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Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Clerks III

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In 1994, the movie Clerks would silently jump-start Kevin Smith’s film-making career. It was a solid first film with humor on a very relatable level that garnered a loyal audience. Over a decade later and Clerks II was released. It has its fans and a handful of important moments for Dante & Randal. Aside from that, it really isn’t talked about much among Kevin Smith fans and usually not in high regard. Now nearly a decade after that film, the third film that has been teased for a few years has finally released. Dante & Randal are the owners of the Quick Stop and still running it. But when Randal suffers a heart attack, he gets motivated to make his own movie. That movie ends up being – you guessed it – the first Clerks.

Obviously, this movie has some meta humor. Which can be seen in the trailer. But if your concerned that the humor is mostly focused on that, you can rest easy. The vast majority of the meta jokes are in the trailer. Even then, they are spread out appropriately and do fit in considering the context of the story. As well as the overall directing & writing style of Kevin Smith. I think at this point people know what to expect from one of his films. And loyal fans of his work will be well rewarded with easter eggs and references to Smith’s past projects.

It might have been nearly 30 years since we first saw Dante & Randal, but both of the actors still know these characters very well. Jeff Anderson is so familiar with the character Randal that just his facial expression or a quick reaction is enough to get laughs. And you can tell he is enjoying the story his character gets and puts in the effort. We get a lot of the classic dialogue you expect from this kind of movie, a character talking about movies & Hollywood as just your average guy. Now Brian O’Halloran makes a return as his character Dante and he is just as good as he’s ever been. His frustration and more straight man-like reactions to certain things is just as entertaining.

But in regards to Dante, this does bring up a noticeable criticism. There are a couple of more dramatic focused scenes early in the story that aren’t quite hitting the mark. One in particular is when Dante goes to a cemetery. When you see it play out, it feels more like he’s demonstrating what to feel in the moment, but not actually feeling it. Or at least not enough for me to truly invest in the moment. And the musical score, while soft, is sort of trying to push you to have that emotional investment. So there are a couple of moments like that in the first half. But then there is this one scene towards the end that makes up for that several times over. Without giving too much away, Dante initiates a drunken confrontation while filming one of the scenes. No music, no jokes, but Dan acts like never before and you feel how intense and serious he is as it happens. It’s probably the best scene of the flick and it kick-starts the climax.

The drunken confrontation elevates the rest of the movie to the dramatic level it needs to be at in order to end strong. And it’s during this climax that you really start to look at yourself. This movie does get you to look at your own life in a similar way. Where you’ve been, where you are, and where you hope to be in the future. And the meta humor does actually support that and feeds into the more serious moments some of time. This movie is sort of a demonstration of how Kevin Smith himself has changed. Maybe not significantly, he’s still fundamentally the man we know. But changed enough. While visually the movie could have more variety in how it is shot, the actual story takes a surprising extra step. The way the climax starts off is something that needed to happen and is expected. But how it ends was actually kind of surprising. However, it works and does keep that movie at that dramatic level.

Ultimately, this is a good movie, even bittersweet in some areas. It’s not a flawless movie, A few dramatic scenes early one aren’t quite hitting the mark. There might be a few jokes that won’t land for certain viewers. But a lot of the jokes do land. And the dramatic stuff that works is some of the best in any of Kevin Smith’s projects. It’s self-reflective for the director but also gets the viewers to reflect on themselves. I would argue this is the best of the Clerks movies. But even if you don’t agree, this is certainly worth the wait.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back

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It’s kinda weird that Kevin Smith created one of the earliest modern cinematic universes. Yes, the Raimi Spider-Man films & the first couple of X-Men movies were popular around the time this film came out. But those were still just regular film franchises. Kevin Smith had movies that on the surface weren’t connected to each other. But a lot of the actors would pop up and reprise their roles from different films, maybe play multiple different characters in the same movie. His movies would reference events from those other movies as well, establishing it’s the same world. And of course, you got the two characters that back in the day showed up in all of those films – Jay & Silent Bob. It was only natural to give them their own movie.

Let me put it like this. Any movie that has a line where the woman yells “Call me Boo-Boo Kitty Fuck, bitch!” during a fight scene is doing something right. This actually might be my favorite film Kevin Smith has ever made. I always loved the characters he and Jason Mewes play and the dynamic that’s displayed on screen. I also like how their motivation is to stop a movie being made about comic characters based on them so that people online will stop insulting them and ruining their names. It’s surprisingly grounded. But make no mistake – there are scenes and interactions that could only have been produced by Hollywood back in the 2000s. Overall, the movie has a grounded approach. But it will also do some ridiculous goofy and far out stuff to get a good laugh. And it typically works.

There are a couple of jokes that have surprisingly gotten a little more relevant. Early on in the movie, the internet is described as a place where people can complain about movies and share pornography. The latter half is always relevant, but the internet has also kind of leaned into the former in recent years. The first trailer for the 2020 Sonic movie had a very different design for it’s title character. And people complained so much that the studio delayed the film so they could have time to fix the CGI for Sonic. That joke from this 2001 film feels all too true today. There is a scene later on where Jay thinks about pulling his thing out for the love interest of the movie. But the angel character that pops up makes a solid and surprisingly relevant argument about why he shouldn’t. Which is ironic because this movie was released by Miramax and Harvey Weinstein was a producer for some of Kevin Smith’s earlier films.

A lot of the jokes in this film go back and forth between being genuinely smart to being enjoyably stupid. But they all ultimately work, if to varying degrees. There are also a bunch of small & quick jokes you might not catch right away. There’s a scene where the Wildlife Marshall – played by Will Ferrel – makes a very quick joke about how he is only a man on the outside. It’s never addressed again and the context of when that pops up makes it so random and bizarre that you just have to laugh. This film is maybe the perfect example of how people should make a film that is simply a comedy. Doesn’t have to be a satire, doesn’t have to be really insightful and talk about hot topic issues. But it’s still smart and entertaining.

And the people in this movie! You got the Smith regulars like Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Matt Damon & Chris Rock. But you also have George Carlin, Carrie Fischer, James Van Der Beek, Jason Briggs, Tracy Morgan & Mark Hamill. They all do a great job, regardless of how long or short their screen time is. Also, there is a shot of when Silent Bob uses his mind to pull a lightsaber to his hand and the way it is shot and played out, I swear that JJ Abrams copied it for “The Force Awakens”. We know from the opening of “The Disaster Artist” that he watches films like “The Room”, don’t tell me that’s impossible!

If I have to point out anything that could be considered a major flaw…I guess we should address the gay jokes. To be fair, a number of these gay jokes are used in a way that do end up being clever. And none of the jokes are meant to make fun of the LGBT+ community or are hateful in nature. It’s just another trait of it being a comedy from the 2000s, for better or worse. There is one scene though where Jay & Silent Bob try and escape the police and the Wildlife Marshall by pretending to be a gay couple and dressing an orangutan as their child. Will Ferrel’s character then freaks out because he doesn’t want them to bad mouth him to the “liberal media” as he puts it and lets them go. I feel like that could be used to describe a lot of dumb decisions that the government makes in order to get out of some bad publicity.

This movie is still one of my favorite comedies of all time. The performances are great, a lot of jokes that still hold up well, and scenes that are always entertaining. I would classify this as a must-watch film for everyone.

Film Editorials, Movies

The Sexual Themes of Chasing Amy

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I think this might have been the first Kevin Smith movie I ever watched. This or “Clerks”, I do remember watching them in the same month. That could explain why I might be switching the viewing order. Either way, this movie is notable among Kevin Smith’s filmography for a couple of reasons. First, it takes a more dramatic approach to it’s story telling. Yes there is obviously humor. But it follows the relationships of the characters on a more serious level than most of Smith’s other movies. The second reason, the story of a straight white man trying to date a gay woman definitely makes this one of the more potentially awkward movies to watch in the modern era.

Yes, that’s the general plot of the story. It focuses on Holden (Ben Affleck) who is a comic book artist along with his best friend Banky (Jason Lee) and Holden is attracted to another comic book artist they meet named Alyssa (Joey Adams). But Alyssa is gay so they at first just become good friends. But Banky becomes resentful that Alyssa is seemingly coming in between him and Holden. And somehow, Alyssa decides she does want to enter a romantic relationship with Holden. But that intensifies the drama and the conflict starts to mess everything up.

It’s very easy to just read a plot summary of this movie online and assume it hasn’t aged well. Criticize it for having a “heterosexual narrative”. And to be fair, there was a brief bit on the show “How I Met Your Mother” where Barney tries to pick up a lesbian. So I totally see and understand where these criticisms are coming from. And the 1990s in general weren’t exactly the most insightful when it came to exploring LGBTQIA+ themes and characters. But I will argue that if you actually watch the film instead of reading about it, you do see that things probably play out different from what you are expecting.

Holden & Alyssa do take the time to actually build a friendship and get to know each other on an intellectual and emotional level. Once that groundwork has been established, you do get the idea that Alyssa isn’t exactly firm in identifying as simply gay. It can be argued that she is one of the first modern examples of a gender fluid character. You might even argue that she is more pansexual than just homosexual. Might have been an awkward line to write but I’m sticking with it. The catalyst that intensifies the conflict in the movie is the revelation that she once participated in a threesome with two guys. The evidence is there that Alyssa is more open about her sexuality, which is said to be generally true about women in the real world as well.

While the plot does revolve around what can be seen as a straight man’s fantasy, by the time you reach the end of the movie it becomes clear what the movie is trying to talk about. It’s about coming figuring out who you are and what you want out of life and relationships. Of coming to terms with your past and your partner’s and working together to find happiness. The title of this movie comes from a story shared by Silent Bob. Yes, the stoned dynamic duo of Kevin Smith’s cinematic universe return in this movie. He tells Holden how he used to have a similar relationship with a girl he refers to as Amy. But it ended when he couldn’t handle her promiscuity and later regretted breaking up with her. This is mirrored later on when Holden gathers Alyssa and Banky and offers that they all participate in a threesome.

From Holden’s perspective, Alyssa has an open approach to sex so he thinks she’ll say yes. And it’s clear to him that Banky is a closeted gay man, despite the various homophobic remarks he’s made in the film. But it’s important to note here that Alyssa easily refuses and ends the relationship with Holden. Just because she has had this experience in the past and she is the most sexually liberated person in the group, that doesn’t mean that’s all she wants. She’s a person that has emotional wants and needs, someone that should be given more thought and respect than what Holden’s offer implies. It’s ultimately Holden’s selfishness and lack of emotional connection with Alyssa that ends their time together. And it’s also what ties those themes of self-understanding and romantic equality together.

Look, I understand why this movie not be for everyone. There are still some scenes that do handle this subject matter a little clumsily. And it still has that 1990s feel and approach that could rub people the wrong way – pun unintended. But I do think this movie is about deeper emotional & sexual/romantic issues that are highlighted due to the lack of an expected happy ending – also unintended. Give it a watch and see if you can make that same deeper connection that we all aspire to find with our partners in the real world.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Clerks

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If you are a fan of comedies and/or comic books in general, chances are you’ve heard of Kevin Smith. He’s known today as a skilled filmmaker who talks a lot about movies & comic books. Maybe you’ve already checked out his Youtube channel or listen to his podcast. It’s hard to not like the guy and the energy he injects into his conversations. But like a lot of well known people in Hollywood, his beginnings as a filmmaker are pretty humble and ordinary. And it all goes back to this 1994 joint.

Set in New Jersey, it’s a buddy comedy film that focuses on two store clerks. Dante works at the Quick Stop which is kinda like a convenience store but focuses mainly on selling groceries. His friend Randal works as a clerk in the video rental store next door and spends a lot of his time with Dante while he is on the clock. They interact with a variety of people who come by, including Jay & Silent Bob, drug dealers who loiter outside of the two stores. They will be become staples of Kevin Smith’s future films and will eventually become icons in their own right. But in this film, just as ordinary as everyone else in the film. And that’s the best way to describe the movie. Ordinary people doing regular, boring stuff to pass the day with no real goal in mind.

That is both the strength and the weakness of “Clerks”. Finding a film that doesn’t have a plot that drives everything forward can be hard to find, and films that successfully pull that off are even rarer to find. For this movie, it kind of flips back and forth. There are moments where the casual approach to the story and characters does work. But other times, it can come off as awkward. One of the contributing factors is that this film does feel like a student film project being presented in class. It’s shot in black & white which, while gives it a unique stylistic choice, does reinforce that perception. There are also title cards inserted for when it transitions to a new scene or new part of the day. And the dialogue goes back and forth between being realistic and being unnaturally forced. You do have conversations that do sound like something real people will actually say. But then in another scene you might have a guy rapid fire a bunch of dialogue at once that will go more in depth than naturally expected for that specific character.

But that awkwardness of the film can also help the movie stand out a bit more. And while this isn’t the best film in Kevin Smith’s filmography, it has probably served as the first film a lot of people watch where they have seen this kind of casual movie the first time. The first time a bunch of people have seen movie characters talk about the same stuff they probably do with all of their friends. And that’s the reason why this has become a cult favorite. And thankfully, his next film “Mallrats” improved a lot of the weaker elements of this film, showing Kevin Smith’s growth as an artist. But if this film has escaped you or your feeling a little nostalgic for it, it’s worth watching again.