Sep 28th, 2004, 06:24 PM
even in the kevin smith movies i consider good there's always elements in his movies (the lines, plot developments, character development) that yell "amateur" at every turn. the man with little horns on his head in dogma is horribly written (and acted), most things that happened in mallrats were ill-conceived (though it was a fun flick), and JSBSB is, in the best light, mediocre. but you can tell smith gives a shit about what he writes, flippant or serious, and while sounds like an appeal to pity, it never makes any one of his films (including JSBSB) worthless. to me, there's always a funny bit, it's always at least watchable, and the more he focuses on dialogue rather than drama, the better (making clerks, chasing amy, and many parts of dogma his best stuff). but the real core of this is that he is a director among many, and despite obvious flaws, a cut above. the amount of shit given about someone like him is far too much for what he does, which is essentially being a writer who does movies.
i do love clerks and, yes, the actors who performed so stage-like on it, because it was quick, it was continuous, and it's message wasnt about bullshit or growing up. it even emphasised the inability to overcome obstacles which happens more often than not. that may not be radically different, but it's a factor among many that drew me to it. this sequel has me pretty neutral, so far, the best thing about it being that anderson and o'halloran seem to be game for it. the title is straight kevin smith though, awkward and amateurish, but nothing i've heard so far is putting me right off of it. i actually think it could be good.
and for the record, i do like the animated series.
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