Clerks II – 2-Disc Edition (HD-DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C Film: C
So after Clerks became a big independent hit and
even an animated series, Kevin Smith (giving up on The Green Hornet and
Superman) has made its sequel his debut project for The Weinstein Company. Clerks
II (2006) became a controversy before it was released when a major critic
left an advanced screening unhappy and Smith openly criticized him. Still smarting from the disastrous Jersey Girl, along with the big budget projects
that were not, you can understand the frustration.
The
critic complained it was the same boring or tired thing all over again and when
the film arrived in theaters, it did surprisingly poorly. Why?
Was the critic right? Was it too
long between sequels? Is Smith’s
audience getting bored or busy with other media? Is he repeating himself?
Well, yes
to some extent to all of them, but is it because Smith is an auteur and if so,
has that run its course? I was surprised
the persons who came up to this critic and said how funny it was, as the
one-stop shop burns to the ground the throws complacent dead-end lives out of
whack, but was this just a long goodbye and even nostalgia?
Yes. I wonder if Smith would have made this film
if the Weinstein’s were still at Miramax.
It is the usual Smith romp, which is gross and daring as the leads
(Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson) have to work at a goofy fast food place,
but the jokes there are as tired and predictable as in Waiting, which did not become the cult item expected.
The truth
of the mater is, the sub-comedy film has caught up with Smith and though this
runs 98 minutes, it never really goes anywhere but just about every place we
have been before. If anything, it has
become the antithesis of what Smith has prided himself in avoiding: competent
corporate product. Because of the
Weinstein launch, this is hopefully a one-off, but Smith repeating himself is
counter to the Rock attitude that put him on the map and the next film needs to
be a home run or he may just be overrun.
Rosario Dawson, Ben Affleck and Wanda Sykes co-star.
The 1.85
X 1 1080p digital High Definition image is about on par with the Blu-ray Disney
issued of the scope-framed Jay &
Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), with limits from the low production values
and picture flaws that include manipulated colors, odd Video White and digital
work that is weak and not amusing. The
Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is at a Plus level and is also dialogue/joke-based with
only occasional explosion of sound for effect or humor similar to what Smith
did with the 5.1 mix on Chasing Amy. The combination is passable, but only so much
better than what you might get on DVD, though it should be noted a Dolby TrueHD
version is hidden here and is not much better than the plus version.
Extras
include deleted scenes, two audio commentaries with various members of the cast
and crew, podcast commentary Smith, producer Scott Mosier and actor Jeff
Anderson, a Smith featurette with introduction, a closer look at “interspecies
erotica” and deleted scenes on HD 1, while a VH-1 special on the film, 90
minutes long Back To The Well documentary
on the film, video production diaries dubbed Train Wreck and bloopers self-dubbed “hilarious” and sometimes are.
Most of
Smith’s films are only coming out on Blu-ray, so outside of Mallrats and future
Weinstein releases, HD-DVD-only people will be denied his films. They can still get the DVDs, if they do not
already have them. For more on Smith and
Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back,
you can access our Blu-ray review at the following link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4305/Jay+&+Silent+Bob+Strike+Back+(Blu-ray)
- Nicholas Sheffo
