Hey folks, Harry here.... JAY & SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK left California and the watchful gaze of Mysterio for Kevin's Eden in Redbank, NJ... Not to fear, Mysterio still has more reports... like the one right above this one... But here's Reno in New Jersey to tell us how shooting of the last NJ film is going in NJ....
Hey Harry, Reno Here,
It's cold. It's rainy. And I'm having the time of my life.
It was Friday late morning and early afternoon when I arrived in Red Bank, NJ after a three hour drive. I was in town to see if I could catch a glimpse or two of Kevin Smith on his home turf finishing up the last few days of filming on "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back."
BE WARNED- MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD
Having been tipped off on the View Askew website that Smith's comicshop would be closed this past Friday through Sunday for filming, I knew I had to go and try to get a glimpse of what was going on. It wasn't for the thrill of actually watching a movie being made. I'd done that before, even working for two days on a shoot. This was different. Like many, Kevin's films strike a chord with me. I was working a crappy retail job when I first saw "Clerks" and instantly saw many of my own frustrations played out on the screen. "Mallrats" was a ballsout comedy that paid homeage to Golden Era of teen comedies, the 80s. (Sorry the current crop of literary classics recycled as 90s teen comedies can't hold a candle to "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" or the early work of John Hughes. But, as Peter David is prone to saying, I digress. . .) "Chasing Amy" came out at a time when I was just getting out of a relationship that I wanted to succeed so badly that I doomed it to fail. "Dogma" addressed several issues that I shared, courtesy of my own Catholic upbringing. Since Kevin has announced that "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" would be the swansong for his "Jersey Chronicles" I needed to pay a little pilgrimage to Red Bank to try to get a glimpse of the filming.
Since it was intermittantly raining, myself and a few other fans were forced to huddle under a few awnings across the street. For a while I took refuge in the doorway that was used for Holden and Banky's apartment building in "Chasing Amy." Kevin Smith's comic shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, had been converted into "Brodie's Secret Stash." That's right- everybody's favorite "Mallrat" has returned home and opened a comic book shop after serving as host of "The Tonight Show." Although filming was inside the shop itself mostly obscured, we did see that both Smith and Jason (Jay) Mewes were costumed in the same wardrobe they had at the end of "Dogma". Jason Lee was also on hand, in his old Brodie costume right down to the t-shirt and brown courduroy jacket.
When lunch was called Smith, Mewes and Lee all came out and signed autographs and posed for pictures with some of the fans who were there. I took the opportunity to saddle up to the Secret Stash's window and peer in. On one wall is a giant blow up of a fake Variety article detailing Brodie's departure from the "Tonight Show" headlined "Brodie Bolts!". I also spoted some dolly tracks on the ground. That's right, it looks like there'll be camera moves in this one.
(My guess is that this is the scene where Jay and Silent Bob discover that their comic book alter egos Bluntman and Chronic are being turned into a movie. This off course kicks off their roadtrip accross the country to try and stop the proceedings.)
I also approached Lee and tried to trick him into revealing one question that alot of fans have wanted answered- "So, um, do you have any scenes as bothe Brodie and Banky?" (Real clever there, Reno) He just smiled aand said "Wellll. . . you'll have to wait and see." Curses is he smart to see through my clever ruse.
Since a pressing appointment was looming, I had to hit the highway north and west back home. But now trip to Red Bank would be complete without a stop at the Quick Stop. As I ran into get a soda for the drive, I peeked into the RST Video and noticed that there was no on duty at the counter. I couldn't help but think, "Randall has deserted his post again."
RENO out.
