The (mostly bad) films of Kevin Smith

[Devon Malcolm]

21 minutes ago, poetofthedeed said:

Was it also some of his best writing this millennium? Yes.

This would be damning him with faint praise if you missed out 'some', so I've no idea what this leaves us with.

[Hannibal Scorch]

I’d say J&SB Reboot was probably better written then Clerks 3, and that’s not a good movie. . The more I think about Clerks 3 the more disappointing I find it. I’ll just stick to his podcasts and spoken work then his films. 

[poetofthedeed]

6 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

This would be damning him with faint praise if you missed out 'some', so I've no idea what this leaves us with.

I enjoyed red state, and reboot had it's moments.

[SaitoRyo]

Went to a screening of Clerks last night. Have seen it about twenty times before on VHS, DVD and maybe one other time in the cinema (I think), but it had been years since I've seen it. The film still works and is still really, really funny. I had a great time with it and was glad that it holds up so well!  

[Jazzy G]

I watched Clerks 3 a few weeks back on Prime. It's fine. I like Kevin Smith's stuff. It was interesting how it seemed to get even more biographical with the heart attacks etc. 

[wordsfromlee]

This could actually be alright

Quote

Set in the summer of 1986, the coming-of-age comedy follows three sixteen-year-old friends (played by Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo and Reed Northrup) who spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local multiplex. But when one of the guys also invites the girl of his dreams (Siena Agudong) to see the latest comedy, each of the teens will learn something serious about life and love before the credits roll.

The 4:30 Movie also stars Ken Jeong (The Hangover), Sam Richardson (Veep), Genesis Rodriguez (Tusk), Justin Long (Barbarian), Jason Lee (Almost Famous), Rachel Dratch (I Love My Dad), Kate Micucci (The Big Bang Theory), Adam Pally (Sonic the Hedgehog), Harley Quinn Smith (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood), and Method Man (Power Book II: Ghost).

It's not another sequel that nobody asked for, nor is it some mad premise comedy-horror that he came up with when stoned off his bollocks. It sounds to be more classic Kevin Smith territory which is promising. But who knows these days. This is the only movie of his since Red State that I've actually considered watching.

[SuperBacon]

3 hours ago, wordsfromlee said:

Method Man (Power Book II: Ghost)

Erm, excuse me? Yes that's absolutely what he's been known for ffs. 

[Devon Malcolm]

 

13 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

Erm, excuse me? Yes that's absolutely what he's been known for ffs. 

I know right. It's Paterson.

[Mr_Danger]

It’s How High for fucks sake!

[Factotum]

I was listening to the MALLRATS Director's commentary the other day. Fuck me Affleck is hilarious. The whole thing is glorious. As is the CHASING AMY one.

RED STATE really gave me hope that he was going a certain way, but he has spent the next lot of years making utter shit and crying on the internet. Clerks III being the nadir of 'sentimental Kevin' One thing I will give him is he's made a lot of those films profitable with his model of going out and touring them to an audience. It's why he can keep making films, so I'll give him that.

[Carbomb]

I'm probably way off base, but I get a feeling like he's the CM Punk of films - he appeals to a certain demographic, seemingly a bunch of blokes who fancy themselves as fans of "alternative cinema", and has made the most out of that demographic by pushing himself as much as his films, bolstered by going into other "alternative" fields, i.e. writing comics, etc., while the kind of work he became famous for is now being done better by newer directors.

[DEF]

It's not the touring model that made them profitable (but it helps) it's the physical media sales. Basically Jay & Bob reboot did gangbusters on DVD/Blu-ray so as long as the budgets are low Lionsgate etc are more than happy to front the money.

[organizedkaos]

33 minutes ago, Carbomb said:

I'm probably way off base, but I get a feeling like he's the CM Punk of films - he appeals to a certain demographic, seemingly a bunch of blokes who fancy themselves as fans of "alternative cinema", and has made the most out of that demographic by pushing himself as much as his films, bolstered by going into other "alternative" fields, i.e. writing comics, etc., while the kind of work he became famous for is now being done better by newer directors.

I think you have to be the right age and the right sort of teenager here.  Finding Kevin Smith in the late 90s early 0s felt like a revelation. These low budget slackery comedies that actually felt real (even though they're completely heightened and cartoonish). Characters talked like how I imagined me and my friends talked, about subjects we talked about. It made being dissafected bored teenagers doing boring jobs or hanging out somewhere seem cool and magical. The shared universe gave you all the "secret handshake" things you could spot that made you feel like you were getting something others weren't (always a powerful feeling when you're 16)

Then Judd Apatow does the comedy/hangout bit better, with actors better suited for these roles. Community and a million other things do the meta nerdery stuff better. The bit of me that remembers being 16 still sees the original view askew films as something of value (still got a couple of the figurines on shelves in my flat). However adult me realises there's just better versions of it all out there, and thus the only value is nostalgia. And as things can be with nostalgia I'm quite happy with the original things, I don't need to see those characters
 

Spoiler

get old, have shitty lives and die

 

Edited April 3, 2024 by organizedkaos
Yo Majesty - Club Action (Chris Bag Raider's Sailing To Baltimore Edit)

[SuperBacon]

I've just had a flashback of my first "script" when I did Film Studies which had two men rat-a-tating dialogue back and forth about Barney the Dinosaur and the two lads he hangs around with, and how they were actually some sort of slave operators.

"Barney?" "Yeah" "The Dinosaur?" "Yeah" "...the Purple Dinosaur?" "Oh you think he's just there to teach maths?" Good grief. 

It was an unashamed rip off of Clerks, which was a very important film to me when I discovered it in my teens. Crucial word that, teens. I thought I was going to make films and change the world when I saw it.

And it was "inventive" film making, and I wanted to know as much about the production process as I did about the actual film.

It was inspiring, and I still love Clerks, and Mallrats (as that reminds me of a friends house where I would feel safe and we'd watch it over and over), ditto Chasing Amy. I'd probably watch his new films, as you all know I'll watch any old shit, but he hasn't made a good film since Dogma, let's be honest and if he retired now I wouldn't care, but he was inspiring to me for a good few years and I'll always appreciate that.

"In a row?"

[Mr_Danger]

2 hours ago, Carbomb said:

I'm probably way off base, but I get a feeling like he's the CM Punk of films 

In so much as that his biggest fans all smell of burger and onions?