Kevin Smith is very hit and miss with me. I really thought Chasing Amy was a very fine movie at the time of it’s release and that it deserved much of the praise the director received, but then films like Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob and Jersey Girl (actually the best of that trio) didn’t do a whole lot for me.
But Clerks II I thought was great (review here). He really touched on something that I feel a lot of people my age have to deal with all the time. We are still young but still too old to learn some of the skills we should have learnt in our teenage years (play the guitar, learn languages, be good at certain sports) because we are never going to be able to do that now. We don’t have the time, the enthusiasm or the energy for such things.
Same goes with work. We will do enough to get by, but not enough to really get us anywhere. It’s about something like Lord of the Rings coming along and kicking Star Wars out of the way. It’s about living like it’s 1999, but it’s fucking May 2007! How did that happen?
I know that’s not literally what Clerks II was about, but that’s only a little bit that struck me personally from what I thought was an intelligent film that was glossed over with Smith’s usual comedy.
GETTING SO OFF TRACK NOW…
Slash Film are reporting the news from Smith’s own website, that he has finished writing the script of his latest comedy movie, (currently untitled) and it comes in at 146 pages long but he wants to trim it down to a more manageable 120. The movie will be shot in Minnesota during the Winter months because apparently it’s relevant to the story and Smith has Rosario Dawson in mind for a lead role.
Smith will shot this comedy movie alongside his first venture into horror with the movie Red State, which he spoke a little about last month. The comedy flick will be budgeted somewhere between $5 and $22 million, and Red State will be made for significantly less… around $3 or $4.
Hey, sign me up for both. I’m interested in seeing what he does next. I feel after Clerks II where he showed some artistic integrity, he should now push on and really show us what he is capable of. He’s been doing this gig for sometime now, I feel like he’s just waiting to shoot something really kick ass.
3 Comments
I’ve never seen a Kevin Smith flick before. I’m allergic to Ben Affleck and indy comedies. I checked out Clerks and clerks 2 yesterday from the library. Will watch them today.
Tried to watch Clerks yesterday. Got bored sick immeidately, forced myself to watch the first twenty minutes but gave up and fell asleep. Will try again tomorrow.
Lol. That’s never a good sign is it?
Clerks is a tough one in 2007. I don’t think its aged all that well and personally I find it the hardest movie of Smith’s to watch. I admire how much Smith sacrificed to make the film and I’m always impressed by how limited a budget and experience he had at the time… but it’s a boring movie in truth.
Clerks II is a good movie though, and you don’t need to have seen the original to enjoy it. Although I recommended watching them both together, just to see how far Smith has come in 12 years.
Personally I love Kevin Smith’s work, so i guess I’m in the minority here, i really enjoyed clerks and the other films he has made since. His passion for film isnt driven by greed instead he enjoys making fims. I too cant wait for his next comedy and his first horror, i wander if he’ll have a small role in each.
One Trackback
[...] know that Kevin Smith has two films lined up to shoot over the next 18 months. The comedy movie Zack and Miri and his first venture into horror with Red [...]