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Back in 2001-2002 filmmaker Kevin Smith set out on a speaking tour through America.  Smith stopped at several universities to speak and give fans an chance to pick the brain behind the View Askew Universe.  Oh yeah, and he brought a documentary crew along…

An Evening with Kevin Smith
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From Cornell to Indiana, from Kent State to Wyoming and Clark University, Kevin Smith stops by for an evening with fans, and curiosity seekers, wondering what the one time clerk, and now world famous writer/director, has to say.  It’s an impressive and enlightening little documentary that gives fans a little more insight to Kevin Smith.

There’s not much to the set-up here.  Kevin Smith travels to five colleges and speaks in front of sold out auditoriums offering insights and answering questions about his films and career.  The best parts of these five performances have been cut together in a hugely entertaining two-disc DVD.

In much the same vein of an a cappella concert film, Smith riffs, tells stories, and spends time with groups of rabid fans.

The documentary is filled with great moments, too numerous to list them all here.  Some of my favorites include – the story behind Smith’s work on a Superman script and why it is so important to have a good producer on a film, his feud with Tim Burton, and his work on a documentary of music icon Prince.

Then there are humorous moments where he bemoans his overly vocal stoner followers, refuses to dance for his a sweet female fan, or discusses his views on homosexuality and the personal reasons his films deal with such issues.  Not all the questions are winners, but some of the more pedestrian ones actually lead to some quite unintentionally funny moments.

Even with it’s simple set-up and low budget it’s still one of the best things Kevin Smith has ever done.  Fans will find all kinds of fun moments and interesting stories and anecdotes to enjoy.  I’d recommend it not only to fans of Smith’s work, but for anyone interested in what makes this guy tick, or interested to see a filmmaker take the time to seriously interact with his fans, and to listen not only to their questions but some criticism as well.  It’s just a great DVD to have on your shelf.

Despite it’s length (225 minutes) it will leave you craving more.  And for fans who do want more, Smith has announced a sequel DVD that will be released this November – An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder which showcases the same type of humor and wit from Smith’s recent tour through cities such as London and Toronto.

We’re here to keep you informed on hot choices for renting or buying new DVD releases. Released this week: Tsotsi, She’s the Man, Sybil, Ren & Stimpy ‘Adult Party Cartoon, The Pretender: Season 4, Carnivale – The Complete Second Season, Jack of All Trades – The Complete Series & The Incredible Hulk – The Complete First Season.

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Here’s what is getting released today on DVD:

Film:

Tsotsi – Tsotsi is a film with more quality than most of the streamline Oscar Nominees. Beautifully shot and clear storyline, Tsotsi takes the audience through 6 days of a young gang leader’s transformation in the ghetto of Johannesburg. South Africa’s foreign film Oscar nomination is violent and gritty, but in the same form it’s very graceful and pure. Get the rest of December’s opinion on Tsotsi.

She’s the Man – It’s hard enough being the nerdy new guy on campus without also being the new girl on campus, who has fallen for the coolest guy on campus, who is totally obsessed with the most beautiful girl on campus who is “crushing” on the nerdy new guy on campus.

Viola Johnson (Amanda Bynes) had her own good reasons for disguising herself as her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk) and enrolling in his place at his new boarding school, Illyria Prep.  She was counting on Sebastian being AWOL from school as he tried to break into the music scene in London.  What she didn’t count on was falling in love with her hot roommate, Duke (Channing Tatum), who in turn only has eyes for the beautiful Olivia (Laura Ramsey).  Making matters worse, Olivia is starting to fall for Sebastian, who – for reasons Olivia couldn’t begin to guess – appears to be the sensitive type of guy she’d always dreamed of meeting.  If things weren’t complicated enough, the real Sebastian has come back from London two days earlier than expected and arrives on campus having no clue that he’s been replaced…by his own twin sister.

 

Special Edition:

Sybil (30th Anniversary Two-Disc Special Edition) – Crazy Sally. Sally Field plays a young woman who was traumatized as a child and adopted 16 different personalities. Based on a true story, Sybil is an eye opening film about personality disorders.

 

Animation:

Ren & Stimpy ‘Adult Party Cartoon – Here is a collection, “The Lost Episodes” of Ren & Stimpy, but really, they are just the newest of a failed attempt to make us laugh. There isn’t anything like the old Ren & Stimpy, nothing compares, no matter how hard big time execs try to make up for canning the brilliant creative team that created this crazy duo.

TV:

The Pretender: Season 4 – Imagine if you could take on someone elses personality? Jarod can take on other personalities and he uses it to help those in need & track down what happened to his parents. He originally was taken out of his home as a young child to use his talents for a secret agency called The Centre.

Carnivale – The Complete Second Season – I can’t believe those bastards at HBO isn’t going to finish this show out. It was suppose to be on for 3 seasons, but now we are left hanging in the middle of a cornfield not knowing what happens to the characters next. Very close to a Twin Peaks like atmosphere, Carnivale is set up with brilliant costuming and backdrop; you really believe that this show is being filmed during the Great Depression in 1934.  Carnivale is full of magic, evil, good, weirdness and carnival folk; it’s a weird show that you have to watch from season 1 or you will be completely lost.

The Incredible Hulk – The Complete First Season – Finally the complete first season of The Incredible Hulk. It’s the old TV show about the hitchhiker who could turn big mean and green on you. Dr. David Banner went a little too far in the lab; his experiment goes horribly wrong and created a monster, not unlike Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When David’s body is under a great deal of stress he turns into this huge and powerful creature, that still knows right from wrong and saves the helpless, then he usually runs off in the end.

We’re here to keep you informed on hot choices for renting or buying new DVD releases; unfortunately, this week blows in rentals. Released this week: Grilled, Basic Instinct 2, Weeds-Season 1 and ER: The Complete Fifth Season.

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Here’s what is getting released today on DVD:

Film:

Basic Instinct 2 – – How bad does a film have to be for Joe Eszterhas to refuse to make it?  How silly is it for a 50 year-old woman to strut around in skimpy outfits like a horny teenager?  How untitiliating is it to see a nude 50 year-old woman pretending to be a 20 year-old woman, and how sad is it to watch?  How unnecessary is this sequel?  What does Sharon Stone’s pet project really have to offer?  These questions and more can be answered if you’re willing to watch one of the most ridiculous films in recent memory. Get the rest of Alan’s opinion on Basic Instinct 2.

Grilled – Hurray for all of us, its Ray Romano and Kevin James in a comedy, a direct to video comedy, mind you. Dark comedy that isn’t really all that it’s cracked up to be. I know, you ask why, it’s got Everybody Loves Raymond and Queen of Kings in it, don’t forget, it also has Burt Reynolds and Juliette Lewis and there is a reason it was direct to video, NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO EVEN ATTEMPT THE BIG SCREEN!!! Meat salesmen go out to make the big sale and win back their jobs, run into a bit of mob trouble. That’s about it, one problem arises after another and they keep trying to bail themselves out. Done and done, it’s your risk.

 

Special Edition:

Weeds-Season 1 – In trying to keep up with HBO, Showtime comes up with the excellent Weeds. Mary-Louise Parker plays a widowed mom of two sons and she’s a suburban pot dealer to pay the bills. Both sons are a royal pain in the ass (everybody should have daughters), one is a sexually exuberant teen and the other a want to be terrorist on video and he’s only in grade school. This series has off beat comedy, dark side and light sides, drama and suburban life being poked fun at. Packaged includes 10 episodes on 2 discs and that’s that.

ER: The Complete Fifth Season – This is a rip-roaring season for many. Dr. Ross (George Clooney) exits right and leaves head nurse, Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) in a suicidal fit. Dr. Benton’s (Eriq La Salle) son is deaf; Dr. Weaver (Laura Innes) loses the opportunity to be head of emergency, but no worries she gets to be super bitch later. This season is where we see the lovely red headed intern, British Dr. Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston), start all over again with practicing medicine in the US and Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) is the peanut butter that keeps this TV series bread together. There are 22 episodes on 6 disks with a few Outpatient outtakes and unaired scenes. A short gag reel, nothing too special, but for you hard-core fans, the series on DVD itself should be awesome enough.