Finally got to see Clerks 2 this week. In a word? Awesome. In six words? Loved it, loved it, loved it.
Given my appreciation for all things Kevin Smith touches (Well, I guess I drew the line at Gigli . . . but I did see Jersey Girl, and it wasn't terrible.), I don't know why I waited so long to see it. It doesn't seem as though it's been out for a month, does it?
I think part of it was the fact that I don't have a lot of friends of Silent Bob around here to see it with. My sister (who uses Dante in one of her e-mail addresses, that's how much of a fan she is) is inconveniently located in the ATL, so unless I would've (a) bought a cell phone and (b) called her once the movie started, we couldn't really watch it together. Plus, I knew I was going to be buying it on DVD anyhow (waves to the Clerks X DVD gathering dust in a stack of other DVDs on top of a crate of vinyl LPs next to the bookshelf full of VHS tapes), so it's kind of like there's no rush -- I'll see it eventually.
Anyhow, I trek across town to the only theater still showing it, and since all the real fans have seen it by now, I get the whole theater to myself, which is sweet. I love private screenings. As an added bonus, this particular theater was pretty small (gotta maximize space in these megaplexes, you know) and even though I was in the next to last row, the screen felt like it was right in my face.
The sensory overload was mostly okay, except that it leads me to the first of my two minor quibbles: What was with all the extreeeme closeups? While I don't have the first movie quite committed to memory in terms of shot selection, I don't remember seeing a lot of tight shots of a single actor's face like I saw in this one. I wasn't interested in examining pores -- I wanted to see the sight gags or other funny actorly business that is going on in the background.
Although, upon flashing back to the Moons over My Hammy/Blowfish duet performed by Jay and Silent Bob in the background while Dante argued with somebody in the foreground, maybe it's just as well that the camera was stuck on "zoom."
A mini-quibble: What was with all the bare butts? First Jay with the pressed ham on the glass, and then Kevin had to be in the movie as another character just so he could show his off. Whatevs.
Anyhow, I think Kevin's butt cameo occurred during the second thing that made me go Hunh?: What was with the impromptu musical number that breaks out in the parking lot? Did the kids from Fame just happen to wander by? (Dennis Miller shout-out!)
It's not as though I object to musicals in general or the Jackson 5 song in particular, or even that there weren't funny bits within the piece (loved the nun!), I just wasn't expecting it. I guess I was waiting for the donkey-sex scene -- excuse me, inter-species erotica scene -- that Gene Shallit had such a spazz attack over. And even that wasn't so bad -- you didn't even see anything; it was all about the characters' reactions to what was happening off-screen.
Overall, though, it's still Kevin Smith, so I have to give it some big Buddy-Christ-style thumbs-up with extra winks.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I was Googling "Buddy Christ" because I was going to link in an image in that last sentence, but then I was so overcome with desire when I scrolled through the many options at Jay and Bob's Secret Stash that I accidentally closed the wrong tab (doh!) and had to rewrite the post. (double doh!!)
Here's what made me drool:
Hitting "Publish" now, before I do something else dumb while under the influence of a want-need-have fit. . .
Fuckbeans! I sooo would've gone to see this with you, if I hadn't escaped from OH 10 yrs ago (Sadmaking -- NOT!). Oh, well, I'll see it eventually (you could get me the DVD for my b-day. Hint, hint).
ReplyDeleteSilent Bob Rules! Snoogans!