VIDEO CAPSULE: Clerks (9.5/10)

[DaN]

Clerks (1994).
Directed by Kevin Smith.

Amazing. One rarely thinks that a person can pull out a good movie by filming basically every fricken minute of a day. But man, this movie is just astounding. The dialougue is so sharp and so TRUE that I had to watch this movie many, MANY, times in order to appreciate it so much.

ACTING: Ok, so Kevin Smith just rounded up some neighborhood guys. So what. Even if the acting isn't that great, the dialouge comes out so great that thier acting looks almost oscar-worthy (I may be overstating that). But when you watch this movie, you don't look at the acting or the plot. This movie just punches out intelligent hilarious jokes one after another.

PLOT: Simple. A store clerk and a lazy lazy lazy video/porno store clerk pour out their hearts on life. And the best parts of the film: Jay and Silent Bob. I love those guys!

Can anyone really not like this movie? Yes, many people will try to find in Clerks what they saw in Mallrats(8.5/10) and Chasing Amy(9/10). I havent seen Dogma yet. Clerks is an entirely different movie from Smith's later works. It gives you an insight on how fricken original those independent movies are. I mean, the whole dead guy thing, egg guy thing, porno list, "bersercker", those are all so brilliant. When you watch this movie, listen to the dialouge. It will really get to you! And I will admit, the first time I saw this movie, I was kinda dissapointed. Then, I saw it again. And I really understood it. I may be slow but I do end up getting it in the end.

[Tuukka]

Damn. Clerks has never arrived to Finland in either video or in theatrical release. I can't wait to see it, but I probably have to wait for a very long time...

[HomerSimpson]

Clerks is an awesome movie. It is the best of Smith's films. The dialogue, jokes and yes, acting are all excellent. Anyone who prefers "Mallrats" (aka "Movie For People Who Were Too Dumb To Get Clerks") over this masterpiece is a moron.

~Homer

[This message has been edited by JoBlo (edited 02-08-2001).]

[R. P. McMurphy]

Heh, love that pic!

I Never seen Mallrats, but I gotta agree that Clerks is a true gem. Very funny and original, with a big great hint of Smith's great directing talent. Screenplay and dialouge is very wise and we can truly feel that they are in love with the characters speeches, like Tarantino.

Is mallrats that "dumb" of a movie? I heard good things about it...

[This message has been edited by R. P. McMurphy (edited 10-14-2000).]

[HomerSimpson]

Well "Mallrats" isn't that bad actually, but compared to other Smith films it both sucks and blows at the same time. The acting is so-so and the humor is just so... dumb! I give it 6/10, Clerks gets a 9.5

~Homer

[This message has been edited by JoBlo (edited 02-08-2001).]

[Nightflyer]

"Just because they serve you dosen't mean the like you" I love that quote.

Was a great movie, and well done for first movie. (Hopefully I will do the same one day)

7/10 in Comedy Genre

[Raena]

MALLRATS is not a bad movie. In fact, it's okay. It just doesn't compare to CLERKS which is ingenious.

[DaN]

[shrug] How can you people not like Mallrats?! I mean, I know it was undenyably retarded but it was so fricken funny. Almost as funny as Clerks. But definitely not as good. I'd give mallrats a deservable 8/10. It has so many funny things man. I mean COME ON!! A edible-third-nipple! You cant get any better then that!

[JoBlo]

<moderator bump>

[Brock Landers]

This is definitely a one-of-a-kind film to say the least...dah...dah...dah...Berzerker! /ubb/wink.gif

Anyway, I just got the new 2-disc Miramax "Clerks Uncensored: Special Edition" Animated Series, and it's pretty sweet so far. It has all the same characters, is unrated and r-rated and has all the same characters back like Kevin Smith playing Silent Bob, etc... it also has some cool commentary from the cast, ya know, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, etc...etc... I haven't finished it yet, but i'll let you know when I do.

[vahe]

I'm sorry, but people just don't talk like that. You can't spit out 4 consecutive sentences in thesis mode, then toss in a gratuitous "fucking" here and there, surrounded by a bunch of $.50 words and call it naturalistic dialogue.
The funniest thing about Clerks is that it's now available in a new special director's edition. That one had me rolling in the aisles. Think about it! This was a completely independent feature that Smith funded with his own money. The original version WAS! the director's edition.
Exactly what was eating away at Smith? Did he want to include the extra long shot of the cat taking a crap in front of the convenience store customers to add to the extra sense of climax? After using the word "cock" 451 times, did the distributor finally put his foot down at number 452?(no I didn't count) With the long awaited director's edition is Smith finally achieving closure, because it's that 452nd cock that gives the film it's power?
Maybe he should advertise it as "Clerks, the new director's edition...now with EXTRA cocks". If that works, then watch out for "Clerks...Limited signed, collectors edition" with the complete cock outtakes, and an autographed, signed picture of the very instrument Smith relied on in making his enduring masterpiece.

[Brock Landers]

Once again we have the ubiquitous vahe chiming in with some colorful comments... I dig it bra... I mean, someone has to hate these flicks, it may as well be vahe /ubb/wink.gif Like I said before vahe, some of us just can't get enough "f**kity f**kin' f**ks" in our cinema diet... keeps us "regular", dig?

[vahe]

Hey I'm just tryin to wrest the "resident grump" title away from PackBacker...How am I doin so far?


ps: Dig this! Dig that! What are you an underataker? /ubb/smile.gif

[Gore 4 All]

I think gratuitous cursing is annoying because most of the people I know do it. WAIT A MINUTE!!! I guess that is just how normal people talk. If you haven't noticed, cursing has become as acceptable as microwave dinners. Clerks just went as far as to show how gen-Xers actually talk to each other, as horrible as it might seem to some.

[John Q. Public]

you gotta love Clerks simply because of Randal Graves. He's the man (or boy) everyone wants to be but don't have the balls.
Favorite Scene:

Woman: What do think about these two movies
Randal: I don't watch movies.
Woman: Well what about these two?
Randal: Oh those suck.
Woman: these are the same movies
Randal: Maam, I don't appreciate your ruse
Woman: Excuse me
Randal: your ruse, your cunning attempt to trick me.
Woman" that's it, I'm not renting here anymore. Screw you!
Randal: Hey! You're not allowed to rent here anymore!

Classic(and worth the typing)

[DaN]

I know people who do talk like that
What do you mean "thesis"? THey don't talk like that (at least I don't think so). They talk about the best stuff in Clerks!

[love broker]

Admitedly people who talk in long articulate sentences piss me off big time, in real life i hang around the backgrounds and don't talk that much, only say what needs to be said. But a review in movieline said that '...Kevin Smith writes dialogue that is how we would all like to speak.' and i agree. Maybe Kevin Smith talks like that, maybe.
But people i know, a small circle of people, talk like idiots and just basicly like to bullshit back and forth about nothing and the most intelligant thing that comes out is a curse word or a burp.

But i disagree with a couple of things, real people don't talk like that. People may say the same things but never like. Say your girlfriend has sucked 36 dicks not including your own, the first thing I would do is not go off onto some cool weird tangent, the first thing i would do is vomit. then after she is gone THEN i would think of the right thing to say and THEN is it would be too late.

I think Keven Smith is that little voice inside of us, putting on screen what we want to say in real life.

So i think Clerks rules. Great review and great topic.

[Schilachi]

Clerks havent seen it but it sounds pretty cool.

(Tuukka, ur from finland- HYYPIA and LITMANEN are blóódy brilliant, LFC rule!)

[DaN]

Took the words right out of my mouth Brock

[Tuukka]

You have been short on words lately, Brock.