Gooood afternoon finger lickers! It has been a while. Life has been manic, and day after day has slipped away from me until, here we are, a topical comment site with out-of-date comment. In the interest of complete self-indulgence, today’s post focuses on Kevin Smith’s latest project Zack and Miri Make a Porno. As a long-term Smith-fanboy, while blogging for this site, I have often touched upon Smith’s indie film impact as well as his influences upon my own screenwriting.

While often accused of peddling lowbrow humour and possessing an unpolished directing style, since the release of Clerks in 1994, Smith has forged an extremely successful, if a somewhat critically patchy, career for himself. However, by building an army of dedicated fans that follow his every move, on an enviable online empire, Smith has assured himself fantastic DVD sales and a colossal cult status. These fans buy into Smith’s Viewaskew empire by fueling countless revenue streams peripheral to his filmmaking activity. Smith’s love of graphic novels, and the industry surrounding these fetishised items, formed the basis for his business model. Selling all kinds of merchandise, both online and in his two comic book stores, has allowed Viewaskew to diversify and generate repeat business in an industry where such luxuries are extremely rare.

Okay, you’re thinking, this is all well and good, but George Lucas was doing this stuff in the 70s. And yes, he was. However, this is what makes Smith different: fan interaction. Smith is famed for his marathon signing sessions, spending hours at a time in his New Jersey store signing for fans that queue around the block. He plays poker with fans from his online message boards, inviting them into his home, and thus providing a uniquely personal feel. He holds an annual party where his fans mix with the stars of his flicks and his family. He blogs. And by this I don’t mean he blogs solely about his latest filmmaking endeavour. He actually blogs, from his bowel movements to the number of times he beds his wife in a week, My Boring Ass Life is a no holes bared chronicle of his life. All these outlets provide the fan with an experience that Kevin has made his own, and as a result, he provides a unique insight into the life of a filmmaker.

Right, enough stroking the man’s ego. Lets talk porno. Starring the wonderful, if slightly over-exposed, Seth Rogen and the beautiful Elizabeth Banks, Zack and Mirri is the story of two friends that decide to make a porno to solve their financial woes. During the course of the production Zack (Rogen) and Mirri (Banks) start feeling a little more than just friendship for one another. Hilarity, I’m sure, will ensue. The flick has wrapped its shoot, and Smith is currently cutting the film back in LA. Smith normally likes to cut his films during the shoot, involving his cast and crew in editing decisions. However, there’s always more to do and according to Cinematical Indie he’s been working toward picture lock at his LA home. Last month, in an especially disparaging blog on spout.com, a viral video entitled “I’m fucking Seth Rogen” was ripped to shreds. The spout.com blogger claims that Smith ripped off Judd Apatow’s online video gimmic.

The “I’m fucking…” video series has been around for a while and the video featuring Smith, Rogen and Banks is a homage to said series, and according to a spout.com commenter Smith had little involvement with the video, except of course his small cameo. However, this is slightly beside the point. In accusing Kevin Smith of lifting Judd Apatow’s idea, the blogger asserts that Smith, the old has-been, has resorted to lifting Apatow’s fresh ideas. Honestly, how stupidly naïve and misinformed can you be? Smith has not only been at the online marketing game a hell of a lot longer than almost any other filmmaker, but also clearly has links to the Apatow camp with the casting of Rogen. Honestly, blogs like this smack of a new-guard fanboy having a tantrum because Smith gets in on a joke that feels less painfully elitist as a result. It’s like an ill-educated teen saying The Clash sound just like Green Day. Noooo, you maladjusted brace-face pipsqueak, Green Day sound just like The Clash! The ignorance of youth and knee-jerk critic reactions never fails to amaze and confound!

Zack and Miri is released in North America by The Weinstein Company this Halloween.

That’s it from me, more Porno news as I have it.

K

And here’s that I’m Fucking Seth Rogen video for you to titter over:

Left pane: Under the Stars part of EIFF 2007; Top Right: Kevin Smith on the red carpet; Bottom Right: EIFF and UK Film Council logos.

Afternoon Finger Lickers! It’s a sunny Monday in March and what have I got for you today? A £1.88 million cash injection from the National Lottery! None other than the Edinburgh Film Festival, my favourite film festival, is to get a wee boost from the National Lottery. For those that don’t know the British Lotto system, it’s run by the Camelot Group, and regulated by a government body called the Lottery Commision. Because the Lotto is run under license from the government, they insist that Camelot donate a percentage of their income to charities and other worthy organisations.

Various government-affiliated organisation including the UK Film Council, whose remit is to promote British film and filmmaking, are trusted to distribute these fairly hefty chunks of change. This £1.88 million is a percentage of the £4.5 million that the UK Film Council has dedicated to bolstering UK film festivals over the next three years.

In accepting the biggest Lotto investment in any UK film festival to date, the Edinburgh International Film Festival said they hope to use the dough to make them the leading talent discovery festival in the world. A couple of years ago I attended festival and had a rip roaring time. I was lucky enough to see the inspirational Kevin Smith do a marathon Q&A and caught the UK premiere of Clerks II. The festival is actually becoming quite the place to premiere flicks, with both Little Miss Sunshine and Ratatouille getting their first public airing in Scotland’s capital city.

This booster for the Edinburgh International Film Festival is nothing short of brilliant and the news that a further £2.62 million is going to other fests around the country is outstanding. We are extremely lucky to live in a country where not only the filmmakers receive government help, but investors get tax breaks and the festivals get financial support to boot. If you’re a UK filmmaker, investor, or film festival organiser you’d do well to check out the UK Film Council’s website.

That’s it from me kids,

K