Who is your favorite director?

Picking a favorite director was not an easy task for me.  There are so many directors I love, but I realized there’s only one director who has a filmography where I love each and every film I’ve seen.  I really do need to make it a priority to see Yoga Hosers.  And if that does not tell you who I have chosen as my favorite director, I will reveal that in 5….4….3….2….1…

Day 10: Your favorite director – Kevin Smith

From the moment I watched Clerks for the first time I knew that were something special about the way Kevin Smith constructs his films.  I feel like because he is also the writer of the majority of his films is part of why his creativity shines through even more.  By being able to do both I’m reminded of how Alfred Hitchcock would storyboard his films to a point where minimal cuts had to be made.  I think both are equally important and that the films that Smith makes are important to all of us because they just let us be.  They let us know that it is okay to just be ourselves and the value of friendship.  And the older I get the more I can relate to Silent Bob than I ever thought would be the case.  I feel like I take great care to really think about what I’m going to say before I say it these days and that sometimes we really don’t have to just talk for the sake of talking.  With that said, and without further adieu here are my favorite Kevin Smith films in alphabetical order because I don’t know that I can pick an absolute favorite.

Clerks

If you have EVER worked as a clerk you know you have felt the same way Dante and Randall do in Clerks and never got away with half of the crap they did.  Lord knows every single time I came in to work a co-worker’s shift I always thought, “I wasn’t even supposed to be here today,” at some point during the shift.  Without fail.  And while the customers I came across at Blockbuster mostly made my day, there were times I could not help but think the following while working at Dollar General.

This is not necessarily because the customers were rude, but because of the random stuff we would find while cleaning.  And let’s not forget the moment where a customer would use the bathroom but not tell anyone it was overflowing.  Those were certainly not the days and why people try their damnest to get out of what most deem as retail hell.  That poop literally spread across the walls of a bathroom.  The latter is a story for another time though.

Clerks II

Let’s face it, most sequels suck.  So when there’s a sequel that comes out that is as good as the original most are left in shock.  Clerks II is one of those exceptions to the rule.  I find myself wanting to quote this film as much as the original.  And lord knows there have been times that I have wanted to tell my friends who have not seen the film to tell guys who are creeps online about Pillow Pants.  Come to think of it I think that all women should use that story at some point on some poor unfortunate soul.  Though part of me can’t help but think that knowing my luck the first time I attempt to pull this off he too will be a Kevin Smith fan too.  Randall is by far one of my favorite parts of the sequel, not that he isn’t in the first one, but his lines are so on point and so hilarious that I tend to think about them constantly.  And I want to tell people how he’s trying to make bad slang better again and take it back too.  But more importantly, I want to tell them the following half of the time and drop the mic because it’s just the truth.

Dogma

There are so many people who let this movie upset them.  And I say let because it’s a movie people.  It’s an absolutely brilliant concept for a movie.  It’s also one of those films that really makes you think about religion in my opinion and your own beliefs.  Why do we hold onto this belief?  Is God a man or a woman?  Is he black or white? Does he have a Metatron?  Please tell me he has a Metatron.  Does he or she enjoy ski-ball?  I have so many questions on a normal day and while some of them are more of the serious nature, some of them are like the ones above and a bit silly.  I believe regardless that God has a sense of humor and that he is happy to know that on Earth we have Buddy Christ and managed to keep Loki and Bartleby out of heaven.

 

Red State

When I first read that Kevin Smith was directing a horror film I could not have been happier.  When your favorite director directs your favorite genre it’s a good day.  Red State is by far one of the best films I’ve ever seen.  Red State is one of the most underrated films of the past decade.  While the film is more serious in tone than any of the ones in my top five, Red State by far has the most impact of the five.  This is a film that makes you think and wonder how people get to the point they do in this particular film.  And to be honest it scared the hell out of me.  Visually there are moments that should never be committed by one human to another.  Moments that should shock people to their core.  The same can be said about Abin Cooper’s words to his congregation.  After all, how do people believe that God has told a man delivering his word to do in such a hateful way.  That’s why ultimately the lines below uttered by John Goodman are ones that truly leave a person thinking.  The scarier part is knowing that is the truth.

While I could go on forever about Kevin Smith and his films instead I will leave you all with the wise words of Jay and Silent Bob instead.

If you want to read even more by me, check out my other blog post about Kevin Smith.