Kevin Smith 3 Movie Collection

Like millions of other film buff my infatuation with the art of cinema began when I was but a child. Going to the movies was a magical experience staring intently at the flickering images in the darkness of a well appointed old theater. My lifelong love affair with film followed the usual course of initially following a genre, the specific actors and finally to an appreciation of individual directors. This is typically a turning point for an aficionado of movies; to appreciate the craftsmanship behind the wonderment on the screen. It was then only natural to gravitate to the imaginative independent film makers. These young people represent the driving force behind experimentation and innovation in movies; they are the future of the industry. I have watched the progress of many Indy film makers and by far one of the most interesting is New Jersey native Kevin Smith. In 1994 he literally burst on to the scene with his freshman film, ‘Clerks’ and since then has been moving up the ladder to transition to become a rather successful mainstream Hollywood director. Most fans will certainly have at least a few of his films in their libraries all ready but Miramax has come up with a nice way to revisit the work of this man. They have released a three film collection in Blu-way high definition complete with a brand new set of extras. The three films were chosen to represent three phases in his career; his Indy origin, the follow up film and his studio work, of course I have seen each of these films many times over the years but watching them again in the new format and as part of this retrospective gave me a whole new outlook on the man and his work. So, all inhabitants of the ‘View Askewniverse’ for a stroll down memory lane to visit Jay and his hetero life partner, Silent Bob.

The best to start in any consideration of a man’s career is at the beginning. For Kevin Smith it was with a little independent flick humbly named ‘Clerks’ when I first saw it in a little movie house in Greenwich Village I was living were I always have in Brooklyn. I knew about the New Jersey standard of commercial space, the strip mall, but I had never visited one. Now that I have relocated to the Garden State I have a different idea of what life working for a store there must be like. The minimalistic story is basically a free association look at an average day in the life of Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran). Dante is an affable guy whose main personality fault is a woeful lack of ambition. He is content drifting through life still living in his parent’s house and working at a job usually reserved for students; a clerk at a convenience store in a tiny New Jersey strip mall. He does want to get out but is not exactly proactive about doing anything about his situation. Dante’s best friend Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) is equally difficult to motivate biding his time at a video rental store next to the Quick Stop. The day starts off badly when Dante is awaken by a phone call by his boss to work that day. He had wanted to just hang out and play hockey with his buddies but he needs the work. During the course of the day a customer dies in the bathroom and he discovers his ex girlfriend is engaged and his current girlfriend has given oral sex to 37 guys, 38 if you count him.

Smith made this film for about $50,000 of which about half went to securing the rights to the music in the sound track. The funding came mostly from credit cards, friends and family. Many of the investors wound up with roles or worked behind the scenes, some in more than one capacity. Even Smith’s mother can be seen in a couple of shots. This is the epitome of the spirit of independent films. The cast and crew took a location after hours and in the space of about three weeks wrapped principle photography. It is in black and white with title cards and credits sporting a homemade feel.

Chasing Amy (1997)

This was Smith’s third film, following the less than critically acclaimed ‘Mallrats. It centers on one of the most offbeat romances depicted on screen between comic book artist, Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck) and Ayssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams). He is a straight man and she is a lesbian so no one gives their relationship very good odds of working out. The pair initially hit it off as friends eventually drifting into a more romantic relationship. The film had a budget of close to a quarter of a million dollars and gave some early screen time to current A-Listers Ben Affleck and Jason Lee. The production and style was much more evolved and polished in this film demonstrating that Smith would not be an Indy wannabe but was able to hold his own in the studio system.

This flick was intended to be the concluding chapter in Smith’s View Askewniverse’ but a few years later he would resurrect it for one last fling with ‘Clerks II’ one of the aspects of Smith’s strange universe is the complex inter relationship all the characters and an amazing continuity of the bizarre circumstances and events that occur there The central characters in the universe and present in all the films of the franchise are Jay (Jason Mewes) and his constant companion Silent Bob (Kevin Smith). They are basically very low end pot dealers who manage to meander in and out of the vast web of story lines. They are usually used to introduce to director’s trademarks into the films; references to ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Jaws’. Fans have invented a drinking game where you take a shot when either topic is referenced. You will not be sober after any of his films. In this film Jay and Silent Bob are upset with how they are being portrayed in a film based on the comic Blunt man and Chronic. Smith bites the hand that feeds him by lampooning Miramax.

Overall the Blu-ray treatment is less than stellar but it does come across as better than the original DVD editions. None of these movies will strain even the most modest system but you will notice the difference.

Clerks: 15th Anniversary Edition

Chasing Amy

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back