Kevin Smith's ZACK & MIRI MAKE A PORNO

[Wolfe]

Sounds interesting. But I always look forward to Kevin's stuff.

---------------------------------

From the Los Angeles Times
SCRIPTLAND

After six little words, Harvey Weinstein is sold
By Jay A. Fernandez
Special to The Times

June 6, 2007

It's rarely a good idea to greenlight a movie off of a title alone (unless it includes the words "Pirates" and "Caribbean"). That's like falling in love with a MySpace photo.

But when Harvey Weinstein pulled the trigger on the latest raunchy comedy idea from "Dogma" and "Clerks II" writer-director Kevin Smith after Smith had written only six words of it, Weinstein's $15 million looked like a pretty good bet.

The title? "Zack and Miri Make a Porno."

For a certain stripe of moviegoer, that's a sure thing.

"A bawdy sex comedy with heart," as Smith describes the just-completed script, "Zack and Miri" is about two friends who have managed to trudge into their 30s with a satisfying lack of accomplishment. But a 15-year high school reunion and dire rent problems spark the novel moneymaking idea of pulling together an amateur porn enterprise. As for where it goes from there, just think of Smith's characteristic sexual verbosity finally coupled with matching imagery.

"It's … dirty, with nudity," says Smith. "But funny nudity, not gratuitous nudity." Well, leave it to Smith to choose a plotline that kneecaps the issue entirely. (The civilians-making-a-blue-movie conceit also drove the narrative of writer-director Michael Traeger's "The Amateurs," which played festivals last year.) Because the story unfolds during a snowy Minnesota winter, Smith plans to film "Zack and Miri" there in February (although, Smith jokes, global warming may force him to shoot at one of the poles).

In the intervening months, Smith is publishing a book of reprinted blog entries from SilentBobSpeaks.com called "My Boring Ass Life." And he hopes to squeeze in filming of his low-budget ($3 million) horror script, "Red State," by the end of the year. Smith is aiming to give the politically charged screenplay, about outsiders who stumble into "fundamentalism gone to the extreme" in Middle America, a naturalistic, drive-in feel.

"Horror is more than a dude with a chain saw," says Smith, who engaged the Christian right promotional machine for the release of "Dogma." Given his rabid fan base, Smith is keeping the screenplay on lockdown at his Hollywood Hills home, so agents, actors and executives have needed a personal invitation to see it. Rosario Dawson, a "Clerks II" star, is supposed to give it a read this week.

After her vampy turns in "Sin City" and "Grindhouse," it sounds like a perfect trilogy.

[crushedredpeppermint]

That could be cool. Kevin is a great writer and I'm glad to see he's doing something comedic coupled with his new venture into horror. I am intrigued by both the films talked about there.

[Luke Erik]

Hmm. I'm not sold yet, but I look forward to more info.

[Dobbin]

If it is successful, in this era of Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Aliens Vs. Predator, they could have a mash-up sequel where they fight HAROLD AND KUMAR for supremacy in the (Standard but non-common Given Name) and (Wackier, Ethnic/Exotic Given Name)(Perform an Activity) arena.

Just concept-wise, not knowing anything at all beyond the title, it seems like a Frankenstein of recent comedy success-- the "Hard R" success of WEDDING CRASHERS and 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN meets the teen-Myspace-crowd success of HAROLD AND KUMAR, meets the adult-themed risque-appeal of THE GIRL NEXT DOOR.

But then seeing that Kevin Smith is writing it, that makes the take on such a thing very interesting... Like, interesting in the same manner that a comic fan might have seeing one of his more favorite pencillers or writers taking hold of a book/character that he otherwise might not be interested in; like when Alan Moore wrote for SPAWN. It kind of makes it pardoxically more intriguing, you know?

[Donnacha]

On the one hand, the title reminded me of Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, and on the other it reminded me of Celine and Julie Go Boating. Somehow I see Kevin's flick having little to do with either, but we'll be reading those titles ad nauseum in forthcoming news about Smith's film.

I once read a Time Out article about the Chicago International Film Festival, where several directors were interviewed, discussing problems with indie flicks. It seemed a funny thing to them that since Chasing Amy, way too many indie films thought they could be Verbing Propernoun.

They each mentioned more problems; too many films about filmmakers, too many films with colons in the title, too many films obviously built around the writer's boring life, and so on. So the interviewer proposed Finding Myself: A Filmmaker's Journey, and they all laughed.

[JCEFalconi]

Shit D, you cut to the bone.

 I love Smith's movies, and they'll always have a very special place to me. But I dunno, seems it happens too often that I listen about a new Kevin project and I think "Man, something about that doesn't sound right?, Jennifer Lopez? Comedy about Catholicism? Ben Affleck a single Dad? Sequel to Clerks? And despite all those things he's always ended up with a movie I'd like. (Except Clerks II).

 Yeah I'll be there opening day (If it ever opens here).

[BrianLynch]

The little tidbits I've heard about it (haven't been asked to read it, dag) make me really excited to see it.  

Kevin's psyched about this movie, I think it's going to be fun.   I just hope he asks me to play Miri.  I think it's about time.

[Luke Erik]

And despite all those things he's always ended up with a movie I'd like. (Except Clerks II).

 

What didn't you like about Clerks 2?  I enjoyed it enough to buy it.

[Tim]

I think I already know the answer to my question, but am I the only one who thinks Kevin Smith jumped the shark with Dogma?

I love Clerks, Mallrats and Chasing Amy.  Everything since has been a big letdown for me(except for An Evening With Kevin Smith, which was awesome).  

Of course, I'm also a militant defender of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, so it's quite possible that my opinion is shit.

[ScottE]

I think I already know the answer to my question, but am I the only one who thinks Kevin Smith jumped the shark with Dogma?

I'm with you there. Chasing Amy was the last movie of his I really loved.

[chrisb]

I think I already know the answer to my question, but am I the only one who thinks Kevin Smith jumped the shark with Dogma?

Dogma came out at the height of my Kevin Smith fandom, and I liked it a lot then.  But subsequent viewings really made the flaws stand out.  Since then, I haven't liked a thing he's done.  Jersey Girl and Clerks 2 were so horrible, that they've made me retroactively dislike Mallrats and Chasing Amy.  Clerks is really the only one I can pop in and enjoy.

[CrashlanderLOL]

I really liked Clerks 2. There you have it.

[LpF]

Jersey Girl and Clerks 2 were so horrible, that they've made me retroactively dislike Mallrats and Chasing Amy.

The stupid in this sentiment is deafening.

[Luke Erik]

Jersey Girl and Clerks 2 were so horrible, that they've made me retroactively dislike Mallrats and Chasing Amy.

The stupid in this sentiment is deafening.

Snap.

[Dan]

If blue is sarcastic, I think red should be for snaps.