Reviews

Kevin Smith 3-Movie Collection (Clerks | Chasing Amy | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) Blu-ray Disc Review

KEVIN SMITH 3-MOVIE COLLECTION (Clerks | Chasing Amy | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) (Blu-ray released November 17, 2009 - MSRP $89.99)

I’m not even supposed to be here today.

I have been salivating over this disc set and dreaming about its review for awhile. I really like Kevin Smith movies and here’s why; he knows exactly what he has to offer. And he gives it all to us. Yes, there is crass humor that sometimes borders on stupidity, but have you looked around lately? There’s more than a grain of truth in what Smith offers in his movies. I’ve always enjoyed his pacing and his simple sense of visual storytelling - clear and concise without reliance on complicated tricks. He’s there to tell a story, whichever one that might be, and isn’t worried about impressing us with how pretty he can make it.

But being put on Blu-ray has somewhat taken care of the lack of visual pizzaz we’ve been used to in our old DVD versions of the films! These 1080p transfers of the films bring out the best of the source material. And while it would have been nice to see this collector’s set include EVERYTHING worth collecting (add in Clerks II, Mallrats, Jersey Girl and Dogma and you have a complete SET!) this big box of Blu-ray does just about everything you can ask for from these three titles, with one notable exception. I’ll get to that in a moment.

The other thing I really love about Kevin Smith is how much he seems to have to say, be it in the movies or in the commentary, interviews, conventions and documentaries that enhance them on the discs. And this set gives it all up. These Blu-ray discs are packed to overflowing with content, and lots of it is new!

What’s new you ask? Check it out!

On the Clerks disc:

• An introduction By Kevin Smith
• “Oh, What a Lovely Tea Party: The Making of Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back”

Plus:

• Theatrical Version of the Film
• Classic Commentary (1995)
• Enhanced Playback Track – synchronized trivia and cast & crew quotes
• “The First Cut” Version
• Kevin Smith Intro (2004)
• “The First Cut” Audio Commentary (with New Authoring / 3 viewing modes)
• Clerks: The Lost Scene – Animated Short
• “The Flying Car”
• Clerks Restoration
• Original Auditions
• “Snowball Effect: The Story of Clerks”
• Outtakes From “Snowball Effect”
• “Mae Day: The Crumbling Of A Documentary” With Intro By Kevin Smith And Scott Mosier
• 10th Anniversary Q & A
• MTV Spots With Jay & Silent Bob
• Soul Asylum “Can’t Even Tell” Music Video
• Theatrical Trailer

And on the Chasing Amy Disc;

• “Tracing Amy: The Chasing Amy Doc”
• “Was It Something I Said?” – A Conversation With Kevin & Joey
• 10 Years Later Q & A – With Kevin Smith And The Cast
• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director/Actor Kevin Smith and Producer Scott Mosier

Plus:

• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Trailer

The Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back disc has sadly not been upgraded at all. It’s simply the same plain vanilla Blu-ray release as before, but really, there is so much extra content on the other discs in this set it’s hard to complain. But it would have been nice to have seen the inclusion of all the bonus content from the previously available 2-Disc DVD set.

I’m not going to dwell on the technical merits of the Blu-ray presentation of these films. The fact is that Smith’s movies are shot raw, and while the transfers are accurate to the source material, they simply can’t compare to the best looking discs on the market. Don’t get me wrong, this is as good as these movies have looked, but remember that Clerks was shot long ago on 16mm for not much money. These are not movies that are meant to showcase the super powers of Blu-ray.

The real deal with this set is the comprehensive collection of bonus material on the Clerks and Chasing Amy discs. All sorts of really good stuff has been collected into one set, a very thorough set with hours and hours of extras about the movies that you love. Some call them modern classics, some people call them modern fluff. I call them one man’s love letters to film, comic books and his home town of New Jersey. Love letters that he invited his friends and family to help him write.

Over the years Smith has grown. Some might rebut that comment heavily. But if you’re a fan (and you probably are if you are reading this review and thinking about picking up this set) you probably agree. For over a decade of movie making he has worked tirelessly to populate a world with characters who we have watched change and move forward through their lives. Even as they are making fart jokes 10 years later. He gave us Death Star politics, confused lesbians, The Time, corpse sex, gay black pride, beating up your internet critics one by one, and more fast paced, quick wittedly offensive dialogue than you can shake a porch monkey at.

He’s given us memorable movies, memorable characters and memorable moments. These are things all film makers try to achieve. And in this Blu-ray boxed set he gives you a closer look at how he did it, through discussions and behind the scenes featurettes and an openness that allows you to see who he and his friends and crew truly are. There’s an honesty there. Whether he’s “speaking” the truth as he sees it or “speaking” from the pants, Smith’s movies have as big a heart as “Fat boy” Silent Bob.

And as an added bonus, this shit is really funny.

The reasons you should grab a copy of this set are twofold. First, you’ve probably forgotten half of the awesomeness that is in these movies. You owe it to yourself to revisit the films. They still work after all this time. The second reason is the ridiculously bountiful supply of bonus features. They provide a candid look at how one guy put everything he had into making a movie, that managed to spawn more movies that have afforded him the opportunity to interact with hundreds, if not thousands of fans in a personal way. That may not be every artist’s desire, but it’s sure as hell what I consider being a good film maker.

Snooch To The Nooch!!!

© 2009 The Blu-Ray Blog.