An Askew View 2: The Films of Kevin Smith

by John Kenneth Muir

Overview

In the year 2002, An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith was the first book to gaze at the cinema of one of New Jersey's favorite sons, the independent and controversial auteur of Clerks (1994), Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999) and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001). Now, a full decade after that successful original edition, award-winning author John Kenneth Muir returns to the View Askewniverse to consider Kevin Smith's second controversial decade as a film director, social gadfly, and beloved media “talker.” From Jersey Girl (2004) to the controversial Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), from the critically derided Cop-Out (2010) to the incendiary and provocative horror film Red State (2011), An Askew View 2 studies the Kevin Smith movie equation as it exists today, almost two full decades after Smith maxed out his credit card, made Clerks with his friends, shopped it at Sundance, and commenced his Hollywood journey. In addition to Kevin Smith's films, An Askew View 2 remembers the short-lived Clerks cartoon (2000) and diagrams the colorful Smith Lexicon.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781557837943
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Series:	Applause Books
Edition description:	Revised and Updated Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

John Kenneth Muir (Charlotte, NC) is the award-winning author of 24 books on film and television, including The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi (2004) and The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007). He is the creator of the web series The House Between (www.thehousebetween.com). Muir's blog, Reflections on Film and Television (http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com'), 'was named one of the “Top 100 Film Study” blogs on the Net in 2010.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

An Askew View 2012 1

Reintroducing the Films of Kevin Smith

Part 1 The Good Old Days (1970-2002) 7

1 Coming of Age In New Jersey 9

2 Clerks: I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today! 23

3 Mallrats: A Laundry List of Complaints 55

4 Chasing Amy: I Finally Had Something Personal to Say… 77

5 Dogma: Leave it to the Catholics to Destroy Existence 97

6 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back: A Jay and Silent Bob Movie? Who Would Pay to See That? 123

7 Clerks: The Animated Series 145

Part 2 State of Red (2003-2011) 157

8 Jersey Girl: Sun Even Shines on a Dog's Ass Some Days 159

9 Clerks II: I'm Not Even Gonna Point Out the Irony, Here 169

10 Zack and Miri Make a Porno: Sometimes, We Just Need Someone to Show Us Something We Can't See for Ourselves 177

11 Cop Out: It Just Went South, Right Away 189

12 Red State: People Just Do the Strangest Things When They Believe They're Entitled. But They Do Even Stranger Things When They Just Plain Believe 201

13 Kevin Smith around the Galaxy 211

14 A Tribute to Jay and Silent Bob 223

Epilogue: You're Closed! 229

Notes 231

Appendix: F@&%-ing Baby Talk: The Kevin Smith Lexicon 241

Bibliography 245

Index 251

Editorial Reviews

Pop-culture vulture Muir updates his 2002 original to include Smith’s Jersey Girl, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Cop Out, and Red State plus the gone-in-a-blink Clerks animated series. He also presents seven theories on why the characters of perennial stoners Jay and Silent Bob (the latter played by Smith himself) are so popular, and a glossary of “Smithisms.” This update takes the director from making his signature comedies to mainstream Hollywood fare like the Bruce Willis vehicle Cop Out to the deadly serious and superb Red State. Smith, alas, has abdicated the director’s throne, but still enjoys a fiercely loyal following and will continue to inspire fledgling filmmakers to follow their dreams. Solid for film collections.

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