I’ve just watched Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and I’m not quite ready to write my review. I’m still very much in my own head and emotional about it all so I’ve decided to though out a tagged post for people to complete.
You know the rules; answer the questions, link back to this original post, the person who tagged you and three awesome people you wish to tag!
Starters
Which Kevin Smith movie introduced you to the View Askew universe?
For me it was Dogma, although I think I’d seen pieces of Mallrats without being aware of its connection. I will ashamedly admit I hated the film when I first saw it. It was slightly too weird for me and I actually took the VHS back for a refund the next day.
However, the story stuck with me and a little over 6 months later I gave it another watch. I fell in love with it: the filmmaking style, the humour and the religious accuracy. I bought it again and it’s been a go to movie of mine ever since.
Favourites
View Askew movie
Surprisingly it’s not Dogma. Not any more. My favourite is Clerks 2. I saw the hell out it in the cinema. There was the added bonus that every screening over the month I went to watch it had a Nokia advert beforehand with Gary Oldman being his delightful self in and around New York.
Clerks 2 is my favourite because it for me, this film is still quirky while being given the budget of a mainstream movie. There’s a charming story at the heart of the film and is that rare sequel that doesn’t require you to have seen the preceding movie.
View Askew character
Elias! How can you not love Clerks II’s fearful, geeky Elias?! From his fucked up banter filled relationship with Randell to his jacking off to a donkey show swan song Elias is my … well he’s not my hero, but he certainly makes me laugh, a lot.
Silent Bob line or speech
“Adventure, excitement … a Jedi craves not these things.” Mallrats
View Askew universe callback
It would have to be the Bluntman and Chronic/ Cashing Amy callback in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
Celebrity Casting
Alan Rickman, hands down is the best celebrity casting from all of the movies. Not only does Smith give Rickman the opportunity to flex his comedic muscles, he gets his pants down too.
Up until Rickman’s untimely return to the heavenly Morissette’s side, I had been looking forward to a Rickman reprise in Smith’s movies.
Geeky movie nod
It has to be the Indy ‘no ticket’ reference in Dogma. The added bonus being that it’s Silent Bob who utters it.
Non universe movie
Zack and Miri Make a Porno. I can’t put my finger on what makes this film work so well, but it’s truly charming and I love it.
Fandom
Do you have a Kevin Smith-worthy story connected to any of his films?
I have a few and they all have to be told.
So… I make the mistake of watching Chasing Amy with my dad (I can’t quite remember if mum was there too) and he spent the whole fucking movie asking ‘where’s Amy?’, ‘is there an Amy?’, ‘who is Amy?’, ‘why is this film called Amy?’. Then the fucker talks all the way through Silent Bob’s speech.
My dad, I suspect is much like any other man and enjoyed his porn. My theory was proven when my self confessed technophobe father who had spent the last year insisting he didn’t know how the DVD player worked, managed just fine when it came to watching my newly purchased Zack and Miri. He claimed it accidentally started playing, which might have been plausible had the dvd not still been in its wrapper when I’d left for work.
Finally, I managed to ask the awesome man himself a question during a Q & A in London a few years back. I also used the opportunity to thank him for being a big inspiration in my life. I was not expecting him to ask questions and the following exchange took place:
“Oh, thanks to Dogma I became an RE teacher.”
“What’s RE?”
“Religious Education.”
“Fuck, man you totally didn’t get the point of that movie.”
“Oh I did. I teach that religion is just an idea.”
“Wow, you got my movie better than I did.”
To have that exchange, to let him know how important he was in influencing something that I’d dedicated ten years of my life to. Well, it meant the world to me.
How do you show you are a fan?
Interestingly enough, I don’t own a single t-shirt like I do for all my other fandoms. I did have Jay’s ‘fuck, Motherfuck’ song as my ringtone until I became a teacher and was too scared it would go off in class.
What I do have though, is a Metatron quote tattoo in tribute to Alan Rickman. “Noah was a drunk, look what he accomplished” and it’s true, check your bible.
What do you want to see Smith tackle next?
So the question I asked at the Q & A was which Shakespeare would he like to take on if he had the chance. This is my go to question for many a person I’ve met, but of all the people I’ve asked I thought this would be the biggest risk and best pay off. Indeed, it was the best answer I’ve ever gotten and the answer really surprised me.
I, personally, want a View Askew take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mainly because I’d love to see Silent Bob take on the guise of Puck, remain silent for the whole movie before giving that beautiful monologue at the end. Plus, it’s a play about sex crazed teens, woodland creatures playing with drugs and a donkey show… aren’t they all within Smith’s wheelhouse?!
Tags
I’ll be tagging the boys over at Sorry, You’re in My Seat, Ollie from Out of Our Element and Amy Smith (filmswithamy)
The Queens of Geekdom 