With ‘Dogma's' re-release, director Kevin Smith's prayers for his cult classic have been answered
On Thursday, the movie got a theatrical re-release across 1,500 AMC Theatres screens in honor of its 25th anniversary. Technically, the milestone was last year. But the second coming of a movie that brought us one of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's best on-screen collaborations and an A-list comedic ensemble — including George Carlin, Chris Rock, Janeane Garofalo and Alan Rickman — not to mention the meme-worthy, winking 'Buddy Christ,' warrants a long-awaited hallelujah.
'It's got a good legacy to it,' Smith said of the film. 'It's become the 'umbrella film' for me. The umbrella film is the movie that no matter what you do, even if you make s— that people don't like, they won't crucify you — pun intended — because you made a movie that they like.'
Though the sparkling period of Smith's career is largely defined by 1994's 'Clerks' and 1997's 'Chasing Amy,' his fourth film, 'Dogma,' steeped in irreverence and hilarity centered around his former Catholic faith, is still considered one of his classics. The movie debuted at Cannes in 1999. He returned to the renowned film festival last month, when the comedy played in the Cannes Classics section, just days before sitting down with The Times on camera to discuss 'Dogma's' whirlwind re-release. In the interview, the director, writer and actor recounts how the movie was saved by filmmaker and actor Alessandra Williams, who raised money to buy the film from Miramax earlier this year, decades after it was acquired and shelved by disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein sold Smith's film, along with a trove of others, to Williams to help pay for his legal defense, Smith said.
In collaboration with Iconic Events, the film has since been remastered in 4K for its screening tour and is being shown in select AMC theaters. Smith is well-seasoned when it comes to touring his old films, pairing the screenings with Q&As and stand-up performances throughout the live presentations. It took little time for him to book a sold-out, 20-city tour aimed at getting fans fired up to come see 'Dogma' once again under much different (and safer) circumstances.
'Even with getting people aware of the movie this time around, it's not as fraught with peril as it was back in the day,' Smith said, referring to the death threats, protests and 400,000 pieces of hate mail he said the movie garnered from Christian extremists who denounced what they believed to be the film's mockery of their faith.
'You Jews better take that money you stole from us and start investing in flak jackets,' Smith said while closing his eyes and reciting one of the letters from memory. 'We're coming because we're coming in there with shotguns. Signed, Your Brothers in Christ.'
Though the controversy of the film has definitely waned, the inspiration behind the film remains steadfast, Smith said. 'To me, it plays like a kid really trying to celebrate his faith after having grown up in a church where every Sunday, everyone seemed to be mourning it. So I think [people hopefully see it] for what it is. It's a love letter to spirituality.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Elizabeth McGovern says Maggie Smith's absence from new' Downton Abbey' 'sort of freed up the rest of the narrative'
"She's still very much in the atmosphere," McGovern said of her late costar in the upcoming movie "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale." Key points Elizabeth McGovern said that Maggie Smith's death has "freed up" the story of the new Downton Abbey movie. The actress stated that her late costar's presence is "still very much in the atmosphere" of the movie. McGovern also said that she wanted better for her character: "I wish at times she could have had more interesting stories." Elizabeth McGovern doesn't feel like Maggie Smith is missing from the new Downton Abbey installment. The Ordinary People actress, who played Cora Crawley on the hit English drama, believes that her late costar's presence "permeates" the forthcoming movie Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale despite her death in September 2024. "She's still very much in the atmosphere," McGovern said of Smith, who played her mother-in-law, the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, during an interview with The Guardian. "I don't feel there's a big hole. In fact, in some ways, it sort of freed up the rest of the narrative to have a flow, because it's not stopping for her moments." Smith's character died near the conclusion of the franchise's previous installment, 2022's Downton Abbey: A New Era, which means The Grand Finale wasn't adversely affected by Smith's passing. "Everything she represents is there," McGovern said of Smith. "She's in every room, in every interaction, so it's not like she's not there. It's a weird thing." McGovern also said that it has sometimes been challenging to put herself in the shoes of a character living in the early 20th century. "I think as a contemporary woman, it is hard to feel the straitjacket of that period." she said. "I wish at times she could have had more interesting stories." However, she also noted that her character probably couldn't have realistically enjoyed "any more political or social power, because it just wouldn't be accurate to the time." Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale will see almost all of the original series' cast return to their roles, including Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, and Robert James-Collier. Also returning: Paul Giamatti, who played Cora's brother, Harold Levinson, on the original series. "I'm really surprised that I returned at all," Giamatti told Entertainment Weekly of his role in March. "I had a very kind of marginal character, and somebody thought it was a good idea to make me very important in this [movie]." Giamatti highlighted his character's essential role in the third (and supposedly final) Downton movie. "I was like, wow, this is random, I have a lot to do with the end of this whole series," the actor said. "I do something of real significance — good or bad, I'm not going to say! But, I do something that makes a big difference to how everything ends."Downton executive producer Gareth Neame previously said that Smith's death has enhanced the strong emotions of the upcoming film. "The fact that Dame Maggie herself has now passed away since that time, I do think, has given a real added poignancy to a story that we would have planned anyway," he told TVLine. "The loss of the Dowager, it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch. But I also see actors it feels more genuine and more meaningful." Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale hits theaters on Sept. 12. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Los Angeles Times
5 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Terence Stamp, prolific actor who played General Zod in ‘Superman' films, dies at 87
Terence Stamp, the prolific English actor who played General Zod in the 'Superman' films and earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the title character in 'Billy Budd,' has died. He was 87. Stamp died of undisclosed causes Sunday morning, his family confirmed to Reuters. 'He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer that will continue to touch and inspire people for years to come,' the family said in a statement. Stamp began his acting career onstage in 1960 on London's West End, but quickly received international attention and critical acclaim with his 1962 portrayal of the title role in Peter Ustinov's adaptation of Herman Melville's historical adventure novel, 'Billy Budd.' The humanity Stamp imbued in the tragic, stammering naval vessel crewman established Stamp as a talent to watch — with a Golden Globe Award for best male newcomer to prove it. Still, Stamp didn't fully break through in Hollywood until 1978 when he embodied the chilling persona of Superman's arch-nemesis, General Zod, in the first film of what would become a wildly successful franchise. Stamp took on the role again in 1982's 'Superman II.' Stamp, with his calm demeanor and pale eyes, proved such a successful villain that he feared he was becoming typecast as one. In 1994 he decided to try something radically different when he took on the role of a transgender woman named Bernadette in Stephan Elliott's now cult-classic film, 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert.' The film marked one of the first times a transgender character was portrayed as a lead in an international film. When the movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May of that year, The Times' then film critic, Kenneth Turan, interviewed Stamp for a feature. Stamp told Turan that he had been extremely nervous to play the role, but that a good friend encouraged him to take it, saying, 'If you don't start doing parts like this all you can look forward to is playing villains in Hollywood movies for the rest of your life,' and that, Stamp said, 'stuck fear and loathing into my heart.' 'Priscilla,' about a group of drag performers on a bus trip to play a show at a resort hotel in the Australian desert, was a critical success, with Turan writing that it, 'added some needed life to the Cannes Film Festival scene,' debuting in a 'raucous midnight screening.' In 1999 Stamp teamed up with Peter Fonda in Steven Soderbergh's crime thriller, 'The Limey.' 'When '60s icons collide, that should be the pitch for 'The Limey,',' noted a feature in The Times about the project. Stamp called his role as a British ex-con named Wilson investigating the death of his daughter in L.A., 'the best offer I've had in 40 years.' Stamp and Fonda, old friends who had long wanted to work together, were both experiencing comebacks at the time, with Stamp having just played Chancellor Finis Valorum in the blockbuster, 'Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.' Terence Henry Stamp was born in London in 1938. His father was part of the Merchant Navy, and was often away for long periods of time. Stamp was raised mostly by his mother, grandmother and a variety of aunts. He loved the movies and idolized Gary Cooper and James Dean. As a young man he earned a scholarship to Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art — one of Britain's leading drama schools — and soon began performing at repertory theaters. His roommate at that time was the young actor Michael Caine, and the pair made friends with Peter O'Toole, quickly becoming enmeshed in the good-looking, fast-moving London party scene of the 1960s. Stamp famously dated actor Julie Christie, whom he starred alongside in director Ken Loach's first feature film, 1967's 'Poor Cow.' Stamp was known for his intense dedication to craft, particularly his ability to hone in on the psychological underpinnings of a given character. He was known for bringing the same depth of devotion to all his roles, including 1962's 'Term of Trial' alongside Laurence Olivier; William Wyler's 'The Collector' (1965); Joseph Losey's 'Modesty Blaise' (1966); John Schlesinger's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 'Far from the Madding Crowd' (1967); and a 50-minute short film by Federico Fellini, 'Toby Dammit' (1968), among many others. In 1999, while filming 'The Limey,' he told The Times, 'When you've had a long career you kind of merge all your great roles together. So I don't think about being good in an individual thing. I think of the collective total, of working with [William] Wyler and Pasolini ... I recently thought to myself, 'You know, if it had to end now, it would really be OK.' From 'Billy Budd' to 'The Limey,' no actor could ask for more, so it's a very great moment for me.'
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Spike Lee Walks Back Comment That ‘Highest 2 Lowest' Will Be His Last Film With Denzel Washington: 'I Got My Mind Right'
Spike Lee made headlines at Cannes this year when premiering his new film Highest 2 Lowest and announcing that it would likely be his last team-up with frequent collaborator Denzel Washington. 'I think this is it — five,' Lee told reporters of his and Washington's number of films together. 'He's been talking about retirement, even though he's just done another deal. Five films together, they stand up.' More from The Hollywood Reporter After Crediting 'Nobody' Workouts for Saving His Life, Bob Odenkirk "Never Stopped Training" for Sequel Official 'Highest 2 Lowest' Trailer Features Denzel Washington in Tense Calls With Kidnapper Halsey on Learning From Sydney Sweeney on 'Americana' and Creating Her Own New Series: "Really Cool to Be Part of a Project I Don't Face" The pair have united for Inside Man, Mo' Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game and now Highest 2 Lowest, but at the new film's New York premiere on Monday, Lee walked back those previous comments and kept the door open for more projects with Washington. 'I said that before, but I got my mind right,' he told The Hollywood Reporter. 'I'm open to work with Denzel Washington and this not be the last film of the dynamic duo, D and Lee.' Highest 2 Lowest is a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film High and Low and sees a powerful music mogul (Washington) targeted by a ransom plot and put in a life-or-death moral dilemma. A$AP Rocky, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Elijah Wright, Wendell Pierce and Ice Spice also appear in the film. 'I became a student of Akira Kurosawa at NYU's graduate film school — that's where I saw Rashomon, that's where I saw many of Samurai films, that's where I saw High and Low,' Lee recalled, noting that Washington 'had gotten the property and he sent it to me; he said, 'Spike read the script. If you like, let's go.' I read it right away, called him up, I think the next day and said, 'Let's go.' It happened like that.' The famed filmmaker also weighed in on the film's tagline 'All Money Ain't Good Money,' saying, 'We know what that is and we know that sometimes in life we have to make that choice. And hopefully we make the right choice.' Highest 2 Lowest hits theaters on Friday and starts streaming on Apple TV+ on Sept. 5. Neha Joy contributed to this report. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 25 Best U.S. Film Schools in 2025 The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Solve the daily Crossword
