An Evening with Kevin Smith

Rating:
Summary: Some Great Stories About The View Askewniverse
Review: "An Evening with Kevin Smith" chronicles the college Q&A tour that the director of five "Jay and Silent Bob" films took in 2001. The DVD consists of 2 discs and contains almost 4 hours of vintage Smith discussing his life, his films and his comic book side career.

I enjoyed several of the stories that Kevin tells. In particular, I found his discussion about his experience in the development of the ill-fated "Superman Reborn" project to be very intersting. He spends almost 30 minutes discussing how he got involved with the project (his theory on why he was asked to work on it involves the dialogue that takes place in "Mallrats" about Superman's "prowess"). He explains his meetings with movie execs, particularly Jon Peters (producer of "Rainman), who he convincing portrays as a total goofball. He also explains how his role in the development of the film fell apart when it was decided that Tim Burton would be the director. Kevin leaves no doubt that there is no love lost between himself and Burton.

I also enjoyed his long (again about 30 minutes) discussion about another ill-fated experience as the director of a documentary about the artist now known as Prince. It's a fascinating discussion of what it is like to work with a man who lives in (as described by one of Prince's assistants), "Prince World". Kevin shows how he went from a giddy fan of Prince who was tickled to be asked to do the project to a non-fan who now could care less about Prince.

I do have some quibbles. Although he told the story with good humor, I really didn't care about the minute details of his first "romantic" experience with is wife Jen. I'd say about 20 minutes are dedicated to this that could have been used to descibe his thoughts on one of his movies. I'm not a prude (I've seen and enjoyed his movies, after all), but some things are better left unsaid (or at least left off the DVD).

Obviously since these college stints were Q&A sessions, he can only answer what was asked by the crowd. However, I would have liked to have heard discussion on what it was like to work with Linda Fiorentino on "Dogma", who he has said was so difficult to work with that he will never do it again. If he could rip Prince and Jon Peters in an entertaining fashion, imagine the hatchet job he could have done on her.

I also didn't understand why it was decided to leave in questions asked by students who were obviously not coherent and just babbled without saying anything pertinent. Again, this time could have been spent showing Kevin answer decent questions. I did get a kick out of Kevin's attempt to try to sweet talk an employer of a student to let him get his job back (the student was fired for going to the Smith show instead of working).

Overall, pretty entertaining and a good addition for the Kevin Smith completest.

Rating:
Summary: An Evening to Remember
Review: "An Evening with Kevin Smith" reveals just about everything you ever wanted to know about the genius behind the films "Clerks," "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," "Dogma," and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." That's right, the really quiet guy actually has a lot to say, and it is all entertaining, insightful, interesting, and funny as hell. Coming from a guy who watches and listens to a lot of stand-up comedy, I was laughing pretty much non-stop.

Smith isn't trying to be funny... it just happens to turn out that way. His subtle and quiet tone makes it all the more entertaining and funny. Through the humor and sarcastic responses, there's nothing but honesty and sincerity about the filmmaking business that he is in.

With two disks, you get over 3 hours of Kevin Smith talking to various universities. As soon as the disks are over, you want to watch them again. I love all of Smith's movies, although I have to admit "Chasing Amy" is probably my least favorite (but I still think it's good), and watching this was not only funny and entertaining, but it was very informative. Smith isn't shy about answering the tough questions. (Some of them, he should be though. You'll know what I mean when you see it.)

He talks about everything. Some of the stuff he covers are what went on behind the shooting of his movies, his relationships with his actors and friends, critics who have bad-mouthed him, a really messed up director who's obsessed with friggen spiders, how he met his wife, his run in with Tim Burton (or not so much of a "run-in," more like a "press-in), Scott Mosier Stories, and much, much more.

The DVD set is really cool. To my surprise, the whole thing is WIDESCREEN. Always a major welcome, no matter what the content is. Since this is only Kevin Smith talking to universities, there's no need for special features galore, however there are some bonus trailers. The DVDs are also digitally mastered in audio and anamorphic video.

If you are a fan of Kevin Smith, then this is a must-have. Go and buy this right now! Trust me, you will not regret it for a second. Hey, I even recommend this for all of Smith's negative critics. Maybe they can take something positive from it all. I was really impressed. You'll laugh and learn at the same time. Now who often does that happen?

Rating:
Summary: Some Great Stories About The View Askewniverse
Review: "An Evening with Kevin Smith" chronicles the college Q&A tour that the director of five "Jay and Silent Bob" films took in 2001. The DVD consists of 2 discs and contains almost 4 hours of vintage Smith discussing his life, his films and his comic book side career.

I enjoyed several of the stories that Kevin tells. In particular, I found his discussion about his experience in the development of the ill-fated "Superman Reborn" project to be very intersting. He spends almost 30 minutes discussing how he got involved with the project (his theory on why he was asked to work on it involves the dialogue that takes place in "Mallrats" about Superman's "prowess"). He explains his meetings with movie execs, particularly Jon Peters (producer of "Rainman), who he convincing portrays as a total goofball. He also explains how his role in the development of the film fell apart when it was decided that Tim Burton would be the director. Kevin leaves no doubt that there is no love lost between himself and Burton.

I also enjoyed his long (again about 30 minutes) discussion about another ill-fated experience as the director of a documentary about the artist now known as Prince. It's a fascinating discussion of what it is like to work with a man who lives in (as described by one of Prince's assistants), "Prince World". Kevin shows how he went from a giddy fan of Prince who was tickled to be asked to do the project to a non-fan who now could care less about Prince.

I do have some quibbles. Although he told the story with good humor, I really didn't care about the minute details of his first "romantic" experience with is wife Jen. I'd say about 20 minutes are dedicated to this that could have been used to descibe his thoughts on one of his movies. I'm not a prude (I've seen and enjoyed his movies, after all), but some things are better left unsaid (or at least left off the DVD).

Obviously since these college stints were Q&A sessions, he can only answer what was asked by the crowd. However, I would have liked to have heard discussion on what it was like to work with Linda Fiorentino on "Dogma", who he has said was so difficult to work with that he will never do it again. If he could rip Prince and Jon Peters in an entertaining fashion, imagine the hatchet job he could have done on her.

I also didn't understand why it was decided to leave in questions asked by students who were obviously not coherent and just babbled without saying anything pertinent. Again, this time could have been spent showing Kevin answer decent questions. I did get a kick out of Kevin's attempt to try to sweet talk an employer of a student to let him get his job back (the student was fired for going to the Smith show instead of working).

Overall, pretty entertaining and a good addition for the Kevin Smith completest.

Rating:
Summary: encouters close and closing
Review: after watching the films of kevin smith you feel as though you have been initiated into the inner workings of smiths fictional new jersey. like if you slipped down to the ski-ball place on the pier you might well leave to have a drink with banky or maybe even God.
well after spending four hours listening to frank and amusing chit chat from the director himself you see that the disarming honesty of the films is as much as thier wit born directly from thier creator.
smith is like that articulate slaker we all knew between the ages of 18 and 24. the one that held evryone in his glib sway down at the 24 hour coffee shop. with witty observations unbelievable stories and well placed fart jokes.
this familiarity is comforting but also a little disconserting beacuse after viewing this dvd if i saw smith on the street i would go up to him like a complete idiot, put my arm around him and be like, "dude, hows mosier!"
and he would either screw with my delusion with some giggleingly feigned conversation or just mace me.
at any rate buy this. its a genuine experience.

Rating:
Summary: Just what I expected
Review: An evening with Kevin Smith is just what I wanted. It's simple, vulgar, funny, and still possesses some insight into life and the man that is Kevin Smith. Just as Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back required you to have seen Smith's previous movies to understand its jokes, "An Evening" gives you the background on all his movies that will make you appreciate them more.

Rating:
Summary: ....
Review: Anyone who watches this ridiculously self gratifying piece of nonsense has gone under the spell of Kevin Smith. Every other word is a curse and it is the basis for every laugh in this documentary. He doesn't reveal anything important nor does he talk much about himself. I rented this expecting something clever, or an insight into his creative process. Instead I got Kevin making fun of 100's of college students who revere him. He says it all when he bumped into P.T. Anderson after making a crude comment on Magnolia. Instead of returning the favor P.T. asked how he was doing. Don't waste your money on this...

Rating:
Summary: A Film OF Kevin Smith, not BY him - but just as entertaining
Review: As soon as I popped An Evening With Kevin Smith into my DVD player, I felt right at home. Kevin appears on the menu screen immediately and starts acting (silently) about how long you're taking to choose something. So, before even starting the movie, I saw a character just like Silent Bob on the screen, and felt like this was familiar ground.
But then Kevin starts speaking. And speaking. And speaking. The movie, is essentially pieced together footage from a college tour Smith did, where he basically hosts a Q and A session. And, while it can't truly be considered stand up comedy, it's funnier than most comdeians will ever be.
So, the movie is about three hours of Smith answering fans questions, and topics switch from Jason Mewes' (Jay in the five Jersey flicks) sex life, to Kevin's involvement with a new Superman script, to his first sexual encounter with his wife, to Prince, (yes, the musician.) And I can gurantee that if you are in the least bit interested in Kevin's films, you'll be laughing so hard the three hours will blow by faster than you could possibly imagine.
Luckily, there's more to do once you've finished the movie. While the two-disc set isn't loaded with extra features, it does feature a number of hidden easter eggs, mostly of footage cut from the final film, and they're equally as entertaining as the rest of the movie.
So, once you've gotten over the initial shock of hearing "Silent Bob" speak at length, you should have a great deal of fun with this movie, and I believe it warrants at the nvery least a rental, if not a purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, Hilarious, Endearing,What Other Nice Words Can I Use?
Review: C'mon if you are a Kevin Fan in anyway shape or form you're going to get this. Why belabor the point. Its funny (DUH!!!!) and informative. This gives fuller stories of anecdotes Kevin has related on several talk shows, so there's another bonus. Watch this and wait in utter anticipation for Kevin to come to your college.

Rating:
Summary: 4 hours of great Stories! A must buy
Review: Each disc contains 2 hours (4 hours total) of straight Q&A between the students and Kevin. Kevin "whity satirical dialog" often leads into hilarious stories of his personal and professional experiences. His stories about Prince, Superman reborn, meeting his wife, meeting Jay for the first time, PTA, protesting Dogma, and Jay's porn career are classics. The editing did a good job of cutting out many of the questions that have been answered in Kevin's many interviews. Parts of these stories have been heard before but here they are presented with much more depth and detail.

The lack of dvd extras was a let down. And only 1 Easter egg found so far. Unlike Kevin's movies this disc may not lead repeat viewing for most viewers.

This DVD is a must for Kevin Smith fans.

Rating:
Summary: 4 hours of great stories! A Must Buy!
Review: Each disc contains 2 hours (4 hours total) of straight Q&A between the students and Kevin. Kevin's "whity satirical dialog" often leads into hilarious stories of his personal and professional experiences. His stories about Prince, Superman reborn, meeting his wife, meeting Jay for the first time, PTA, protesting Dogma, and Jay's porn career are classics. The editing did a good job of cutting out many of the questions that have been answered in Kevin's many interviews. Parts of these stories have been heard before but here they are presented with much more depth and detail.

The lack of dvd extras was a let down. And only 1 Easter egg found so far. Unlike Kevin's movies this disc may not lead repeat viewing for most viewers.

This DVD is a must for Kevin Smith fans.