Affleck’s directorial debut hits theaters today, and it’s getting killer reviews.

This flick is a Goddamned must-see, folks. I’ve seen it three times and it’s awesome; a total awards contender, too.

Peep the trailer here. Then go check out the actual flick. You won’t regret it.

Yes, that’s an amazing 92% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes at presstime. WOW. One of the best reviewed of the year, folks. See it on the big screen and tell your friends. Support Ben, a longtime friend of View Askew. And big congrats to him on this one. We don’t think a first time director has ever scored this high.

Our man with the questions, Chris Graves, got some answers from Flav himself, who has been a fan and a friend of News Askew for years:

AN INTERVIEW WITH FLAV GIORGINI (FROM THE BAND “SQUIRTGUN”)


BY CHRIS GRAVES

Chris Graves: What is your background and how was Squirtgun first formed?

Flav Giorgini: All of the Squirtgun gang (Mass Giorgini, Flav Giorgini, Dan Lumley, Matt Hart) were born in Indiana…with Mass, Flav, and Dan from Lafayette, and Matt from Evansville. We all started playing in bands in the mid 1980s; Matt had a series of bands in Evansville and Muncie, the best known of which was F.0.N. (Freaks of Nature). Mass, Dan, and I were in the band Rattail Grenadier from 1984-1993. In 1993 we decided that we needed a change, and we recruited Matt to sing for us, and we named the band Squirtgun.

CG: The band’s song Social was featured during the beginning credits of Mallrats. What was the song about and did it have a music video back in the day?

FG: “Social” is basically about being yourself, and not following the crowd just because it’s the trendy thing to do…which I feel is the basic theme to real punk rock. We never did a video for “Social”, though Kevin Smith was considering it for a while, and at the last minute he changed his mind and did a video for the Goops instead (“Build Me Up Buttercup”). “Social” was used, however, in the promotional trailers for Mallrats, in addition to the opening credits, and the soundtrack album.

CG: How did the band get involved with Mallrats and it’s soundtrack?

FG: We heard from Green Day’s manager at the time that Kevin Smith was looking for songs for his new movie (Mallrats), and so we submitted “Social” to him. When he heard the song he thought it fit perfectly with the theme of the movie, and decided to have it as the opening song.

CG: Can you talk about Squirtgun’s connection to Green Day?

FG: We initially knew Green Day through their connection with Lookout! Records, which was our record label at the time. My brother Mass (who is a well known punk rock producer) had had some contact with them regarding a recording session prior to their signing with Reprise, which never materialized. Mass had some more contact with them when Mike Dirnt played bass for the Screeching Weasel record “How To Make Enemies” which Mass produced. Mike also contribued guest vocals to our song “Make It Up” on our first record. Mass also did a bit of production work with Billy Joe (Armstrong) in the late 90s. We crossed paths with them several times over the years, and they were also very supportive and cool.

CG: Is being a part of a cult movie like Mallrats something you’re proud of? What were your thoughts of the movie?

FG: We are very proud of our involvement with Mallrats…it’s especially cool because it’s become a cult classic. At the time, it was a bit of a disappointment because it did horribly at the box office, and the critics hated it. I have to admit that at the first viewing, I felt a bit let down, and didn’t think it was as good at Clerks. However, after a couple of additional viewings, it really grew on me, and I realized it was hilarious. I really feel that it’s a classic now…

CG: Do you have a favorite View Askew/Kevin Smith film (Mallrats excluded)?

FG: That’s a tough question, because I love a lot of Kevin’s movies. I guess I would have to go with three: 1. Clerks, 2. Dogma, and 3. Chasing Amy.

CG: What is the current status of Squirtgun? Did the band regroup for a charity event recently?

FG: We haven’t split, but we are definitely on the back burner for now. We regrouped about a year ago to do a charity event for a friend of my brother’s that needed surgery and didn’t have medical insurance. We have slowly been getting a new album’s worth of material together, which we hope to eventually release. We are thinking about doing some shows in the Spring of 2008. We’ll see! Musically, I’ve been busy doing solo acoustic punk shows, and also playing with my new band Sinister ’66.

• Kevin estimates that we’ll hear final casting news, at least on his Zack and Miri lead roles, in around 2 weeks, but don’t hold him to it.
• The film will be around a 40 day shoot, shot both in studio and on location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• No digital this time around – Zack and Miri will be shot on 35mm film.
• Kevin has a new potential Miri, who LOVES the script. Kevin gushes over a personal meeting with her, and reveals it is indeed the first time he’s chatted with her — A new female joining the Askewniverse? We’re intrigued.

Wanna know what else is new in Kevin’s world? Don’t miss the full week of blog entries, available over at Myspace and Silent Bob Speaks today. Learn some hints about the possible Fox gig, the status of “Red State” (studios are asking!), and more. It’s a quick, easy read this week, but also full of news.

So much is happening, between potential TV pilots, new casting, a reborn Secret Stash west, and the gang heading to western Pennsylvania…Gotta love it.

…I spend an hour on the phone, talking to a voice from the past who has an interesting idea about keeping the Secret Stash open. I mobilize Bry and Ming and we head over to look at potential new digs for Secret Stash West, v.2. Even though Bry’s still moving on, we go over the pro’s and con’s of relocating and staying open, eventually settling on the pro side. Apparently, we might not be done out here after all.


So by mid-November, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash West will re-open in a different location, not too far from the original location (details to follow later).

Big, exciting news, west-coasters! We’ll of course keep you posted, and let you know where the new spot will be to pick up your favorite books, and of course all that sweet, sweet Askew swag.

For “Dogma”, Kevin and Scott took production into Pittsburgh with great success. The city was incredibly cooperative and we saw one of the most visual Smith films ever, with a variety of locales making it easy to look like any town they needed. So, the guys KNOW the city. Even better, the weather. Living here, we know how cold and snowy it gets around that time of the year, so there’s really no question that the gang will get the snow that they need for the production. While we’ve had mild January weather the past two years, February has been extremely cold here, so cold in fact that snow covered the ground most of the month. Without a doubt, you’ll be seeing some genuine Pennsylvania snow in this one.

Naturally, we are extremely excited to hear this announcement. We’re just around 3 short hours east of Pittsburgh here in central Pennsylvania, which should make for a fantastic opportunity for us to simply drive in for some exclusive News Askew coverage. Our position here with View Askew along with Kevin’s generosity with access on the set could quite possibly make for some of the best coverage we’ve ever had for a film — Not to mention since there’s no air travel involved, we may even be able to make multiple visits in, depending on the weather, the shooting schedule, and of course the allowances of the production. So, with this news, expect a very exciting winter here at News Askew, as Kevin’s next production movies pratcially into our back yard. Now if we could only convince them to bring the next project into Harrisburg.

With the shooting schedule they are currently planning, Kevin expects we’ll see the film on the big screen in Fall 2008. Just a year from now. Watch for some fantastic exclusive coverage on this Pittsburgh production right here. We already can’t wait to get started.

Here’s a few random passages from here, and our interpretation of possible hints that lie within:

“I spend most of day buried in my office, writing the second draft of “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.” Even with the new stuff, I wind up taking the page count down to 110.” [NA: Sounds like we’re getting close to a good running time! Won’t be long til the scripts final now.]

“I wake up and do a radio tour for the book and “Reaper”, doing about ten or fifteen radio stations around the country.” [NA: If anyone has any audio captures of these interviews, let us know.]

“…I finally get to see “Spider-Man 3? – a movie in which many people cry, sing, and dance.” [NA: Sounds about right to us – nice assessment.]

“…I head home, talking to Carla about “Zack and Miri” casting en route.” [NA: We can’t wait until some of this casting is finally revealed. They’re doing a fantastic job keeping it under wraps!]

“…I shower and head to lunch with Dawn Ostroff, head of the CW, at Ca Del Sole.” [NA: More Reaper on the way, or perhaps another directing stint for another show?]

As always, the full story is available free, 24/7 via MySpace and Silent Bob Speaks! We’ll pick through the next blog entry with more observations, of course. Until then…

Want more? Obviously a big fan, James posts a Myspace blog dedicated to his trip to the signing, full of photos over the years of many other events. Watch it though, as the full size photos were slow to load, even on our high speed connection.

Got your own story from the Stash? Feel free to drop it in our Comments area or sent it our way. Also, we’re curious on the status of Stash Westwood, so if you wander by, see it open, closed, clearances, etc — Take some photos or let us know. After all, this is a major event in View Askew history, and will leave us with just a single Secret Stash on the planet once again.

What can you tell us about the power you plan to give your character?


It’s one that every comic book fan is very familiar with, but one that I consider to be the lamest of all the superpowers.

Care to speculate, anyone? Kevin’s not usually the repeating type, so we can’t see flying, invisibility, mind reading, invincibility…And it’s known that it’s a girl. Super strength perhaps? Hmmm. Rumor has it that the fan favorite hero of “Origins” will become a full-fledged cast member for season 3…Let’s hope it’s this one!

KEVIN SMITH: Let’s give props to Lost. How brilliant was this season finale? I mean, it’s cruel because they’re not coming back until like January, but hats off for taking a foolproof formula and spinning it to make it even better. You’re like, ”Oh my God, so now they’re all flash-forwards?! How genius is that?” … We [had] all settled into ”Okay, this is what they do, they flashback and we learn a lot about the characters.” But that whole episode, you’re sitting there going, like, ”Wait a second — is that Jack’s father’s body [in the coffin]? But wasn’t the body on the plane? Who was this person in the casket that he’s going to see?” And then the moment where Kate f—ing walks up from the car and you’re like, ”Wait — they knew each other before?” And then all of a sudden, it becomes f—ing clear, you’re like, ”Oh my God, that s—‘s insanely brilliant!” You can only do that in TV, though. You can’t do that in a feature. You know what I’m saying? Like, you get a moment like that in a feature like The Sixth Sense, where you’re like, ”Holy s—, he’s been dead the whole time!?” But to do two seasons and then suddenly throw a massive curveball is just so dramatically satisfying, you just take your hats off to the writers in a big, bad way.

Lost’s season three end was one of the most memorable TV finales of all time — We’re in definite agreement that February is just too far away.