Posted by Lucifer Lyndon Razoodock at spider-wo062.proxy.aol.com on July 07, 2000 at 08:14:48:
: Kevin Smith, that director who just has NO visual sense at all, took all the E-Jay pics.
First off, I've never made any bones about the fact that I believe all Kev.'s post-"clerks." stuff has looked rather good...better in fact than the auteur himself would ever cop to in public.
That said, the prevailing view amongst the uninformed that TeamAskew put absolutely no effort whatsoever into their shot-compositions and camera set-ups was mostly perpetrated by Kevin self-deprecating the flicks' achievements into the ground.
This is why I'm glad that there'll be multiple commentaries on the "DOGMA" double-set. I think that Kevin slights his crew on the commentaries and such way too often. Sure, it's one thing for him to opine that he's a shitty visual director...um, that's great, Kev., but what do Dave Klein and Robert Yeoman think of you speaking for their accomplishments that way?
I also think that there's a sense of what I call "Garage Band Syndrome" here in which Kevin built his career from scratch and then goes onto to bullshit about it like it was easy or something. Face it, Kevin wasn't just astronomically lucky ("In my experience, there's no such thing as luck."), but because he's a striking, evocative writer.
He and Scott (and you, Vincent?...tell me if I'm mistaken) really pull these things together in the editting room cause all you folks know your movies. Whether Kevin admits it or not, he has a feel for how a cool movie should flow. You need not know dick about what happens inside of a camera to know how to cut a good film together; you need more of a story-telling instinct.
...and don't even get me fuckin' started on the "...'rats" commentary.
You know, Vincent? Great disc, but fuck that commentary! You get Ben Affleck on there busting on the filmmaking every which way but loose ("Uh, it's kinda awkward!...Uh, it's still "...Lucy"-style blocking...What are you talking about? This is so fuckin' retarded!!...Who's Walt Flanagan!?!") yet never once did we get to here from Dave Klein (who's look for the Lee/Lee scene is phenomenal, intentional or not...) or the production designer or anything like that. Even Kevin busts on the cheap sets...though I never would've admitted that they even looked all that bad if he hadn't pointed it out first...and, oh yeah, let's see Ben Affleck direct, block and photograph a fuckin' flick before he tears into one of his own again.
At the end of the day, I'm right there with you Vincent, pissed whenever any ignorant soul on this board busts on anyone for admiring the photography and look of Kevin's flicks. These dipshits are taking the "Point-and-click" comments that Kevin made as far back as "clerks." and spinning their own meaning from them: If Kevin Smith can proliferate as a shitty, bottom-drawer filmmaker than our shitty visions are an indie-film (and perhaps even, yes, HOLLYWOOD!!!) shoo-in.
Face it, folks. These are not shitty movies; not in look nor in content. If they were, this board wouldn't be as heavy as it is with ogling admirers.
Personally, I admire Vincent for correcting this err. whenever he reads it, but he can't be 100% upset at the public for the misinformation so much as the resident, one-voice auteur.
--tom