at points (seemingly fogetting the budget and crew this classic was made with), but is overall done with the love of a fan who has truly watched the movie very closely — Maybe even more than we have. Nah. Don’t miss your chance to check it out, the Criterion Contraption #74. Credit for the discovery goes to our scooper and Cinematical.
You are at the archive for the Chasing Amy category &rarr
View Askew NewsBites™
- Kevin Levine of The Huffington Post names “Chasing Amy” as one his his twenty best screnplays of all time :
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CHASING AMY – Kevin Smith. Funny, real, pitch perfect, and you actually root for Ben Affleck. Now that’s good writing!
- We’re not quite sure how to add this in, since we’re not on Facebook (Facebook is a Myspace alternative, for those curious) — There’s apparently a “Lego Man” application for Facebook under their TV and Movie category featuring a Lego-ized Jay and Bob, as well as an entire group devoted to Kevin’s films. If you’re a user there, might be something you want to look into.
Comic-Con: Full Kevin Coverage!
- The weekend’s over, as is the biggest Comic-Con of the year — Kevin was a major factor at the event this year, with the big breaking news of his involvement with the new “Heroes” spinoff, details on a new “Chasing Amy” DVD, major love for “Reaper”, and more. Here’s a complete rundown of all of the Kev-centric happenings from this weekend:
- NBC has been kind enough to post beautifully shot video of their “Heroes” panel from the con. About 4 minutes into part three, Kevin’s introduction begins. This is the first moment that the world learned that Kevin will direct the first episode of “Heroes: Origins”. This is the new show from the “Heroes” creators which will run next season, introducing NEW Heroes, one of which we’ll be able to vote into the regular cast. We’re hopeful that Kevin might be given the opportunity to write some or all of his installment, too, though we’ll have to wait and see what comes of that. The show will start airing in April, following “Heroes” season two. For still photos of the cast, check out Superhero Hype.
- Kevin mentioned a planned start date for January 2008 for “Zack and Miri Make A Porno”. This would allow him to film around the coldest time of the year to suit the film’s winter theme. A shooting locale has not yet been confirmed.
- Instead of forcing folks to re-buy “Chasing Amy” on DVD, Criterion will release a new supplemental disc containing the new Q&A and some other goodies. We thought this one was pretty major so we’ve got a full story for it just below this one.
- Nisha Gopalan from EW has been doing a post on each of her days at Comic Con; Kevin made his appearance in Friday’s recap :
The day ended with what is now a Comic-Con ritual, the panel hosted by geek god Kevin Smith. In the main conference hall, Smith screened the full pilot episode he directed of the upcoming TV series Reaper (airing this fall Tuesdays at 9pm on The CW), and then brought a few cast members and the show’s creators onto the stage — to watch Kevin Smith answer questions that had nothing to do with the (quite well-received) show. Practically all of it was absolutely hysterical — and completely unprintable on a family blog. Suffice it to say, the audience learned far, far more about the sexual escapades of Smith’s new daschunds than they ever could’ve expected.
- Phasekitty wrote an excellent blog post on Kevin’s Comic Con Q&A for the Team Sugar blog (they have the Pop Sugar, Geek Sugar, etc. sites). There’s a full review of the Reaper re-shoot along with a re-cap of the talk. She also has some nicely snapped pics from the show.
- How about a look at some other press from around the web that discussed Kevin’s appearances…Shall we?
Finally, don’t miss Kevin’s own post/wrapup that he just released today where he runs down more major press outlets who had great things to say about his appearance as well as the hilarious “Reaper” pilot. Wow, we gotta make it to this next year, as Kevin urges. If anyone’s got more to say, something we missed, photos, or stories, we’d love to hear them — Or, share them via our comment system for the world to see.
“Chasing Amy X” DVD Details!
- One of the top questions here at News Askew has always been “When’s Chasing Amy X coming out on DVD?” This tenth anniversary set was something that we just assumed would arrive much like Mallrats X did, with a jam-packed edition including the film as well as that Q&A we watched them film at Vulgarthon LA, along with some other stuff. Well, we have the answer for ya now, sorta. Once again, View Askew is blazing the trail and looking out for the fans, by allowing us to get all that great NEW stuff without having to buy the film all over again (no “double dipping” here). We think that IGN said it best:
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During his panel at the San Diego Comic-Con, Kevin Smith confirmed that a supplementary DVD will be released next year for his 1997 Spirit Award winning Chasing Amy. To keep the style of special edition versions of his movie going, Smith’s opus will get a special edition treatment, but rather than being packaged into a new “collectors edition” DVD set, a single disc will be released that is set to include a slew of extras to act as a counterpart to the Criterion Collection DVD released in 2000.
Set to be included with the new disc is a Chasing Amy documentary found on the web, a post-screening Q and A from a film festival as well as interviews and reflections from the cast and crew of the film.
Smith said to expect this new disc to be available sometime next summer.
So, there’s your answer. We’re sorry to say you’ll need to wait another year to see this stuff, but we’re sure it will be worth it — Criterion doesn’t mess around when it comes to their DVD work, and neither do Kevin and View Askew. It’ll be here before ya know it. As for a dual-disc set, at this point nothing’s been announced, so it looks like you’ll need to buy them seperately (if for some crazy reason you don’t already own it). We’ll let you know as we hear more.
View Askew NewsBites™
- Some rather unexpected news today — Remember that Green Hornet project Kevin once had that we thought might be dead? Seems that it may be resurrected by an unlikely source – Seth Rogen (“Knocked Up”). Columbia now has the property, and Seth’s coming on board to possibly write AND star in the flick. For more details and commentary, check out Defamer, Cinemablend, Variety and of course Aint It Cool.
- Chasing Amy is cited as a GOOD example of a film with gay themes in this negative review of “I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry” — The film’s getting hammered by critics this weekend.
- The autograph schedule for the San Diego Comic-Con (next weekend) is now up – Sadly, folks, no mention of a special autograph session with Kevin. You can still see him from 6:15 to 7:15 on Friday night, and who knows, he may even show up early to intro the screening of his “Reaper” pilot, at 11 AM that morning. However, the lovely Missy Peregrym will be on hand regardless, so it’s a win-win.
- And hey, speaking of that “Reaper” pilot — Every year, networks with new shows start sending pilots out for review around this time. “Reaper” has been one of the first with the distinction of leaking its way onto the net. So, those of you who are torrent-savvy can probably track this down and check it out. We’re not totally sure of the legality of it all, so can’t condone it, though we’re contacting the CW to see if we can get a legal look for News Askew — If anyone with the inside track on “Reaper” can send us a copy of the pilot for a legal review, please do let us know.
- G4TV was kind enough to hook us up with a direct link to their recent interview with Kevin for the archives. We already ran this last update, but in case you’re reading this later on, the link here will always get you to the video.
Chasing Amy Inactions: June 2006!
- One of the most oft-asked questions we see here at News Askew is “When will the next wave of inaction figures come ’round?†These things just look so cool on the shelf, and with
each passing set, the world just expands and becomes more colorful and detailed. So we can’t blame you for asking. We’re now pleased to announce that we do have an official date for the next wave, Chasing Amy: June 2006. This wave will include Banky Edwards, Holden McNeil, Alyssa Jones, Hooper X and the Tracer Guy. A possible (and first in this series) playset may also be included in this set. No details or official photos of that playset, though rumor has been that it would be the Marina Diner where Jay & Bob meet Holden in the film. We’re going to see what dirt we can dig up on that one for you. In the meantime, clear some room on those shelves, and we’ll let you know when the set’s ready for your preorders.
Diner Playset: Concept Art!
- A while back, we mentioned chatting with Bob Chapman about the concept of a Chasing Amy “playset†to go along with the inactions — Bob wasn’t sure it was the final decision at the time, and with the figures only at the con, we weren’t sure. Now, Kevin has revealed that the Marina Diner will indeed become a reality! Though it wasn’t prototyped in time for the con, here’s some exclusive concept artwork that should give you an idea what to expect. So yeah, now you’ve got to find MORE room on your shelf than ever! We were kind of hoping they’d put some SUGAR on the table for Jay, though…
First Look: Chasing Amy Inaction Figures!
- It’s been a while since we’ve seen any new concepts for inaction figures, so why NOT let San Diego be the debut ground for the new CHASING AMY INACTION FIGURES? Everything else that’s cool seems to be happening there this weekend, as well (including a major appearance from Kevin TODAY!). Yet again, these things just seem to get cooler and cooler with each passing wave. Silent Boba Fett was on the scene snapping pics of a bewildered Holden, an angry Alyssa, a belligerent Banky, a defiant comic collector (yes, Mos makes his FIRST appearance as an inaction figure, hooray!), and, last but not least, a deceptively threatening Hooper X (also the first inaction appearance for Dwight Ewell).
So now that you see them, all you want to know is…WHEN WHEN WHEN…Right? Well, we sadly don’t have an official date (but you can bet we’ll be hitting Chappy up for hints as soon as possible), though prototypes in the past have taken only a few months from finished state to mass production. Our guess? Sometime in October. But don’t quote us on that. For now, enjoy the pics, and start making space on your shelves for 5 more. More news later.
View Askew NewsBites™
- Smart-popcorn.com picks Chasing Amy as the 23rd most romantic film of all time! . We really dig the write-up, too, in fact it’s one of the best verses we’ve read on the film in quite some time:
Above all else, Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy is an elegy for the foolish lover– a lilting tune for those sad sacks that let a thing of beauty slip through their fingers for reasons even they cannot understand. It is a tragedy about three individuals caught in a maelstrom of emotions they cannot cope with, but also Smith’s sharing of the intimate knowledge that with love there often comes loss and with loss there are often lessons to be learned about one’s self and the life you will lead in the future. Chasing Amy came at a time when Smith was dejected with the Hollywood business model and, turning down several million dollars in budget, Smith made this often uncomfortable but bemusing movie of an authentic tale of love for a quarter of a million dollars and winds up with a deeply personal and soul baring film. Beneath its crude exterior of vulgar, sexually centered humor and buried within its despondent plot, a belief shines through that no matter the heartbreaking misery we so easily suffer by our own misguided hand, life goes on and the prospect of finding happiness is there if we can only accept our mistakes for what they were. Mistakes.
Chasing Amy is such an enterprising and resonant departure for Smith that even with the reoccurring characters and intertwining plot details between it and the other four films of his Jersey series, it stands as a much more grown-up undertaking. Though it is not his finest or even most profound film (That would be Dogma), it is the only one of his ventures where the comedy is secondary to the message, the characters, and romance presented. Chasing Amy is a romantic comedy in the sense that, yes, there are a lot of laughs as Holden (Ben Affleck) tries to woo Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams). From that perspective Chasing Amy is a romantic comedy just as Clerks is a slacker comedy, Mallrats is a…well… action-slacker-romantic comedy, Dogma is a religious satire, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a hedonistic, fan favoring, spoof-heavy comedy adventure. But as we watch the romance take root, flourish, then wither, and eventually die, the laughs vanish like ghosts and the whole production begins to seem Shakespearean in nature– just without all the bloodshed. We have two lovers uniting in an affront to some around them (though instead of using skin color or feuding families, Smith makes his female lead a lesbian); we watch jealousy rear its ugly head in both Holden and his best friend, Banky (Jason Lee); and Holden possesses a fatal flaw that brings about his downfall and the loss of that which he’s worked so hard to achieve, that fatal flaw being a heavy dose of pride.
If you have ever seen Kevin Smith out of character in any fashion (and if you have not then I would highly recommend the monstrously entertaining and insightful An Evening with Kevin Smith), you will know that he is generally a soft spoken, witty, but self-deprecating man that employs his crassness and sensitivity equally. The most difficult aspect of Chasing Amy is that after watching it once a second viewing becomes difficult, not only because it makes you mull over any past romantic injustices you’ve been a part of, but because it is an incredibly private look into the heart of Smith himself. His character, Silent Bob, is at his most loquacious in this film and delivers a reflective speech that not only gives the film its title and identifies Holden’s pride, but comes off almost as Smith paying penance for his own past. It is a somber, but enlightening moment.
The characters start out in New York City. Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards, the creators of a popular comic book “Bluntman & Chronicâ€, are guests at a comic book convention. After a near homicidal autograph session where Banky assaults an irritating collector demeaning Banky’s status as “inkerâ€, the two gravitate towards a guest panel where minorities in the business speak about their place in comic books. It is there the only character more colorful than the sharp-tongued and homophobic cynic of Banky (who isn’t as diabolical as the Bard’s Iago, but who causes quite enough trouble as it is) is introduced in Hooper, the very effeminate homosexual black man that puts on a splendidly comic front as an angry, racially driven radical. After Holden and Banky participate in a staged argument on African American’s in pop culture and a fake shooting occurs to scare off the audience and panelists, the only person remaining is fellow comic book creator Alyssa Jones, who is unfazed by the shenanigans and amiably chastises the trio for their antics. Holden is immediately smitten with her and the four go to a bar where the two hit it off. These two early scenes are the high point of the film’s comedy and the starting point of the air of romance throughout.
The affair is anything but generic. Holden soon finds out Alyssa is involved with another woman and he is forced to resign himself to being her friend only. The chemistry between the two is too powerful for them to handle though, and in a perfectly squirmy scene we wring our hands and bite our lip as Holden pours his heart out to Alyssa and pleads to give him a chance. Initially enraged at his sentiment, Alyssa comes to remember that the original reason she opened herself up to females was so that she wasn’t cutting off fifty percent of the population in the search of her soul mate. She believes Holden might be that person and the two foster an all-too-perfect union. A dark cloud looms over them in the character of Banky, however. Banky harbors an incredible jealousy towards Alyssa, not only because of the chasm forming in his twenty year friendship with Holden, but because underneath the layers of gay jokes and machismo Banky might just be in love with his friend. He succeeds in digging up dirt on Alyssa and reveals to Holden a promiscuous past. When Alyssa admits the truth behind her youthful experimentation, Holden cannot accept the fact that his inexperience does not make him less of a man to her and that no matter her past, he is what she truly wants. And so come the heartbreaks and broken friendships as Holden confronts the two people closest to him about their secrets.
Smith tackles sensitive subjects (or at least what was considerably more sensitive eight years ago) like homosexuality and sexual freedom realistically and intelligently. Smith creates Banky as the lens through which the immature and ignorant would see these subjects, and frank monologues from Silent Bob (Smith’s character), Alyssa, and Hooper (effectively Banky’s foil) share with us viewpoints that would probably make the world a better place if they were more common. It is poor Holden, the everyman– the every-dumb-conventional-thinkingman– stuck in the middle and forced to learn things the hard way.
The cast of Chasing Amy is less important than the characters Smith has written to life. Jason Lee effortlessly upstages his co-stars with his energetic brooding and scathing commentary that cuts to the heart of matters, but it is the fact that his commentary is generally and terribly wrong that allows the viewer to pay more attention to Affleck and Adams. Note the way Banky says, “This is all going to end badly,†early on. It’s so subtle he probably doesn’t even realize it, but he’s not making a premonition. He’s making a promise. Banky’s bile exists because of problems he has with himself, not with the world, and when Banky declares with ostensible frustration that “man-friendly lesbians†are a figment of Holden’s imagination, it feels like the desperate act of a spurned lover.
It is hard to see Chasing Amy as a great romance once the other shoe drops and the hurting begins. You might be asking right now how I could consider it so. Watch it. If Smith has it his way, by the end, you’ll know.
- Double Dare, the documentary on two stunt women – which features some behind the scenes stuntwork on J&SBSB, is airing on PBS stations this week as part of their Independent Lens Series . The J&SBSB stuff isn’t that long, but overall the documentary is quite interesting.
- Movies Askew, our online short film contest is now accepting “Fan Filmsâ€. This means that you can submit now and not have to worry about licensing footage, music or actors. This broadens your horizons a TON! If you have a video camera and a little ambition, there’s now nothing stopping you from tossing in an entry. Good luck!
NEW TOYS!! We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Desk…
- As we mentioned last update, San Diego showcased some amazing new View Askew merchandise currently in the production pipeline, and yep, thanks to Kevin himself (for providing those beautiful top 2 shots of the upcoming J&SBSB set) and our good friend Matt at Action-Figure.com, we’ve got a TON of beautiful photos to look at. Let’s let Matt take away with his own words regarding the major coolness he witnessed out west this weekend:
Graphitti Designs had a number of new items based on the Kevin Smith Films on display at their booth at San Diego Comic Con…
The 4 members of The C.L.I.T. – Sissy, Chrissy, Missy and Justice all alert and off to do a heist.
Jay and Silent Bob in thier super hero alter ego’s as Bluntman and Chronic ready to keep the Knocker at bay.
Marshal Willenholly – barking orders.
All will have new packaging art in a similar style to the Clerks, Mallrats and Dogma figures.
Chasing Amy are already in the works and Graphitti hope to release Holden, Banky, Alyssa and Hooper X
They are also working on a View Askew first – A Marina Diner scene Jay and Bob Diorama from Chasing Amy that will be part of the Clerks animated line of figures.
On display was the prototype of next years Con exclusive figure that will be at all the shows throughout 2005
The Kevin Smith figure captures the main man in his traditional sports shirt and shorts.
Every place the exclusive is offered the shirt will be in the colours of the local sports team.
Next up are the Jay and the Silent Bob wobblers.
An offical name will be anonounced soon first three will come out will animated style and can keep you company in your car.
Graphitti also had limited run Music whore girly fit t-shirts and the first six askew posters.
They were also promoting Kevins new West coast store in LA soon.
So, there ya have it! Jay & Bob figures, those sweet bobbleheads (you know every View Askew fan needs THOSE on their desk), and check out those shots of the Kevin Smith figure, along with our first look at the Jay & Bob versions of Willenholly, Jay, & Bob! Too, too cool. And a diorama to boot? Graphitti, you’re way too good to us. Like the headline says, boy, are we ever gonna need a bigger desk.
Huge, HUGE thanks to Kevin and Action Figure for their always incredible work in getting photos to the public. Keep in mind, these are of course the prototypes, but we’ll let you know as we hear more about release schedules for all this great stuff. The Stash will be taking preorders as always, and these should be ready in time to show up under your Christmas tree. Keep it here.