2 Quick Reviews

As promised last week here are two quick reviews on the Clerks II DVD and An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder.



An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder

This 2-Disc set features Smith doing his stand-up act in two different locales, Toronto and London . I know you’re probably questioning my use of stand-up but really that’s what Smith does. Ostensibly, these are Q&A sessions with a bunch of college students but usually one simple question like, “Do you ever get writer’s block?” leads to a 15 minute set about the trials of getting high and watching children’s TV shows. Each disc includes one of the sessions and an extra or two. The extras aren’t too enthralling but then again they are extras on a disc where a fat man stands and talks for three hours. I tend to think that you could enjoy this even if you’ve never heard Smith talk. He’s funny as hell and quick witted when dealing with the starry eyed fanboys in the audience. The Toronto disc is the better of the two but the one in London works well if you like accents. If you saw the first Evening with Kevin Smith and didn’t care for it then skip this one too.



Clerks II

I went ahead and purchased the widescreen DVD from Best Buy ahead of time so I could guarantee to get their special edition packaging. As they’re probably all out of stock by now I won’t let all the cool gear it came with dictate my review. Instead let me mention how cool it is and gloat over the fact that I got it. The Best Buy set comes with the DVD (which I’ll review in a second just wait for it, wait for it), a Mooby’s visor, a Funployee name tag, a Mooby’s drink cup, and it’s all packaged in your very own happy meal type box. Now that you’re jealous let’s move on to the DVD itself.



I just talked about the movie last week so I won’t go too much into it except to say it’s one of K. Smith’s best and worth multiple viewings. As always Smith packs this 2 disc set with so many extras it could take days to go through them all. First off we’ve got three commentaries. One is the long lost podcast commentary with Smith and his producer Scott Mosier that was supposed to available during the theatrical release. It’s too bad this never happened because the idea is so great and the 3 have recorded a nice track. The cast track is a little sloppy due to sheer number of people talking but still offers some insight and laughs. The third is a track with Smith, producer Scott Mosier and DP Dave Klein. I’ve yet to listen to that one yet but considering how good the actual film looks (especially compared to other View Askew flicks) I’ll definitely give it a listen. The deleted scenes are worthwhile for the most part which is a rarity. The star of the extras though is on the second disc which features a 90 minute documentary called “Back to the Well.” This is an original piece and not a rehash of the “Trainwreck” videos Smith featured on his blog during the making of Clerks II, although those are on the disc as well. The documentary rivals the excellent documentary on the original Clerks that came out on the 10 year anniversary edition of that flick and makes this DVD worth renting or buying alone.