kevin smith

[Alisha Mynx]

To be honest, it's been an age since I've actually watched it. 

I must rectify that this weekend, methinks!

At least a couple times a year, some friends and I all gather and watch it together in place of having a "movie night".  It's one of the few series we do that with on a recurring basis instead of a "once-through" and then not watching it together again unless one of us has it on when the others visit.

[andrew wiggins]

i am a fan boy he also writes green hornet and it was his movie idea also i love the jay and silent bob get old podcast

[mordekin]

Big fan, I have watched all of his films, been to several Kevin Smith Live shows, and I just received a signed book from Kevin Smith for x-mas.

[Slappy]

His Daredevil run was also swell.

[ikindadislikekevinsmith]

I kinda dislike Kevin Smith.  I used to be I hate Kevin Smith but Mclarty had me bounced as a troll, so I tempered.

I like Clerks by indie standards, and Chasing Amy was good except that she didn’t end up being a lesbian so it kind of undercuts the whole plot of the movie, Dogma was awesome.  The rest of his stuff is so so.

My problem with Kevin Smith is that his ego is completely disproportionate to his talent.  He found a niche years ago, speaking to a segment of the population that was completely underrepresented.  Us basically.  He would make comic book references, and Star Wars references, back when people like us where considered some kind of sub-class.

But then the media discovered that we have money.  Not that we’re rich, but that we’re willing to spend a disproportionate amount of our cash on things that we have passion for but the rest of the world considers frivolous.

So now we’re represented like a mother.  They are mining our interests and making a mint off it.  Look at the Batman movie grosses.  So what was special about Smith is now kind of common place, but he thinks he’s some kind of auteur. 

And he blames everybody in the world for his problems.  Cop Out bombing was the studio and the critics fault, Clerks TAS getting canceled was ABC’s fault, Cacophony getting panned was the critics fault, and of course it’s the airlines fault that he couldn’t squeeze his fat ass into a human sized chair (could you imagine flying coast to coast with Kevin Smith sitting next to you?) 

Oh and listen to him talk about Grant Morison in his comicon pod cast “Oh some people think he sucks and I’m awesome but I don’t know what they’re talking about”.

And Widening Gyre… I lack the words.  A monkey could write a better Batman story with his penis.

I respect him as an OG but as a writer and a person, I think he’s pretty mediocre.

[greyman24]

It'd be tough to figure out what your point of view may be, Mr. ikindofdislikekevinsmith. I may change my name to therearetimesiwishiwastaller.

I like Clerks by indie standards, and Chasing Amy was good except that she didn’t end up being a lesbian so it kind of undercuts the whole plot of the movie,

Don't quite understand your perspective. It seems you presuppose the whole plot of the movie was...that she was a lesbian? And where did you get that she doesn't "end up being a lesbian"? By the end of the movie, it's pretty ambiguous if she has a single orientation or what that may be.

In any case, I took the plot to be more about what people can and cannot overcome for love.

My problem with Kevin Smith is that his ego is completely disproportionate to his talent.  He found a niche years ago, speaking to a segment of the population that was completely underrepresented.  Us basically.  He would make comic book references, and Star Wars references, back when people like us where considered some kind of sub-class.

But then the media discovered that we have money.  Not that we’re rich, but that we’re willing to spend a disproportionate amount of our cash on things that we have passion for but the rest of the world considers frivolous.

So now we’re represented like a mother.  They are mining our interests and making a mint off it.  Look at the Batman movie grosses.  So what was special about Smith is now kind of common place, but he thinks he’s some kind of auteur. 

Well, to your point about a certain segment of society, I think it has more to do with age brackets than some sort of cultural group. The people most interested in Smith were Gen Xers, which are now nearing prime earning potential in the marketplace.

And one of the problems I have with his films lately is that he seems to be adrift in trying to connect. The same thing happened with Stephen King. In King's early works, he makes all kinds of hip connections to cultural touchpoints of the 70's. But by the end of the 80's, he doesn't seem to know what to do with these, and any references he makes come across like an old man complaining about kids these days.

Smith is hitting that cusp early--mostly because his stuff has been so reference-heavy.

And he blames everybody in the world for his problems.  Cop Out bombing was the studio and the critics fault, Clerks TAS getting canceled was ABC’s fault, Cacophony getting panned was the critics fault, and of course it’s the airlines fault that he couldn’t squeeze his fat ass into a human sized chair (could you imagine flying coast to coast with Kevin Smith sitting next to you?) 

I don't know about the airlines, but I do have to say he does sometimes lash out in a way that does him no favors. But I think this comes more from his openness than anything else. Look at Zack and Miri. When it failed to meet expectations, he went on a rant in his podcast and then was silent for weeks. When he came back on the air, he apologized and was able to put it back in perspective.

That seems like an entirely rational response to something you care so deeply about. I honestly prefer this to the normal bland, "it will take some time to find its audience" response most filmmakers give. Nothing disappoints or fails. It just "didn't find its audience."

But Smith (who, by the way, has had actual experience with a movie finding its audience long after its completion--that's exactly what happened with Clerks) will actually admit that a movie didn't do well. If he thinks criticism is valid, he'll call it out. That's one of the things I enjoy about his discussions.

[Alisha Mynx]

Clerks TAS getting canceled was ABC’s fault

From what I understand, that one is actually partially true-ish.  ABC only aired two of the episodes and kept pushing instead to play Who Wants to be a Millionaire in the time slot that was supposed to be Clerks.  It isn't the ONLY factor, but it certainly didn't help matters. 

[greyman24]

Clerks TAS getting canceled was ABC’s fault

From what I understand, that one is actually partially true-ish.  ABC only aired two of the episodes and kept pushing instead to play Who Wants to be a Millionaire in the time slot that was supposed to be Clerks.  It isn't the ONLY factor, but it certainly didn't help matters. 

That they also played the episodes out of sequence didn't help any, either.

[Otter Disaster]

I have liked a lot of what Smith has done.  Clerks, Chasing Amy, Zack and Miri, and Dogma were all pretty good movies. Mallrats, Clerks II, and J&SB: SB have their moments...I've never seen Jersey Girl.  He writes great (if unnatural dialogue), and his stories are hit and miss. 

The thing I most respect Smith for is the fact that he turned Clerks and the Jersey Mythos into a small industry unto itself, starting with a good idea some credit cards and not much else. 

[Fizzy]

I much prefer Smith the man to Smith the director. He is funny, witty and most of all refreshingly transparent and open. His candour when speaking about his opinions and lifestyle are refreshing. He is not afraid to say he jerks it, or that he cried during Toy Story 3 or that he is a disgustingly fat man. What you see is what you get and I admire that.

Smith hated making Cop Out, he has gone on record as saying that. If you listen to his Hollywood Babbleon cast he basically states over a few episodes that the reason was that Bruce Willis was an ass who brought the whole production crew down and was clearly only going through the motions to get a pay check. Smith clearly switched off and just did his job (badly), no passion. The fact is that if you look at Smiths attitude to the making of his last 3 movies this becomes evident. In Smodcast he spoke non-stop about Zach and Miri, he was very excited. Cop Out (especially during the making) barely gets a mention and Red State has reignited his passion again. So much so, that he didnt take a wage for making it!!

Obviously I have a massive man-crush for Smith so would be happy to sit beside him on a plane. I imagine Id laugh my ass off. Also, he is more than aware of how fat he is, thats why he paid for 2 seats. If your fat and you pay for 2 seats, you get to stay on the plane in my world. I wish there was more people like him.

I liked Cacophony and thought it was a good story. It was obviously very Smithy and sometimes disliked the art. Having said that I laughed my ass off at the end when the Joker was in hospital and had clearly not shaved and had a scraggly beard. I did order it from Jay and Bobs Secret Stash in NJ and got a free hand drawn batman sketch on the inside cover, signed by Walt Flanagan. It has been scanned, printed and framed and is on the wall beside me as I type.

[ikindadislikekevinsmith]

Look guys, I respect your opinion, and I’m not going to tell you how to think.  I was fine with him up until Widening Gyre.  There were even aspects of Cacophony that I thought were interesting, Joker being a has-been, Zsasz being a big gnarled piece of meat, but Onomatopoeia is clearly that little guy from the end of Killing Joke.

And his response to the appropriately bad reviews was “It went to the top of the New York Times best sellers list.”  Well, you could put Kevin Smith’s name on a can of penguin poop and it would sell to his fan base, that doesn’t change the fact that it was a significantly flawed piece of work. 

Not awful, but flawed.  But he doesn’t want to hear that, he wants to hear nerds tell him he’s awesome.  It’s too Sarah Palin for me, I don’t like that shit.

And again, I would have let all this slide, and considered it none of my business if he hadn’t made Batman piss himself.

[Fizzy]

I suppose i have taken a dislike to people for less. I politely disagree with but respect your opinion.

[@lantis]

And his response to the appropriately bad reviews was “It went to the top of the New York Times best sellers list.”  Well, you could put Kevin Smith’s name on a can of penguin poop and it would sell to his fan base, that doesn’t change the fact that it was a significantly flawed piece of work. 

Not awful, but flawed.  But he doesn’t want to hear that, he wants to hear nerds tell him he’s awesome.  It’s too Sarah Palin for me, I don’t like that shit.

And again, I would have let all this slide, and considered it none of my business if he hadn’t made Batman piss himself.

So your problem is that he's content to cater to his audience?  How is that different than ANY OTHER writer/director?

Most creative types have their quirks, which is why I tend not to let a creator's personality impact my judgment of the works as a whole.  Chris Nolan makes good movies, but he is a bit high on his own talent.  Doesn't stop me from liking the stuff he makes.

Kevin Smith is no different, I like his movies, I sometimes like his interviews, and I don't like his comics.  What he does outside those areas isn't going to make me stop liking what he does inside those areas.

[ikindadislikekevinsmith]

No, I mean he has a cult of personality that would support him even when his work is sub-par.

[@lantis]

No, I mean he has a cult of personality that would support him even when his work is sub-par.

So?  Most famous creators do.  Stephen King, Joss Wheadon, Adam Sandler, Seth Rogan, Kevin Smith, Micheal Bay.

What's wrong with having a fan base that makes you so strongly focused on Kevin Smith?