Kevin Smith

[Dan]

I have forgotten the name of his first movie, a black and white. Quite nice, sans the foul language I believe it still would have been a good flick.

Clerks, very good. Very inspiring for an aspiring filmmaker to see some random guy from Jersey make a movie for less than $30,000 and become as big as he did. The language didn't bother me that much, if only because most people my age talk like that on a regular basis. I will say that if you have 2 guys in their early twenties hanging out with nothing to do but talk all day, they're inevitably going to talk about sex 2/3 of the time, and plus people from the middle class NJ 'burbs aren't the most articulate to begin with. Believe it or not, that movie actually got an NC-17 on its first submission to the MPAA, on the basis of language alone (okay, language and the shot of the porno mag that you can barely even see). Looking at this movie relative to its budget gave me more appreciation for it. This was probably my second or third favorite KS movie.

Chasing Amy - That was okay, but not a movie I would rush to see again.

See, I disagree totally, I think this is his best movie so far, or at least it's my personal favorite. THis is really my favorite kind of movie, just a real story about real people that can make you laugh and cry and maybe even think. I still watch this movie probably once every couple of months. When people ask what my favorite movie is, I often reply with this one. I think this got a NC-17 for language, too.

Mallrats - I will admit that I actually like this film. No one else seems to.

I like it. I think it could've been better, but it definitely has its moments. I'm a big fan of Jason Lee, so I liked this a lot (though his best film is still Chasing Amy).

Strikes back - we all now know how much Smith loves Star Wars. Thought this movie was hilarious. I saw it on a plane to London once and found it hard to contain my laughter. Luckilly, many others were watching it too as the plane seemed to laugh in sync.

I saw this one in the theaters with a bunch of diehard KS fans, so it was a real event. I love the idea that you won't understand probably half the jokes in the movie unless you've seen his others. For some reasons, inside jokes in movies always appealed to me, and this one must hold some kind of record for those. I loved the end, outside the theater when all the old characters show back up. This was a great DVD, too, about 100 minutes worth of deleted scenes, and most of them were really funny! This movie was basically a very expensive nod to his hardcore fans, so that was cool.

Oh yes and the religious one. Wasn't crazy about that at all.

Yeah, Dogma. I think people took this one too seriously. It had a very good, pertinent message behind it, and I felt a lot of it was pretty funny. My favorite scene in this one isn't a funny one, it's when the 2 fallen angels (Affleck and Damon) realize God is trying to have them killed. If angels really exist and if they have free minds, I'm sure these are the things they think about ("He gave them paradise, they threw it away. He gave them this planet and they destroyed it. And through it all he has shown them so much compassion, and some of them still refuse to believe he even exists"). I feel really strongly about people taking their religious beliefs to dangerous extremes, so it really hit home for me. Plus it had Selma Hayek kind of stripping, and she's hot.

Will I see the new one? I am not a Lopez fan so I doubt it - I sort of associate her choice of movies as worthless. Oh well.

I don't think this is fair. Not to ruin any of the movie for you, but her character is in the film for no more than 15 minutes (this is according to Smith himself, on his message board). The movie is about a father who has to raise his daughter by himself after his wife (Lopez) dies. Not watching this because Lopez is in it is like hating In Living Color because she was a Fly Girl. Anyway, I'll be there opening night, I guess if you don't like the looks of it, that's your opinion, I'll let you know how it is.

Now, everyone discuss Kevin ad nauseum so I can be happy.

Oh, and just because I'm such a stickler/dork, here's the order that his movies came out:

Clerks (1994)
Mallrats (1995)
Chasing Amy (1996)
Dogma (1998)
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2000)
Jersey Girl (2004)

 

[winston churchi]

I like Jason Lee too and I loved his charector in Mallrats. I honestly do not know why it was considered one of his worse - I don't know where I read that either.

As far as the angel movie, I always love Jay and Silent Bob even with Jay's mouth - to a point, but he is funny. I also thought Chris Rock was a good laugh as the 13th apostle.

It was funny for a fan of Silent Bob to listen him rant and rave at the end of the Strikes back movie. Once in a while he speaks and when he does, its almost as though Hamlet were speaking in comparison to the others.

Strikes back was apparently the last of Jay and Silent Bob unless he managed to squeeze them into this new picture....?

As for Lopez, I am one of those people that if an actor puts a sour taste in my mouth I have a tendancy to avoid them...unless they prove themselves. Now that may seem vain but to me, Lopez is nothing more than Afflecks old girlfriend....and I became so sick of the two that I decided I had enough of both.

Which brings me to Affleck who is in Mallrats. Now I will watch that again and again because Affleck was in this movie several years before anyone knew or cared who he was. He was funny and arogant and played the part well.

Kevin Smith, I certainly hope he is not caught up in his fame and becomes lost in the Hollywood way of thinking...I am sure you know what I mean and if you don't I am not going to bother to explain.

What I do like about him, so far, is that he still utilizes the original actors from his first film. He has not left them behind which is always a plus as a human.

I guess I could go on and on and on and I have.

 

[winston churchi]

Oh and to add, from my knowledge of KS....unless you know differently -

He hated working with the female star of Dogma - not Hayek - and I cannot think of her name. I read somewhere she was a horror to work with.

His story Chasing Amy is loosly based on his fling with Joey Adams - did I leave a Lauren out there somewhere? I do think she is a good actress and for her sake I hope she never becomes one of those instant stars as Affleck did. I have seen her in other movies unrelated to KS and she always give a fine performance.

The charector Jay was a friend from school and his charector Jay is apparently very similar to who he really is.

I do not want to be an actor, but if I had the chance, KS would be the first director I would work for.

 

[Dan]

Strikes back was apparently the last of Jay and Silent Bob unless he managed to squeeze them into this new picture....?

Nah, they're not going to be in it. He said he wants this to be a total departure from his other movies, so no Jay and Bob, no Star Wars references, no really vulgar language, etc.

He is in the process of making an animated Clerks movie, though, and they're definitely going to be in that.

Which brings me to Affleck who is in Mallrats. Now I will watch that again and again because Affleck was in this movie several years before anyone knew or cared who he was. He was funny and arogant and played the part well.

You know, Affleck gets a bad rap. I'll admit, he's not a good action star, and he should stick to movies like Kevin's or Good Will Hunting, he's a lot better in those. Oh, well, I guess Armageddon pays the bills easier than Chasing Amy, though.

Kevin Smith, I certainly hope he is not caught up in his fame and becomes lost in the Hollywood way of thinking...I am sure you know what I mean and if you don't I am not going to bother to explain.

I get ya. I think he will stay true to himself and as long as he continues to be an artist first (i.e. making the movies that he wants to make, not the ones he thinks will make the most money), I think he'll be A-OK. I'll certainly be willing to go see any movie he makes, even if they're not my cup of tea (right now he's planning to make a prequel to the Fletch movies, a sci-fi epic called 'Roger Dodger', and his next thing is he's writing and directing the film adaptation of The Green Arrow, which is Miramax's second most expensive movie to date, after Gangs of NY).

He hated working with the female star of Dogma - not Hayek - and I cannot think of her name. I read somewhere she was a horror to work with.

Linda Fiorentino, yeah. He has a habit of making very public the things that most celebs try to keep quiet (he spoke a lot about creative differences with her, Jay's heroin addiction, and he totally trashed ABC for the crappy way they treated his show, Clerks: The Animated Series). He's burned many a bridge in his day, I think. But, yeah, on the Dogma commentary, he says he wishes he would've cast Janeane Garafalo in her place. Not sure what to think about that.

His story Chasing Amy is loosly based on his fling with Joey Adams - did I leave a Lauren out there somewhere? I do think she is a good actress and for her sake I hope she never becomes one of those instant stars as Affleck did. I have seen her in other movies unrelated to KS and she always give a fine performance.

Joey Lauren Adams, but most people leave off the Lauren, anyway. She's good, but her voice is a little annoying. But, yeah, the basis for chasing amy came from his insecurities with her, though they weren't sexual, he just felt she'd accomplished a lot more in her life than he had.

The charector Jay was a friend from school and his charector Jay is apparently very similar to who he really is.

Apparently, he's cleaned up his act now, but yeah, around the time of Clerks, he was apparently just as crazy and drug-addled as the character. On the commentary for CLerks, he actually passes out at one point. Kevin talks about how he had to stand right off-camera and feed all of Jay's lines to him one-by-one, because he was so out of it.

I do not want to be an actor, but if I had the chance, KS would be the first director I would work for.

Yeah. Actually, if you go to his Message Board you'll find that a lot of times he gets the extras in his movies just by getting on there and saying "Okay, we'll be shooting in Atlantic Highlands on this day, come by and we'll put you in the movie". Gotta warn you about that board, though, it has gone to crap in the last few years, after J&SBSB, it got overrun by dumbass kids and stoners who do nothing but ramble pointlessly. Just scroll through and look for the "reds" (all viewaskew employees' names are in red).

 

[winston churchi]

So KS - or the powers that be? They made a wise decision in not promoting Lopez in the latest flick Jersey Girl. Apparently some scenes were cut out too...I think that is wise. Too many people may associate Affleck and Lopez with their last fiasco and just not bother with any other effort from them.

 

[Dan]

So KS - or the powers that be? They made a wise decision in not promoting Lopez in the latest flick Jersey Girl. Apparently some scenes were cut out too...I think that is wise. Too many people may associate Affleck and Lopez with their last fiasco and just not bother with any other effort from them.

I agree 100%. It sucks, because he seems kinda disappointed that he had to cut out some scenes (there was a marriage scene between Ben and Jen that they cut out, for obvious reasons), but I think it will help the project a lot. Too many people will associate onscreen Ben and Jen with real-life Beniffer (I totally hate myself for using that word). Here's hoping a PG-13 Kevin is just as good as a hardcore R Kevin is!

 

[winston churchi]

KS is on the comedy channel tonight - hosting Dogma. I am not a lover of this movie - but may tune in for the Silent bob and Jay gigs....and the promo for Jersey girl.

This will be the movie that may redeem Afflects career or just send him off to the world of 'what ever happened to - ' I think this is his last shot at proving he is worth the $ to see.

 

[5stringJeff]

I haven't seen Clerks or Chasing Amy yet, but I enjoyed the other three. Actually, I thought Dogma was hilarious. I knew the whole thing was a satire, so I didn't get wrapped around the axle by it (though my wife did). J&SBSB was absolutely hilarious - probably my favorite, if only because it is a great stand-alone movie that you can enjoy without having seen the others.

 

[winston churchi]

There were some good scenes in Dogma I will admit. Chris Rock was funny and I always like Jason Lee. He can play different charectors in KS movies. George Carlin is always funny, just looking at him makes one laugh!


Now speaking of Clerks, despite its obscenities, it is a nicely written movie. Taking an average day at a convenience store and making a flick of it is challenging. I am all for a writer taking everyday moments in life and making an interesting story out of them - without adding any sci-fi - though I like sci fi...A funny obscene scene in the movie was the part in which a woman and her baby daughter where looking to rent a childs bunny movie...the clerk in that shop was on the phone and talking about the lastest movies that arrived - Debbie Does Dallas to name a few xxx films.

So having spoke of KS, one of my 'side' dreams as I call them, nothing serious, nothing I could not live without doing, is to be an extra in a very sucessfull movie. A part where I could rewind again and again and watch my debut as a background figure crossing the road! Yes that is my Hollywood dream at best!

 

[Dan]

Winston, I'm not sure where you live, but in areas where they film a lot of movies (NYC and LA, obviously) they are in constant need of extras. In reality, so I've heard, movie companies have trouble getting extras because they really get treated like crap. Your job basically consists of standing around for an entire day doing nothing so you can hopefully be oncamera for maybe a few seconds, maybe even in focus, if you're lucky. If it's a SAG movie, you get $100 and a free lunch, though.

 

[winston churchi]

I worked with a woman who do 'extra' work in films. It was through some casting agency - maybe it was called a casting agency in Washington DC - anyway - she was in the background of that Schwartzenegger / Tom Arnold flick (why do movie names escape me!) - anyway it was a great film - with JLC too.

I live in the Boston area. Right now I would love to be back in Florida. I did work as an extra in a back door flim - a KS wannabe I think - it is a religious flick due out next year - maybe his idea came from The Passion but it has nothing to do with Jesus himself.

Now I was thumbing through the Boston hearld today - or some newspaper and there is a piece on KS and Michael Jackson. Apparentley Michael approached KS about creating a movie where MJ would play the voice of a car or a man that turns into a car and talks - and a child drives him around - hmmm? Scarey? That is according to KS himself.

 

[winston churchi]

Originally posted by winston churchi
I worked with a woman who did 'extra' work in films. It was through some casting agency - maybe it was called a casting agency in Washington DC - anyway - she was in the background of that Schwartzenegger / Tom Arnold flick (why do movie names escape me!) - anyway it was a great film - with JLC too.

I live in the Boston area. Right now I would love to be back in Florida. I did work as an extra in a back door flim - a KS wannabe I think - it is a religious flick due out next year - maybe his idea came from The Passion but it has nothing to do with Jesus himself.

Now I was thumbing through the Boston hearld today - or some newspaper and there is a piece on KS and Michael Jackson. Apparentley Michael approached KS about creating a movie where MJ would play the voice of a car or a man that turns into a car and talks - and a child drives him around - hmmm? Scarey? That is according to KS himself.

never mind the spelling. Sometimes I type to quick!

 

[5stringJeff]

I heard about that movie... it's supposed to be where MJ is a car that some little boy (9,10,11 years old) gets in and drives around, striking up a great friendship along the way... or something like that.

Insert your Michael-the-pedophile joke here!

 

[winston churchi]

Didn't Disney make a movie like that come to think of it? Herbie the love bug?

Sorry no MJ jokes. I did find it funny, in a sad distorted mental sort of way that MJ had some big gathering of court folks to his ranch - the one he swore never to return to - I think he invited lawyers, television news staff and anyone who stood by him for drinks, cookies and a laugh.

 

[Dan]

Insert your Michael-the-pedophile joke here!

Don't mind if I do...

Michael wanted to see what it was like to have an eight-year-old boy inside of HIM for a change.

That was lame.

Does this guy really have no clue what his persona has become? Jeebus, this is like OJ starring as the killer in a new slasher movie.

 

[Dan]

Didn't Disney make a movie like that come to think of it? Herbie the love bug?

Hey, now, Herbie was one of my favorite movies as a kid, don't associate it with this movie. They should go ahead and call it "The Nail in the Coffin of MJ's Career".

You think in Michael's movie, the car will start out with a black paint job, then throughout the movie it will get whiter and whiter?

 

[winston churchi]

That is funny.

The car can have a sister Porche that is a convertable and slowly takes her 'top' off at the end of the film to expose - ?