DVD/Movie Review: Mallrats

 

Mallrats is a 1995 comedy written and directed by Kevin Smith as a part of his View Askewniverse. The movie stars Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Claire Forlani, Shannen Doherty, Jeremey London, Ethan Suplee, Smith and Jason Mewes (playing Jay and Silent Bob), and Joey Lauren Adams. The premise was simple. Two friends get dumped and go hang out at a local mall. From there, hilarity ensues. (Historical note for those who care, the mall involved looks totally different after massive renovations).

Kevin Smith has repeatedly said that Jason Lee makes Mallrats, which is true. He was definitely the best part of a very underrated movie. Ultimately, Mallrats had a very uphill battle to overcome, being the movie that followed up Clerks. If you have only seen Clerks at this point, you will recognize some of that story put into this one, and even actors from Clerks playing different roles in this movie. That is the one thing you have to accept with Kevin Smith's movies. He uses a lot of the same people in his movies, but casts them in different roles.

This DVD includes the theatrical cut of the movie, as well as a 2-hour extended cut (which is given an 11-minute intro by Smith and Scott Moser). There is also a 50-minute Q&A session with some of the cast and crew. 

While I do not think the movie is as good some of Smith's other movies, such as Clerks, Chasing Amy (which Smith made a couple of years after this one), Dogma, Or Jersey Girl, it is still a very good comedy (if you enjoy Smith's brand of comedy). All in all, if you are a fan of the movie itself, a fan of Smith's movies in general, or just a fan of good comedy (all be it raunchy comedy), then definitely check this out.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Clerks II

 

This was the much-longed-for sequel to Kevin Smith's independent masterpiece Clerks. Fans, and even Smith, had wanted a sequel for years, but it was always a long shot due in part because of Jason Mewes' drug problems and Jeff Anderson's hesitancy and at times outright refusal to do a sequel. After overcoming those obstacles, Smith came up with a script after the movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, got everyone on board, and this was the result.

This movie starts out with Randal (Anderson) and Dante (Brian O'Halloran) still working in the Quick Stop and adjoining video store, until they end up burning down. Then they end up in a new dead-end job at Mooby's (a fictionalized version of McDonald's) where we have a Wizard of Oz-like transition from black-and-white to color. The plot basically involves Dante trying to figure out what he wants from his life and Randal facing the prospect of losing his best friend.

The movie is centered around Anderson and O'Halloran but includes new cast members Jennifer Schwalbach (Smith's real-life wife), Trevor Fehrman, and Rosario Dawson (who has one of the best lines of the movie at the end). It also includes many of Smith's "regulars" such as Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, and Ethan Suplee. There are also hilarious cameos by Wanda Sykes and Kevin Weisman, the latter of whom sets off a great Star Wars vs. Lord of the Rings rant by Randal.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, there are a ton of extras included. There are three different commentary tracks, all of which include Smith, and then rotates through other participants including cast members (in the first and third) and the production staff in the second (which is more of a "technical" commentary). On the second disc, there is an hour-and-a-half-long making-of documentary, a half-hour long blooper reel, an hour-long series of video diaries, and a special on the movie that aired on VH1 (back before it played nothing but "reality" shows). So, if you like watching the bonus material, there is a lot there for you.

Overall, the movie is very good, if you like Smith's brand of humor, which can be very raunchy. That is not to say the movie is always raunchy and cringe-worthy, but it does have its moments (there is a donkey show). It balances those well with Randal's smart-ass sarcastic comments, Dante's complaining, and the multiple pop-culture arguments. It even has some touching moments involving Dante and Randal's friendship and the changes that all relationships go through as friends get older. There are certainly some who think that a sequel to the original (which is a classic) should have never been made, and there are some that wanted a sequel but just did not think this was good enough to be that sequel. Personally, I liked the vast majority of the movie and thought it was a worthy successor to the first movie. That said, it is not a movie for everyone, especially people who do not like Smith's brand of humor and it is not family-friendly. But, if you liked the first movie, and you generally like Smith's other movies, it is worth watching at least once.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Dogma

 

Dogma is, in my opinion, one of the best movies by Kevin Smith who, of course, became famous after making the independent film darling Clerks back in the mid-1990s. Dogma is a blockbuster compared to Clerks and includes an A-list cast including Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock, Salma Hayek, Linda Fiorentino, Jason Lee, and of course, Smith himself and Jason Mewes as Jay and Silent Bob. The basic plot is that the Catholic Church has opened a biblical loophole that has allowed two fallen angels, played by Damon and Affleck, to come to Earth, where they start wreaking havoc. Fiorentino's character, Bethany, who is unknowingly The Last Scion, is tasked with stopping the fallen angels and aided by Metatron (Rickman's character) who is a cynical angel grudgingly standing in as the voice of God, Rufus (Rock's character) who is the thirteenth apostle, Serendipity (Hayek's character) who is a former muse turned stripper, and two prophets, Jay and Silent Bob.

The movie is really unfairly criticized as being anti-religion or anti-Christianity. It is more anti-organized religion, and more specifically the Catholic Church. Smith was raised Catholic and became more and more disillusioned by the church and has often called out what he considers to be its hypocrisy, most publically with this movie. The movie is definitely satirical, but it also has a message that is quite clear if you do not dismiss it out of hand.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks very good in the HD format. I think there are different versions of the Blu-Ray floating around, some with better video transfers than others, but if you can find the 2008 version at a reasonable price (it is now out of print, so sellers jack up the price quite a bit), it looks good. The extras all carry over from the DVD release and include two different commentary tracks, an hour and a half worth of deleted and extended scenes, outtakes, and storyboards. A good amount of material for those who like watching the extras.

Overall, the movie is wonderful. It is well-written and well-acted, with everyone nailing their roles. You get a ton of cameos from Smith's "regulars" including Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson (but not as their characters from Clerks). It is definitely, as the vast majority of Smith's movies are, a very adult comedy, and not family-friendly. But, if you are a fan of his other movies you will probably like (or love) this one. It is definitely worth watching.