Posts Tagged ‘Kevin Smith’
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I know for some of you it might seem a bit cruel to keep dishing out punishment on an unsuspecting Ben Affleck, but it’s become the running joke here at Theater Hopper and I’m only too happy to keep running with it. I hope you enjoy today’s comic as much as I do. I’m really happy with the way it turned out. The last few weren’t up to snuff in my opinion.
Of course, today being Jersey Girl Day, I can’t wait to throw off the shackles of another work week and dive head first into my multiplex. I’ve been looking forward to this picture since they announced filming almost this time last year.
Of course, the movie has been cast in the unfortunate position of dodging post-“Bennifer”/Gigli fallout. But I sincerely believe that once people sit down and watch the film, none of that will matter. It’s regrettable that Kevin Smith and Miramax found themselves trying to reposition the film in the wake of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s breakup. But just imagine if the wedding had gone through as planned! We wouldn’t hear the end of it!
I know Jersey Girl isn’t “official” Askewniverse cannon, but I’m not particularly bothered by it. I appreciate that Kevin Smith set out to make a more “adult” film. As long as the true-to-how-people-talk brand dialogue is still in place, I’ll always buy a ticket to see what Smith has concocted next.
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Since the action happens off-screen, there’s no telling if Jared actually succeeded in taking Ben Affleck’s head as a trophy. But in the alternate universe that ∗is∗ the buzzComix incentive sketch, we can peer through a mystical portal and view what could be… Click here uncover hidden mystery!
Incidentally, Jared’s been taking pot shots at Ben Affleck for years. I don’t think he would really try to take his head as a trophy. It’s more of a catch and release thing. The thrill of the hunt.
For those of you who are concerned you may have gone cross-eyed reading today’s strip, a sequel to Clerks is 100% true. Director Kevin Smith announced to the Associated Press last week.
Apparently, while working on the 10th anniversary edition DVD, Kevin got to thinking about the characters that unlocked Hollywood’s secret society to him and decided to revisit them 10 years after the events of the original movie.
According to Smith, “It’s about what happens when that lazy, 20-something malaise lasts into your 30s. Those dudes are kind of still mired, not in that same exact situation, but in a place where it’s time to actually grow up and do something more than just sit around and dissect pop culture and talk about sex.”
According the fan boy guru, Jay and Silent Bob will also be making an appearance. Which is slightly disheartening when Smith promised he’d hang the characters up for good after the all-out cameo laden road comedy Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. Apparently after the failure of the more “grown up” offering of Jersey Girl, Smith realized where his bread and butter really resided.
The film will be titled The Passion of the Clerks and principal photography will begin in January of 2005.
Personally, I don’t know how smart is it to return to the “Askewniverse”. Clearly there is a large fan base out there ready to lap this up. But to me it indicates a kind of creative bankruptcy to revisit the same characters 10 years down the road. Besides, didn’t Richard Linklater experiment with this very concept when he released Before Sunset earlier this year – the movie that revisits Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy’s characters 10 years after the events of Before Sunrise?
Although I don’t know how much griping I’m entitled to here. That aforementioned fan base? Well, I’m part of it. More than likely I’ll see The Passion of the Clerks when it opens in theaters. It’ll just be interesting to see if Kevin Smith can keep his integrity after the fact.
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Although I worked on today’s comic in advance, I did not prepare a Monday morning blog. Currently, I am suffering the after-effects of a Super Bowl party and the over-consumption of too many libations, meat and cheese. As such, my comments will be brief.
But real quick: Was it just me, or were the advertisements during this year’s game some of the lamest you’ve ever seen? Not a lick of creativity between any of them.
That aside, anyone looking for commentary regarding the revelation of Charlie’s big secret last Friday need only click the “BACK” link located directly below the comic. I added some words of not-so-much wisdom over the weekend.
Today’s buzzComix incentive sketch has nothing to do with today’s comic (as is typically the tradition). But instead the rough pencils for February’s raffle artwork. It’s a scene from the upcoming Keanu Reeves’ Constantine. Don’t ask me what it is with all the comic book inspired drawings (last month was Elektra). I guess it must be the season for obscure sequential art caricatures.
At any rate, I provided a scene still from the movie that I’m using as my frame of reference. It’s been showing up in all the television advertisements and the trailer, so I gather it must be a “signature scene”. I think the artwork is coming along very nicely. I was excited about it and wanted to share it. Vote for Theater Hopper if you want to see it.
I had some thoughts about Constantine the movie – mostly relating to how fans of the original Vertigo comic book are upset that the character has been taken out of his London setting and his trademark blonde hair replaced by Reeves’ jet black dye job. But ultimately I conceded to the fact that once Reeves’ was cast, so was a limited range for the adaptation.
Will the movie be any good? Hard to tell. It clearly won’t be as good as the comic books. But maybe they’ll take things in a direction we don’t expect.
Something else unexpected… Cami said she was interested in seeing the movie. The ads led her to believe it’s about talking to the dead – a subject that fascinates her. Not entirely correct, but not entirely incorrect. Maybe it’ll be something to see. Goodness knows there hasn’t been much else worth watching these last few months…
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I’m trying to remember where I read that report that said that Ben Affleck literally got down on hands and knees and begged Kevin Smith for a cameo in Clerks II. Oddly, I can’t seem to find it anywhere online! Funny how a rumor starts, isn’t it?
Yes, this is commentary!
I do remember reading the rumor, but there probably isn’t much truth to it. A Kevin Smith without an Affleck cameo is like a day without sunshine. Actually, what I heard is that Affleck was invited to come back to the Askewniverse, but accepted only under the terms that he would be in the background and not play one of his previous Kevin Smith-created characters. After a while on set, Affleck felt it was weird to be there and not have a line, so Smith forged one for him on the spot. I’m sure not unlike a childhood game of "Telephone," the message got jumbled along the way – but I was having so much fun with the idea that Jared had severely stepped up his operations beyond simply physical beatings, I couldn’t turn my back on it.
Clerks II commentary aside, I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about Wizard World Chicago coming up in two weeks, August 4 – 6 at the lovely Rosemont Convention Center right next to the fabulous (and always on-time) O’Hare Airport.
This will be my thrid year going to Wizard World Chicago and I’m hitting the ground running. I will have copies of my new book "Theater Hopper: Year One" for sale and I’m going to try and pass it around to as many members of the media that I can.
To help generate interest, I am having a book-launch party in my hotel room on Saturday night, August 5. It’ll probably start around 7:00 or 8:00 and go until we either run out of beer or get bored and want to go somewhere else. But the idea is not only to celebrate with fans, but to let the media know that web comics are a happenin’ scene and that Theater Hopper ain’t too shabby on it’s own!
If you plan on being in attendance at Wizard World Chicago, please be sure to stop by my book on Artist’s Alley to get your invitation. I don’t really want to share my hotel room number over the internet and I don’t know it offhand anyway. So it all works out. Stop by the booth, get the invite and come hang out with us. You can find me at booth 3134 A and you can view a map of the convention floor here (look on the second page, to the right). Everyone is welcome to visit me at the booth, but 21 and over for the party, please. Here’s a close-up of Artist’s Alley in case you can’t open the larger PDF:
I need to let you know that Zach Miller from Joe and Monkey will also be releasing a book (Volume 2 of his hilarious comic) that weekend and the book release party is a joint effort. There will also be several other web comic stars in attendance. Not only at the party, but on the convention floor. The Theater Hopper booth can be found in immediate proximity of Gordon McAlpin of Multiplex, Joe Dunn of Digital Pimp Online, illustrator extraordinaire and convention stalwart Taki Soma and the previously mentioned Zach Miller. It’s going to be a hell of a time.
If any of you happen to have connections in the comic press, web comic press or small press publication… press, please let me know so I can notify members of the media in advance. I’m not looking to get signed by any production house or anything. Pretty much just looking to network and inform people about Theater Hopper. I can’t tell you how many conventions I go to where people look at my booth and say "So it’s online?" They’re not expecting it. I feel it’s time to get over the hump and bring web comics to a wider audience. With book in tow, I hope to make that happen!
I will have more news to share about Wizard World Chicago in the coming weeks, but I wanted to start talking about it now. I hope to see several of you in attendance and I thank you for your support!
Oh, and if you’ve pre-ordered a copy of "Theater Hopper: Year One," don’t worry. I’m setting aside copies for all of you. Once back from Chicago, I plan on mailing them out as soon as possible. So you should be seeing your book sometime by mid-August (barring the length of time it takes for me to draw your sketch inside the book!)
Thanks again to everyone who has helped to make this possible. I finally feel I have something concrete to exhibit at Wizard World Chicago and that I’m not just there taking up space to say I had been there. It’s a good feeling!
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I have plenty to say about the controversy between Kevin Smith and Joel Siegel concerning the forthcoming Clerks II, but I’m saving that for later.
For now, I have more important news…
Seriously, guys. You should have been hanging out with me yesterday. I was on Cloud 9. As I was driving to pick up the books from the frieght agency that was storing them on their docks, I swear the air was sweeter and my car stereo was pumping tunes more clearly. Flipping through this book… to have it in my hands… WOW. Big accomplishment for me. You have no idea.
Sincere thanks to each and every one of you who pre-ordered a copy. You helped make my dream come true! Now that I have this first book under my belt, I hope to do "Theater Hopper: Year Two" very soon. I’d love for it to be out by Christmas, but it really depends how well "Theater Hopper: Year One" sells first.
On that note, if you were holding off on pre-ordering a copy of "Theater Hopper: Year One," these pictures are the proof that – yes – the book IS in fact REAL. You should order one soon. We’ve already burned through half of our first print run and I’m taking a BUNCH of these books to Wizard World Chicago. So there might be very less very soon!
I can’t tell you how excited I am. Cami and I have put together a great plan to get this book in front of many people as possible. You guys have helped us meet the first goal. Now we’re going to start trying to get press for the book – both local and national – and see if we can’t push things a little farther in regards to Theater Hopper’s overall visibility and success.
You guys got us to this point, so THANK YOU!!!
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I am VERY frustrated right now because I had a very long post for the front page today and the internet ate it!
Angry… so angry!
Okay, summary time, I guess. Because I’m just too mad to go back and write it again.
1. VOTE. If you live in America, vote on Tuesday. I don’t care who you vote for. Just vote. Do not abdicate you civil responsibility. People around the world would literally die to have the rights we have. Don’t waste it.
2. Zack & Miri Make A Porno was great. Elizabeth Banks is the MVP of the picture.
3. Tune in to The Triple Feature tonight at 9PM CST where we will talk more about Zack & Miri as well as some of our favorite political films. If you have a question you’d like to ask the group before we record, please send it to group@thetriplefeature.com.
Thank you!
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Sep07
GUEST STRIP – JASON SWEARINGEN
September 7th, 2009 |- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(46 votes, average: 8.93 out of 10)
As I mentioned last week, I’m taking this week off to concentrate on setting up a web site for my web design freelancing business. The job market it tough and getting tougher, so I need a calling card that will help me stand out among my competitors. Once I have the site up and running, I’ll be sure to post a link so you guys can check it out (and hopefully send some business my way!)
In the meantime, please enjoy this guest strip by Jason Swearingen. I really like the pacing Jason developed for this comic. It went from funny, to unfunny, back to funny again. I especially enjoyed how he played up Tom and Cami’s relationship – something not a lot of other artist’s do.
Jason has a comic of his own called Winston’s Oddessy and I strongly encourage you to check it out. He has almost 40 comics in his archive, so it’s a great time to get on board early and add his comic to your bookmarks.
Thanks again, everyone! Check back on Wednesday for another guest strip!
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Feb26
TALENT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PAY GRADES
February 26th, 2010 |(41 votes, average: 7.88 out of 10)
This comic is many thinks. It is scatological, it re-enforces gender stereotypes and it throws stones at giants.
I mean no disrespect to Kevin Smith. I just couldn’t avoid a good poop joke. I’m sure he understands. After all, he included The Golgothan in Dogma.
I also wasn’t particularly crazy about falling into the trope of the put-upon wife who tolerates the slovenly antics of the layabout husband. But like I said… poop joke.
I DO IT FOR THE COMEDY, PEOPLE!
As for the movie itself, I think it’s kind of weird that Kevin Smith is being billed as the director of Cop Out when he didn’t write it. Like I said in the strip, he’s not exactly known for his dynamic camera work and I think he’d be the first to admit it. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty SURE he’s admitted it on the commentary tracks of several of his movies.
Doesn’t mean the dude can’t grow as an artist. I just don’t think it’s where his strength lies. Personally, I’d love to read a kick-ass script and have him hand it off to… I dunno… Wes Anderson, or something. See what happens.
Actually, I think I would probably rather watch him act in a movie than direct at this point. Maybe it’s just me, but I thought Smith was pretty good in Catch and Release. I’m being serious!
I don’t know what to think of Cop Out. If Smith’s name weren’t attached, I would have absolutely no interest. As someone pointed out to me, Cop Out looks like the kind of movie Tracy Morgan’s character from 30 Rock would do for a quick paycheck. Not a compliment.
Bruce Willis? I have no idea what Bruce Willis is supposed to be doing in this thing other than throw a wink and a nod to his hard-boiled action hero roles from his past. “John McClane is in this?! I gotta see it!” Well, not exactly and… no you don’t.
What do you guys think of Cop Out? It could be fun, but I’m on the fence. I guess, to me, it looks like a fun rental. I’m wondering if anyone out there has been anticipating this movie at all. How much does Kevin Smith’s involvement motivate you to see the film? Do you think he lent more to the production than lens work? Maybe he helped the actors with a few funny ad libs? The mind boggles, so leave your comments below!
In the meantime, I have a fun idea. Let’s all send a link to this comic to Kevin Smith’s Twitter account and see what happens!!
Cheers, y’all.
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This blog post has been adapted somewhat from a Twitter rant I had last night after a screening of Kevin Smith’s Red State had let out at the Sundance Film Festival.
I follow a lot of movie bloggers on Twitter. Several of them are at Sundance. Nearly all of them were taking the piss out of Smith after the screening of Red State.
It wasn’t necessarily the film alone that ruffled their feathers. But, rather, Smith’s “auctioning” of the film’s distribution rights that snapped up for $20 which was promptly announced as “SOLD!” by the movie’s producer, Jonathan Gordon. Smith intends to forgo traditional major studio distribution and will market the film himself on a multi-city tour.
Was it a publicity stunt? Sure. But I’m not sure I understand why movie bloggers are up in arms about this.
I remember the days when Smith was the hottest thing since sliced bread. Journalists were more than eager to prop him up when he was the guy who maxed out his credit cards to make a movie no one had heard about.
Not that I expect journalists to be in his corner at all times. Certainly the quality of his movies has declined a little bit and he’s taken a very vocal anti-media stance. No wonder he’s unpopular in blogging circles. After being burned one too many times, he doesn’t give media the same access as before.
But watching a series of tweets from movie bloggers roll in last night, you could see how the frustration with Smith has turned into outright animosity for (what I think are) largely arbitrary reasons.
Smith has taken the distribution of Red State into his own hands. He brought it to Sundance not to sell it to a studio, but to kick off his own marketing campaign. Folks, this is as indie as indie gets. Yet, there is no praise for this decision?
I’m reminded of music acts like Radiohead or Nine Inch Nails – musicians who have walked away from major record labels and who are producing albums for fans that they release online. These guys are celebrated as marketing mavericks. Meanwhile, Smith is still a pariah.
I can’t help but think this is somewhat deliberate on the part of the movie blogging community. They’re looking for a way to punish Smith for making the decision to communicate only with his fans. Either that, or they’re participating in that time-honored media tradition of championing the unknown artist, validating his work to the masses and then tearing him down in order to look ahead of the curve.
What’s your take on the Kevin Smith hate? Is it warranted? Did Smith bring this on himself? What about his decision to distribute Red State on his own? A bold move or career suicide? Leave your comments below.
In the meantime, if you’d like to watch Smiths’ Q&A from Red State at Sundance, I’ve included that below. I’m eager to read your feedback!
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