Rethinking.
Recently, I have been watching, with great intrest, the films of Mr. Kevin Smith. Mostly because of a new found excitment about his next film Clerks 2, due to the fantastic online trailers, the sub-par but still entertaining theatrical trailer (thanks Bob and Harvey!) and the online web diaries at Clerks2.com...note: I am a web whore.
I was introduced to Mr. Smith's films by a friend who i went to high school with for 2 years. He left at the end of my senior year to pursue a college career in acting. He was a ViewAskeniverse fan to the enth degree, and introduced me to the films by showing me the film Jay and Silent Bob Stike Back which made me love the character of Silent Bob, and generally dislike the character of Jay (a position which has changed after getting to "know" the man behind the Snoogans.) and want to see the rest of Mr. Smith's films. The next film i would view of his, shortly after the intro, was Dogma...the neutered version on Comedy Central, and while it was the best audio edit of any film where expletives were deleted, it still felt strange not hearing Jay (or Chris Rock for that matter) saying the word Fuck and various other "dirty" words. it would be a year and a half before i would see the real version, big fucking rubber poop monster and all.
Cut to my junior year, and the real reason for this essay, and i was finally able to see a Kevin Smith film in theaters, mind you, the characters i knew and loved would be missing, but i was willing to accept that...or was I? It would take me until this week to truly understand. I went to see Jersey Girl on a rather sad note. I, in my hear, wanted to see it with the man who turned me on to Smithian filmmaking, but that was in no way possible, so i went by myself (On a weekend where i submereged myself in films, seeing the top five grossing films of the weekend...yay free movies) and saw it. I walked out severly disappointed, and went on to trash the film, even to my friend who dismissed my rants on it as un-learned babble, and he was right. I indeed had not been willing to accept the fact that this would be a more serious film, not as much dick and fart jokes, no weed references, and no Snootchie Bootchie.
I was single minded, foolish, blind.
In my recent binge of the films from production company View Askew, i watched all of my favorites first, then the two i hadn't seen (Mallrats, which wasn't as impressive as i had imagined it would be, but still contains my favorite Silent Bob moment, FLY FAT ASS FLY! and Chasing Amy, which shot to my favorite film of his instantly.) and then i came to Jersey Girl. I put it in my DVD Player, and was instantly ashamed for the things i said.
It still isn't my favorite film of his (as i said, that would currently be Chasing Amy) but I realize the one quote I said was completley wrong. "It's not a Kevin Smith film".....it is very much a Kevin Smith film, written from his heart, with love to his daughter, and that makes it a very good film. and to date is the only Kevin Smith movie to make me cry. and i am sappy son of a bitch.
the moral of this story is to not judge anyone on the standards they seem to have set from themselves, as they can always, and most likley when you least expect it, exceed and change that standard.
as my good friend said in my yearbook the year he left.
I have left the building.
Snoogans.
Recently, I have been watching, with great intrest, the films of Mr. Kevin Smith. Mostly because of a new found excitment about his next film Clerks 2, due to the fantastic online trailers, the sub-par but still entertaining theatrical trailer (thanks Bob and Harvey!) and the online web diaries at Clerks2.com...note: I am a web whore.
I was introduced to Mr. Smith's films by a friend who i went to high school with for 2 years. He left at the end of my senior year to pursue a college career in acting. He was a ViewAskeniverse fan to the enth degree, and introduced me to the films by showing me the film Jay and Silent Bob Stike Back which made me love the character of Silent Bob, and generally dislike the character of Jay (a position which has changed after getting to "know" the man behind the Snoogans.) and want to see the rest of Mr. Smith's films. The next film i would view of his, shortly after the intro, was Dogma...the neutered version on Comedy Central, and while it was the best audio edit of any film where expletives were deleted, it still felt strange not hearing Jay (or Chris Rock for that matter) saying the word Fuck and various other "dirty" words. it would be a year and a half before i would see the real version, big fucking rubber poop monster and all.
Cut to my junior year, and the real reason for this essay, and i was finally able to see a Kevin Smith film in theaters, mind you, the characters i knew and loved would be missing, but i was willing to accept that...or was I? It would take me until this week to truly understand. I went to see Jersey Girl on a rather sad note. I, in my hear, wanted to see it with the man who turned me on to Smithian filmmaking, but that was in no way possible, so i went by myself (On a weekend where i submereged myself in films, seeing the top five grossing films of the weekend...yay free movies) and saw it. I walked out severly disappointed, and went on to trash the film, even to my friend who dismissed my rants on it as un-learned babble, and he was right. I indeed had not been willing to accept the fact that this would be a more serious film, not as much dick and fart jokes, no weed references, and no Snootchie Bootchie.
I was single minded, foolish, blind.
In my recent binge of the films from production company View Askew, i watched all of my favorites first, then the two i hadn't seen (Mallrats, which wasn't as impressive as i had imagined it would be, but still contains my favorite Silent Bob moment, FLY FAT ASS FLY! and Chasing Amy, which shot to my favorite film of his instantly.) and then i came to Jersey Girl. I put it in my DVD Player, and was instantly ashamed for the things i said.
It still isn't my favorite film of his (as i said, that would currently be Chasing Amy) but I realize the one quote I said was completley wrong. "It's not a Kevin Smith film".....it is very much a Kevin Smith film, written from his heart, with love to his daughter, and that makes it a very good film. and to date is the only Kevin Smith movie to make me cry. and i am sappy son of a bitch.
the moral of this story is to not judge anyone on the standards they seem to have set from themselves, as they can always, and most likley when you least expect it, exceed and change that standard.
as my good friend said in my yearbook the year he left.
I have left the building.
Snoogans.
william_miller:
Y'know, considering I said "we'll send the money when I get paid", and today happens to be pay day... I'd figure that yeah, we might be sending the payment today.