In the back of my head, I hear it.
Perched on my shoulder, I see it.
In the pit of my stomach, I feel it.
The voice…
It’s Kevin Smith.

The New Jersey native speaks for us, channeling our thoughts and emotions through the lens of the camera. Kevin Smith is the voice of the plebeians, whose views and morals actually coexist, weaving reality and loyalty together in harmonious fashion. Behind our scruples, he defiantly braves the critics, painting a slice of life onto his canvas. Passion as his paint, he uses the powers of virtual nepotism to choose his brushes. A cynical character driven by Jason Lee. A fallen angel portrayed by Matt Damon. A conflicted and scorned lover played by Ben Affleck. A sidekick who…curses a lot, casted as Jason Mewes. Through the eyes of his often-recycled actors, we see Smiths’ discernment of human nature, with which the public has learned to support, and Hollywood has grown to accept.

>From the depths of the Vancouver Film School editing room, Kevin Smith emerged and braved “the business.” (That always sounds so GODFATHER) With his askew point of view, Smith ventured into the world of directing behind his simplistic approach at mimicking real life. Other than DOGMA, Smith’s latest release, his movies* are about daily routine. Whether he is storytelling about the mall generation or retail employees, his honest and endearing qualities always shine through. It is possible that because these admirable characteristics, we are able to overlook his predictability, which plays an appurtenant role in all of his films. Smith seems fervent about certain aspects of life, which he is determined to share with his audience. His admiration for STAR WARS and hockey are no secret, both finding their way into his scripts. In addition, (most recently brought to my attention by fellow writer Jenelle Riley) are his references to Alyssa Jones and Rick Derris, names of utmost importance, whom are entwined in the many dialogues of Kevin Smith created characters.

Smith’s recent movie, DOGMA, is the story of two fallen angels, Damon and Affleck, who take the fate of human kind into their own hands. In a brash attempt at making their way back into heaven, they use a gun as a weapon, and egos as their vice. A few other angels, a couple of prophets, a Muse and savior are there enemies, trying to protect an infallible God. Depending whose side you’re on, the good guys win. I will allow the movie to pontificate you to death while I will simply say, it was unique, and unlike any other Kevin Smith movies…and be sure to see ‘the others.’

Although verbose, and sometimes dogmatic in his approach, Kevin Smith always puts forth a commendable product. Through the trenches of the low budget era, to his new budget leniency, he has proven that stars are born everyday…and sometimes they’re as common as you and me.

*Kevin Smith’s other movies, which he wrote, directed and act in, include; CHASING AMY, MALLRATS, CLERKS and MAE DAY: THE CRUMBLING OF A DOCUMENTARY. In addition, Smith has done some producing as well, most notably, Damon and Afflecks’ GOOD WILL HUNTING. Smith also has his own production company – View Askew Productions.

I am a demographic. I am a target audience. I am a marketing goal, and I’m pretty damn proud of it. If the media reports are correct (and how could they not be?), I am a “fanboy.” If you’re a male between the ages of15-40, await the opening of a Kevin Smith film with anticipation, know who Warren Ellis, Neil Gaiman, and Grant Morrison are, and have at least one toy sitting around “mint in box,” chances are that you’ve been (or should be) tagged with the “fanboy” label.

Note the masculine reference. “Fangirls” are perceived to be a smaller segment of the populace, and are in fact generally regarded as mythological in fanboy circles. To be fair, fanboy culture is pretty hostile toward women. Usually depicted as sidekicks at best, women have begun to make inroads to fanboy culture through the success of multi-genre efforts as BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, and comics such as DANGER GIRL (soon to be a major motion picture, if you can believe the hype). Granted, the popularity of a female character is usually inversely proportional to the amount of clothing she’s wearing. When I use the term “fanboy,” I’m referring to the culture at large and not to a specific gender. End of disclaimer.

While comic books (along with their assorted utility belts, dolls…excuse me, action figures, and other paraphernalia) are the bread and butter of the fanboy lifestyle, film is its true lifeblood. There are certain films that are benchmarks of the fanboy lifestyle: the STAR WARS movies, the even-numbered STAR TREK movies, BLADE RUNNER, the ALIENS franchise, pretty much any major science fiction or fantasy release post 1976 has been incorporated into fanboy culture and you can find web-sites devoted to thepraise and/or derision of them all over the Internet.

It was just a matter of time before someone had the idea “why don’t we make a movie about the fans?” Fortunately, the idea happened in New Jersey before it happened in Hollywood.

Kevin Smith’s 1994 debut film CLERKS was heralded as one of the great success stories of the much lauded American Independent Cinema scene that happened post-PULP FICTION, also released that year. Made for a tiny budget (estimates range from $26,000 to upwards of $30,000 for the initial film pre-Miramax) and full of randy, caustic, pop informed humor that caused it to earn an NC-17 rating, the film was a great success and launched Smith’s reputation, deserved or not, as spokesman for Generation X.

Smith and Quentin Tarantino have become the poster boys of sorts for the fanboy culture. They’re just as likely to be dismissed as praised these days, as fanboys have a way of eating their own once they’ve had a degree of commercial success. The spirits of “D.I.Y.” and “keeping it real” that helped fuel the independent movie scene in the nineties created an environment where everyone was out to discover the “next big thing” and ended up… well, with a lot of Tarantino and Smith clones. When Ani DiFranco sang, “It’s cool to discover someone, it’s hard to support them,” she was referring to the music scene, but the sentiment applied equally well to the film industry.

Indeed, Smith’s follow-up MALLRATS, was released in 1995 to almost universal derision. While it contained more comic book and film references than CLERKS did, it was perceived by indy film supporters as a “sellout,” and inconsequential to the mass market. Interestingly, the film has had greater impact on video and DVD, where features such as director’s commentary and notes enable the viewer to, in effect, hang out with the cast and crew and glean details about the shooting. These added features have actually become an integral part of fanboy culture as well, who tend to be at the forefront of supporting new advances in media such as DVD, MP3, and Mini Disc.

With the release of SWINGERS in 1996, independent film took the (admittedly small) leap from referential to self-referential. The movie about young Hollywood hipsters was made by the same young Hollywood hipsters. Where Tarantino and Smith had riffed on SILVER SURFER, STAR WARS, and pop music, SWINGERS riffed on Tarantino and Smith.

By the time FREE ENTERPRISE rolled around in 1998, the self-referential factor had become absurd. The movie, a blatant attempt to meld SWINGERS with the fanboy culture is independent in style and distribution, but Hollywood to its core. Full of characters who cannot relate to each other in any way other than a film or comic book reference, the film manages to sum up the worst of fanboy culture. The film has a certain grotesque charm (William Shatner performing a hip-hop JULIUS CEASAR just has to be witnessed to be believed) but is hollow at its core. The heroes of the film are more concerned with the collectablity of their possessions than with the content.

Much better was the previous year’s CHASING AMY, written and directed by Kevin Smith. Still smarting from the MALLRATS fiasco, he presented a film that was both a scathing critique and a tender homage of fanboy culture. Using the comic industry as a backdrop, he presents a tale of great humor and unexpected emotional depth. Comics and film reflect their creators: they can become shallow and manipulative or they can grow, make responsible decisions, and reflect that growth.

Fanboy culture has been around for a while, and will continue to have an effect on the entertainment industry. The promised release of the X-MEN movie and the possibility of a SPIDER-MAN franchise are proof of this. It will be interesting to see how both properties fare on the big screen. Fanboy culture is notoriously fond of “continuity” and doesn’t react well to new interpretations of beloved characters. In a sense, no film can compare to the one that each fanboy already has in his (or her) own head. With luck, others within the fanboy culture will find a way to project those films to others, sharing new ideas rather than be content collecting old ones.