Kevin Smith movies I've seen the major five: Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. I'm not hip enough I suppose to be able to truthfully state that I've seen any other work by him. It doesn't really matter...this is about movies that influenced me, right? Truth be told, Dogma hasn't really influenced me much. The ones that influenced me the most, I suppose, would either be Clerks or Chasing Amy. Both illustrate the way in which sometimes life just gets in the way of beautiful relationships. I notice, however, in the one with a more self-defeating path (Chasing Amy), the protagonist loses both the girl *and* his friend, whereas the one with completely random factors (accidental sex with dead store patron) has a bit of a happier denouement. And now a few words about Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. I've only seen this movie once, but let me tell you I'm in no hurry to see it again. Sure, it had its moments. Almost any movie made does. However, I basically thought this was the most banal, sell-out, piece of crap to ever grace the screen since the Shitdemon from Dogma. Jay and Silent Bob are both great characters, but they had already been established as a sort of chorus from Greek theatre---appearing from scene to scene to summarize the events, while a myriad of characters come in and out of focus. Making an entire movie about them, though doable, should not have been reduced to a catch-phrase driven cameo vehicle. A smart filmmaker can pay homage (or satirize) any number of subjects in a way which remains subtle, even though the average filmgoer can recognize it. That is unfortunately not the path Mr. Smith chose with this film. Instead, almost the entire picture from beginning to end is a salad bowl of suck. That being said, I think that Mr. Smith did a wonderful job of getting Shannon Elizabeth to act. Sure, she was eye-candy, but she actually showed some range for a change, though my verse could be worse. Return to Movies Return to Media Influences Return to main page |
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