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There was a time when Kevin Smith was regarded as being one of the definitive filmmakers of Generation X. His feature directing debut on the shoestring-budgeted 1994 indie hit "Clerks" suggested Smith not only had a firm understanding of the slacker mentality that afflicted so many people in his age bracket, but he was also shrewd enough to be critical of it. The film centers on disgruntled Quick Stop Groceries clerk Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) and those in his immediate vicinity, including his equally-cynical, unmotivated best friend Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) and the off-beat drug dealers that loiter outside the store: loud-mouthed horny miscreant Jay (Jason Mewes) and his reserved yet secretly wise companion Silent Bob (Smith). As colorful as these characters were, they also felt like real people you could imagine Smith knew growing up on his home turf of New Jersey.

At first, Smith retained this acerbic wit and...

There seems to be some confusion amongst Kevin Smith fans. Jay & Silent Bob Reboot has officially been picked up for theatrical distribution by Saban Films and Legion M. Today, we have a first look image at the pair's triumphant return along with a video that has Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes explaining exactly what is going on. The confusion comes with the title. Some are wondering who will replace Jay and Silent Bob in a reboot, and is that even a good idea? Well, that's not what's really happening here. Consider this a sequel to Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back.

No one is coming in to replace Jay and Silent Bob. That would be blasphemous on all levels. What we have here is a follow-up that sees Hollywood attempting to remake Bluntman and Chronic, the superhero adaptation that brought the dubious duo to Los Angeles in Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back.

Saban Films has picked up the North American rights to Kevin Smith’s Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, the sequel to the 2001 comedy Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

Jason Mewes and Smith are returning to their title roles, alongside a number of other stars from the original Miramax release as well as new faces. Saban Films will release the pic theatrically and production is currently underway.

Jay (Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) were first introduced 25 years ago in Smith’s directorial debut, Clerks, and continued to appear in Smith’s cinematic canon including Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II, as well as the animated film Jay and Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie. The new movie will take jabs at reboots, remakes, and sequels while simultaneously being all three at the same time.

Saban Films’ Bill Bromiley said, “Jay and Silent...

Mark Harrison Sep 28, 2017

How a 1994 indie hit from Kevin Smith gave birth to an unlikely franchise...

In 1993, Kevin Smith made a movie. Clerks was shot in black and white over the course of three weeks, at night, in the convenience store where Smith worked during the day, on a shoestring budget of $27,575. Smith funded the film himself by dipping into his savings, selling all his comics and maxing out several credit cards.

Even though it became an indie phenomenon when it was picked up by Bob and Harvey Weinstein's Miramax (who gave it a new soundtrack using a post-production budget that was ten times the cost of principal photography) at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, it doesn't have 'franchise starter' written all over it.

Long considered a Gen X touchstone, Clerks is a funny and filthy slice of life movie, which equates a working day for Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) to his namesake's Inferno.

Tusk was the first chapter in director Kevin Smith's True North trilogy, which consists of three Canadian set horror movies. The next installment, which has already wrapped, is called Yoga Hosers, and everything will come to an end with Moose Jaws. Up until now, these three movies did not appear to be a part of Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, which consists of such neo-classics as Clerks, Mallrats and Chasing Amy. The one thing that has always connected the Askewniverse is the omnipresence of Jay and Silent Bob. Now, it seems they will bring everything full circle, appearing in the climax of Moose Jaws. But as Kevin Smith explains it, it's not going to end quite so pretty for one of the dynamic duo.

Over the years, Kevin Smith has become easily identifiable by both his Silent Bob character and his tent sized hockey jerseys. While it doesn't seem...

Netflix will be adding a host of new TV and movie options that will be rolling out on the streaming service throughout September.

Netflix's September Additions

Netflix is kicking off September by adding seasons of Californication, Chasing UFOs, Doomsday Preppers, Hinterland, Unsealed: Alien Files and Zero Hour. Soon to follow will be seasons of The League, The Blacklist, Arrow, New Girl, How I Met Your Mother, Parks and Recreation, The Walking Dead and more.

As for movies, Robin Williams’ films Good Morning Vietnam and Flubber have been added in addition to Cool Runnings, Lords of Dogtown, Crocodile Dundee and others. Among those coming soon are A Simple Man, Silver Linings Playbook and Bad Grandpa.

See Below for Complete Lists of Netflix’s New TV & Movies Offerings:

TV Shows:

“Californication,” Seasons 1-7, Sept. 1

“Chasing UFOs,” Season 1, Sept. 1

“Doomsday Preppers,” Seasons 1-3, Sept. 1

“Hinterland,” Season 1, Sept. 1

“Unsealed: Alien Files,” Season 1, Sept. 1

“Zero Hour,...

It's almost September, which means a whole new slew of titles on Netflix! August proved pretty lucrative on the quality title front, but it looks as though September it's going to blow the rundown out of the water.

TV takes spotlight this month, with the latest full seasons of "The Walking Dead," "New Girl," "The League," "The Blacklist," "Arrow," "Bones," and "Parks and Recreation" primed and ready for streaming before their fall premieres. And fans still mourning the loss of "How I Met Your Mother" (in more ways than one) can rewatch the ninth and final season to their heart's content. Ah, memories. Showtime's recently departed "Californication" can be seen in its entirety (Seasons 1 -7) as well, starting September 1. That's a lot of TV.

Movie fans have plenty to look forward to from Netflix in September, too. Sam Raimi's undersung 1998 thriller "A Simple Plan" hits the streaming service September...

We talked to Jason Mewes this week about the release of Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie On Deman, and we couldn't help but bring up the cult Canadian TV series Todd and the Book of Pure Evil. The show ended after two very successful seasons, but wasn't renewed because of its high budget. This was before it caught on in America, as a new audience became attached to the supernatural comedy about a pair of high school friends attempting to keep a dangerous book out of the wrong hands. Airing on Netflix, more and more people are joining the cult of Todd as we speak.

But not to worry. The series isn't completely dead. An animated movie is on the way, and will wrap up the series while leaving it open for another season or a live action movie, if enough interest demands it.

Jason Mewes plays...

While Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie, available this week On Demand, may satiate appetites for the View Askewniverse, fans still want to know when they can expect the next live action movie, which will be Clerks III. It's a sequel that will end the big screen adventures of Jay and Bob, though according to star Jason Mewes, the pair may live on in yet a second animated movie.

Clerks III was supposed to not only be Kevin Smith's final View Askewniverse movie, but also his final movie as a film director. He planned to retire after this chapter in his life came to a close. But as they do, plans changed, and he got sidetracked. Instead of doing Clerks III as his next movie, he moved onto the horror thriller Tusk. After shooting was completed on that low budget indie, he then decided to make another small horror movie with Anti-Claus.

Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes are getting animated in Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie, an all-new adventure in the View Askewniverse. Stoners Jay and Bob hit the lottery jackpot and use their cash windfall to become crime-fighting superheroes in this latest outing, now available On Demand. We recently caught up with Jay himself, Mr. Mewes, for a chat about the movie. It was originally conceived as a tour-only treat for fans, but once they realized shows were selling out, and not everyone could see it, they decided to bring it home. We discuss this, the inevitable groovy cartoon sequel that Jason is currently writing, and the destiny of the long awaited Clerks III. And for all you Todd and the Book of Pure Evil fans, don't worry! He also gives us an update on this cult classic Canadian TV show that continues to amass a huge following here in the states.

Stoners Jay and Silent Bob hit the lottery jackpot, and use their cash windfall to become crime-fighting superheroes in the feature film Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie. Starring Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, written by Kevin Smith and directed by Steve Stark, this new animated movie will be available On Demand on May 6, 2014! Check out the first poster and trailer.

Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie comes to theaters May 6th, 2014 and stars Ming Chen, Matt Cohen, Kevin Conroy, Eliza Dushku, Brian Faraldo, Walter Flanagan, James Franco Jr., Neil Gaiman. The film is directed by Steve Stark.