When is Kevin Smith going to do something different? (1 Viewer)

[Anthony_D]

I'm not sure If I'll even be seeing Kevin Smith's latest foray, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" because I can't stand those two characters. They don't make me laugh and I don't find them interesting. I'm wondering though...when will Kevin Smith try doing something different other than what is essentially "Clerks 5?" Now, despite HORRIBLE acting, I liked "Clerks." It was a very funny movie. "Mallrats" was nothing less than atrocious and I don't think I'll ever watch that one again. "Chasing Amy" was probably his best film, but even that one was pretty uneven between comedy and drama. "Dogma" was another one that I absolutely hated. I didn't take offense to anything, but gee whiz, if he intended to make a satire, why on earth did Jay and Silent Bob take over the show? Anyway, Kevin Smith is ok, but a little overrated. I'm not a big fan, but I would like to see him try SOMETHING different other than all of these same types of movies and characters. Why doesn't he do what he does best and stick to writing good dialogue?
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[Paul Richardson]

For what it's worth, Smith is retiring Jay, Silent Bob, and all the other "Jersey" characters. His next film is supposed to be a prequel to Fletch based on the novel "Fletch Won."

 

[Greg_Y]

His first priority should be to find an editor who knows what he/she is doing.
But then again, why should he change? He has so many fanboys that drool over his every move.

 

[Brook K]

Yo Kevin, YOU ARE THE BOMB!!
Please don't ever stop making Jay and Silent Bob movies.
Signed,
A Drooling Fanboy *Snoogans*

 

[Ross Williams]

I guess you could call me a drooling fanboy. I love all of his films. I even really liked the short-lived Clerks TV show. And I can't wait to see Jay & Silent Bob this weekend.
I do think it's time to retire the Jay and Silent Bob characters and the whole View Askew universe. (In film anyways. I'd love more cartoon and comic book stuff.)
Kevin would be the first to admit that he's not a very technically apt director. But I think he's showing improvement. His writing is where he shines. His type of comedy connects with me and I still find his films funny and entertaining after 10 or more viewings.
Fletch is the perfect project for him. Having read a few of the books, I think that they would mesh wonderfully. Smith film veteran Jason Lee is the perfect man to play him. Put these guys together with a good cinematographer and editor and you have Smith's best film yet. And a better Fletch film than the two previous Chevy Chase films, which were decent. I can't wait to see it. I just hope that Miramax doesn't find a way to screw it up.
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"You know, there's a million fine looking women in the world, dude. But they
don't all bring you lasagna at work. Most of 'em just cheat on you." - Silent Bob
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[Norm]

Moved my post here.
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/...7424-2.html#33
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[Edited last by Norm on August 24, 2001 at 03:29 PM]
[Edited last by Norm on August 24, 2001 at 03:38 PM]

 

[Wes Ray]

I too think he's overrated. Clerks was alright, but boring for the most part. Don't even get me started on how horrible Dogma was. I laughed once, and that was only at something I thought of that had happened to me earlier in the day, not the movie itself. If any characters had been given this many chances on film, it should've been the two clerks from Clerks. Jay and Silent Bob are just boring. Bob never talks and the one that does talk (Jason Mewes) is the worst actor ever (i'm not a real stickler for this in comedies, but jeez, his horrible acting is distracting as hell).
How people can praise Kevin Smith and bash great directors like John Carpenter, Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, etc. is completely beyond me. It's like, after so long, the drooling fanboys turn on everyone they formerly loved. I can't wait till it happens to Kevin Smith. Hopefully, it'll be soon, so we can never hear from him ever again.
That's just my two cents.

 

[Wes Ray]

As for Fletch Won...it doesn't have Chevy Chase in it, so it really isn't a true Fletch movie at all. I won't be seeing it. Chevy Chase IS Fletch. Period.

 

[Kevin Leonard]

Whoa Wes, this is the third thread in which you've bashed Smith. Want to get your point across, eh?
I'm gonna get beaten up for this, but you really shouldn't judge Smith until you've seen all four of his previous films. I agree that Dogma could use a little--OK, a lot--of work, but that was a movie WAY beyond his talents.
And it's not fair to criticize him when you're only familiar with a couple of his works. That's like bashing John Carpenter when you've only seen Memoirs of An Inivisble Man and Village of the Damned. Or bitching about Steven Spielberg when you've only seen Always and Hook.
You should, at the very least, rent Chasing Amy, which is regarded as his finest film: no lofty ideas like Dogma and no amateurish acting like Clerks. Just some great performances, some very funny dialogue and an admirable stab at drama. It almost feels like a play in certain scenes (but an entertaining one).
Just to clear things up: I AM NOT a fanboy. I am fully aware that Smith has his limitations as a writer and director, and I do not treat every line of dialogue he writes as comedic gold. When he sticks to dialogue-driven works--like Clerks and Chasing Amy--he's good. When he tries his hand at more action-oriented films--Dogma and Mallrats--his directing weaknesses shine through. And he is doing the right thing by saying goodbye to Jay and Silent Bob. Though the fact that he is assembling a Clerks cartoon feature more or less shatters his claim of retiring the duo.
And as for Fletch Returns: Smith has said that he wanted Chevy Chase involved, but they didn't see eye-to-eye on the project. According to Smith, he found Chase to be a very self-centered and rather sad individual. Make of that what you will.
(PS--I loved Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back by the way. )
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[Edited last by Kevin Leonard on August 24, 2001 at 09:07 PM]

 

[LawrenceK]

Just to clear something up, Kevin Smith is NOT making a Fletch movie next, he is making a film about parenthood starring Ben Affleck. The Fletch film might come afterwards.

 

[Jeff Wilson]

Smith found Chevy Chase "self-centered"? This from a guy who makes a movie about a character played by himself, full of "hilarious" reaction shots of himself, and is essentially a love letter about his little universe and how wacky and funny it all is? I don't particularly care about either guy, but Smith needs to look in the mirror before accusing others of being self-centered.

 

[Chris]

No, it's that Smith pointed out that the books that the movies that he starred in (speaking of Chase) lost a lot in the earlier transitions to screen, and that Chase's rendition of Fletch wasn't really in line with authors intent. He thought that he could be good in a role.. but not playing Fletch. Chase disagreed, and thought only he could be Fletch, and demanded money, basically. The project goes on without him.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Smith is working on two movies right now. One is a movie of Clerks (the animated series) called Clerks: Sellout and another movie, but I forget what its called. He also signed on to write and direct the next Fletch movie.
I think his comedy is specific and you need to like it in order to appreciate it. I think Clerks and Dogma were great, but I never saw Mallrats (I saw part of Chasing Amy and thought it was pretty good). Jay and Silent Bob are being retired since they have been overused a bit (they were also in Scream 3, if you don't know). I think they are funny, but it depends on the material. Also, Kevin Smith has done things besides making big movies. Check out http://www.imdb.com and do a search for Kevin Smith.

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

What Kevin Smith's next film should be is basically a homage to She's Having A Baby with Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. Then followed by Shaft Won, or it could be the other way around, I don't know.
Smith, I think, is just writing Clerks: Sellout and will probably give directing duties to Chris Bailey (the supervising director of Clerks: The Animated Series).

Also, Kevin Smith has done things besides making big movies.

Mostly just produce other films (along with Scott Moiser) done by other people in the View Askew family (Vincent Pierera, Bryan Lynch, etc.) while only acting in a few of them.
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[Inspector Hammer!]

Kevin Smith was on Conan O'Brian tonight, and even HE said, right from his own lips that Jason Mews couldn't act! He also took a swipe at Ben Affleck as well.
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[Adam Lenhardt]

Mostly just produce other films (along with Scott Moiser) done by other people in the View Askew family (Vincent Pierera, Bryan Lynch, etc.) while only acting in a few of them.

I don't know if comic books count or not here, but to his credit, he did write two series, where every issue sold out. Many credit him for reviving the characters of Daredevil and Green Arrow. Next up on his plate (besides the Bluntman & Cronic TP) is a Black Cat series for Marvel and a Hero teamup series for DC Comics.
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[Mark Dubbelboer]

He also took a swipe at Ben Affleck as well.

Affleck and Smith are very good friends who constantly take swipes at each other, but believe me it's all in jest.

 

[Ricky f]

I am a very big Kevin Smith fan, He is a Down to earth guy and his movies are very funny.
He used to spend his youth watching John Hughes flicks, I do that now and I am a grown man.
I hope he keeps on making the kind of movies he is making now, They make me laugh and I enjoy them immensley.
Regards,
Ricky
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[Pat Frank]

I like Kevin Smith just fine.
I just wish he'd stop getting in fights with guys like Paul Thomas Anderson and Tim Burton, whose work I also admire.
People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. And if there's any class of people who live in glass houses, they darn well live in Hollywood, USA.
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Pat Frank, MCSE, MCT
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[Chris]

Problem is, he -didn't- get in a fight with Tim Burton. He said at the top of his post (Regarding Planet of the Apes) that he was joking, and he closed saying the same thing.. he was just pointing something out.. someone took it to Tim Burton and presented it as something it was not, and Burton got pissed. But Burton probably wouldn't have been pissed if he had known the context..
Now, to PTA.. well, yeah, he wrote a very bad review of Magnolia.. I can't say it was undeserved, I also thought magnolia was a horrible film, in consideration how good all of PTA's work was..
But having an opinion that you don't like X & Y isn't necessarily having a feud

CW