Rating: 
Summary: Some Great Stories About The View Askewniverse
Review: "An Evening with Kevin Smith" chronicles the college Q&A tour that the director of five "Jay and Silent Bob" films took in 2001. The DVD consists of 2 discs and contains almost 4 hours of vintage Smith discussing his life, his films and his comic book side career.I enjoyed several of the stories that Kevin tells. In particular, I found his discussion about his experience in the development of the ill-fated "Superman Reborn" project to be very intersting. He spends almost 30 minutes discussing how he got involved with the project (his theory on why he was asked to work on it involves the dialogue that takes place in "Mallrats" about Superman's "prowess"). He explains his meetings with movie execs, particularly Jon Peters (producer of "Rainman), who he convincing portrays as a total goofball. He also explains how his role in the development of the film fell apart when it was decided that Tim Burton would be the director. Kevin leaves no doubt that there is no love lost between himself and Burton. I also enjoyed his long (again about 30 minutes) discussion about another ill-fated experience as the director of a documentary about the artist now known as Prince. It's a fascinating discussion of what it is like to work with a man who lives in (as described by one of Prince's assistants), "Prince World". Kevin shows how he went from a giddy fan of Prince who was tickled to be asked to do the project to a non-fan who now could care less about Prince. I do have some quibbles. Although he told the story with good humor, I really didn't care about the minute details of his first "romantic" experience with is wife Jen. I'd say about 20 minutes are dedicated to this that could have been used to descibe his thoughts on one of his movies. I'm not a prude (I've seen and enjoyed his movies, after all), but some things are better left unsaid (or at least left off the DVD). Obviously since these college stints were Q&A sessions, he can only answer what was asked by the crowd. However, I would have liked to have heard discussion on what it was like to work with Linda Fiorentino on "Dogma", who he has said was so difficult to work with that he will never do it again. If he could rip Prince and Jon Peters in an entertaining fashion, imagine the hatchet job he could have done on her. I also didn't understand why it was decided to leave in questions asked by students who were obviously not coherent and just babbled without saying anything pertinent. Again, this time could have been spent showing Kevin answer decent questions. I did get a kick out of Kevin's attempt to try to sweet talk an employer of a student to let him get his job back (the student was fired for going to the Smith show instead of working). Overall, pretty entertaining and a good addition for the Kevin Smith completest.
Rating: 
Summary: Very funny
Review: Kevin talks about a range of topics in this set, including doing a doc for Prince, meeting Jay, the likelyhood of "Jay and Silent Bob" ever being in a movie again, how he met his wife, and yes, the aforementioned Superman script. I doubt that "John Q. Public" (if that is his REAL name) watched this set, as he would've known the story behind the script. "John" would know that anything "unSuperman" about the script came not from Kevin, but from another source (the story behind it is great... in fact, all of them are, probably from his dilivery). As for not listening to other people's viewpoints, or insulting those who have different viewpoints than him, perhaps if "John" had watched the set, he would've seen a discussion Kevin had with one female questioner (who happened to be a lesbian), conserning "Chasing Amy". Maybe he would've seen what Kevin was trying to say about what closeminded people actually say about themselves.
Over-all, this set is very funny. I was laughing through pretty much the whole thing (though the few parts where people would come up and ask if he and Jay wanted to go smoke got a bit tiresome (but I'm sure it's much more tiresome for him, cuz I bet he gets it all the time)). The stories he told were great ones; I was totally eager for him to tell another long story every time he got done with one. I epecially loved the one about Prince (which is pretty much the last thing in the set). He said he did this whole doc for Prince about what people thought about one of his CDs. He worked on it for like a week, and the thing will never see the light of day. To put that much work into something and have it shot down like that has got to be disappointing.
This is worth getting (yes, it will be more enjoyable to fans). You'll laugh all the way through, and end up watching it several times.
Rating:
Summary: Smith Speaks Out
Review: `An Evening With Kevin Smith' is the latest of director Kevin Smith's works. Smith is a renowned Indie filmmaker and New Jersey native made famous by his independent film, `Clerks.' Smith speaks out at several college campuses in a Question and Answer format on many topics of interest to college students from his five films and religion, to sex and sexual preference.
Covering two discs and almost four hours, `Evening' will have even non-fans of Smith rolling on the floor with laughter. It is a nonstop express train to comedy-ville that actually delivers what it promises. Smith's frankness and humor allows him to touch on the touchy subjects of religion, sex, and sexual preference without being overly offensive.
Being a fan of Smith and his work I immediately purchased this DVD as soon as possible. However, that sounds easier than the actual process since I had to find a store that heard of it and also had it in stock. In the end I found it in the Special Interest section at Best Buy for $22.99, a bargain as most double discs run at a higher price than that.
True fans who have seen all of his films will enjoy `Evening' more than the average viewer and will not be offended by the plethora of `dick and fart jokes' that Smith's comedy is normally based on. Fan will be depressed near the end of the second disc when they reach scene #39 where Smith discusses the future of Jay and Silent Bob.
The tomfoolery of such films as `Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' continues and even goes up a notch with the inclusion of actor Jason Mewes and producer Scott Mosier (via telephone) and of the student audience. Smith takes the time to make several phone calls on student's behalf and even attempts to get a student their job back after losing it in order to attend the performance.
Despite all the positives going for `Evening' it is not for everyone. People who are easily offended, don't enjoy `dick and fart jokes' or disliked Smith's films will want to avoid this DVD at all costs.
For the rest of us, the DVD is a great addition to our personal film collections and is a must have for any Smith fan. The DVD has some superb editing; features bonus trailers, is subtitled in English, French, and Spanish, and is in wide screen format. I highly recommend this and can't wait for the release of Smith's next film, `Jersey Girl'.
Rating:
Summary: highly entertaining and enlightening
Review: I bought this for my husband, as a birthday present. He is a huge Kevin Smith fan, so I figured it'd be perfect for him. I was pleasantly surprised by it, though. It was very funny. If you are a Kevin Smith fan, or just a movie fan, I'd definitely recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly insightful commentary by an up and comer!
Review: I was not a Kevin Smith Devotee, as most of his fans are. I think he's a good director, and he has cranked out some great movies. He does know how to write a good script as well.
So, I was pleasantly surprised when I viewed this to find out really insightful and wise Kevin Smith is. This documentary is a collection of snippets from a variety of college lectures he's done, but it doesn't feel choppy. Smith clearly understands the film business and it's culture better than most people whove been in the industry for decades. He fully admits exploiting it for what it's worth, but also manages to sidestep the pitfalls associated with ascent in Hollywood. It's a truly eye-opening look into the world of modern day filmmaking and celebrity.
I would also like to recommend this based on the fact that Smith is one of the best story tellers our society has. He really has a gift for just starting a story, leaving no stone unturned, and just engaging you into what he's relating. His story about writing the script for Superman will have you in tears. Another good one is his encounter with Prince. Smith has an easy-going, self-depricating style that's combined with a smart guy who LOVES the heck outta movies.
This is definitely a good documentary that non-Kevin Smith fans will enjoy and get something from. If you are a Kevin Smith fan...who are you kidding: You already own this!
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest dvd entertainer of all time.
Review: For people who tell it like it is. Kevin Smith is one of the greatest speakers of our time. There is no P.C. babble restrictions here. An Evening with Kevin Smith is a fantastic stand-up, door opener that allows people to get a taste of Kevin as he tells some stories and answers questions to the history of his movies, family, friends, likes and dislikes. A must see, non-bubblegum ride into the View Askew world.
Rating: 
Summary: He was not fit to write Superman....
Review: I have read the draft of the Superman script that he wrote and oh, he was so wrong to do it. He treated Superman like some horney teenager, even Tim Burton who later passed on the project and can be strange as well, even he said "No, I am not doing this." All Smith does is insult people who do not agree with him. He has no class, he has no room for patience for other people's viewpoints, and he's just a sleeze. As for me, I'm going to watch a Tim Burton movie now.
Rating:
Summary: Hours of Laughter - LITERALLY
Review: Smith shows off his intellect and comedic sides in this set, certainly a night well spent. I watched the dvds one at a time, waiting between the two. After the first one I didnt think it could get any better, but disc two doesnt dissapoint! An excellent set, hilarious from start to finish, well worth the money!
Rating:
Summary: Better at standup than directing
Review: I found Kevin incredibly funny in these shows. I class him from a directing point of view much like Quentin Tarantino, great dialogue but not necessarly a great director. However, this is far superior to his movies. Very quick and lots of entertaining stories, the whole thing had me in stitches. I have watched most of kevin's movies since watching this and have found them to be somewhat of a disapointment. However this series of lectures/spoken word shows gives you an hilarious insight into the movie industry and hollywood in general. Well worth the money IMHO.
|
