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Tag: dogma

Every Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Movie Ranked

(L to R) Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne and Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars in ‘The Rip’. Photo: Claire Folger/Netflix © 2025.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon truly conquered Hollywood together.

The two lifelong friends from Boston began their careers as extras in ‘Field of Dreams‘ and had small roles in ‘School Ties‘, before Affleck made ‘Dazed and Confused‘ and ‘Mallrats‘, and Damon appeared in ‘Mystic Pizza‘ and ‘Courage Under Fire‘.
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The two would work together again for their breakout hit ‘Good Will Hunting‘, which earned them an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and jump started their movie star careers.

Both actors went on to have huge careers, and while Damon would co-write ‘Promised Land‘ with John Krasinski, and Affleck would direct such films as ‘The Town‘ and ‘Argo‘, the two friends would not work together again until 2021’s ‘The Last Duel‘.

They would go on to also star in ‘Air‘, which Affleck directed and their latest film together, ‘The Rip‘, premieres on Netflix January 16th.

In honor of ‘The Rip’, Moviefone is ranking every film Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have ever made together.

Let’s begin!

Related Article: Director Joe Carnahan Talks ‘The Rip’ and Working with Affleck and Damon

7. ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back‘ (2001)

(L to R) Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, and Ben Affleck in ‘Jay and Silent Bob Reboot’. Photo: Saban Films.

When Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) learn that their comic-book alter egos, Bluntman and Chronic, have been sold to Hollywood as part of a big-screen movie that leaves them out of any royalties, the pair travels to Tinseltown to sabotage the production.
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6. ‘The Last Duel‘ (2021)

(L to R) Matt Damon and Adam Driver in ‘The Last Duel’. Photo: 20th Century Studios.

King Charles VI (Alex Lawther) declares that Knight Jean de Carrouges (Damon) settle his dispute with his squire, Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), by challenging him to a duel.
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5. ‘School Ties‘ (1992)

(L to R) Cole Hauser, Randall Batinkoff and Matt Damon in ‘School Ties’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

When David Greene (Brendan Fraser) receives a football scholarship to a prestigious prep school in the 1950s, he feels pressure to hide the fact that he is Jewish from his classmates and teachers, fearing that they may be anti-Semitic. He quickly becomes the big man on campus thanks to his football skills, but when his Jewish background is discovered, his worst fears are realized and his friends turn on him with violent threats and public ridicule.
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4. ‘Dogma‘ (1999)

(L to R) Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in ‘Dogma.’ Photo: Triple Media Film.

An abortion clinic worker (Linda Fiorentino) with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels (Affleck and Damon) trying to exploit a loophole and reenter Heaven.
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3. ‘The Rip‘ (2026)

(L to R) Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in ‘The Rip’. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2025.

Trust frays when a team of Miami cops discovers millions in cash inside a run-down stash house, calling everyone — and everything — into question.
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2. ‘Air‘ (2023)

Ben Affleck as Phil Knight in ‘Air.’ Photo: Ana Carballos. © Amazon Content Servoces LLC.

The movie reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. This moving story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising vision of a mother who knows the worth of her son’s immense talent, and the basketball phenom who would become
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1. ‘Good Will Hunting‘ (1998)

(L to R) Robin Williams and Matt Damon in ‘Good Will Hunting’. Photo: Miramax Films.

Headstrong yet aimless, Will Hunting (Damon) has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he secretly solves highly difficult graduate-level math problems, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård), who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he gets court-ordered therapy. Eventually, therapist Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) helps Will confront the demons that are holding him back.
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January 23, 2026
‘Dogma’ 25th Anniversary Interview: Director Kevin Smith
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‘Dogma,’ which Kevin Smith made and released back in 1999, is back in theaters on June 5th.

Written and directed by Smith (‘Clerks’), the film stars Ben Affleck (‘The Accountant’), Matt Damon (‘The Martian’), Linda Fiorentino (‘The Last Seduction’), Alan Rickman (‘Die Hard’), Jason Lee (‘Almost Famous’), George Carlin (‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’), Salma Hayek Pinault (‘Frida’), Chris Rock (‘Top Five’), Jason Mewes (‘Clerks’) and Alanis Morissette (‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’).

Kevin Smith Says He’s Started Developing a Sequel to 1999 Religious Comedy ‘Dogma’

Director Kevin Smith talks ‘Dogma’ 25th Anniversary rerelease.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kevin Smith about reclaiming ‘Dogma’ from the hands of the Weinstein brothers (the film has been unavailable for theatrical or streaming release for two decades), how he’s changed as a filmmaker and the reaction to the once-controversial movie this time around.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.

(Lto R) Salma Hayek Pinault, Alan Rickman and Chris Rock in ‘Dogma.’ Photo: Triple Media Film.

Moviefone: To begin with, what does getting ‘Dogma’ back mean to you?

Kevin Smith: It comes at the right time in my career because right about now people are like, “No, he sucks.” So it’s nice to be able to bring out an old movie where it’s, “Well, he didn’t suck then, there was hope!” Generally when I bring out a new movie it’s like I’ve got to convince people, “No, really I should still be doing this,” and they’re, “you should have stopped a long f****n’ time ago!” Coming out with this old movie that they liked back in the day and still like today is like going out there with a shield.

(L to R) Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in ‘Dogma.’ Photo: Triple Media Film.

MF: How do you view it now through the lens of who you are today?

KS: We’ve been touring it for 20 cities, then we just also played at Cannes. Every night I’ve been watching the movie and interacting with a vision of a young Kevin Smith. The kid who made that movie, believed in everything that’s up there. He’s not talking about Christian mythology, he’s not raising a hairy eyebrow or coming out with sharp teeth and claws the way Monty Python would on ‘Life of Brian.’ He believes in everything, so it’s been charming to sit back and watch the movie and be, “Aw, young Kevin Smith is so adorable.” I don’t have those same beliefs anymore so it’s like we say in the movie, beliefs are tricky to get around because once you have a belief you’re mired in it, but it’s more important to have good ideas, and now I think I have good ideas.

(L to R) Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith and Matt Damon in ‘Dogma.’ Photo: Triple Media Film.

MF: ‘Dogma’ was protested upon its release. Do you think the reactions would be the same today?

KS: What an interesting question. I think if we would have done it for the first time now and it was a streaming series I don’t think people would bump into it that hard. I mean, look, last year ‘Heretic’ came out and granted it went through the prism of the Latter-Day Saints, the Church of Mormon, and the Book of Mormon, so it wasn’t as big a polemic perhaps in the Mormon community. But that was a movie where watching it, I was leaning forward going, “Oh, a kindred spirit, of sorts.” The movie came and was respected and nobody got in trouble or nearly got killed.

Alan Rickman in ‘Dogma.’ Photo: Triple Media Film.

MF: Have you seen any protests at all this time around?

KS: I’ve only seen one or two protests, one of which was as I was driving into the AMC movie theater in Dallas where we were doing our screenings. So I’m going to pull into the mall and I’m at the light. I look over at the median and there’s a kid, 18, 19 years old and he’s holding a placard, like big white cardboard, has the current ‘Dogma’ poster in the middle of it and it says, “AMC blasphemes” or something like that. So I was, “Oh my God, how adorable.” So I laid on the horn, give support and the kid is so excited and he looks around and he sees me, and then he sees who I am and he looks away. He f****n’ shunned me! So that’s as bad as the protest has been this time around. I’ll take that, that’s fine.

(L to R) Linda Fiorentino, Jason Mewes, Salma Hayek and Chris Rock in ‘Dogma.’ Photo: Triple Media Film.

MF: Finally, how else has the rerelease reaction been different compared to the original release?

KS: Last time the protests were loud and vicious because people hadn’t seen the movie so the people who were making hay over it did so without anyone seeing what the movie is. Once people saw the movie, they’re, “this doesn’t go after the faith, this movie’s so reverent it’s crazy.” I now know years later, people may have heard about, “oh, you guys went through it.” But I’m seeing current reviews, people going, “can you believe that this movie took s**t back in the day and almost got people killed?” It seems to have aged better and plays way better now although, oddly enough, it feels like there’s less freedom in 2025, religious or otherwise, than there was in 1999.
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What is the plot of ‘Dogma’?

An abortion clinic worker with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loophole and re-enter Heaven.

Who is in the cast of ‘Dogma’?
- Ben Affleck as Bartleby
- Matt Damon as Loki
- Linda Fiorentino as Bethany
- Alan Rickman as Metatron
- Jason Lee as Azrael
- George Carlin as Cardinal Glick
- Salma Hayek Pinault as Serendipity
- Chris Rock as Rufus
- Jason Mewes as Jay
- Kevin Smith as Silent Bob
- Alanis Morissette as God
(L to R) Chris Rock, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes and Linda Fiorentino in ‘Dogma’. Photo: Lionsgate Films.

List of Kevin Smith Movies:
- ‘Clerks‘ (1994)
- ‘Mallrats‘ (1995)
- ‘Chasing Amy‘ (1997)
- ‘Dogma‘ (1999)
- ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back‘ (2001)
- ‘Jersey Girl‘ (2004)
- ‘Clerks II‘ (2006)
- ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno‘ (2008)
- ‘Cop Out‘ (2010)
- ‘Red State‘ (2011)
- ‘Tusk‘ (2014)
- ‘Yoga Hosers‘ (2016)
- ‘Jay and Silent Bob Reboot‘ (2019)
- ‘Killroy Was Here‘ (2022)
- ‘Clerks III‘ (2022)
- ‘The 4:30 Movie’ (2024)
Buy Tickets: ‘Dogma’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Kevin Smith Movies on Amazon
June 5, 2025
Kevin Smith Developing ‘Dogma’ Sequel
Director/Writer Kevin Smith on the set of the comedy, ‘Clerks III,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of John Bayer/Lionsgate.

Preview:
- Kevin Smith’s developing a sequel to controversial religious comedy ‘Dogma.’
- The 1999 film featured Ben Affleck and Matt Damon –– who the director hopes will return.
- ‘Dogma’ is heading back into theaters next year.
Kevin Smith is not a filmmaker to mince words; which means that when he talks, people listen.

And while not every project he has announced over the years has come to fruition, he’s not shy about talking about future plans.

During a panel marked “Dogma Confessional” at this past weekend’s Vulture Festival, Smith revealed that he’s starting work on the script for a sequel to his controversial 1999 religious comedy ‘Dogma,’ his fourth movie following ‘Clerks,’ ‘Mallrats’ and ‘Chasing Amy.’
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What was the story of ‘Dogma’?

Ben Affleck in ‘Dogma’. Photo: Lionsgate Films.

‘Dogma’ sees an abortion clinic worker (Linda Fiorentino) with a special heritage, who is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as Bartleby and Loki) trying to exploit a loophole and reenter Heaven.

It was a blend of Smith’s own Catholic upbringing and his usual style of gross-out gags and chatty characters. The cast also included Alan Rickman, George Carlin, Alanis Morissette, Janeane Garofalo and Jason Lee.

Naturally, it was controversial, especially among some radical faith groups, who picketed its release and festival screenings (Smith amusingly showed up on the picket line at Sundance to support the boycott).

Related Article: Every Kevin Smith Movie Ranked!

What has Kevin Smith said about the ‘Dogma’ sequel?

Director/Writer Kevin Smith behind the scenes of the Romantic Comedy, ‘The 4:30 Movie’, a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Ralph Bavaro.

Here’s what Smith had to say about the development on the new movie at the festival (as reported by Deadline):

“Some people will be like, ‘Don’t f—ing touch it. You’ll ruin it.’ And I’m here to tell you: I will. I’m f—ing tickled. I found a way in.”

As for who from the original cast might return? Smith seemed confident he could continue to rely on occasional collaborators Affleck and Damon, joking that they still “owed” him for helping get their big breakout ‘Good Will Hunting’ made:

“I have been able to hold that over both their heads for 25 f—ing years, which is why they keep showing up in all the movies. Expect a cameo from them — more than a f—ing cameo. The only way we get a Dogma sequel made is if they’re there. So count on those guys being there.”

Still, Smith clarified the status of the movie (and the stars’ involvement at this point) in a tweet:

To be fair, I said I started writing a sequel in my head on Thursday night. So a Dogma sequel script is eventually happening… but that doesn’t mean a movie is getting made necessarily. And while I plan to include Bartleby and Loki, I’ve not spoken to Ben or Matt about it yet.⛪️ https://t.co/AuNr2farsp

— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) November 18, 2024

When will the ‘Dogma’ Sequel be in theaters?

(L to R) Chris Rock, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes and Linda Fiorentino in ‘Dogma’. Photo: Lionsgate Films.

That, right now, is the biggest unknown for this project. Smith hasn’t specifically said it would be a new movie, but that seems the most likely avenue, short of, say, a limited series.

We could easily see him cracking a deal to have the movie on limited release (as with most recent outing ‘The 4:30 Movie’ and then be available on demand.

But the original movie, at least, is getting a second theatrical life, at least, after the rights were finally wrangled (read: bought) away from Miramax. Smith has plans for it around the 25th anniversary (albeit a year late).

Here’s what he told That Hashtag Show about the new ‘Dogma’ status in October:

“The company that bought it, we met with them a couple months ago. They were like, ‘Would you be interested in re-releasing it and touring it like you do with your movies?’ I said, ‘100 percent, are you kidding me? Touring a movie that I know people like, and it’s sentimental and nostalgic? We’ll clean up.’” Right now, 2024 is our 25th anniversary, this year. November is when we came out. So, I think 2025 it looks like is when the movement’s going to happen there. Back on home video, then back out in theaters, and I’ll tour it and stuff like that.”

‘Clerks III’ director and writer Kevin Smith.

Other Kevin Smith Movies:
- ‘Clerks‘ (1994)
- ‘Mallrats‘ (1995)
- ‘Chasing Amy‘ (1997)
- ‘Dogma‘ (1999)
- ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back‘ (2001)
- ‘Jersey Girl‘ (2004)
- ‘Clerks II‘ (2006)
- ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno‘ (2008)
- ‘Cop Out‘ (2010)
- ‘Red State‘ (2011)
- ‘Tusk‘ (2014)
- ‘Yoga Hosers‘ (2016)
- ‘Jay and Silent Bob Reboot‘ (2019)
- ‘Killroy Was Here‘ (2022)
- ‘Clerks III‘ (2022)
Buy Kevin Smith Movies on Amazon
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November 18, 2024
Every Kevin Smith Movie, Ranked

Director/Writer Kevin Smith behind the scenes of the Romantic Comedy, ‘The 4:30 Movie’, a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Ralph Bavaro.

Writer and director Kevin Smith is one of the most popular and prolific filmmakers to come out of the independent film movement of the 1990’s.

Smith first gained attention for his groundbreaking movie ‘Clerks‘, which has spawned two sequels, the spinoffs ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back‘ and ‘Jay and Silent Bob Reboot‘, and ‘Mallrats‘, ‘Chasing Amy‘ and ‘Dogma‘, which are all set in the same cinematic universe (Entitled the ‘View Askewniverse’).

But Smith has gone on to direct a wide range of movies including ‘Red State’, ‘Cop Out‘, ‘Tusk‘, ‘Yoga Hosers‘ and ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno‘. His latest, the coming of age film ‘The 4:30 Movie‘, opens in theaters on September 13th and will be available on digital October 1st,

In honor of the new release, Moviefone is counting down every film Kevin Smith has ever directed, including his latest.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

15. ‘Jersey Girl‘ (2004)

(L to R) Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler in ‘Jersey Girl’. Photo: Miramax Films.

Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) is a young, suave music publicist who seems to have it all, with a new wife and a baby on the way. But life deals him a bum hand when he’s suddenly faced with single fatherhood, a defunct career and having to move in with his father. To bounce back, it takes a new love and the courage instilled in him by his daughter.
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14. ‘Cop Out‘ (2010)

(L to R) Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan in ‘Cop Out’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Detectives Jimmy (Bruce Willis) and Paul (Tracy Morgan), despite nine years as partners, can still sometimes seem like polar opposites—especially when Paul’s unpredictable antics get them suspended without pay. Already strapped for cash and trying to pay for his daughter’s wedding, Jimmy decides to sell a rare baseball card that’s worth tens of thousands. Unfortunately, when the collector’s shop is robbed and the card vanishes with the crook, Paul and Jimmy end up going rogue, tracking down the card and the drug ring behind its theft, all on their own time and without any backup—except for each other.
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13. ‘Clerks II‘ (2006)

(L to R) Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes in ‘Clerks II’. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

A calamity at Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randall’s (Jeff Anderson) shops sends them looking for new horizons – but they ultimately settle at Mooby’s, a fictional Disney-McDonald’s-style fast-food empire.
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12. ‘Jay and Silent Bob Reboot‘ (2020)

(L to R) Shannon Elizabeth, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes in ‘Jay and Silent Bob Reboot’. Photo: Saban Films.

Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) embark on a cross-country mission to stop Hollywood from rebooting a film based on their comic book characters Bluntman and Chronic.
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11. ‘Clerks III‘ (2022)

(L to R) Elias (Trevor Fehrman), Dante (Brian O’Halloran), Becky (Rosario Dawson), and Randal (Jeff Anderson) in the comedy film, ‘Clerks III,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of John Baer.

After narrowly surviving a massive heart attack, Randal (Jeff Anderson) enlists his old friend Dante (Brian O’Halloran) to help him make a movie immortalizing their youthful days at the little convenience store that started it all.
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10. ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back‘ (2001)

(L to R) Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith in ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back’. Photo: Miramax Films.

When Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) learn that their comic-book alter egos, Bluntman and Chronic, have been sold to Hollywood as part of a big-screen movie that leaves them out of any royalties, the pair travels to Tinseltown to sabotage the production.
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9. ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno‘ (2008)

(L to R) Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks in ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno’. Photo: The Weinstein Company.

Lifelong platonic friends Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.
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8. ‘Yoga Hosers‘ (2016)

(L to R) Lily-Rose Depp, Johnny Depp and Harley Quinn Smith in ‘Yoga Hosers’. Photo: Invincible Pictures.

Two teenage yoga enthusiasts (Lily-Rose Depp and Harley Quinn Smith) team up with a legendary man-hunter (Johnny Depp) to battle with an ancient evil presence that is threatening their major party plans.
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7. ‘Red State‘ (2011)

Michael Parks in ‘Red State’. Photo: Lionsgate.

Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex, though they soon encounter Christian fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda.
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6. ‘The 4:30 Movie‘ (2024)

(L to R) Reed Northrup, Nicholas Cirillo and Austin Zajur in director Kevin Smith’s ‘The 4:30 Movie’. Photo: Saban Films.

Writer-director Kevin Smith presents his most personal film to date with this coming-of-age story — set in the summer of 1986 — that follows three sixteen-year-old friends who spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local cineplex. When one of the guys invites the girl of his dreams to see an R-rated film, all hilarity breaks loose, as a self-important theater manager (Ken Jeong) and teen rivalries interfere with his best-laid plans.
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5. ‘Tusk‘ (2014)

Justin Long in ‘Tusk’. Photo: A24.

When his best friend and podcast co-host (Justin Long) goes missing in the backwoods of Canada, a young guy (Haley Joel Osment) joins forces with his friend’s girlfriend (Genesis Rodriguez) to search for him.
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4. ‘Mallrats‘ (1995)

(L to R) Jason Lee, Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London and Claire Forlani in ‘Mallrats’. Photo: Gramercy Pictures.

Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends (Jeremy London and Jason Lee) seek refuge in the local mall. Eventually, they decide to try and win back their significant others (Shannen Doherty and Claire Forlani) and take care of their respective nemeses (Ben Affleck).
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3. ‘Chasing Amy‘ (1997)

Joey Lauren Adams in ‘Chasing Amy’. Photo: Miramax Films.

Holden (Ben Affleck) and Banky (Jason Lee) are comic book artists. Everything is going good for them until they meet Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams), also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she’s a lesbian.
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2. ‘Dogma‘ (1999)

(L to R) Chris Rock, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes and Linda Fiorentino in ‘Dogma’. Photo: Lionsgate Films.

An abortion clinic worker with a special heritage (Linda Fiorentino) is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) trying to exploit a loophole and reenter Heaven.
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1. ‘Clerks‘ (1994)

(L to R) Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson in ‘Clerks’. Photo: Miramax Films.

Convenience and video store clerks Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) are sharp-witted, potty-mouthed and bored out of their minds. So in between needling customers, the counter jockeys play hockey on the roof, visit a funeral home and deal with their love lives.
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October 20, 2024
‘The 4:30 Movie’ Interview: Director Kevin Smith
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Available on digital beginning October 1st is ‘The 4:30 Movie,’ directed by Kevin Smith, and starring Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo, Reed Northrup, Siena Agudong, Jason Lee, Kate Micucci, Justin Long, Genesis Rodriguez, and Ken Jeong.

Related Article: Movie Review: ‘The 4:30 Movie’

Director/Writer Kevin Smith behind the scenes of the Romantic Comedy, ‘The 4:30 Movie’, a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Ralph Bavaro.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking over Zoom with ‘Clerks‘ and ‘Chasing Amy‘ writer and director Kevin Smith about his new film “The 4:30 Movie,” a semi-autobiographical, warmly nostalgic look at a teen romance that blossoms in the seats of a local movie theater in the summer of 1986.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Kevin Smith.

Director/Writer Kevin Smith behind the scenes of the Romantic Comedy, ‘The 4:30 Movie’, a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Ralph Bavaro.

Moviefone: To begin with, how are you feeling about the response to the movie so far?

Kevin Smith: So good, man, no complaints. It’s a nice byproduct when people like the movie. Never the aim but never not the aim. It’s never like, “I want to make something people hate.” But it’s nice when you make something and people are like, “Yeah, good on you.”

(L to R) Reed Northrup, Nicholas Cirillo and Austin Zajur in director Kevin Smith’s ‘The 4:30 Movie’. Photo: Saban Films.

Moviefone: Are the events of this film sort of ripped right from the pages of the Kevin Smith biography?

Kevin Smith: Yeah. I mean, look, the events of every movie I’ve ever made are pretty much ripped from the pages of the Kevin Smith biography with the exception of ‘Dogma.’ Even parts of that are pretty autobiographical. I’m not a very inventive storyteller or filmmaker. I crib from real life all the time, and this movie is absolutely no exception. The first scene [in which the teen lead calls the Chinese restaurant where his crush works], that long phone conversation, that literally happened and that’s almost verbatim the things that I said in terms of making a big order and then saying “Six and a half almond cookies and your hand in marriage.” Stuff like that came right out of real life. There are moments where Brian David, our main character, is riding around talking into his tape recorder — I lifted that from recordings of me doing the exact same thing. I cribbed liberally from my real life to make this flick. But to be fair, I do that with all the flicks.

(L to R) Reed Northrup as Belly, Austin Zajur as Brian David and Nicholas Cirillo as Burny in the Romantic Comedy, ‘The 4:30 Movie’, a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Ralph Bavaro.

Moviefone: You filmed this in the theater that was your local cineplex as a kid — which you ended up buying and turning into Smodcastle Cinemas. Was the theater in danger of closing before you jumped in?

Kevin Smith: In fact, the other day was the two-year anniversary of us taking over officially and it becoming Smodcastle Cinemas. This was a movie theater I grew up going to in my childhood. My father would take me there, I’d go there with my family, I’d go there with my friends on the weekend. It’s in the neighboring town, Atlantic Highlands [New Jersey], right next to where I grew up. Post-COVID, like many movie theaters, they fell on pretty hard times. There are multiplexes all around us with better seating and bigger, better quality but this was our local community theater. Me and my friends got together and bought it to keep it going. It’s over 100 years old so we were like “Let’s try it for another 100.” But when we bought it, one of the first things I realized is I got a free set. I can make a whole-ass movie here. This is a location for heaven’s sakes. Naturally being the guy who made ‘Clerks,’ it’s like “Do I make a movie about what it’s like to work in a movie theater?” I never did that myself so that would be like pretending or stolen valor. So I was like “You know what I can do? Tell a story about all the times that I hopped theaters as a kid.” Our parents would drop us off for the matinee and then come pick us up at 10:00 at night, and only give us two bucks to go to the movies, man. You pay for one movie and then you snuck into another and then you snuck into another and you kept going. So I figured with this location I can tell that story. There’s something cheeky about making a movie in a movie theater about movies and stuff. It’s not so much cheeky as affectionate. Obviously, movies have been a big part of my life. So much so they shaped my adulthood. Where I saw them, where I ingested those movies, that gets the shout-out this time around. I’ve been shouting out movies my whole life and it’s time to shout out where I saw those movies. At the same time, it could be a free commercial for Smodcastle Cinemas — two birds, one stone, or two birds, one seed as my kid said.

Ken Jeong as Manager Mike in the Romantic Comedy, ‘The 4:30 Movie’, a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Ralph Bavaro.

Moviefone: Finally, is it your policy as the owner now to look the other way if people sneak in and out of the auditoriums?

Kevin Smith: 100%. In the end credits of ‘4:30 Movie’ I tell people, “Smodcastle Cinemas, go visit. Pay for one movie, hop around, go see as many movies you want. If you get caught tell Ernie I said it was okay.” As a film exhibitor I know how tough it is to get asses in seats, man. We had ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ open a couple of weeks ago, I asked Smodcastle keeper Ernie O’Donnell, the guy that runs the place, “How’d we do with ‘Beetlejuice’?” He goes, “Friday we had 50 tickets, Saturday we had 100.” That’s the whole day. That’s good for a brand-new movie for us. Really the stuff that tends to do well at our theaters is retro screenings. So like “Hey man, I’m going to show ‘Tusk’ and Justin Long’s here. Hey, we’re going to show ‘Mallrats’ and Jason Lee’s here.” I could sell out those screenings and stuff. But when it comes to just selling real movies on the daily they’ll prefer to go to other movie theaters that have the better seating and s**t like that. So anything to get people to head to our theater is a good thing. Hopefully, them going, “What, there was a movie shot here?” is just one more reason for them to come visit. This is a temple that taught me my craft. The thing that I would eventually spend my life doing, my vocation, was born by sitting in those seats. I sat in those seats with people that I dearly love, some of whom are not even around anymore, like my father. Keeping it alive, man. It started as like, “Hey, I’m a filmmaker, this makes sense having a movie theater.” Quentin [Tarantino]‘s got one. It’s a little harder to run a movie theater in suburban New Jersey in terms of getting talent to come out. When you’re in Hollywood people just live here. But I’ve been able to bring Hollywood to the theater over the course of the last two years. No more so than when we brought cameras in and started rolling. Now for the rest of my life, or as long as we own that movie theater, I’ll always be able to play ‘The 4:30 Movie’ there on a Sunday at 4:30 from now until the end of time. It’ll never stay in other movie theaters. Maybe they’ll do retro or rep house screenings of it one day. But in our theater it will always live. Very rarely does a movie theater get to be like, “The whole movie was shot here.” We’ll showcase that forever.
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What is the plot of ‘The 4:30 Movie’?

Three teenage friends (Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo and Reed Northrup) map out an afternoon outing to the local cineplex in the summer of 1986, but their plans to sneak into a new R-rated movie could be disrupted by the irritating theater owner and a host of other characters — not to mention one of the boys bringing his dream girl to the cinema as well.

Who is in the cast of ‘The 4:30 Movie’?
- Austin Zajur as Brian David
- Nicholas Cirillo as Burny
- Reed Northrup as Belly
- Siena Agudong as Melody Barnegat
- Justin Long as Stank
- Jason Lee as Brian’s dad
- Kate Micucci as Melody’s mom
- Genesis Rodriguez as Usher
- Ken Jeong as Manager Mike
(L to R) Siena Agudong as Melody Barnegat and Austin Zajur as Brian David in the Romantic Comedy, ‘The 4:30 Movie’, a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Ralph Bavaro.

Other Kevin Smith Movies:
- ‘Clerks‘ (1994)
- ‘Mallrats‘ (1995)
- ‘Chasing Amy‘ (1997)
- ‘Dogma‘ (1999)
- ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back‘ (2001)
- ‘Jersey Girl‘ (2004)
- ‘Clerks II‘ (2006)
- ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno‘ (2008)
- ‘Cop Out‘ (2010)
- ‘Red State‘ (2011)
- ‘Tusk‘ (2014)
- ‘Yoga Hosers‘ (2016)
- ‘Jay and Silent Bob Reboot‘ (2019)
- ‘Killroy Was Here‘ (2022)
- ‘Clerks III‘ (2022)
Buy Tickets: ‘The 4:30 Movie’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Kevin Smith Movies on Amazon
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October 4, 2024
Ben Affleck Directing Matt Damon in Kidnap Thriller ‘Animals’
(L to R) Ben Affleck and Matt Damon on HBO’s ‘Project Greenlight.’

Preview:
- Ben Affleck is on board to direct kidnapping thriller ‘Animals’.
- Matt Damon is aboard to star.
- The script is by Connor McIntyre and Billy Ray.
Ever since they broke out big writing (to Oscar-winning effect) and starring in ‘Good Will Hunting’, old friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have looked for chances to work together again.

They’ve managed it through different avenues –– appearing in several Kevin Smith movies (especially ‘Dogma’, where they play wayward angels) and Ridley Scott’s ‘The Last Duel’, plus the movies they’ve worked on as producers.

The duo scored a big success last year for Amazon with ‘Air’ –– Affleck directed, and Damon starred in the story of Nike executives trying to seal a deal with basketball star (back before he truly was one) Michael Jordan to make what became the Air Jordan.

That movie ended up earning around $90 million at the box office, and now they’ve found another project to repeat the same process, with Affleck directing and Damon starring in ‘Animals’.

Related Article: 10 Things We Learned at the ’Air’ Press Conference with Cast and Crew

What’s the story of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s new movie?

(L to R) Ben Affleck and Matt Damon at the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards, airing live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 7, 2024, at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

So far, the plot details are being kept quiet on this one, though Deadline has learned that the kidnapping thriller has a script that began life with Connor McIntyre and has since seen revisions from ‘Captain Phillips’ and ‘Richard Jewel’ writer Billy Ray.

Damon and Affleck will produce the movie –– as they did ‘Air’ –– through their Artists Equity company.

Yet unlike ‘Air’, this movie won’t arrive via Amazon. Instead, Netflix has jumped aboard to finance and distribute the film, though it remains to be seen whether it’ll go the theatrical route or will land in Netflix’s streaming service.

What’s next for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon?

(L to R) Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso at the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards, airing live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 7, 2024, at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Photo: Todd Williamson/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Affleck is planning to make ‘Animals’ before he heads to his next planned acting gig –– he’s reportedly going to reprise the role of Christian Wolff for a sequel to Gavin O’Connor’s 2016 action thriller ‘The Accountant’.

He’ll appear in wife Jennifer Lopez’s new film, ‘This is Me… Now’, which ties in with the album of the same name. And there are various projects that he’s producing.

Damon will next be seen in Ethan Coen’s crime caper ‘Drive-Away Dolls’ (due in theaters on February 23rd) and heard in John Krasinski’s family movie ‘IF’ (out May 17th).

He’s also got ‘The Instigators’ on the way (which he’s starring in, and producing alongside Affleck), but which doesn’t yet have an announced release date.

(L to R) Ben Affleck and Matt Damon win Best Original Screenplay for ‘Good Will Hunting’ during the 70th Academy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium. Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images.

List of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Movies:
- ‘School Ties‘ (1992)
- ‘Chasing Amy‘ (1997)
- ‘Good Will Hunting‘ (1997)
- ‘Dogma‘ (1999)
- ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back‘ (2001)
- ‘Jersey Girl‘ (2004)
- ‘Jay and Silent Bob Reboot‘ (2019)
- ‘The Last Duel‘ (2021)
- ‘Air‘ (2023)
Buy Ben Affleck Movies on Amazon
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January 30, 2024