It’s the return of Dante, Randal, and those two loveable drug dealers!

Straight from the heart of Dogma country (15 minutes from “St. Michaels”, actually) the Waterworks Cinemas in Pittsburgh, PA is proud to announce CLERKS as part of its MIDNIGHT MOVIE SERIES.

(Also showing in August will be MEANING OF LIFE, AUSTIN POWERS, and an INDIANA JONES flick).

CLERKS will run August 7 & 8th at midnight only. Tickets are $5.00.

Call (412) 784-1416 for directions or further information.

And, the news you’ve been waiting for: Jay and Silent Bob #2 is scheduled to ship NEXT WEEK according to this report! Now, we usually hear from Joe At Oni Press well before a book ships, so we’ll do our best to contact him for verification on this. I would say don’t hold your breath, though.

This month’s Previews finally officially announces the J&SB figures for October shipping. Seeing as how the first wave of Big Blast figures is three or so months late, our scooper says not to expect these to ship on time. We’ll try and find out more. Last we’d heard, all was on schedule.

Oni Double Feature #1 and Clerks #1 both listed on the Wizard top ten for the second month in a row at numbers 2 and 6 respectively. (our scooper actually sold a Clerks #1 at his store for $20!).

Also, Kevin Smith showed up as #8 on the Wizard Top Ten Writers list. Congrats on another achievement, Kev! Bet you didn’t think you’d end up on THAT list when you started making flicks.

History According to Damon and Affleck

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are flexing their newfound Hollywood muscle by bringing the work of one of their favorite leftist historians to the small screen. Fox has announced that the Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting scribes will produce a 10-hour miniseries based on Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present. The book, which was released in 1980 and won a National Book Award the following year, traces an alternative history of America, as told from the point of view of blacks, women, war protesters, Native Americans, and the poor.

What’s the connection? Fans of Good Will Hunting will remember that Zinn’s book was featured prominently in the flick. Take that scene in the bar where Damon’s character quotes Zinn to cut a Harvard student down to size-and impress Minnie Driver at the same time. Later, when Will is interviewing for a job at a defense agency and spouts off about the military industrial complex, and how his genius will be exploited to bomb poor people in other countries, that’s also Zinn. He even tells Robin Williams’ psychiatrist character that A People’s History “will knock you on your ass.” Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the author is also a friend of the Damon family, and has known the now red-hot actor since he was a child.

According to the New York Times, a Fox exec caught the Zinn references in Good Will Hunting and approached Damon and Affleck about bringing the historian’s unique perspective to the couch potatoes of the nation. But don’t look for this project to be an all-out documentary. Instead, Fox is describing it as “youth-oriented” take on U.S. history.

“We’re not doing the book,” David Grant, president of Fox Television Studio, tells the Times. “It’s a dramatic work. It’s not a political piece. The book is really the inspiration for Matt and Ben to tell stories.”

The miniseries is expected to air in 1999.

• Dogma’s running time is definitely shaping up to hit close to 3 hours in the first cut. There’s just over an hour and a half edited (probably more by now) and they’re halfway through the written script. If he can get it down to 2 1/2 hours, the Max will allow it to stand! Nice running time, eh? Seems long, but trust us, it’s gonna FLY by, and it will certainly be a shame if some of the spectacular dialogue needs to be trimmed.
• An outstanding score composer has been selected (and will sign any day now). We’re sure that Kevin will make the official announcement on the View Askew site as soon as the deal is done. Hey, we’re trying to keep some secrets here too, ya know.
• The pressure and concern from Disney over the flick is definitely genuine. Time will tell what problems, if any, this will bring as the film draws closer to distribution. We still can’t see what the fuss is all about, but some execs over there are certainly shifting uncomfortably in their leather swivel chairs from the sound of things.
• Kevin seems confident in getting the first cut done with plenty of time to spare, but don’t count on seeing the film in release until almost a year from now…Spring, 1999.

Know this: You will NOT be disappointed by this film. You’ll want to see it a few times to take in everything that’s going on, and you’ll love every minute of it. It WILL be worth the wait, and unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Trust us.