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USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Logic explains how therapy and J.J. Abrams led to his directorial debut 'Paradise Records'
Logic explains how therapy and J.J. Abrams led to his directorial debut 'Paradise Records' Show Caption Hide Caption Logic makes directorial debut with 'Paradise Records' The Rapper Logic sat down with Ralphie Aversa to talk about his directorial debut in new semi-autobiographical film, 'Paradise Records.' NEW YORK – What do J.J. Abrams, Seth MacFarlane and Kevin Smith have in common? They all endorsed Logic, the multi-platinum hip hop star, in his application to join the Directors Guild of America. Now the artist, born Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, makes his directorial debut in the Tribeca Film Festival with "Paradise Records," a workplace comedy that pays homage to movies like Smith's 1994 cult classic "Clerks." It was a big undertaking for Logic: He wrote, directed and starred in the movie. But besides the literal co-signings from established names in film and television, Logic's journey from the stage to the silver screen wouldn't have been possible without a series of events that took place almost five years ago. In July 2020, at the height of his career and in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hip hop star decided to "retire" from music. Logic wanted to focus on his family. He also went to therapy. "It's been such an incredible internal and spiritual journey," Logic, 35, tells USA TODAY. "I've learned things like the power of no, literally just how to say 'no.' I used to not do that because I wanted to people-please." Through conversations with his therapist, Logic also came to the realization that he should stay off social media. The artist says he hasn't been on any network in "almost eight years." What started as a personal journey also turned into a professional revelation. Logic parted ways with Def Jam Records, the label on which he recorded seven albums with including the Grammy-nominated single, "1-800-273-8255." The artist now releases music independently and no, he wouldn't divulge a date for his tenth LP "Sidequest." After Smith cast Logic in his 2024 semi-autobiographical film "The 4:30 Movie," he urged Logic to pursue filmmaking. Smith also presented an offer: he would serve as executive producer, editor and reprise his role of Silent Bob alongside Jason Mewes' Jay. Logic stars in the film with his real life best friend, Tremayne Hudson. Other actors who make cameos include Ron Perlman, Rainn Wilson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in addition to rapper Juicy J and comedian Donnell Rawlings. Logic's family, including his father, oldest son and wife Brittney also appear in the project. The artist credits his wife with supporting his latest endeavor. The advice he received from Abrams helped too. The "Star Wars" director reminded Logic that he's "literally making a movie," so the top priority should be to have fun. "(Abrams) said, 'The second thing is you're gonna have every (department) coming to you, all these people constantly asking you for stuff,'" Logic recalls. "'At times it's going to feel overwhelming. Never forget that you're a human being and you have the power to say, "Give me five minutes," walk around your set and figure it out.'" That's what Logic did whenever there was an issue, from an actor getting COVID to an equipment malfunction. He took a break, walked and figured it out. Turns out Abrams was right after all.
Tom's Guide
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
7 best Kevin Smith movies, ranked
When I first saw Kevin Smith's 'Clerks' as an impressionable teenager, I was blown away. His smart-stupid sense of humor, laced with references to all the geeky pop culture I loved, made me feel like I was hearing from a particularly witty, unfiltered friend. While my movie taste expanded as I got older, Smith's sensibility has largely remained the same, and his subsequent filmography is full of insular efforts to recapture past glory. There are many worthwhile gems in there, too, and Smith has built up a substantial fan base catering to the same viewers who never stopped loving 'Clerks.' That fervent following will be eager to see the new restoration of Smith's 1999 religious comedy 'Dogma,' which hits theaters on June 5 after decades of disputes over distribution rights. Here are my picks for the seven best Kevin Smith movies, ranked. In some ways, Smith's second movie is a watered-down, bigger-budget rehash of his indie debut 'Clerks.' "Mallrats" has its own charms, though, including a top-notch alt-rock soundtrack that makes it a perfect 1990s time capsule. Jeremy London and Jason Lee star as a pair of slacker best friends who spend their day wandering around a New Jersey shopping mall, scheming to get back together with their respective girlfriends, played by Claire Forlani and Shannen Doherty. Smith uses his expanded resources to score an extended cameo from Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee and stage some goofy set pieces related to a TV game show, and the movie has a good-natured, laid-back tone. The jokes (especially from Smith's signature Jay and Silent Bob characters) are hit and miss, but the characters are endearing, and the mall setting now has a warm, nostalgic feel. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Watch on Prime Video Smith's religious epic has grown in reputation, in part thanks to its unavailability for nearly 25 years, and seeing the restored version is a reminder that it's more ambitious than brilliant. There's plenty of ambition, though, along with plenty of Smith's trademark vulgar humor (including a monster literally made out of excrement). Linda Fiorentino brings a grounded, edgy quality to her role as unwitting savior Bethany Sloane, an abortion clinic worker who is recruited to stop a pair of rogue angels (played by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) from exploiting a loophole in Catholic dogma and thus inadvertently ending all of existence. The controversy surrounding the movie's release seems quaint now, and its theological debates are relatively tame, although Smith delivers the material with the conviction of a lifelong religious seeker. It's the same conviction he applies to the dick jokes, of course. Smith's first foray into horror looks even better now in light of his later slapdash efforts in the genre. There's almost no juvenile humor in this tense thriller about a standoff at a religious compound, with outstanding performances from John Goodman as a morally compromised ATF agent and Michael Parks as a creepy cult leader. The story begins with a trio of naïve teens getting lured into the fortress-like Five Points Trinity Church, where they're set to be tortured and killed as examples of worldly sin. Smith shifts gears multiple times, leading up to a lengthy siege between Five Points and the ATF, once a local cop starts asking too many questions. As in 'Dogma,' Smith explores some major religious ideas within the framework of a heightened narrative, leaving both Goodman's frazzled agent and the audience with as many questions as answers. Watch on Prime Video After a series of self-indulgent disappointments, Smith's most recent film is his best in years, a sweet coming-of-age story inspired by his own teenage experiences movie-hopping at a local theater. Shot mostly at the New Jersey theater that Smith himself co-owns, 'The 4:30 Movie' is set on a single day in May 1986, when high schooler Brian David (Austin Zajur) finally asks his crush Melody Barnegat (Siena Agudong) out on a date. Their plan to see a movie at 4:30 is derailed by various misadventures as Brian and his two best friends spend hours sneaking from one movie into another, while attempting to avoid the tyrannical theater manager (Ken Jeong). The young actors — including Reed Northrup and Nicholas Cirillo as Brian's friends — have relaxed, winning chemistry, the romance is cute without becoming cloying, and the cameos from Smith's famous friends are smoothly integrated. Rent/buy at Apple or Amazon Smith's big swing to become a mainstream comedy kingpin like Judd Apatow was a box-office failure, but it's probably his most accessible, crowd-pleasing film, even if it does feature a porn star defecating on someone's face. Seth Rogen turns out to be perfect for a Smith film, and he and Elizabeth Banks make for an appealing couple as the best friends who need to have sex on camera in order to realize that they're in love with each other. Smith earns every beat of the predictable rom-com plot, so that it means something when the characters finally get together. Smith also offers a twisted tribute to indie filmmaking, via the inept but heartfelt amateur adult film that Zack and Miri create. No one would actually want to watch their movie, but more people should check out Smith's underrated one. Rent/buy at Apple or Amazon Pretty much all Smith movies (even the weirdest ones) are personal movies, but 'Chasing Amy' feels like Smith's most emotionally raw act of self-expression. Many aspects of its depiction of queer culture haven't aged well, but it was also ahead of its time in its honesty about sexual fluidity. Ben Affleck gives the best of his many Smith performances as comic-book creator Holden McNeil, who falls desperately in love with fellow artist Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams). The only problem is that Alyssa is gay, although that proves to be less of an obstacle to their romance than it first appears. While the story could be regarded as a male wish-fulfillment fantasy, Smith doesn't take the easy way out, making Alyssa into a complex character and challenging Holden's often sexist assumptions, along with the homophobia of his best friend, Banky (Jason Lee). Rent/buy at Apple or Amazon Smith's first movie is still his best, capturing a kind of unvarnished enthusiasm that he's never quite been able to replicate. Produced on a tiny budget, shot in the convenience store where Smith actually worked, and cast mostly with his friends, 'Clerks' is a clever and engaging tribute to working a dead-end job and trying to find meaning in a seemingly empty existence. Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson are unpolished and sometimes awkward as the title characters, but that makes their interactions feel more authentic, as they deal with a parade of awful customers over the course of a single workday. Although it's more of a collection of subplots than a cohesive story, 'Clerks' never feels aimless or unfocused, always coming back to the theme of taking back a small bit of control over everyday life. It's a landmark of the 1990s indie cinema boom, and a genuine classic. Watch on Paramount Plus
UPI
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Kevin Smith confirms he's writing 'Dogma 2'
1 of 4 | Left to right, Salma Hayek, Alan Rickman and Chris Rock star in the 2000 movie "Dogma," which returns to theaters on Thursday for its 25th anniversary. Photo courtesy of Triple Media Film NEW YORK, June 5 (UPI) -- Actor and filmmaker Kevin Smith says he was so energized and inspired by a "beautifully sentimental" experience screening Dogma in the "classics" section of the Cannes Film Festival that he is determined to go back there in a few years with a sequel to it. Dogma first screened at the prestigious festival in 1999. Smith also showed Clerks there in 1994 and Clerks 2 in 2006. "I stopped submitting movies to Cannes. They didn't seem like Cannes-worthy movies, in my personal estimation. So, there I'm walking the Croisette and I'm like: 'Why do you think you're done? It doesn't mean you can't come back here with a Cannes-worthy movie. You just have to [expletive] try,'" the writer-director told UPI in a recent Zoom interview. "So, it was the 78th edition this year and I'm going to give it a shot, so, hopefully, by the 80th or 81st, I want to return with the Dogma sequel, which I've been writing." DOGMA: The Resurrection Tour! See it with me followed by a Q&A! Get tickets at In American theaters everywhere JUNE 5th! Get tickets at KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) April 28, 2025 The iconic Catholic comedy, which returns to theaters Thursday for its 25th anniversary, stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as Loki and Bartleby, fallen angels who figure out a way to get back into Heaven via a New Jersey church, a selfish move that could unmake existence. Trying to stop them and save humanity are Bethany, who only recently learned she is a descendant of Jesus Christ's family (Linda Fiorentino); Metatron, the voice of God (the late Alan Rickman); Rufus, Christ's 13th apostle (Chris Rock); Serendipity, a muse (Salma Hayek); and the foul-mouthed "prophets" Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith). The late George Carlin plays Cardinal Glick, pastor of the parish where the epic showdown between the two factions takes place. Asked who from his star-studded cast might return for the follow-up, Smith, 54, replied, "I'm going to set the table for anyone who's alive to still be in the cast." "The story I'm telling certainly allows for them, but isn't predicated on any of those characters. It's not like, if I don't have this person, I can't go anywhere. So, God willing -- pun intended -- they'll all come back," he continued. Smart, hilarious and humble, Smith famously fosters positive working relationships with people who then follow him from picture to picture. "We've had very good retention success over the years," he said. "The way I always look at it is, if Ben and Matt came back for Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, I've got to imagine Dogma 2 will bring them back." Working with Carlin on the first movie meant a lot to Smith, who grew up idolizing the comedy legend. "George, from the jump, was somebody we pursued for the movie," Smith said, recalling how the timing wasn't the best, though, since Sally, Carlin's wife of nearly 40 years, died the week Smith sent him the script. Smith said: "I sat down with him, and he goes: 'i love your script. It [messes] with the church. I'm way into that sort of thing, but, we got a bit of a problem because, as you know, my wife passed away. ... She was a cool lady. I'm going to miss her for the rest of my life, but because of that, I'm not really ready to take my wedding band and I know I'm playing a Catholic cardinal, so that's a problem.'" Carlin and the filmmaker decided that covering the ring with a Band-Aid would solve the problem. "So, he came blindly because it was right up his alley as an old lapsed Catholic," Smith said. Rickman was an actor Smith had long admired, but with whom he never expected to collaborate. "He was one of my favorite actors on the planet and I thought he was too good for an [expletive] 'Kevin Smith movie,' so I never would have reached out to him," Smith said. But then, one day, John Gordon, an executive at the movie studio, Miramax, called Smith up and told him that Rickman was raving about Smith's 1997 film, Chasing Amy, during a recent visit to speak about starring in a Merchant/Ivory drama. "I was like: 'Hans [expletive] Gruber was in the building. Did he blow it up or what?'" Smith quipped. After Gordon told him the Shakespearean-trained actor was a fan of his, Smith sent Rickman the script. "It was the fastest 'yes' I ever got from an actor in my life, outside of Jason Mewes. Jason Mewes always always says 'yes' before I finish saying the title," Smith said. "Alan Rickman, though, got the script, less than two hours later, he called up and said, 'I'm in.' it was magic," Smith added. "Alan Rickman is the savior of this film. He treats it so damn seriously." The filmmaker said the cast always gets a huge round of applause from audience when the credits roll at the end of screenings, but people really go crazy when they see the Mewes and Rickman for the final times. "I told Jason, 'They love you to death, but they love Alan Rickman a little bit more,' and he's like: 'Wait until I die. I'll show them,'" Smith laughed. The film's thoughtful musings about spiritual faith, religious freedom, the power of the church and the concept of beliefs versus ideas still resonate with viewers 25 years and four Catholic popes after Dogma hit the big screen. As Smith has discussed the film during panels and screenings over the years, people have shared how profoundly it has impacted them, with many noting it actually helped bring them back to church. "I get it because I remember the kid who wrote this and directed it and believed in everything that's in the movie," she said. "So, It's a profession of faith. Yes, it's a comedy, but this is young Kevin Smith's idea of what Sunday service could be if it had anal Jokes in it. So, it still plays that way, to this day, and right now, more than ever, it feels like people are looking for a little extra faith, and, oddly enough, the movie may play better today than it did in 1999."
UPI
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Movie review: 'Dogma' re-release highlights thoughtful script
1 of 5 | Ben Affleck (L) and Matt Damon star in "Dogma," returning to theaters June 5. Photo courtesy of Triple Media Films LOS ANGELES, May 23 (UPI) -- Dogma, returning to theaters June 5, comes from a decade where indie writer/directors were celebrated for the words in their screenplays. Kevin Smith was one of the major voices that emerged in the era of Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater and Sofia Coppola. In his first film, Clerks, Smith had his convenience store clerks express all of his thoughts about Star Wars, retail and relationships. Dogma, his fourth film, was the work of a writer who grew up Catholic and had thoughts about faith. Exiled angels Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon) find a way to get back into heaven. As part of a Catholicism outreach campaign, New Jersey Cardinal Glick (George Carlin) promises forgiveness to anyone who passes through his church's arch. If the angels gain forgiveness, then take human form and die, God will have no choice but to allow them back into heaven. What they don't realize is that invalidating God's decree will cause the end of all existence. So God's Metatron (Alan Rickman) visits Planned Parenthood employee Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) and gives her the task of preventing Loki and Bartleby from entering the church. Smith regulars Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) are sent as prophets to help Bethany in her quest. This is a story that adapts Catholic scripture into a modern apocalyptic story, but it is really a vehicle for characters to talk about religion, the way characters in other Smith movies talk about movies and comic books. That dialogue is performed emphatically, and more subtly it's well edited by Smith and producer Scott Mosier. Smith's biblical figures would use the F word while making their profound points, but maybe they learned it from millennia of humans, or at the Tower of Babel. The film's messages challenge some of the oldest doctrines of Catholicism. No one has to base their values on a movie, but as an artistic exploration of this thesis, all of Smith's questions are backed up by a creative interpretation of the scripture. The message is ultimately that God doesn't care which religion you follow as long as you believe. That would offend organized religion, but the film unabashedly believes in God. Jesus' unsung 13th apostle Rufus (Chris Rock) tells Bethany that God wants people to think for themselves. As bold a take on religion as that might be, it is ultimately optimistic. Bethany is a character seeking to regain her faith. She remembers the feelings that church gave her as a child. Yet she no longer feels that as an adult, which is understandable with painful life experience. But she's open to restoring her faith and this adventure gives her a reason. Of course, Smith has a mischievous spark. Loki likes to talk nuns out of their faith when he's literally an Angel with knowledge of God herself (Alanis Morissette). Smith speculates on eras of Jesus' life that were not in the Bible as characters speak of their time with him. Those extrapolations show empathy towards the burden of being the son of God for a teenager. They're also not meant to be canonical. Smith's point is to get viewers thinking as they laugh, not launch a religion himself. Exposure to biblical figures certainly does not make Jay any more wholesome, but his ability to keep making vulgar sexual innuendo amid crises of faith of apocalyptic proportions is impressive. There is a little bit of gay panic when Bethany mistakes Bartleby and Loki for lovers, and Rufus exposes Jay's secret desires for men. Characters also use the R-word, because 1999 was unfortunately before many people learned it was a slur, but Smith has addressed both of those issues in subsequent work. The complicated release history of Dogma, passing between several studios, has made it difficult to see since its Blu-ray release. Now out of print and not streaming anywhere, the re-release is a welcome return of one of Smith's seminal works. Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
USA Today
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
The best movies we saw at Sundance Film Festival, ranked (including 'Pee-wee')
Hoping to see the next "Clerks," "Reservoir Dogs" or "Get Out" before anyone else? Then you need to go Sundancing. The Sundance Film Festival is underway (through Sunday) in Park City, Utah, for those who enjoy all things indie cinema. For more than 40 years, the annual event has gifted movie fans with a deep bench of great films, from "Sex, Lies and Videotape" and "Hoop Dreams" to "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Hereditary." Sundance has also been a launch pad for Oscar films: "CODA" bowed during the 2021 festival and won best picture a year later, while the best of 2024's entries, "A Real Pain," is nominated for best original screenplay and supporting actor (for Kieran Culkin) at the upcoming 97th Academy Awards. We're keeping a running roundup of every movie we see this year at Sundance, and here are the best, ranked. (And if you want to have your own Sundance at home, some festival films will be available online beginning Thursday.) Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox. 4. 'Luz' Hong Kong gallerist Ren (Sandrine Pinna) travels to France to visit her sick stepmom (Isabelle Huppert). Chinese ex-con Wei (Xiao Dong Guo) is desperate to know his estranged influencer daughter (En Xi Deng) who thinks he's dead. But Ren and Wei's journeys intersect in a virtual-reality game where each have gone searching for something, and a chance meeting leads to both helping the other find what they need – and also a mythical deer. While director Flora Lau's drama is filled with subplots that muddy the emotional narrative, it does offer an immerse, neon-drenched digital world nicely fleshed out with relatable humanity. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. 3. 'Folktales' This often-moving documentary is hard not to love just for the sheer amount of adorable sled dogs. For their latest film, "Jesus Camp" directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady follow teenagers from around the world who attend a Norwegian folk high school near the Russian border, an arctic locale where they get lessons in survival and being an adult while also learning the in and outs of dog sledding with a pack of sturdy canines. Some kids come needing to get over family trauma, some are seeking the right career path, while others are socially introverted and need the pooches to help them come out of their shell. 2. 'The Ugly Stepsister' Cross "Cinderella" with "The Substance" and you've got Emilie Blichfeldt's clever, comedic and proudly unsettling body horror twist on a familiar fairy tale. Elvira (Lea Myren) yearns to marry the charming poet prince of her kingdom but among the competition to be the belle of the upcoming ball is Elvira's attractive new stepsister Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss). Elvira's mom (Ane Dahl Torp) champions Elvira going to extreme lengths in the "beautification" process, which includes a nasty bit of old-school rhinoplasty and the use of tapeworms for weight loss (not recommended, by the way) in some seriously stomach-churning scenes. 1. 'Pee-wee as Himself' Pee-wee Herman was a beloved, bowtie-clad pop-culture icon. Paul Reubens wasn't. And therein lies one of the most intriguing aspects of this revealing (and fascinating, especially for '80s kids) documentary. Reubens, who died in 2023 after a private battle with cancer, gets real about the huge successes and psychological complications of becoming Pee-wee, why he was a closeted gay man for much of his career, and the emotional consequences of his later legal troubles and being labeled a pedophile. However, he balances those personal complexities with humor and honesty that posthumously show the ultra-private Reubens to be as affable and mercurial as his alter ego.
