"Clerks X: 10th Anniversary Special Edition"
A
$19.99 at Best Buy.
Released Tuesday.
Filmmaker Kevin Smith is at a critical stage in his career. On the heels of releasing the special edition DVD of his debut film "Clerks," Smith announced his plans to film a sequel to "Clerks" due out in 2005 titled "The Passion of the Clerks." The stale title is enough to make you groan. "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back" was supposed to be Smith's farewell to his "Askewniverse" (the mini- universe Smith created with his films).
So, what happened? Smith seems to blame the failure of his latest film, "Jersey Girl," on post-"Gigli" Bennifer backlash, but that's letting himself off too easy. "Jersey Girl" didn't work the way he wanted it to, and now Smith is going back to what got him his job in the first place.
Smith was inspired to write the sequel while working on the 10th anniversary DVD to "Clerks," which hit shelves Tuesday.
The three-disc set proves once again that Kevin Smith knows how to put together a DVD. The "Clerks X" DVD includes the cut of the film that played at the Sundance Film Festival with brand new commentary (the first including co-star Jeff Anderson).
Both the picture and sound on the theatrical cut of the movie are extremely improved, but both Kevin Smith and producer Scott Mosier appear to assure hardcore fans that they didn't significantly change the film besides restoring its original sound and picture to a better quality.
For a 10-year-old movie, "Clerks" hardly shows its age. This black-and-white comedy shot on a miniscule budget is still as sharp and witty as ever. It's Kevin Smith at his most vulgar and inspired. The meaning of the conversations between Randal, the wise-cracking slacker we all want to be, and Dante, the whiny goody-goody we all are, still resonate today for any underpaid retail employee. It's 10 years later and the customers still suck.
The bonus features include a lost scene from the original script that was animated in the style of the "Clerks" cartoon that briefly aired on ABC in 2000, a Q&A session filmed after a screening of "Clerks" in Los Angeles, and MTV promos featuring Jay and Silent Bob.
The excellent feature-length documentary, "Snowball Effect" chronicles the making of the film from Kevin Smith's youth to Miramax buying the film at Sundance. "Snowball Effect" brings a whole new insight into the birth of the Askewniverse, and afterward "Clerks" cannot be looked at in the same way again.
The "Clerks X" DVD is one of the best special edition releases on the market today and a must-own for any Kevin Smith fan because it is probably Smith's last triumph. If the "Clerks" sequel will inevitably taint the original, at least the "Clerks X" DVD preserves its legacy.
