The Guardian Reports:
“Kevin Smith has signed a deal with Canadian distributor Phase 4 that will see 12 films exhibited under the Kevin Smith and SModcast Presents … banner in the US and Canada over the next three years.
The SModcast stable will consist of finished works by independent film-makers, handpicked by Smith, who will tour with the films, introduce them to audiences and host Q&A sessions after the show.
“I honestly cannot wait to start finding flicks to take out on the road,” said Smith on his blog. “Live action, animation, big budget, micro-budget, comedy, drama, horror … Come join the circus!”
A similar deal was rumoured a year ago when Smith used the Sundance film festival world premiere of his most recent film, Red State, to attack the traditional studio model and announce his retirement from directing. Red State was distributed theatrically using Smith’s roadshow strategy, but was taken over by Lionsgate for the home entertainment and VoD release.”
It’s hard to understate the enthusiasm I felt when “Clerks” was released in the early 1990s. Smith was the first director of my generation, GenX, to come out and make a statement (a hilariously funny one, at that) about what it was like to be a new college grad or in your 20s in the early 1990s. And I’d always hoped he go on to become a major director, kind of our Scorcese.
His work since has been patch — the world really didn’t need “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” or (god forbid) “Clerks II,” but Smith did make a heartbreakingly funny film in “Chasing Amy,” and provided a keen analysis of religion with “Dogma.” I haven’t seen “Red State” yet, but it’s on my to-view list.
Read the full story here.
The Cineaste's Lament. 