Moviefone Editorial

Tag: kevin-smith

  • ‘Mallrats’ Sequel Series Sounds Different Than You’d Expect

    “Mallrats” might not necessarily be the most obvious film to get a sequel series, but writer, director, and actor Kevin Smith is working on making it happen.

    Smith admits that the 1995 romantic comedy was a box office flop, but he does still believe in his sequel project. His description of the possible revival series, however, might surprise you.

    “It’s a real sweet, family story. It’s a multi-generational tale,” he told Creative Screenwriting. “It’s my chance to do John Hughes and ‘Degrassi Junior High,’ because much like the ‘Degrassi’ formula we know our legacy cast –- we know Brody and Rene and T.S. and Jay and Silent Bob -– and then we meet their kids.”

    While “Mallrats” is hard to think of as “sweet” or family-oriented given all the swearing and not-so kid-friendly humor, it does have some nice moments. It sounds like Smith wants to play that up, while keeping the curse words and crazy antics.

    One thing that will change, though? The mall setting, to an extent, thanks to generational changes.

    “So we meet Brody and Rene’s daughter Banner Bruce, and the story takes place in his world and her world,” said Smith. “Nobody goes to the f–king mall anymore, so the kids are baffled by it, and Brody still believes in it in a big, bad way.”

    Of course, the “Mallrats” series is bound to be too risqué to air on network TV. Smith hopes to see it land on Netflix, Hulu, Showtime, or HBO, but at this point, it’s hard to say where — if anywhere — it will end up. It would be fun to revisit the mall with Brody, T.J. and crew, though, so here’s hoping.

    [via: Creative Screenwriting]

  • Top Rated Movies That Made Directors’ Careers

    Fruitvale StationIt takes everybody time to find their own personal style. Every GQ model did some “experimenting” — whether they had frosted highlights or wore ultra-baggy jeans — before they became fashion icons.

    And so it goes with movie directors. Some movies were growing pains for budding directors, and some were explorations of style. These are the “aha!” explosions that made everyone stand up and take notice.

    The Post-New Wave

    Movies have always had them, but directors weren’t always the figureheads they are now — it wasn’t until the French New Wave of the 1960s that movie geeks started to subscribe to the idea that a movie expressed the personal vision of its director. That theory came courtesy of director François Truffaut, who said, “There are no good and bad movies. Only good and bad directors.”

    By the time the ’70s hit the States, it wasn’t just the ‘zines that paid attention to directors — even the casual moviegoer was in on the game. Low-budget, troubled productions like “Jaws” and “Star Wars” put Steven Spielberg and George Lucas on the map, but it wasn’t until his third swing at a feature that Martin Scorsese found his signature love of New York and Italian crime families in “Mean Streets.”

    For some movie-makers, it wasn’t critical praise that hit home, it was approval from the smaller drive-in crowd. The frenetic camera work of ultra-cheap “The Evil Dead” introduced the world to director Sam Raimi, who went on to helm “Spider-Man,” while the dumpster fire of “Piranha 2” gave fledgling director James Cameron another fiery idea. The image of a robotic skeleton rising from a pit of flames came to him during a stress-induced fever dream — so he took the effects skills and budget management he’d learned and put them into “The Terminator.”

    The ’90s Indie Crew

    Today, you can make a movie on your smartphone, but in the ’90s (when people first starting taking breaks from their cassette collections and Segas to watch indie films), you had to max out your credit cards and develop a taste for ramen to kick-start a directing career. That’s exactly what Kevin Smith did when he sold his comic book collection to make “Clerks,” and what Robert Rodriguez did when he called in every favor under the sun to raise the $7,000 budget of “El Mariachi.” In ’98, Darren Aronofsky helped wrap up the decade with Sundance darling “Pi,” a trippy $60,000 thriller about math that opened the door to studio contracts and a warm seat at the Oscars with movies like “Requiem for a Dream” and “The Wrestler.”

    The New New Wave

    One year, a director puts out a meditative, racially charged indie drama. Two years after that, he’s got enough clout to pull Sylvester Stallone out of Rocky retirement for “Creed.” And after that, Marvel Studios taps him for a surefire mega-hit, “Black Panther.” Such is the story of “Fruitvale Station,” the movie that made Ryan Coogler‘s career.

    And he’s not the only one leading a savvy new charge of camera slingers. Remember the guy who made a feature on his iPhone? Yeah, that’s Orange Is the New Black” scribe Sian Heder just sold the streaming rights to her feature directorial debut, the kidnapping comedy “Tallulah,” to the tune of $5 million. Director, meet career.

    Sources

  • Johnny Depp and His Daughter Fight Sausage Nazis in ‘Yoga Hosers’ Trailer

    Yoga HosersKevin Smith has made some weird movies, but “Yoga Hosers” might take top prize.

    The first trailer for the movie, which debuted at Sundance, is here, and introduces the Colleens, two teen girls played by Lily-Rose Depp (daughter of Johnny) and Harley Quinn Smith (daughter of Kevin). They’re working at a convenience store when Johnny Depp’s Guy Lapointe — his detective character from Smith’s movie “Tusk” — shows up needing their help to defeat a bunch of Nazis made out of sausages. Yeah, sausages. They’re dubbed “Bratzis.”
    Judging by the trailer, the movie feels very much like a stoner comedy, as the bored Colleens mess around, slack off, do yoga, and freak out when hot senior boys invite them to a party.

    “Yoga Hosers” also stars Austin Butler, Tony Hale, Natasha Lyonne, Adam Brody, Justin Long, and Genesis Rodriguez, and opens in theaters July 29.

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  • Kevin Smith Says Ben Affleck May Be ‘the Best Batman’ Ever

    Superhero fans have been waiting for what feels like forever for the release of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Now, with the flick only weeks away from release, Kevin Smith has promised that Ben Affleck‘s Batman will be worth the wait — and may be the best iteration of the hero ever seen on the big screen.

    Smith spoke with Variety this week about “Batman v Superman” while promoting his latest film, “Yoga Hosers,” at Sundance. The director said that Affleck’s take on the iconic character reminds him of the hero as depicted in Frank Miller’s graphic novel “The Dark Knight Returns,” which Smith considers the seminal work about the Caped Crusader.

    “So right away, he’s the best-looking Batman we’ve ever seen,” Smith said of Affleck. “And he’s moving the way the character moves in the comics, punching out six people in the span of two seconds. So [director] Zack Snyder is kind of nailing that version of it.”

    But Smith added that the action sequences aren’t the most difficult aspect of portraying the character.

    “The hardest thing to nail about Batman is Bruce Wayne, because that’s where you’ve got no mask and that’s where you’ve got to be a human being, and not just somebody who’s punching people,” Smith explained. “But that dude is Bruce Wayne, so he’s born to play that role. From everything I’ve seen so far that’s come out, I think he’ll be our best Batman. And I ain’t just saying that ’cause I know the guy. I haven’t spoken to him in years. But I’ve always loved him as an actor.”

    The director also recalled that years ago, when Affleck was first offered the lead in the now much-maligned “Daredevil” movie, he hesitated, because he always wanted to play Batman instead. Smith said that he counseled his friend to take the “Daredevil” part, since Smith didn’t think another Batman movie would ever be made. After that flick flopped, Affleck swore off superhero roles, telling Smith, “If anybody ever wants me to wear a costume again, I don’t want to do it.” But his latest comic book gamble may just pay off.

    “Now it looks like he is the best Batman we’ve seen so far,” Smith said.

    Audiences will get to judge for themselves when “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” hits theaters on March 25.

    [via: Variety]

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