Something that I really love about his films, is how the characters are all from the same universe. The lives of characters from one film effect the lives of characters in another, with story lines fitting together. Jay and Silent Bob show up in all of them, to sort of to tie the films together more. There is something comforting about that. Kevin has decided to make only one more movie in this series. From then on, no more Jay and Bob, no more Redbank, NJ. It will be a little disappointing, but we'll get to see what else Kevin can do. I look forward to it.

"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."

Kevin financed Clerks (1994) by maxing out his credit cards, \\$25,000 worth. (A ballsy move, if it had failed he would still be paying them off.) One of the first truly successful independent films of the 90's, a film that has created countless imitators.

What a great idea for a film too. A movie devoted to a day in the life of a convenience store clerk. How often do we see a movie about someone with such a lowly job? We follow Dante as he deals with his day at the Quick Stop. ("I'm not even supposed to be here today!") He deals with his girlfriend, his ex, his best friend Randal who works in the video store next door, stupid, annoying customers and a hundred humorous problems that are caused by these folks.

Shot in black & white, it somehow gives the film a more "real life" feel. However, unlike many other directors who have burst onto the scene because of their ingenious camera work, Kevin's is pretty stagnant. (He's even admitted that it's his weak point.) This film is all about the witty dialogue, without it Clerks would never have been a hit and Kevin probably would never had made another film.

Things I love about this film.

Things I don't like.

"It's impossible, Lois could never have Superman's baby. Do you think her fallopian tubes could handle the sperm? I guarantee you he blows a load like a shotgun right through her back. What about her womb? Do you think it's strong enough to carry her child? He's an alien, for Christ sake. His Kyrptonian biological makeup is enhanced by earth's yellow sun. If Lois gets a tan the kid could kick right through her stomach. Only someone like Wonder Woman has a strong enough uterus to carry his kid. The only way he could bang regular chicks is with a kryptonite condom. But that would kill him!"

With Mallrats(1995), Kevin recieved a lot of money from Universal to make an 80's teen/sex comedy. (Six million dollars is actually not that much for a studio flick, but it's a ton compared to Clerks budget of \\$25,000.) He wanted to make a "Porky's" for the 90's, because there was an absence of teen titty movies at the time. Despite getting lambasted by critics and bombing badly at the box office, I think he surpassed many of those films he set out to homage.

Clerks in a mall, is how this film is often described, which is pretty accurate. It contains young people with witty Kevin speak, going through bizarre events within every-day settings. Kevin found a star with Jason Lee, who plays Brodie the anti-hero, a role model for young slacker types. Lee has an amazing screen presence, and a wonderful way with Kevin's difficult dialogue. Jay and Silent Bob step up to full blown heros in Mallrats and it puts them in the book of great comedy duo's.

This film found life when it was released on video, and since then has became a cult classic. Technically it's not a great film, in-fact it's pretty bad. But Lee's performance and Kevin's typically great dialogue make it the most re-watchable of his films.

Things I love about this film.

Things I don't like.

Chasing Amy and Dogma will soon have similair reviews.

"Since you like chicks, right, do you just look at yourself naked in the mirror all the time?"

Chasing Amy shows Kevin growing up a little. Slightly more sophisticated comedy, with more drama in his characters lives. His most well rounded film. Again my favorite character in the film being Jason Lee.

"You people! If it hasn't been made into a movie, it's not worth knowing about, is that it?"

Dogma I think is Kevin's worst film. It runs pretty long, and there are some dull moments. For the first time, some of his dialouge actually falls flat. I did like him exploring some deeper meanings, such as religion and beliefs about life. Not a bad film, just not as enjoyable as his others. (Maybe it was the fact that Jason Lee had such a small part in this one?)

11/20/00 - I'm currently reading Fletch Won, the book that Kevin is adapting for a film he's going to direct. It's absolutely perfect material for him. The dialouge in the books is very clever, in that Kevin Smith kind of way. (In fact I read that Kevin actually learned how to write dialouge from reading the Fletch books.)

I am slightly bias being a huge Jason Lee fan, but he's perfect to play Fletch. I don't think there are many other actors that could even get away with the role. (Chevy Chase did a good job with him, but he's too old and too washed-up to do it now.) Fletch has a fast wit, he's an amazing smart-ass and he can be quite an asshole at times, but he always stays likeable. Lee almost played this role before with Brodie, but he's not nearly as bright as Fletch. If any other actor is cast, I'm going to be sorely disappointed.