Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
2001 View Askew Productions & Dimension Films.
Starring: Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, and the usual gang of idiots.
Director: Kevin Smith
Available from Amazon.
You could call this the ultimate self-referential movie, as Kevin Smith brings the entire View Askewniverse together in one movie.
After being banned from the Quick Stop by Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) after he catches them roughing up two kids while boasting about the greatness of Morris Day and The Time (who also make an appearance as themselves), Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes and Smith) hang out at the Secret Stash comic shop, where they find out that there's going to be a Bluntman and Chronic movie based on the comic book with the characters based on them. They're even more mortified to discover that there's an almost universally negative reaction to the movie thus far, so they set off for Hollywood to prevent the film from being made, or at the least, get the money that they rightfully are owed. At first, they can't make any progress, even when a hitchhiker (George Carlin) advises them about a technique called "road head" (look it up elsewhere, this is a family movie review blog).
Somewhere between New Jersey and Hollywood, Jay and Bob end up joining up with an animal liberation group led by Justice (Shannon Elizabeth), consisting of three other ladies and one man (Seann William Scott) who Jay personally ejects from the group's van just to get closer to Justice. Actually, the group's real intention is to rob a diamond depository next to an animal testing lab in Colorado, and with the other guy gone, they pick Jay and Bob as their new patsies. As usual, the planned heist goes awry, the girls are mistakenly believed killed during a freak explosion, and our heroes rescue an orangutan named Suzanne, who they take with them to Hollywood.
In due time, Jay and Silent Bob (and Suzanne) arrive in Hollywood, with Justice and her girls following them. Can everything get straightened out without too much hilarity?
Highly recommended.
The final movie in View Askew continuity is Clerks II. Go read that review now.
Showing posts with label kevin smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kevin smith. Show all posts
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Dogma
Dogma.
1999 View Askew Productions & Lions Gate Films.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Bud Cort, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo, Alanis Morissette
Cameos: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson
Director: Kevin Smith
Buy Dogma from Amazon.
Only in the View Askewniverse does God turn out to be Alanis Morissette. Makes me wonder what kind of significance You Can't Do That on Television has there if that's the case.
Bethany (Fiorentino) works at an abortion clinic, and she finds herself questioning her faith in religion after her husband leaves her after she realizes she cannot have children. This makes it even more confusing when a grouchy angel called Metatron (Rickman) appears before her one night and asks for her help in stopping two fallen angels:
Bartleby (Affleck) and Loki (Damon) were cast out of Heaven after Loki, formerly the Angel of Death, was persuaded by Bartleby to stop killing humans. Both of them were exiled to a place worse than Hell, which is apparently Wisconsin. See, had they been sent to New Jersey (much worse than Wisconsin, trust me!) instead, the movie's finale would have been much different. The two ex-angels hear about a church in Red Bank, New Jersey, which is headed by Cardinal Ignatius Glick (Carlin), a pompous, publicity-seeking man who launches his new form of Catholicism called "Catholicism Wow!", which discards the well-known image of Jesus on a cross in favor of the more upbeat and cheerful "Buddy Christ". If Bartleby and Loki enter this church, their sins will be forgiven, and they will be readmitted to Heaven, which would somehow overrule the word of God, which would lead to all existance getting obliterated. Bethany reluctantly accepts after being attacked by three hockey stick wielding teenagers, who attacked an elderly New Jersey man at the start of the film. These kids are agents of the muse Azrael (Lee), who is manipulating events behind the scenes to allow Bartleby and Loki back into Heaven, simply because the prospect of all existance being wiped out would be better for him than spending an eternity in Hell.
Oh, and the three kids opened the film by brutally beating John Doe Jersey (Cort) outside of a skeeball arcade, and he plays an important part in the film's conclusion.
Bethany is saved by Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes & Smith), who are in the area only because they were looking for Stieger, Illinois, the fictional Chicago suburb where many of John Hughes' films are set (they departed after their scene in Chasing Amy). Jay spends a lot of time trying to entice Bethany into bed, but she ain't having that. They are soon joined by the thirteenth apostleBrianRufus (Rock), who was left out of the Bible because he was black, and another muse called Serendipity (Hayek), who has writer's block, and has somehow become a stripper. On their way to New Jersey, Bethany finds out she is the last living relative of Jesus Christ. This information puts a rift between Bartleby and Loki, the latter realizing that all existance would be wiped out even if they did find their way back to Heaven. Bartleby simply does not care, and embarks on a murder spree enroute to Red Bank.
Meanwhile, God is somehow on Earth, and has taken human form to play skeeball. It's still up to Bethany, Rufus, Jay, Silent Bob and Serendipity to stop Azrael and Bartleby (Loki voluntarily becomes human, and gets killed by his partner outside the church) from wiping out all reality.
Highly, highly recommended.
1999 View Askew Productions & Lions Gate Films.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Bud Cort, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo, Alanis Morissette
Cameos: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson
Director: Kevin Smith
Buy Dogma from Amazon.
Only in the View Askewniverse does God turn out to be Alanis Morissette. Makes me wonder what kind of significance You Can't Do That on Television has there if that's the case.
Bethany (Fiorentino) works at an abortion clinic, and she finds herself questioning her faith in religion after her husband leaves her after she realizes she cannot have children. This makes it even more confusing when a grouchy angel called Metatron (Rickman) appears before her one night and asks for her help in stopping two fallen angels:
Bartleby (Affleck) and Loki (Damon) were cast out of Heaven after Loki, formerly the Angel of Death, was persuaded by Bartleby to stop killing humans. Both of them were exiled to a place worse than Hell, which is apparently Wisconsin. See, had they been sent to New Jersey (much worse than Wisconsin, trust me!) instead, the movie's finale would have been much different. The two ex-angels hear about a church in Red Bank, New Jersey, which is headed by Cardinal Ignatius Glick (Carlin), a pompous, publicity-seeking man who launches his new form of Catholicism called "Catholicism Wow!", which discards the well-known image of Jesus on a cross in favor of the more upbeat and cheerful "Buddy Christ". If Bartleby and Loki enter this church, their sins will be forgiven, and they will be readmitted to Heaven, which would somehow overrule the word of God, which would lead to all existance getting obliterated. Bethany reluctantly accepts after being attacked by three hockey stick wielding teenagers, who attacked an elderly New Jersey man at the start of the film. These kids are agents of the muse Azrael (Lee), who is manipulating events behind the scenes to allow Bartleby and Loki back into Heaven, simply because the prospect of all existance being wiped out would be better for him than spending an eternity in Hell.
Oh, and the three kids opened the film by brutally beating John Doe Jersey (Cort) outside of a skeeball arcade, and he plays an important part in the film's conclusion.
Bethany is saved by Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes & Smith), who are in the area only because they were looking for Stieger, Illinois, the fictional Chicago suburb where many of John Hughes' films are set (they departed after their scene in Chasing Amy). Jay spends a lot of time trying to entice Bethany into bed, but she ain't having that. They are soon joined by the thirteenth apostle
Meanwhile, God is somehow on Earth, and has taken human form to play skeeball. It's still up to Bethany, Rufus, Jay, Silent Bob and Serendipity to stop Azrael and Bartleby (Loki voluntarily becomes human, and gets killed by his partner outside the church) from wiping out all reality.
Highly, highly recommended.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Chasing Amy
Chasing Amy (Criterion #75). 1997 View Askew Productions & Miramax Films.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier, Matt Damon, Brian O'Halloran
Director: Kevin Smith
Buy Chasing Amy at Amazon.
Kevin Smith jokingly referred to Chasing Amy as his "science fiction" movie on An Evening With Kevin Smith, and went on to say that if you asked a lesbian, the events in this movie would never happen in real life, even if, and probably especially because of Ben Affleck.
Anyway, Holden McNeil (Affleck) and Banky Edwards (Lee) are two New Jersey-based comic book artists and lifelong best friends who just happen to share names with characters in The Catcher in the Rye. Things are going great for them up until they go to a comic book convention in New York to promote their comic Bluntman and Chronic. They meet a lesbian-identified young lady named Alyssa Jones (Adams). Holden is instantly attracted to her, despite her sexual identity, and they develop a deep friendship, to Banky's chagrin. Holden falls in love, and one night, he is unable to contain his feelings for Alyssa. She at first considers her confession unfair and inconsiderate since she identifies as a lesbian, but they form a romantic relationship that night. After finding that they had slept together one morning, Banky starts investigating Alyssa's past, and it turns out she has been involved with other men before, as well as a threesome during high school. Holden is deeply disturbed by this, and they argue about it at a hockey game.
Holden has lunch with Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes & Smith), and Bob breaks his silence, relating a long story (peppered with Jay's characteristic insults) about how he was in a similar relationship to Holden and Alyssa. Bob was in love with a girl named Amy, but he was insecure about her past sexual experiences, and that caused him to sabotage the relationship. Silent Bob is angry about letting her go, and he has spent a lot of time since then "chasing Amy". Inspired, Holden dreams up a crazy idea to fix his relationships with Alyssa and Banky: a threesome. Banky is initally disgusted, but agrees, while Alyssa flatly turns him down and walks out of his life. Banky, relieved that there would be no threesome to take part of, does the same.
A year later at a new convention, Holden and Banky are at another convention, separately promoting their latest comics, and Alyssa happens to show up. With some encouragement from Banky, Holden approaches her, and they have a brief conversation. Holden gives her a copy of Chasing Amy, his new book based on their failed relationship.
Recommended, although I'm not entirely sure why it's in the Criterion Collection, apart from the fact that it was a Criterion laserdisc during the '90s before DVDs became hugely popular. Oh well, it's not a major issue.
P.S. What's a nubian?
Starring: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier, Matt Damon, Brian O'Halloran
Director: Kevin Smith
Buy Chasing Amy at Amazon.
Kevin Smith jokingly referred to Chasing Amy as his "science fiction" movie on An Evening With Kevin Smith, and went on to say that if you asked a lesbian, the events in this movie would never happen in real life, even if, and probably especially because of Ben Affleck.
Anyway, Holden McNeil (Affleck) and Banky Edwards (Lee) are two New Jersey-based comic book artists and lifelong best friends who just happen to share names with characters in The Catcher in the Rye. Things are going great for them up until they go to a comic book convention in New York to promote their comic Bluntman and Chronic. They meet a lesbian-identified young lady named Alyssa Jones (Adams). Holden is instantly attracted to her, despite her sexual identity, and they develop a deep friendship, to Banky's chagrin. Holden falls in love, and one night, he is unable to contain his feelings for Alyssa. She at first considers her confession unfair and inconsiderate since she identifies as a lesbian, but they form a romantic relationship that night. After finding that they had slept together one morning, Banky starts investigating Alyssa's past, and it turns out she has been involved with other men before, as well as a threesome during high school. Holden is deeply disturbed by this, and they argue about it at a hockey game.
Holden has lunch with Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes & Smith), and Bob breaks his silence, relating a long story (peppered with Jay's characteristic insults) about how he was in a similar relationship to Holden and Alyssa. Bob was in love with a girl named Amy, but he was insecure about her past sexual experiences, and that caused him to sabotage the relationship. Silent Bob is angry about letting her go, and he has spent a lot of time since then "chasing Amy". Inspired, Holden dreams up a crazy idea to fix his relationships with Alyssa and Banky: a threesome. Banky is initally disgusted, but agrees, while Alyssa flatly turns him down and walks out of his life. Banky, relieved that there would be no threesome to take part of, does the same.
A year later at a new convention, Holden and Banky are at another convention, separately promoting their latest comics, and Alyssa happens to show up. With some encouragement from Banky, Holden approaches her, and they have a brief conversation. Holden gives her a copy of Chasing Amy, his new book based on their failed relationship.
Recommended, although I'm not entirely sure why it's in the Criterion Collection, apart from the fact that it was a Criterion laserdisc during the '90s before DVDs became hugely popular. Oh well, it's not a major issue.
P.S. What's a nubian?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Mallrats
Mallrats. 1995 View Askew Productions, Gramercy Pictures & Universal Pictures.
Starring: Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Mewes, Renee Humphrey, Kevin Smith, Stan Lee
Director: Kevin Smith
Available at Amazon: Collectors' Edition, 10th Anniversary Extended Edition.
We open with T.S. (London) preparing for a trip to Universal Studios Florida with his girlfriend Brandi (Forlani), where he plans to propose to her. The two have an argument, and break up after Brandi tells him she can't go after she volunteered to fill in for a recently deceased contestant on Truth or Date, produced by her father, who hates T.S. His best friend Brodie Bruce (Lee) has also broken up with Renee (Doherty), and both dudes decide to seek solace at the local mall...where they discover that Truth or Date is filming there. T.S. and Brodie recruit Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes & Smith) to help them destroy the show's stage, which they were going to do anyway. When that fails, Jay and Bob get two of the male contestant stoned enough that they can't participate; T.S. and Brodie take their places intending to woo back Brandi and Renee respectively. At one point, they sought out romantic advice from none other than Stan Lee.
Brodie also discovers that Renee is being pursued by clothing store manager Shannon Hamilton (Affleck), who plans to seduce her, and then have sex "in a very uncomfortable place" with her, and we don't mean in the back of a Volkswagen.
In View Askew continuity, Mallrats takes place one day before the events depicted in Clerks, but that doesn't explain how Jay and Silent Bob got from Eden Prairie, Minnesota (where the movie was filmed and set) to New Jersey to hang out in front of Quick Stop Groceries in less than a day.
Recommended.
Starring: Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Mewes, Renee Humphrey, Kevin Smith, Stan Lee
Director: Kevin Smith
Available at Amazon: Collectors' Edition, 10th Anniversary Extended Edition.
We open with T.S. (London) preparing for a trip to Universal Studios Florida with his girlfriend Brandi (Forlani), where he plans to propose to her. The two have an argument, and break up after Brandi tells him she can't go after she volunteered to fill in for a recently deceased contestant on Truth or Date, produced by her father, who hates T.S. His best friend Brodie Bruce (Lee) has also broken up with Renee (Doherty), and both dudes decide to seek solace at the local mall...where they discover that Truth or Date is filming there. T.S. and Brodie recruit Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes & Smith) to help them destroy the show's stage, which they were going to do anyway. When that fails, Jay and Bob get two of the male contestant stoned enough that they can't participate; T.S. and Brodie take their places intending to woo back Brandi and Renee respectively. At one point, they sought out romantic advice from none other than Stan Lee.
Brodie also discovers that Renee is being pursued by clothing store manager Shannon Hamilton (Affleck), who plans to seduce her, and then have sex "in a very uncomfortable place" with her, and we don't mean in the back of a Volkswagen.
In View Askew continuity, Mallrats takes place one day before the events depicted in Clerks, but that doesn't explain how Jay and Silent Bob got from Eden Prairie, Minnesota (where the movie was filmed and set) to New Jersey to hang out in front of Quick Stop Groceries in less than a day.
Recommended.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Clerks II
Clerks II. 2006 View Askew Productions & The Weinstein Company.
Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Trevor Fehrman, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith
Director: Kevin Smith
Buy Clerks II at Amazon.
The sequel to Clerks opens red hot, as Dante Hicks (O'Halloran) comes to the Quick Stop one morning to find it ablaze. It seems that Randal Graves (Anderson) accidentally left the coffee pot warmer on overnight, burning down the store that he and Dante had worked at for over a decade.
One year later, it's Dante's last day of work at a fast food joint called Mooby's, where he works with Randal, and a socially inept Lord of the Rings and Transformers fanboy called Elias (Fehrman). He's planning to leave for Florida to marry the one who wears the pants in their relationship, Emma (Schwalbach Smith). Her father's giving them their very own house, and a car wash to run. Dante really isn't that crazy about Emma, as we find out.
Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes & Smith) still hang out wherever Dante and Randal work, now drug free thanks to being on probation and random drug testing, but they still sell marijuana and act up the only way they know how.
Dante is also close with his boss Becky (Dawson), whom he had a one-night stand with on a preparation table one night after the restaurant closed. She also reveals that she's carrying Dante's baby, which puts him in a hell of a spot. Dante realizes he's in love with Becky, but still agonizes about doing the right thing by leaving New Jersey and marrying Emma.
Randal, when he isn't teasing Elias on the job, finds himself not only not wanting to lose Dante, but after a run in with a millionaire ex-classmate (Jason Lee), starts to realize that he's not as happy with his position in life as he thought he was. He also arranges a going-away party for Dante, complete with a live "interspecies erotica" show, which indirectly gets he, Dante, Elias, Jay and Bob thrown into jail for the night. At the party, Emma walks in to find Dante and Becky kissing, calls off the engagement, and still has time to blow off Jay's advances. After Dante renounces their friendship, Randal confesses his fear of losing his best friend and proposes they buy the Quick Stop and reopen it themselves. Financed by Jay and Silent Bob, they do so.
Highly recommended.
Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Trevor Fehrman, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith
Director: Kevin Smith
Buy Clerks II at Amazon.
The sequel to Clerks opens red hot, as Dante Hicks (O'Halloran) comes to the Quick Stop one morning to find it ablaze. It seems that Randal Graves (Anderson) accidentally left the coffee pot warmer on overnight, burning down the store that he and Dante had worked at for over a decade.
One year later, it's Dante's last day of work at a fast food joint called Mooby's, where he works with Randal, and a socially inept Lord of the Rings and Transformers fanboy called Elias (Fehrman). He's planning to leave for Florida to marry the one who wears the pants in their relationship, Emma (Schwalbach Smith). Her father's giving them their very own house, and a car wash to run. Dante really isn't that crazy about Emma, as we find out.
Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes & Smith) still hang out wherever Dante and Randal work, now drug free thanks to being on probation and random drug testing, but they still sell marijuana and act up the only way they know how.
Dante is also close with his boss Becky (Dawson), whom he had a one-night stand with on a preparation table one night after the restaurant closed. She also reveals that she's carrying Dante's baby, which puts him in a hell of a spot. Dante realizes he's in love with Becky, but still agonizes about doing the right thing by leaving New Jersey and marrying Emma.
Randal, when he isn't teasing Elias on the job, finds himself not only not wanting to lose Dante, but after a run in with a millionaire ex-classmate (Jason Lee), starts to realize that he's not as happy with his position in life as he thought he was. He also arranges a going-away party for Dante, complete with a live "interspecies erotica" show, which indirectly gets he, Dante, Elias, Jay and Bob thrown into jail for the night. At the party, Emma walks in to find Dante and Becky kissing, calls off the engagement, and still has time to blow off Jay's advances. After Dante renounces their friendship, Randal confesses his fear of losing his best friend and proposes they buy the Quick Stop and reopen it themselves. Financed by Jay and Silent Bob, they do so.
Highly recommended.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Clerks
Clerks. 1994 Miramax Films & View Askew Productions.
Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonhauer, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier
Director: Kevin Smith
Buy Clerks at Amazon. Also available: the 10th Anniversary Collection.
Dante Hicks (O'Halloran) is called into work at the Quick Shop, a New Jersey convenience store, on his day off. He's asked by his boss to cover the morning shift, and is supposed to only work until twelve, giving him two hours to get to his hockey game. Everything imaginable goes wrong for Dante, prompting him to exclaim "I'm not even supposed to be here today!" on several different occasions.
Randal Graves (Anderson) works in the adjacent video store, although he spends most of the day in the Quick Shop talking with Dante about a plethora of topics. When he's actually working, he's doing his best to drive away the customers who walk in.
Outside, the legendary Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes & Smith) hang out outside all day, selling dope, and Jay spends most of the day showing off to anyone who will listen. He and Bob invite Dante to a party towards the end of the movie, but Dante turns that offer down.
During Dante's marathon shift, he convinces his buddies to play hockey on the roof of the store, an idea that goes bad after 12 minutes. He and Randal also close down to attend the wake for an ex-girlfriend, which goes very badly, although we don't see exactly what happened. Veronica (Ghigliotti), Dante's current girl, stops in before class to motivate him into quitting a dead end job and go back to school, which he can't bring himself to do. After she leaves, he starts wondering about an unfaithful ex named Caitlin (Spoonhauer), and by coincidence, she comes in. After chatting, Dante decides to take her out. While he slips home to change, Caitlin has sex with a dead man (who snuck a pornographic magazine in there and died of a heart attack) who she mistakenly believed to be Dante. This horrifies Caitlin, and she's taken away in an ambulance along with the corpse.
Highly, highly recommended.
Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonhauer, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier
Director: Kevin Smith
Buy Clerks at Amazon. Also available: the 10th Anniversary Collection.
Dante Hicks (O'Halloran) is called into work at the Quick Shop, a New Jersey convenience store, on his day off. He's asked by his boss to cover the morning shift, and is supposed to only work until twelve, giving him two hours to get to his hockey game. Everything imaginable goes wrong for Dante, prompting him to exclaim "I'm not even supposed to be here today!" on several different occasions.
Randal Graves (Anderson) works in the adjacent video store, although he spends most of the day in the Quick Shop talking with Dante about a plethora of topics. When he's actually working, he's doing his best to drive away the customers who walk in.
Outside, the legendary Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes & Smith) hang out outside all day, selling dope, and Jay spends most of the day showing off to anyone who will listen. He and Bob invite Dante to a party towards the end of the movie, but Dante turns that offer down.
During Dante's marathon shift, he convinces his buddies to play hockey on the roof of the store, an idea that goes bad after 12 minutes. He and Randal also close down to attend the wake for an ex-girlfriend, which goes very badly, although we don't see exactly what happened. Veronica (Ghigliotti), Dante's current girl, stops in before class to motivate him into quitting a dead end job and go back to school, which he can't bring himself to do. After she leaves, he starts wondering about an unfaithful ex named Caitlin (Spoonhauer), and by coincidence, she comes in. After chatting, Dante decides to take her out. While he slips home to change, Caitlin has sex with a dead man (who snuck a pornographic magazine in there and died of a heart attack) who she mistakenly believed to be Dante. This horrifies Caitlin, and she's taken away in an ambulance along with the corpse.
Highly, highly recommended.
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