Last Updated on April 11, 2024, 11:03 AM | Published: April 11, 2024
OKLAHOMA CITY — If you’re bored by all the uninspired, cookie-cutter remakes plaguing the film industry these days, then OKC-based comedy couple The Martin Duprass have something unexpected that might interest you.
Any fan of ridiculous 90s cult comedies knows writer/director Kevin Smith and his persistent, commendably varied output through that decade and beyond.
Though Smith’s star has shifted more into the realms of podcasting, hosting, and generally making a live-action cartoon character out of himself, the early comedies from his View Askew Productions – all featuring beloved hapless stoners Jay and Silent Bob – remain essential viewing for teen nerds and college goofballs.
“Clerks,” “Mallrats,” the award-winning “Chasing Amy,” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” all retain loyal fans that re-watch and stream the movies regularly, but one of Smith’s most revered and absurd films of the era is nigh-on impossible find these days.
1999’s “Dogma” – a supernatural adventure stoner comedy following a ragtag team of strangers tasked with stopping two banished angels from destroying the universe to get back into Heaven – is currently out of print, out of circulation, and entirely absent from all streaming services.
Unless you bought a DVD copy a decade or more ago, you can’t see it now (at least not legally.)
So when Lauren Thomas-Martin and Jeremy Martin (the long-married, OKC-based couple that make shorts, sketches, and weirdo outsider comedy together as The Martin Duprass) wanted to watch “Dogma” on a lark and discovered that they couldn’t, they decided to take matters into their own hands.
Kind of.
“I thought ‘well then let’s just do our own remake – from memory – just for fun,’” Lauren said.
The result, implausibly, is the upcoming “DawgMuh: As We Remember It,” a locally shot cinematic attempt at recreating “Dogma” without having seen the original in well over a decade.
The half-remembered remake will drop for free on streaming services April 20th alongside a one-time public guerilla screening at an OKC theater.
‘Why?’ you might understandably be asking.
Well, the Martins have some heady thoughts on the nature of “instant access” entertainment and how quickly films and stories can vanish from the public consciousness without easy availability and streaming.
But the truer answer is that they simply wanted to put together something fun, ridiculous, low-stakes, and packed with friends from the local comedy scene in order to shake off the pandemic dust and get back into the moviemaking game.
“I already hadn’t had the opportunity to make a film in a long time, and then COVID hit,” said Lauren, the directorial half of The Martin Duprass. “Coming out of that, more than anything, I just found a project to dig into. It was something I knew I could do and figure out and knew it would just be fun.”
The fun of making “DawgMuh” would have to be its own reward, of course. The Martins obviously can’t make any money from the project, and they definitely don’t want to generate any income or residuals for the original film’s owner.
The reason “Dogma” currently lingers in limbo is because the movie is owned solely by hated and notoriously monstrous sex criminal producer Harvey Weinstein, who funded the original film out of his own pocket. He’s refused Smith’s offers to buy the rights for anything less than exorbitant, multi-million dollar fees.
But more than a hyper-indie middle finger at Hollywood creeps, and more even than a low-stakes exercise in filmmaking to get the Martins’ creative wheels turning, “DawgMuh” actually stands to be one of the best cinematic showcases imaginable for OKC’s remarkable and deeply diverse comedy scene.
The huge cast includes OKC comedy pillars Will Davis, James Nghiem, Alex Sanchez, BradChad Porter, as well as local friends like Sarah Shaefer, each playing a fever dream approximation of a character from the original “Dogma,” anchored by local poet and performer Yoko Hill in the lead.
In many cases, the roles are just referred to by the original actors’ names, like Chris Rock or Jason Lee, because the Martins couldn’t remember the names of the characters.
As the director, Lauren naturally takes on Kevin Smith’s iconic role of Silent Bob herself.
“Several of the people we cast had their own memories of ‘Dogma,’” said Jeremy, who plays George Carlin’s role. “We incorporated their suggestions into the script too, but we also encourage a lot of improvising on set, so the result is kind of like a model ship of Theseus, where we’re not sure where some of the parts came from or what resemblance they have to the original, if any.”
In keeping with the local flavor and close friends, the full soundtrack of “DawgMuh” is culled from OKC bands and artists, like Dion Warlocke, rapper Mars Deli, and The Nghiems.
Is it silly? Sure. Is it unnecessary? Definitely. Is it strange and almost impossible to explain or even understand why so many people would go through all the trouble of making something like this? Yes. Yes, it is.
But then, hopefully, you remember what it’s like to play dress-up with your friends and to let your imagination float away on the oddest flights of fancy for no other reason than pure, dumb fun.
By all accounts, that’s essentially what Kevin Smith has always done, too, just making fun movies with his friends.
Which of course raises the question: Is Smith aware of this wacky, imaginative Oklahoman attempt at a remake of his film?
“Well, we sent him our press release,” Lauren said. “So maybe.”
DawgMuh: As We Remember It,” written and directed by The Martin Duprass, is set to hit YouTube for free on April 20th.
A one-time public screening is planned for April 20th at 9:00 PM in a special presentation at 8590 Broadway Extension.
For more information, visit themartinduprass.com and follow them on Instagram at @themartinduprass.
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
