does anyone have a transcript of Kevin Smith's bashing of Magnolia? (1 Viewer)

[Ryan L. Bisasky]

But Smith has been critical of alot of people publicly,didnt he also say "fuck Tim Burton" in front of a group of fans while siging autographs.Such comments and humor is definitely aimed at a certain fanbase,but hey, if youre gonna dish it out youd better be prepared to take criticism yourself.


"an evening with..." explain why he said this and writes this for autographs.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

I could have been more accurate and suggested seeing Chasing Amy if you haven't already seen it. I'm not generally into Kevin Smith films, but I liked that one.

As for Kevin Smith himself, he's generally felt to me like the average high school / college dropout that is good for a quick quip, but can't muster up discipline. Thus, he'll stand on the corner or by the smoke/candy machines making fun of the folks who have the focus to try to be good at what they're in school for -- structured learning.

He's, in some ways, the Judd Nelson character in The Breakfast Club.

Of course he's more than that. He's made his noncomformity work for him. He's become successful at it. And as much as I'd like the Kevin Smith's of the world to acknowledge the merits of those who excel within the system, I'd also encourage those who fit that mold to be open minded enough to experience what Kevin Smith has to offer. Coming from a guy who would have probably called Kevin Smith a loser in high school, watching An Evening With Kevin Smith was one of the funniest things I've seen. I didn't want it to end. It also reminded me that while some folks can't do well within the system due to conformance or other issues, that's not the same thing as saying they're stupid or untalented.

 

[Kevin M]

Ah, but that's the point Jon, in post #13 you (and, to a less mature degree, the people on Smith's boards) were clearly saying that if he "can't do better" then he has no right to criticize...since when? I can't play a guitar but I know what I like and don't like, according to the "if you can't" philosophy I have no right to say that a bad guitarist is bad in my opinion, I absolutely do not agree.
But even if I could play guitar I still think I should be able to have an esthetic opinion.
In your follow up post you tried to clarify what you meant, and that's cool, but you did still basically hang on to the "if you can't" rule...well, while I understand that this wasn't the only thing you were saying that sure appears to be one of the points you were trying to make & I disagree for obvious reasons.

Is KS a hypocrite? No more than most of us can be but in this case I really don't think he is because (as you pointed out) he has never said that he is "better" than the films or people he was criticizing, just that he didn't like them, I don't see the problem with that personally.

Watch An Evening, he really does try to honestly explain some of the things he has been misquoted or misunderstood on...as well as things he absolutely has said.

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

As much as I really enjoy the frankness and sharp wit of Kevin Smith, to this day my favorite exchange between a critic and a director has to be the one with Roger Ebert and Vincent Gallo. Roger Ebert called his film, The Brown Bunny, "the worst in the history of Cannes". Then Gallo responded by saying that Ebert was "a fat pig with the physique of a slave trader".

In classic Ebert form, he paraphrased a remark of Winston Churchill and responded, "Although I am fat, one day I will be thin, but Mr. Gallo will still have been the director of 'Brown Bunny'". This prompted Gallo to publicly place a 'hex' on Ebert's colon. Without missing a beat, Ebert responded that "Even my colonoscopy was more entertaining than his film".

 

[JonZ]

"Ah, but that's the point Jon, in post #13 you (and, to a less mature degree, the people on Smith's boards) were clearly saying that if he "can't do better" then he has no right to criticize...since when? I can't play a guitar but I know what I like and don't like, according to the "if you can't" philosophy I have no right to say that a bad guitarist is bad in my opinion, I absolutely do not agree."

Or in a more crude way to put it...

You shouldnt accuse other people of making shit, if youve made plenty yourself.

There,thats right to the point,and easy to understand without a long winded half assed attempt to explain. I tried to avoid putting it like that.

Oh Im definitely strong opinioned about music and movies and am always happy to point out what I do and dont like.

The hypocrite remark was more to his saying PTA shouldnt have used studio money to tell his own story -which Smith did in Jersey Girl.

I do plan on getting A Evening..... Its on my list.
Again I dont dislike KS,not at all, so if Im coming off like I dont, thats not my intention.

 

[Kevin M]

Well even put like that I disagree with it.
Allow me to put it just as crudely:
If I can't do better then I forfeit the right to criticize? Bullshit! That is the very essence of critics for Christ's sake.

 

[Richard Kim]

It's ironic that there was a similar reaction here to Steve Tannehill's review of the new Mallrats DVD.

 

[Kain_C]

Yes, Nils, that was a good example. However, Ebert pretty much ruined it when he turned around and gave The Brown Bunny a good rating after the two 'made up'. Didn't take much to push old Ebert over.



It would be an awfully quiet world then.

Would that go for internet posting as well? Because essentially you're saying that one shouldn't critique someone else's post if their own posts haven't all been perfect.

Again, it'd be very quiet around here.

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

I thought the characters in MAGNOLIA were compelling, and wonderfully brought to life by some great character actors and Tom Cruise. William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Jason Robards are all wonderful. Yes, it's bloated, messy, and self-indulgent, but there's real human emotions in there, and people I cared about.

As for the Kevin Smith films I've seen, I thought CLERKS was amateurish and not very funny, and CHASING AMY was professional and not very funny. Incidentally, Jay & Silent Bob are two of the most spectacularly unfunny comic characters in celluloid history.

Wow, and to think I actually wrote that without once saying the words "fuck", "shit", or even "dicklick"...

 

[JohnRice]

At least make a minimal effort to get your facts right before you trash someone. Gallo re-cut the film, removing quite a bit of material.

 

[Kevin M]

In regards to the Mallrats "hatefest" Steve was supposed to review the entire DVD but clearly let his feelings for the film color the rest of the review, as I said in that thread, I don't expect a DVD reviewer to have to like the film he is reviewing but to let his hatred of the film cause him to half ass the technical review of the DVD as a whole (not even looking at the extended cut for transfer quality for example) does not show objectivity and IMO invalidates the review.

...now as for the rest of the people who chimed in with the unreasonable hatred toward Steve? Well, I had nothing to do with that and I let that fact be known before the thread was edited by Cees...rightfully so I might add.
Those guys handled it just as badly as the idiots who lashed out at Smith IMO.