Latest news with #Clerks2
UPI
4 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."
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harvey Weinstein accuser testifies ‘safest thing ... was to check out, endure it' during 2006 sex assault
NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein accuser Miriam Haley told a Manhattan jury disturbing details of how the hulking film mogul sexually assaulted her in his Soho loft, and how she calculated the safest thing she could do was to 'check out' and endure the attack. In her second day of testimony in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday, the 48-year-old former TV producer cried as she walked jurors through the 2006 alleged attack, and a second unwanted sexual encounter two weeks later. 'I couldn't get away from his grip. I couldn't get away from him. And I realized I'm getting raped, that's what was happening,' Haley said of the alleged July 10, 2006, assault in Weinsten's loft, where she says he yanked out her tampon and forcibly performed oral sex on her. 'That was my brain calculating: What's the safest thing for me to do right now? So in the end, I just decided to check out and just endure it,' she said. Haley also told her story in 2020, at a trial that ended in the Miramax Films co-founder's conviction on first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape charges. But the state's highest court overturned that conviction in April 2024, ruling that the trial judge shouldn't have allowed testimony from women accusing him of sexual assaults not covered by the charges against him. The retrial covers separate allegations by Haley and aspiring actress Jessica Mann, as well as new allegations by a third woman, Polish model Kaja Sokola. He has pleaded not guilty. Haley on Tuesday testified about how she met Weinstein, and of a series of encounters, some 'very pleasant' and respectful, and others where things took a dark turn, with the mogul asking for a massage or pushing his way into her apartment as he insisted she travel with him to Paris. The July 10, 2006, encounter happened a day before Haley was supposed to travel to Los Angeles on Weinstein's dime to attend the 'Clerks 2' movie premiere. She would up taking the trip, but not going to the screening. Haley said she made it clear to Weinstein that she had no sexual or romantic interest in him throughout their encounters, and that she was looking for work. Weinstein asked her to drop by his apartment before the L.A. trip, and she agreed, she said. 'It would have been odd to say no.' His driver picked her up and took her there, and at first, they talked on his sofa, about two or three feet apart, as a TV showed a comedy program, she testified. Then he lunged toward her and tried to kiss her, and when she got off the sofa he got up and grabbed her, pushing her backward into another room and onto a bed. 'I'm trying to get him off me, and I'm saying no, no it's not gonna happen, no. I told him that I'm on my period, it's not gonna happen, and he didn't listen. Every time I tried to get up he pushed me back onto the bed,' she said. At that point, Haley said she was running through possibilities in her head — would she be able to get to the elevator and out of the building, would Weinstein knock her unconscious if she physically struggled, was his driver standing guard outside — and again decided 'the smartest thing to do was the safest thing to do, to check out, endure it, have it over with and leave.' After the attack she weighed a new set of options — whether to call the police or the media — but felt that because she was working on 'Project Runway' in New York without a work visa, she'd face consequences while Weinstein would use his power and money to turn the tables, said Haley, who was born in Finland and lived in London. A little over two weeks later, on July 26, Haley agreed to meet Weinstein again, in his room at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, hoping to regain some sense of control in the process, she said. Instead of meeting in the lobby, though, he summoned her to his room and 'as soon as he opened the door,' he pulled her inside and to the bed, she said. 'I was just like, 'No, not again.' And he basically just proceeded to undress me. I didn't even remember,' she said. 'At that moment I felt stupid. I just went numb. He proceeded to have intercourse with me and I just laid there like a dead fish.' He called her 'bitch' and 'whore,' she testified. 'I was basically just lying there motionless, more or less, just waiting for it to be over. I did blame myself that time. Because I didn't physically resist, because I had been stupid enough to show up,' she said. Even so, she said, she maintained contact with Weinstein in the weeks to follow. 'I was desperate for work,' she said. 'I was trying to make this situation work in the best possible way for me.' She was also embarrassed that he 'thought so little of me,' she said, explaining, 'I wanted people to think that I had a good connection with this powerful guy.' Her testimony continues Wednesday afternoon. _____
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harvey Weinstein accuser testifies ‘safest thing … was to check out, endure it' during 2006 sex assault
Harvey Weinstein accuser Miriam Haley told a Manhattan jury disturbing details of how the hulking film mogul sexually assaulted her in his Soho loft, and how she calculated the safest thing she could do was to 'check out' and endure the attack. In her second day of testimony in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday, the 48-year-old former TV producer cried as she walked jurors through the 2006 alleged attack, and a second unwanted sexual encounter two weeks later. 'I couldn't get away from his grip. I couldn't get away from him. And I realized I'm getting raped, that's what was happening,' Haley said of the alleged July 10, 2006 assault in Weinsten's loft, where she says he yanked out her tampon and forcibly performed oral sex on her. 'That was my brain calculating: What's the safest thing for me to do right now? So in the end, I just decided to check out and just endure it,' she said. Haley also told her story in 2020, at a trial that ended in the Miramax Films co-founder's conviction on first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape charges. But the state's highest court overturned that conviction in April 2024, ruling that the trial judge shouldn't have allowed testimony from women accusing him of sexual assaults not covered by the charges against him. The retrial covers separate allegations by Haley and aspiring actress Jessica Mann, as well as new allegations by a third woman, Polish model Kaja Sokola. He has pleaded not guilty. Haley on Tuesday testified about how she met Weinstein, and of a series of encounters, some 'very pleasant' and respectful, and others where things took a dark turn, with the mogul asking for a massage or pushing his way into her apartment as he insisted she travel with him to Paris. The July 10, 2006 encounter happened a day before Haley was supposed to travel to Los Angeles on Weinstein's dime to attend the 'Clerks 2' movie premiere. She would up taking the trip, but not going to the screening. Haley said she made it clear to Weinstein that she had no sexual or romantic interest in him throughout their encounters, and that she was looking for work. Weinstein asked her to drop by his apartment before the L.A. trip, and she agreed, she said. 'It would have been odd to say no.' His driver picked her up and took her there, and at first, they talked on his sofa, about two or three feet apart, as a TV showed a comedy program, she testified. Then he lunged toward her and tried to kiss her, and when she got off the sofa he got up and grabbed her, pushing her backward into another room and onto a bed. 'I'm trying to get him off me, and I'm saying no, no it's not gonna happen, no. I told him that I'm on my period, it's not gonna happen, and he didn't listen. Every time I tried to get up he pushed me back onto the bed,' she said. At that point, Haley said she was running through possibilities in her head — would she be able to get to the elevator and out of the building, would Weinstein knock her unconscious if she physically struggled, was his driver standing guard outside — and again decided 'the smartest thing to do was the safest thing to do, to check out, endure it, have it over with and leave.' After the attack she weighed a new set of options — whether to call the police or the media — but felt that because she was working on 'Project Runway' in New York without a work visa, she'd face consequences while Weinstein would use his power and money to turn the tables, said Haley, who was born in Finland and lived in London. A little over two weeks later, on July 26, Haley agreed to meet Weinstein again, in his room at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, hoping to regain some sense of control in the process, she said. Instead of meeting in the lobby, though, he summoned her to his room and 'as soon as he opened the door,' he pulled her inside and to the bed, she said. 'I was just like, 'No, not again.' And he basically just proceeded to undress me. I didn't even remember,' she said. 'At that moment I felt stupid. I just went numb. He proceeded to have intercourse with me and I just laid there like a dead fish.' He called her 'bitch' and 'whore,' she testified. 'I was basically just lying there motionless, more or less, just waiting for it to be over. I did blame myself that time. Because I didn't physically resist, because I had been stupid enough to show up,' she said. Even so, she said, she maintained contact with Weinstein in the weeks to follow. 'I was desperate for work,' she said. 'I was trying to make this situation work in the best possible way for me.' She was also embarrassed that he 'thought so little of me,' she said, explaining, 'I wanted people to think that I had a good connection with this powerful guy.' Her testimony continues Wednesday afternoon.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harvey Weinstein's Attorneys Push For Mistrial As Accuser Testifies
Harvey Weinstein's defense team continued to push for a mistrial Wednesday as the former mogul faces rape and criminal sexual charges in Manhattan for a second time. Thus far, all three motions for a mistrial have been denied by Judge Curtis Farber. More from The Hollywood Reporter Harvey Weinstein to Remain at Bellevue Hospital for Now New Harvey Weinstein Accuser Revealed as Opening Statements Begin in Retrial Harvey Weinstein's Life Behind Bars: "He's Still Running Sh**" (Exclusive) Miriam Haley, a former production assistant on Project Runway and one of the complaining witnesses in the case, has been on the stand Tuesday and Wednesday. The latest call for a mistrial came Wednesday afternoon as Haley, who alleges that Weinstein forced oral sex on her, testified about why she continued to stay in communication with the former mogul after the alleged incident, saying, 'I had no idea there were other people.' Arthur Aidala, Weinstein's defense attorney, called for that statement to be stricken from the record and moved for a mistrial saying she had 'contaminated the whole jury.' Farber struck the statement but denied the mistrial, as Haley is expected to testify to seeing the Weinstein exposé in media reports in 2017 and the other accusers involved in those reports, as part of the reason why she waited to report her own alleged incident. 'It's going to come out,' Farber told Aidala. Haley is one of the three complaining witnesses bringing charges against Weinstein. She also testified at Weinstein's 2020 trial, but the conviction was overturned in April 2024 when the court of appeals ruled that the trial judge improperly allowed testimony from other women about uncharged allegations against Weinstein. That ruling, related to the Molineux rule, which generally prohibits using evidence of a defendant's prior bad behavior to prove their propensity to commit the charges in question, hangs over this retrial, as do the now very public allegations against Weinstein. Farber said Thursday that there are 'limitations in regard to Molineux' in this trial and Haley will be allowed to testify that she saw reports of sexual assault allegations in 2017, but will not be able to go into any detail. Per a pre-trial ruling, neither side can use evidence or arguments related to the reversal of Weinstein's 2020 conviction nor the jury's decision to acquit Weinstein on certain charges at that time. On the stand, Haley alleged that the former mogul had been 'persistent' in his sexual advances and had forced oral sex on her at his Manhattan apartment in 2006. Haley met Weinstein at the Cannes Film Festival and was later given the production assistant job in New York by Weinstein, when she inquired about work opportunities. While she said she had resisted earlier advances, including repeated invites to Paris with Weinstein in his private jet, she testified that she had accepted the invitation to the Clerks 2 film premiere in Los Angeles. She said she met with Weinstein in his apartment July 10 before leaving for Los Angeles, where he began kissing her and then pushed her into his bedroom, where she testified that he held her down on the bed and forced oral sex on her. Haley began crying as she described the scene, saying 'I'm trying to get him off me and I'm saying 'No, no it's not going to happen, no.' And I told him I was on my period and 'It's not going to happen.' And he didn't listen,' she said. 'Every time I tried to get up, he pushed me back onto the bed.' 'My brain was calculating what the best course of action was for me at that moment,' Haley said, citing her fear of him turning from forcible to violent. 'I decided in that moment that the safest thing to do is just to check out, endure it and have it over with and leave.' Haley testified that she did fly to Los Angeles for the premiere but did not see Weinstein and stayed in contact with him for professional opportunities. She did not want to report the incident to police because Haley, who is not a U.S. citizen, had been illegally working at Project Runway while on a tourist visa (which she said was known to Weinstein). She feared deportation as well as what could happen to her if she reported to police or the media. 'My thoughts were that this person was very powerful in the entertainment industry, and that I risk having both the industry and the media turn against me instead,' she said. Haley also testified to returning back from the Los Angeles trip to New York and meeting with Weinstein at a hotel because she was 'trying to gain some control back.' In that incident, Haley said Weinstein unexpectedly asked to meet her in his hotel room and began having unwanted intercourse with her. 'I was basically just lying there motionless, more or less, just waiting for it to be over. I did blame myself that time,' Haley said tearing up on the stand. The former mogul also faces a rape charge related to a claim from aspiring actress Jessica Mann, who alleges she was raped by Weinstein in 2013 in a Manhattan hotel and also testified in 2020. He's facing a new criminal sexual charge in this trial related to claims from former model and actress Kaja Sokola, who alleges he forced oral sex on her in 2006. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Gloria Allred, the attorney for Haley who has also represented women in claims against Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Bill Cosby, Jeffrey Epstein and R. Kelly, was in the courtroom Tuesday and Wednesday watching her client on the stand. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg witnessed the testimony Tuesday. Weinstein watched Haley on the stand as she testified and took notes as she spoke about the conversation with her former roommate. Before her testimony resumed Wednesday, Weinstein's defense team had already pushed for a mistrial, alleging that prosecutors had committed a discovery violation by redacting information from Haley's organizer and then delivering an unredacted version Wednesday night, which showed the length of time she had lived in New York as well meetings with executives including Lorne Michaels. Farber also denied the application, saying the defense team could recall witnesses if need be. Last week, the defense team also moved for a mistrial after a friend of Haley testified that Haley had 'zero interest' in sleeping with Weinstein, which the defense team said was prejudicial. The two parties had a fiery exchange Wednesday, as ADA Nicole Blumberg called out the defense team for having more than one lawyer make objections and put forward the motions for the mistrial. 'There's not going to be one lawyer. This man's life is on the line!,' Aidala shouted. 'Please don't grandstand,' Farber responded. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
