Kevin Smith's irreverent but brilliant Dogma just ended on Comedy Central (albeit in highly edited form). I sat behind Smith and his posse when it premiered at the 1999 NY Film Festival, but I haven't seen it since. It really is great--a serious exploration of real issues of faith in an unexpected way (and by an under-the-radar believer). Smith is certainly an influence in terms of his career and his smart use of the net--via his View Askew site--to connect with his audience, if not in his actual films. Don't get me wrong; I love his movies, but I haven't really studied them. Here is Kevin's online production diary from Dogma. Begun in March 1998, it's the earliest moviemaking "weblog" I've found.