“Clerks: 10th Anniversary Edition” (Rated R; list price $34.99)
Release date: Sept. 7
During the DVD documentary, “The Snowball Effect: The Story of ‘Clerks’,” director Kevin Smith confesses that “Slacker” was the movie that made him want to become a filmmaker. It only makes sense, then, to review this 10th anniversary collection in conjunction with the DVD of Linklater’s directorial debut.
Like its Criterion Collection counterpart, Miramax’s “Clerks” packs tons of bonus material into its three-disc set, including multiple commentary tracks, cast auditions, excerpts from Smith’s journals, the original cut of the film and that aforementioned documentary, a compelling 90-minute look at Smith’s life and the making of “Clerks.” The talky black-and-white indie, which launched Smith’s career and introduced the world to goofball duo Jay and Silent Bob, has been released on DVD before in a collector’s edition. But this latest release, packaged nicely with a detailed booklet, is undoubtedly the definitive version of the movie that gave voice to convenience store clerks everywhere. But even this is not the end of “Clerks”: Smith recently announced that the creation of this DVD inspired him to write a sequel, “The Passion of the Clerks,” which is scheduled to begin filming next year.
Most Worthwhile Bonus Point: “The Snowball Effect” is far superior to most DVD documentaries, which usually feature actors and directors collectively patting themselves on the back. “Snowball” includes interviews not only with Smith, but with his friends from high school; cast and crew members; Miramax head honcho Harvey Weinstein; and Smith’s mom, who repeats the question she asked after her first “Clerks” screening: “You spent $27,000 on this piece of garbage?” Even the outtakes from the doc are worth a look, particularly producer Scott Mosier’s remembrance of sitting on a yacht at Cannes with Duran Duran’s Simon LeBon.
Most Helpful Bonus Point: Smith, Mosier and several cast members gathered to record a commentary track for the movie’s original cut, located on disc two. Smartly, the DVD gives viewers the option to hear the track while watching the film, or to watch video of the guys recording the commentary. Hopefully other DVDs will start doing the same.
Most Annoying Bonus Point: Be prepared to hear Smith ramble on during several exceedingly long introductions to some of the DVD’s features. So much for being Silent Bob.
