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If you’ve seen Clerks, you know what I am talking about… and chances are you either love it or hate it. If you love it, as I do, please do yourself a favor and BUY THIS DVD! I will tell you right now I give this collection a solid A in every aspect, from the digital HiDef film transfer and 5.1 remixing, down to every little extra included, including the booklet (which is full of photocopied relics and a note from Smith declaring “Clerks 2 ‘05”!). I may be biased because this IS one of my favorite movies, but I am confident that no one could be left disappointed after soaking in all that is presented here. To make my case even stronger, here is a listing of what is on each disc. I will try not to spoil too much…

Disc 2 contains the original and unrated 103-minute first cut of Clerks that was shown at the IFFM presented in its rough, uncleaned, untouched gritty and grainy glory. It was slightly edited before Sundance, and then cleaned up and edited again when Miramax purchased the film, but this here is what actually started it all! THIS IS ESSENTIAL FOR FANS TO SEE, and a MUST HAVE for collectors! Accompanying this version of the film is an ALL-NEW commentary track with Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier, Jeff Anderson, Brian O’Halloran and Jason Mewes. The best part about this commentary is that it is audio AND visual, so you can either listen to it with the film, or watch it as you hear the film play in the background… or – better yet – flip back and forth between the two using the rarely utilized angle-feature. The whole disc is a real treat, and this alone was worth the purchase.

10 years after it’s initial release, Clerks is once again released to the public, this time in a modern format – a 3-disc 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition DVD. This package is nothing short of GREAT, and is a perfect addition to any collection – whether a diehard, or you just ‘liked’ the movie. Between having the original feature in a remastered digital format, and all the extras and goodies inside, this is the essential Clerks volume for anyone!

The performances are excellent and go a long way towards making the movie work really well. Anderson and O’Halloran are nicely matched and have terrific chemistry together. Smith and Jason Mewes are also another nicely matched buddy team, despite the classic “wild thin guy/reserved heavy-set guy” comedic pairing. Although maybe it’s not quite as funny as it was when I originally saw it, “Clerks” still rings very real and holds up quite well.
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“Clerks” remains a terrific low-budget feature – an example of crude, clever dialogue and great, amateur acting making for a hilarious film. Miramax’s “Clerks X” is a superb 3-DVD set – viewers get a slightly/somewhat improved audio/video transfer and a ton of new supplements, including the outstanding “Snowball Effect”. Highly recommended.

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Two commentaries are offered: one with actor Ben Affleck and director Kevin Smith and the other with director Kevin Smith, producer Scott Mosier and guest Jason Mewes. The commentary with Smith and Affleck is one of the funniest and most interesting I’ve listened to lately, as it rarely focuses on the picture at hand and instead ventures off into various aspects of dealing with the release of a film. Smith and Affleck discuss both the critical response to the movie (with notes on specific critics and members of the press) and the ridiculous amount of press that surrounded the relationship between stars Affleck and Lopez, as well as how that effected the film. They also chat about such topics as opening versus “The Passion of the Christ”, the structure of the film, the response to Smith making a more “conventional film” and working with the other actors. There’s some good information about the film within, but the commentary is mostly a very interesting and very funny conversation about working in film.

The second commentary is more informative and detailed about the film at hand, talking about the changes in the picture, working on the film, chatting about the cast and additional discussion of the test screening process Smith had to go through (it’s a little disappointing to hear that Smith seems to have cut some worthwhile dramatic moments due to a some low-class test screening crowds). Mewes, infamous for passing out on the “Clerks” commentary and acting wild on other tracks, has cleaned up his life and gone through rehab before this commentary was recorded. As a result, his participation is quite a bit more straightforward than Mewes usually is. Although not quite as entertaining as the very enjoyable Affleck/Smith commentary, this is definitely a very close second.

BIG ASS JAY

It’s a lucky day for those of you who like it BIG! Now available is the “Big Ass Jay” Inaction Figure! The Jay figure measures a whopping 16” inches in height and features the same sculpt and paint scheme as seen in the smaller 5” inche Jay Inaction Figure. At this height and girth, it’s almost lifesize! Use it as a lawn ornament or use it to scare or amuse your friends!

The Big Ass Jay was exclusive only to fanboys and fangirls who attended 2004 Wizard World Chicago and is NOT SOLD IN STORES! We only have a very limited supply left and when they’re gone, they are gone! Order Now!

$29.99

4-WAY ROAD LITHO

“Which one is going to get to the hundred-dollar bill first – the male-friendly lesbian, the man-hating dyke, Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny?”

Now you can decide with this 4-Way Road lithograph from “Chasing Amy.” Originally drawn by producer and artist Scott Mosier (and drawn on screen by Banky Edwards), this lithograph has been faithfully reproduced from the original drawing used in the movie. It measures a frameable 17” x 11” inches and includes your choice of quote from Banky Edwards (”…these other three are figments of your fucking imagination!” or “Which one is going to get to the hundred-dollar bill first?”)

Only 4 bucks each! BUY BOTH!

MALLRATS BUMPER STICKERS

These full-color bumper stickers are updated replicas of the official ‘Mallrats’ bumper stickers that were produced waaaay back in 1995 for the film’s original release. Sadly the original stickers were produced in very limited quantities when the movie left town, so did the stickers.

Faithfully reproduced from images in the View Askew archives and updated for today’s ‘Mallrats’ fans, these full-color bumper stickers are weatherproofed to ensure a long-life on your car or truck. They measure 11.5” x 3” inches and feature either Jay & Silent Bob (All It Took Was a Fat Chronic Blunt! I Love The Smell of Commerce in the Morning!) or Brodie (Say Would You Like a Chocolate Covered Pretzel? They’re a Little Melty but Damn are they Exquisite).

A Mere $3.00 each!

Kevin Smith’s passion for ‘Clerks’

What does a filmmaker with a reputation for raunch do when his first family comedy tanks? He goes back to where his bread’s buttered, of course. After the
box-office failure of “Jersey Girl,” director Kevin Smith has announced a sequel to his hit 1994 debut, “Clerks.” Currently titled “The Passion of the
Clerks,” the story will reunite cast members Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson as the lazy Quik Stop and RST Video employees who do nothing but hang
around, outswear each other, and verbally spar with the nominally heterosexual, but mostly closet-dwelling “life partners” Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent
Bob (Smith). Get ready for an onslaught of Smith’s trademark gay-friendly gay jokes, and look for opening-weekend theater seats to be filled with his rabid
cult following, who’ll devour this movie like a box of Twinkies.

Filmmaker appreciates his video afterlife

When director Kevin Smith calls himself “a glorified straight-to-video filmmaker who gets a large theatrical window,” he’s not being totally disingenuous.

Smith knows he has improved as a director in the 10 years between his first release, the rough-edged, cheeky Clerks, and his most recent film, the kinder and gentler romantic comedy Jersey Girl. But he also knows his strengths and likes.

“I’m a better storyteller now in that I don’t solely rely on dialogue anymore,” says Smith from his home in Los Angeles, adding that the look of the film depends primarily on who’s shooting it. “I’m all for pretty-looking pictures, but since Clerks was my first movie … and got favorable critical notices as a movie that looked like hell but still worked, I’m kinda still in that mind-set.”

His home, by the way, happens to be the former residence of pal Ben Affleck, who was in a few of Smith’s movies — Dogma, Chasing Amy, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back — before starring in Jersey Girl.

That was a release “fraught with peril” for Smith, who thought the film would be an easy sell with Affleck, Jennifer Lopez and Liv Tyler on board, but that was before the disaster of Gigli and the tabloid frenzy that was “Bennifer.”

That led Smith to assume his familiar role as the “voice of the movie,” something that began when Miramax opted to send only him on tour to promote Clerks, and he became popular with reporters who liked to listen to the director’s amusing stories. This has made him a personality, rare for most directors, even rarer for low-budget ones like Smith. (He’s even done Panasonic commercials.)

While Jersey Girl didn’t set the world on fire in theaters, Smith credits Miramax with preventing the movie — which is a sweet comedy with a ring of truth — from turning into another Gigli after all the bad press on that film.

Besides, Smith says, his films do well on video. (Jersey Girl and a 10th-anniversary edition of Clerks have just been released on DVD.)

“That’s why I love video, man. Nobody will ever remember the box office for the movie, and it will live its life on video.”

Clerks (10th Anniversary Edition) — Miramax; $34.99. Includes commentary, a making-of documentary and the original movie on three discs.

Jersey Girl — Miramax; $29.99.

The first question he was asked was about the “Star Wars” parodies. Does he have a favorite one?

Hamill replied, “Kevin Smith in Clerks has these offhanded references that kill me. My sons had to show me this…I think they were just speculating on the administrative costs of the janitorial staff of the Death Star. I love that sort of minutia where they take this hard edge reality to something that’s fantasy cause I was sort of that way myself.

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He can get you into trouble, though, cause Kevin Smith said, ‘Will you do Jay and Silent Bob?’ I said, ‘Will you send me this script?’ And I read this thing and I said, ‘Ho ho! It’s filthy!! They say the f-word 50 times on one page! There’s pot smoking lesbians, dog hard-ons! If you can get the clearance of Lucasfilm legal, sure I’ll do it. Good luck!’ And you know the only complaint they had from Lucasfilm was, ‘Make sure that the green bong-saber….’ They were concerned about the color of the blades of bong-sabers because ‘red is evil and green or blue is good’. I forget what it was. I said, ‘If that’s not the best insight into their thought process…’ I said, ‘I couldn’t explain Lucasfilm better than that.’ But having said that, I was backed into a corner! I said, ‘Oh my god! I’ve gotta do this thing!’

5 p.m.

1) Shrine to Comic Books

The filmmaker Kevin Smith, whose credits include “Dogma” and “Jersey Girl,” helped put the town on the pop culture map by filming much of his
“Chasing Amy” and the cult favorite “Clerks” in the area. He also owns a downtown comic book shop called Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash (35 Broad
Street, 732-758-0508). Join the steady stream of comic book aficionados as they browse through coveted copies of Swamp Thing or Identity Crisis.

Few movies have reached the iconic status of the original Star Wars trilogy. A long-shot science fiction project that was rejected by multiple Hollywood studios, Star Wars (and its creator George Lucas) defied the skeptics and became one of the biggest pop culture phenomena of all time. Now VH1 is working with Lucasfilm to produce the ultimate oral history of the Star Wars years, When Star Wars Ruled the World. Timed to coincide with the DVD release of the original trilogy on September 21, 2004, this hour-long documentary will take viewers back to those rapturous moments when the whole world wanted to wield a light saber.

The show begins in the mid-1970s as George Lucas struggles to find a way to make his dream project a reality. Relive the incredible and unlikely impact of the first Star Wars movie, the sudden fame of unknowns like Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, and the way fans around the world fell in love, first with the movie and then with the action figures, pillow cases, C-3PO cereal and everything else they could – and did – line up to buy. Manufacturers could hardly keep up with the demand for anything and everything Star Wars (swamped by clamoring fans, the official Star Wars toymaker, Kenner, at one point had to settle for selling vouchers for yet-to-be-made action figures.)

The show will also chronicle the immense anticipation for the first Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back and the build-up to the climactic Return of the Jedi that had fans traveling hundreds of miles to visit the gates of the movie’s set. Along the way, we will highlight the cultural impression made on millions of fans by Star Wars icons like Darth Vader, Ewoks, and Yoda, and lines like “I am your father,” “That’s no moon. It’s a space station,” and, “May the force be with you.”

INTERVIEW LIST:

Mark Hamill – Luke Skywalker

Carrie Fisher – Princess Leia

Harrison Ford – Han Solo

Anthony Daniels – C-3P0

Kenny Baker – R2-D2

Peter Mayhew – Chewbacca

Billy Dee Williams – Lando Calrissian

John Williams – Composer

Gary Kurtz – Producer on first two Star Wars movies

Kevin Smith – Director / Superfan

Frank Oz – Yoda

Ming-Na – Superfan

Ken Ralston – Visual Effects

Alan Ladd Jr. – Fmr. President, 20th Century Fox

Irvin Kershner – Director, Empire Strikes Back

Jeremy Bulloch – Boba Fett

Warwick Davis – Wicket the Ewok

Daphne Zuniga – Actress, Spaceballs

Nicole Miyamoto – Superfan

William Miyamoto – Superfan

Mike Schiffbauer – Superfan

Ben Burtt – Sound

Question: After “Episode III,” will you ever revisit “Star Wars”?

Lucas: “Ultimately, I’m going to probably move it into television and let other people take it. I’m sort of preserving the feature film part for what has
happened and never go there again, but I can go off into various offshoots and things. You know, I’ve got offshoot novels, I’ve got offshoot comics. So
it’s very easy to say, “Well, OK, that’s that genre, and I’ll find a really talented person to take it and create it.” Just like the comic books and the
novels are somebody else’s way of doing it. I don’t mind that. Some of it might turn out to be pretty good. If I get the right people involved, it could be
interesting”.

“Jersey Girl” is every bit as smart and funny as director Kevin Smith’s debut, “Clerks.” Movie-Gazette-dot-com calls the new D-V-D “surprisingly unannoying” for a romantic comedy — but it is a little sweet for some.

The film stars Ben Affleck as a New York City guy who moves his daughter to the ‘burbs after his wife dies in childbirth — and runs into cute and persistent Jersey girl Liv Tyler.

Smith keeps things from getting too “icky-poo” with his trademark coarse dialogue — which can be very funny, as in a debate over whether singer George Michael is gay.

“Jersey Girl” also features brief appearances by old Affleck pals Matt Damon and Jennifer Lopez.

BEN THERE, DONE THAT: It’s not Bill Clinton, but this’ll do: Ben Affleck has been tapped to host the Oct. 2 season premiere of Saturday Night Live, TV Guide Online has learned. This will mark Affleck’s third stint hosting the show. Nelly will serve as musical guest.

“For diehard Kevin Smith fans, as well as those who enjoy intelligent comedy with a slacker sensibility, “Clerks X” is the only edition of this classic to own.”