Most Of Kevin Smith’s Filmography

Yes, they’re crude, obscene, and occasionally disgusting, but most Kevin Smith’s movies are also, at their root, romantic comedies. Think about it: the key conflicts in both Clerks films is Dante’s inability to decide whether he should be with his current girlfriend or be with another. Mallrats is about two guys who have been dumped and, while using the mall as a coping mechanism, try and repair their relationships. Zack and Miri Make A Porno is about two friends who discover that they have long had feelings for one another. Do I really have to explain Chasing Amy? These are all classic romantic comedy storylines, just hidden behind hermaphroditic porn and interspecies erotica. There’s no shame in that.

The project I wanted to ask you about was one that’s popped up on the IMDB called The Science Of Cool, which seems to hark back to the John Hughes films of the 80s? Is it finished?

No, it’s not. And you know what? A lot of those movies aren’t even started. The Science Of Cool is a movie that a friend of mine, Billy, is producing. And he asked me if I wanted to jump on board, and I read it and I thought it was good. It was a different character for me and stuff. And I don’t know how these people even get it up on IMDB like that.

There’s three other movies up there, but none of them are in actual production right now. They’re all in that stage where they’re getting characters, people attached to the script and some people are interested in financing, but nothing solid. That’s where that’s at. They have some people who want to do the movie and are interested, but they’re waiting to get financing.

…

Have you got any involvement in Cop Out?

No. I was supposed to do a small part in there, and it didn’t work out because the day they were shooting, scheduling, didn’t pan out. It was just a small part anyway, which still would have been nice, don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t worth adjusting the commitments I already had for a small part.

There’s a lot more interesting stuff, so we recommend you check out the entire article for a decent little read. Job well done by the folks over at DOG.

This sale’s being done a little different. They’re calling it a “soft” sale, meaning you don’t need a special password or code to get tickets…But the only way the show’s been promoted, so far, has been via twitter, us, other sites, etc. So, let’s just see how many seats we can fill before they’ve even got to take this any further, shall we? An audience full of web fans? Gotta love it.

So what do ya say? Get ‘em while the best seats are still available, and let’s sell this sucker out. It all goes down April 10th, 7:00 PM, at Phoenix’s Orpheum Theater. Be there, Arizona.

“…Last year, as well as playing in the tournament, Smith put on a live show at Brantford’s Sanderson Centre. The $10,000 proceeds were donated to the Brantford Sports Facilities Infrastructure Legacy Fund.

This year, money raised from the show at the Sanderson Centre will be split between the infrastructure fund and the CNIB Walter and Wayne Gretzky Scholarship Foundation for the Blind Youth of Canada.

The money for the CNIB will be donated on behalf of Smith’s late grandmother Ann Schultz, who was blind.”

Ticket and time info not yet released for this one, but once it is, we’ll let you know how to get your seats.

Via @mpauley1 “so what is the proposed budget for Red State?” That’ll depend what we raise. If it’s 40k, done. If it’s 1mil? Done.

Via @YankeesJets2310 “Time to sell the comics again” No, I’ll sell a bunch of Askewniverse props instead. Sell the past to shoot the future.

@murray1134 “very George Lucas of you, reinvest your profits to make your own movies outside the system” Not my movies: your movies. If this works, I’m one-&-done w/RED STATE: building the infrastructure if we can, so others who aren’t established yet can follow.

Want the full gory details from Mr. Smith? Check out his blog update which explains the entire process in the best detail you could hope for. Some snips:

If we did fan-finance and actually make the film, let’s say it sold: what then? There will be profits? Would people get their money back? Where would that money go? Our plan is to put anything we make into a fund that would, in turn, finance other (cost-sensible) flicks fans want to see. And from that? Build a People’s Studio. Simply have any interested/frustrated/desperate party put their script on our website, open for all to read, during a “pilot season” of sorts. Script that gets the most votes, gets the loot. That flick gets made and sold, all the loot goes back into fund for next round. If there’s enough loot from RED STATE sale to do so, idea would be to fund two low budget flicks a year. Ultimate dream: Indie Movement, v.3. Because with the shuttering and impending sale of Miramax comes the sober realization that the specialty business has just died completely. The 90’s are long over and Indie Movement v.2 has come to a sad close. Until that market is vibrant and thriving again, maybe this is a small way to keep the home-fires burning. I know we’re supposed to let all things run its course, but can’t help it: I don’t wanna see the indie film world I knew go away forever. I’m an idealist and a silly-heart, and I’ve got a dream.

But that’s all it is right now: a dream. Sure it sounds Utopian… but Utopia was written by a lawyer – and the law is what we’re looking through now, seeing who’d be responsible for taxes up front, what happens if the fund collapses, what if a total of $12.36 is raised, etc. LOTS to go through before (and IF) this might take shape.

So, there ya have it — This isn’t a money beg idea. It’s a way to start a fund for struggling filmmakers to get their stories told. And as a bonus, we’ll kick it off with a nice big bag ‘o profits from the inevitable coolness that is “Red State”. A win-win for all. Between the street hockey entrant goal and this idea, 2010 could be a landmark, record-setting year.

Though sculpted and prototyped, production of the CLERKS II InAction Figures are on hold with no released planned for the immediate future. We have a considerable amount of time and money invested in these figures and will do everything we can to make these figures available at some future date.

We thank you for your patience (and support), and ask that you keep your fingers crossed and keep your eye on our websites. Hopefully we’ll be able to get these figures out sometime prior to the 10th Anniversary of Clerks II.

Best,

Bob

We realize this isn’t the news anyone wanted to hear, including us, though now ya know. When we’ve got better news, you’ll read it here.

@Choccster “What did WB say to Hit Somebody?” Essentially? “That movie requires a needle-threading approach. We make chainsaws here.” Understandly, it’s an easier call with a script. So as of 2/24, I gonna start writing HIT SOMEBODY. WB’s in-or-out remains to be seen.

Via @marvelfanx “Selling comics 2 fund film. Painful or liberating” Liberating. This Aug, I’m selling all old Askew props to fund RED STATE.

He will of course also be matching all proceeds and donations with his own money towards the film. This at least, is the plan right now. “Red State” would follow “Hit Somebody” if things go down the way Kevin would like to see in 2010.

Meanwhile, more stories continue to surface on this topic, including an article from CINSSU who reference Kevin’s recent twitter chat idea of taking fan donations to fun the project:

“…However, Smith has found a new possible revenue source for a movie that can’t seem to attract any commercial investors. “I think an interesting thing that may happen with it is—I was on Twitter and people are asking about Red State, and then a dude tweeted ‘hey man, what if we pay for it?’ And all of a sudden, a bunch of people were like ‘Seriously, why not?’” This wouldn’t be the first time that someone raised money for a project by soliciting it over the internet, but it would be the first time a filmmaker as prominent as Smith has done so. “We’re kind of creating this website. We’re seeing if it works to set up and collect donations. It becomes a weird tax nightmare, though…It sounded like such an easy thing online…but now there’s lots of checks and balances to make sure we can do it, but if that’s the case, I would be into it, and I’ll match it. Whatever you raise on line, like fuck it, you put it up, I’ll put it up.” Smith has always been a gracious personality towards his fans and it shows in his words as well as his demeanor. “We’re gonna make it. It’s gonna happen. First up is that hockey movie, though, because that’s where I am right now. Right after that, though, by hook or by crook, with my pennies or the pennies of the audience. God bless them. Motherfuckers want to see the movie so badly that they’re willing to pay for it with their own money? Absolutely, put their name in the credits and that movie will be a reality.”

That entire article’s pretty good, and all comes from a recent press roundtable with Kevin. Check it out for a few words on “Cop Out” as well as “Zack and Miri”.

I dig COP OUT. It’s warm and funny and looks/plays like something I spent a great deal of my youth watching: a studio movie.

I view the flick this way: when Spielberg and Lucas made STAR WARS and RAIDERS, both were homaging the flicks of their youth – in their cases, the cliffhanger serials. Not implying COP OUT is remotely akin to the quality and ambition of SW or RAIDERS, but the ethos behind the making of this flick was borrowed from those guys: make that movie as an adult that I watched as a child. Tap into the movie buff that existed before I fell in love with Film. It was kinda like “Let’s make a movie for the fun of it.” (’cause Lord knows it wasn’t for profit.)

Anyway, I’m satisfied that I did what I set out to do. Whether people dig on what that is, exactly, is another matter altogether – and one, as guessed around this thread – that I’m not as invested in as I’ve been in the past. Even though there’s lots of me in the flick, I still have a sense of detachment from it – and not, as guessed, because I didn’t write the script. That sense of detachment has more to do with the fact that we all set out to make a piece of entertainment, not make a personal statement. This is the first round of press in which I assume we’ll talk more about the making of the flick than the flick itself – as there’s not much even the most imaginary cineaste is gonna be able to pull out it. I mean, it’s called COP OUT, not SCHINDLER’S COP OUT.

But for me? COP OUT (formerly A COUPLE OF DICKS) is – in ways I can’t clarify (as I don’t have the language for it yet) – a big step forward in my day job. Granted, not in that very-apparent CHASING AMY way, but it’s the start of something very different for me, inasmuch as the filmmaking thing goes. In the beginning, it was all very in-the-moment, now-or-never, fight-or-die. From this current vantage point – 15 years in, now fairly confident (subject to health) there’ll be a next 15? It’s calmer, not as desperate. The fight to be heard or to prove oneself is long over. There is enough work – different, original work – to qualify as a legacy. I know I’ll be remembered for what we accomplished in that 15 year span.

Check out the entire post at the official blog of Kevin Smith.

Want more proof that the film’s gonna kick butt? We’ve fixed that “red band” trailer link that went down briefly after the YouTube pulled it yesterday, so be sure to surf on back if you missed that one. The trailer has been officially available via Myspace, you just gotta put your birthday in there before you watch it. But here’s more. The Film Stage provides an essay on “Why ‘Cop Out’ Will Succeed”. Here’s a taste:

…It should also be remembered that trailers are all about marketing. Marketing to the majority market that will see the movie. Warner Bros. is in no way selling this movie to film buffs, bloggers, or Smith fans. Why? Because they know we are already going to see this movie. We don’t need to be sold on Cop Out. However, people who have never heard of this movie before, i.e. the majority market, needs to be sold the movie because a Bruce Willis/Tracy Morgan buddy cop comedy is foreign to them. Based on the reaction I saw from people when it played in front of Sherlock Holmes, I would say Warner Bros. succeeded.

[Now this piece was originally supposed to run before the Red Band was released. But since that was released early, here are my thoughts on the reaction to it. I had no doubt that, that trailer was going to be the one to turn people around. The reason being, that trailer WAS made for the internet crowd that already knows about the film. We are the ones Warner Bros. is marketing too in this case and like the green band, they succeeded.]

…

…Cop Out is a film that will have the Smith touch. It won’t sound like a Kevin Smith film, and might have a quicker pace than his usual work. But, it will be a Kevin Smith film. No one can deny that. This is a film that was grown for success. This is a film that is meant to show what Kevin Smith is capable of outside of his norm. This is the film that will prove to the world that Kevin Smith is more than just dick and fart jokes. Come February 26th, don’t be surprised to see Cop Out gain #1 at the box office (unless Shutter Island has two weeks in it).”

“…I found the ability to connect to News Askew web content to be most useful. You can find that feature buried inside the “More” tab which includes Smith’s SModcasts, Podcasts and Fanimation videos. The fact that Kevin Smith is already resident in the App Stores list of “What’s Hot” should be a small clue that this iPhone nugget is well on its way to cult superstardom.

…

“…While Smith does offer users the ability to purchase his films and soundtrack music from inside the app via iTunes, it’s not a feature being blasted in your face. Committed followers should feel overwhelmed with tremendous man-love for this epic iPhone offering. It’s a must-have dollar app well worth the price of admission.”

The trailer is non-stop R-rated hilarity, though of course we always like to warn you, some spoilers here, but more of a joke nature than a plot nature. Kevin’s marketing this one as a true popcorn film, and it shows. This new clip gives you a much better feel for the tone of the film as well as just how great the script and the jokes really are. A funny script is great, but delivery is always the key, and we know that Kevin’s a master at getting the perfect delivery of a line. This trailer’s got a bunch of that, especially that last moment that’s a laugh-out-loud payoff that many who had only watched the green band trailer have been waiting to see.

As an added bonus, check out these just-in shots of a massive “Cop Out” banner in New York City’s Times Square. Now THAT’S an ad that’s hard to miss. “Cop Out” hit theaters three weeks from today. Spread the word.