Avevo
adorato Clerks., così come
Mallrats e
Chasing Amy.
Poi la carriera di
Kevin Smith aveva preso una strana china:
Dogma mi aveva lasciato a dir poco freddo, presentando poca polpa e poco divertimento; non ho visto
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (che mi riprometto di recuperare) ma non mi pare sia considerato travolgente, ed infine ci fu quello strano progetto di
Jersey Girl.
Non dissimile, mi dicono, il calo di qualità dei suoi fumetti; veniva quasi il dubbio che avesse finito la birra e le idee, bruciandosi (come già successo a molti) in pochi anni.
Non riponevo dunque molta fiducia in
Clerks II, ed è quindi stato un piacere scoprire d'essermi sbagliato.
Dieci anni dopo gli eventi del primo film
Dante e
Randal si ritrovano ancora insieme, questa volta - dopo un incendio al caro
Quick Stop - come commessi in un fast-food: non esattamente una carriera con rosee prospettive, dunque. Il loro spirito è ancora quello di due ventenni, certo, ma presto dovranno affrontare il fatto di non essere più dei ragazzini: Dante è in procinto di sposarsi e di trasferirsi in California, mentre Randal sembra deciso a non crescere ed ha serie difficoltà ad affrontare la prossima partenza dell'amico. Catalizzatore di una serie di cambiamenti sarà
Becky, gestrice del locale verso la quale Dante scoprirà di provare qualcosa che va oltre l'amicizia.
Se pensavate che il primo Clerks fosse volgare, ricredetevi: questo lo è un paio di ordini di grandezza di più; oscenità, bestialità, raccapriccianti deviazioni verbali e fisiche, insulti, blasfemie assortite e
fine erotismo inter-specie: Clerks II non si fa mancare proprio niente, e lo fa in maniera a dir poco cruda.
Eppure, oltre ad essere (quasi) sempre molto divertente sotto l'aspetto del greve umorismo (e non è comunque facile: sconfinare nella commediola volgarotta è facile e ci vuole una certa classe per non caderci), il film funziona anche come commedia sull'amore e l'amicizia: la trama è semplice ma solida e ben narrata, mentre i dialoghi sono di ottimo livello e toccano le corde giuste.
Geniali (ma troppo poche!) le dissertazioni filosofico-cinematografiche: assolutamente imperdibile quella su quale sia
La Saga® tra
Guerre Stellari ed
Il Signore Degli Anelli, con dettagliata descrizione di quale avrebbe dovuto essere il finale di quest'ultimo.
La regia mantiene sempre il ritmo alto e si fa attenzione a non includere parti che avrebbero potuto allungare il brodo (classico errore che uccide le commedie); bravi gli interpreti, in particolare la sempre spettacolare
Rosario Dawson dalla quale è difficile distogliere lo sguardo. C'è anche il solito cameo di
Ben Affleck A voler cercare un difetto forse si sarebbe potuto dare più spazio e dialoghi migliori a
Jay e
Silent Bob, ma va di lusso anche così.
Voto: 7.5 (
noi lo facciamo!)
Tags: commedia, sequel, sesso, amore, amicizia, volgarità, fast-food, Jay e Silent Bob, Kevin Smith, asino, gravidanza, troll, Guerre Stellari, Il Signore Degli Anelli, galera, fine erotismo inter-specie, festa, droga, commessi.
Smith, Kevin (I)
Nome di battesimo: Smith, Kevin Patrick
Data di nascita: 2 August 1970
Altezza: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Coniuge: Jennifer Schwalbach Smith::(25 April 1999 - present) 1 child
Ultimi lavori: Biografia:Born and raised in New Jersey and very proud of it, this fact can be seen in all of his movies. His first movie, Clerks. (1994), was filmed in the convenience store in which Smith worked. He was only allowed to shoot at night after the store closed. This movie won the highest award at the Sundance film festival and was brought to theaters by Miramax. The movie went over so well that Smith was able to make another movie, Mallrats (1995). This movie, as Kevin has said, was meant to be a "smart Porkys". Although it didn't do well at all in the box office, it has done more then well on video store shelves and is usually the favorite among many Smith fans. During filming for the movie Smith met his new close friends and stars of his next movie, Ben Affleck and Jason Lee and his new girlfriend, Joey Lauren Adams. Smith has said that his relationship with Adams has been much of an inspiration for his next movie, Chasing Amy (1997), Smith's comedy drama which won two independent Spirit awards: Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Role (for Jason Lee. Around the time that Chasing Amy (1997) was wrapping, Smith broke up with Adams, and then when the Spirit awards were approaching he met his soon-to-be wife, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith. After _Chasing Amy (1997) , Smith started on Dogma (1999), a controversial film about Christianity. Around this time Smith's wife gave birth to their first baby girl, Harley Quinn Smith. Harley Quinn and Jennifer both have roles in Smith's next film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001). In this road trip comedy, the cult heroes, Jay and Silent Bob go on an adventure to stop the production of a movie being made about them, find true love, and save an orangutan. In 2004, he wrote and directed Jersey Girl (2004), starring Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler, and two years later he completed the sequel to his first film, Clerks II (2006). Smith has also written scripts for such comics as Daredevil and Green Arrow. He also wrote a script for a new Superman movie but decided to leave the project. Smith has opened a comic book store, has a production company, writes articles for Arena magazine, and does short films for the Leno show. He has accomplished so much and he has only been around since 1994.
Trivia random: Will not use the opening credit "A Kevin Smith Film" because he believes a film is the work of ALL the people involved, not just the director.
Citazione random: "I wasn't disappointed by The Phantom Menace. I know a lot of people were but I was one of those cats who wasn't. You go in with low expectations, or not expecting it to bring you right back to the days of your youth, but it's kind of a fun movie."
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Jersey Girl (2004)
Regista: Kevin Smith Scrittore: Kevin Smith Genere: Comedy, Drama
Valutazione: 6.4/10 (14021 voti)
Durata: 102 min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English
Cast:Trama:Ollie Trinkie is a publicist, who has a great girlfriend, Gertrude, whom he marries and they are expecting a baby but while he is looking forward to being a father, he doesn't lighten his workload. Gertrude gives birth but dies in the process. Ollie doesn't live up to his responsibilities as a father. Eventually the strain and pressure of losing his wife and being a father gets to him and he has breakdown, which leads to his termination. So with nothing much to do he tries to be good father to his daughter, Gertie. He also meets a young woman name Maya, who likes him but he is still not over his wife.
Trivia random: When the script was first written it was a number from "Cats" that Gertie was to perform at her school play, but the show closed before filming started. It was replaced with a number from "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street".
Citazione random: Girl #1: My mom and dad are very religious. At night I hear them scream, Jesus!
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Clerks II (2006)
Regista: Kevin Smith Scrittore: Kevin Smith Genere: Comedy
Valutazione: 7.9/10 (25491 voti)
Durata: 97 min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English
Cast:Trama:The sequel picks up 10 years later. "It's about what happens when that lazy, 20-something malaise lasts into your 30s. Those dudes are kind of still mired, not in that same exact situation, but in a place where it's time to actually grow up and do something more than just sit around and dissect pop culture and talk about sex," Smith said during an interview at his Hollywood office. "It's: What happened to these dudes?"
Trivia random: When Dante picks up Randal in the beginning of the film, the house Randal comes out of was Kevin Smith's childhood home on 21 Jackson St.
Citazione random: Hobbit Lover: I'm gonna kick your ass back to the Shire if you don't shut your fucking mouth.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Affleck, Ben
Nome di battesimo: Affleck-Boldt, Benjamin Geza
Data di nascita: 15 August 1972
Altezza: 6' 2½" (1.89 m)
Coniuge: Jennifer Garner::(29 June 2005 - present) 1 child
Ultimi lavori: Biografia:Benjamin Geza Affleck was born on August 15, 1972 in Berkeley, California, USA but raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He was born to parents Tim Affleck, a social worker who is now divorced from Ben's mother Chris Affleck, a school teacher. Ben also has a younger brother, actor Casey Affleck, who was born in 1975. Ben wanted to be an actor ever since he could remember and his first acting experience was for a Burger King commercial, when he was *very* young. At 8 years old Ben was given his first steady acting job on the PBS mini-series "The Voyage of the Mimi" (1984). It was also at that age when Ben met his lifelong friend and fellow actor, Matt Damon. They played little league together and took drama classes together. Ben's teen years consisted of mainly TV movies and small television appearances including Hands of a Stranger (1987) (TV) and "The Second Voyage of the Mimi" (1988). He made his big introduction into feature films in 1993 when he was cast in Dazed and Confused (1993). After that he did mostly independent films like Kevin Smith's Mallrats (1995) and Chasing Amy (1997) which were great for Ben's career, receiving renowned appreciation for his works at the Sundance film festival. But the success he was having in independent films didn't last much longer and things got a little shaky for Ben. He was living in an apartment with his brother Casey and friend Matt, getting tired of being turned down for the big roles in films and being given the forgettable supporting ones. Since Matt was having the same trouble they decided to write their own script, where they could call all the shots. So, after finishing the script for Good Will Hunting (1997) they gave it to their agent Patrick Whitesell who showed it to a few Hollywood studios, finally being accepted by Castlerock. It was great news for the two but Castlerock wasn't willing to give Ben and Matt the control over the project they were hoping for. It was friend Kevin Smith who took it to the head of Miramax who bought the script giving Ben and Matt the control they wanted and in December of 1997 Good Will Hunting (1997) was released, making the two unknown actors famous. The film was nominated for 9 Academy Awards and won two, including Best Original Screenplay for Ben and Matt. The film marked Ben's breakthrough role, in which he was given for the first time the chance to choose roles instead of having to go through grueling auditions constantly. He chose such roles in the blockbusters _Armageddon (1998)_ , Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Pearl Harbor (2001). With these hits to his credit, Hollywood can't seem to get enough of Ben, with directors wanting him in their movies and companies wanting his screenplays. His inspirational story of hard work and amazing climb to the top has brought him what he deserves and Ben Affleck has shown no sign of slowing down.
Trivia random: Tom Clancy wrote a script for a new Jack Ryan film entitled "Red Rabbit", with him in mind. "Red Rabbit" is set in the early 1980s, (when Clancy's novel version of Ryan was about Affleck's age) and chronicles a Soviet plot to kill Pope John Paul II only a few years into his reign.
Citazione random: [Dee Dee Myers asks during the Democratic National Convention, "Ben, when you go around the country, how do people react to you when you're campaigning?":] "Well, I mean, to be perfectly honest, probably the most effective things that celebrities do for political candidates is raise money. You know, that's something that you can do. And unlike, say, fund-raisers sponsored by -- you know, engineered by insurance companies or oil companies, at least what you can say for celebrities is they're not expecting, you know, deregulation of their industry in return. So that's one of things that I'm, I've been able to do and to try to help them do it. Other than that, you know, I've lived this sort of strange, sometimes unpleasant, but mostly very lucky life that's involved lately a lot of media attention. And one of the things that feels good to me to do is to try to steer that in a direction of something more significant and at least be -- try to create some political dialogue. And that's satisfying. Some people react to me kindly, and others don't. That's sort of the nature of politics." [Myers follows up: "Do you think it's kind of a risk for your career as movie star to get in bed with one party?"] "Unequivocally. Absolutely. And I think that's why, you know, actually, people say, Well, you see all these celebrities. To my mind, you see very, very few. Most feel like, and probably correctly so, that to be identified with one side of the ideological fence or other risks alienating a segment of your audience that may like your movies, may want to buy your tickets, and in fact, may make it more difficult for them to suspend their disbelief when they go see you in a movie because they have you closely identified with something else. For me, part of that is already compromised, and it's also something that's interesting enough for me, and I don't care quite so much about that kind of image that I'm able to do it. But I think a lot of people shy away from it, and many celebrities you see who've gone out there, tried to be active, have gotten pretty beaten down, you know? And so I think there is a risk, yes." [July 27, 2004, quoted in the MSNBC Transcripts]
Salario massimo: $300,000 (split $600,000 script sale with Matt Damon), per Good Will Hunting (1997)
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Dawson, Rosario
Data di nascita: 9 May 1979
Altezza: 5' 7" (1.70 m)
Ultimi lavori: Trivia random: 2006 - Co-created the comic book "Occult Crimes Taskforce.".
Citazione random: "As an actor there are times when you're sitting around and wishing you were working, so you've got to just take it when it comes."
Salario massimo: $1,000,000, per Rent (2005)
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Chasing Amy (1997)
In cerca di Amy
Regista: Kevin Smith Scrittore: Kevin Smith Genere: Comedy, Romance, Drama
Valutazione: 7.5/10 (43416 voti)
Durata: 113 min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English
Cast:Trama:Holden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything's going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.
Trivia random: Silent Bob tells Jay that "What he doesn't know about him could just about fill the Grand Canyon". In Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Robert Redford says the same thing to Paul Newman.
Citazione random: Alyssa: Fuck you.::Banky Edwards: Not even if you let me tape it
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Dogma (1999)
Dogma
Regista: Kevin Smith Scrittore: Kevin Smith Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Valutazione: 7.3/10 (63877 voti)
Durata: 130 min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English
Cast:Trama:The great grand niece of Jesus Christ is enlisted to prevent two angels from reentering Heaven and thus undoing the fabric of the universe. Along the way, she is aided by two prophets, Jay and Silent Bob. With the help of Rufus, the 13th Apostle, they must stop those who stand in their way and prevent the angels from entering Heaven.
Trivia random: Rufus tells Bethany something no one else knew, about a boy named Bryan Johnson. Bryan Johnson is a friend of Kevin Smith's and appears in most of his films. Johnson is a writer/director who directed the first film from View Askew (Smith's production company) not to be directed by Kevin Smith - Vulgar (2000).
Citazione random: Jay: Hey Big Bird? Wanna play the Counting Game? Count the shells Sucker Duck!::[proceeds to shoot off Bartelby's wings with an Uzi]
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
Jay & Silent Bob... Fermate Hollywood!
Regista: Kevin Smith Scrittore: Kevin Smith,
Kevin Smith Genere: Adventure, Comedy
Valutazione: 6.8/10 (37055 voti)
Durata: 104 min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English
Cast:Trama:Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a tale of adventure on the open road. When Dante and Randal (of Clerks fame) get a restraining order to keep the punchy Jay and his hetero life-mate, Silent Bob, from selling drugs in front of the Quick Stop convenience store, their lives are suddenly empty. They find new purpose when their friend, Brodie, informs them a movie is being made featuring two infamous characters based on their likenesses. After visiting one of the creators of the Bluntman and Chronic, Holden McNeil, they set out to get what fat movie cash they deserve and hopefully put an end to people slandering them on the Internet. Along the way, they learn the rules of the road from a hitchhiking George Carlin, ride with a group of gorgeous jewel thieves, and incur the wrath of a hapless wildlife marshal for liberating an orangutan named Suzanne. The quest takes them from New Jersey to Hollywood where a showdown involving the police, the jewel thieves, and the Bluntman and Chronic filmmakers will decide the fate of Suzanne, Jay, Silent Bob, and their good names.
Trivia random: The high amount of profanity caused some challenges for those hired to translate the film into other languages. In the DVD release, the word "merde" (which means "shit") is substituted for "fuck" in the French language soundtrack.
Citazione random: Jay: What are you trying to say? Just say it already.::Silent Bob: [screams] THE SIGN on the back of the car said "Critters Of HOLLYWOOD", YOU DUMB FUCK!::Jay: Say it, don't spray it.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Clerks. (1994)
Clerks - commessi
Regista: Kevin Smith Scrittore: Kevin Smith Genere: Comedy
Valutazione: 7.9/10 (58302 voti)
Durata: 92 min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English, Russian
Cast:Trama:Dante Hicks is a clerk at a local convenience store in New Jersey. On one particular Saturday morning, he gets called in on his day off. Once there, he must deal with multiple problems. The shutters outside won't open. His ex-girlfriend, whom he is still in love with, is getting married. His girlfriend, who bugs him about starting college, has revealed certain, uh...stuff about her past. His boss hasn't come in to take his place. He has a hockey game at 2 o'clock. Another ex has died, and today's the last day he can go to her wake. He must deal with customers that aren't so intelligent. His friend, Randal, a clerk at the video store next door, is even less dedicated to his job than Dante, and is always bothering Dante's customers. And the biggest problem of them all: HE'S NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE THERE TODAY!! Can Dante manage it all?
Trivia random: The "RST" in RST Video stands "Rajiv, Sarla, Tarlochen." Those are the first names of the son, mother, and father team who owned (and still own) the video store and the Quick Stop.
Citazione random: Dante Hicks: You know what the real tragedy about all this is? I'm not even supposed to be here today!::Randal Graves: Oh, fuck you! Fuck you, pal! Jesus, there you go trying to pass the buck. I'm the source of all your misery. Who closed the store to play hockey? Who closed the store to go to a wake? Who tried to win back his ex girlfriend without even discussing how he felt with his present one? You wanna blame somebody? Blame yourself. "I'm not even supposed to be here today."::[throws stuff at Dante]::Randal Graves: You sound like an asshole! Jesus, nobody twisted your arm to be here. You're here of your own volition. You like to think the weight of the world rests on your shoulder. Like this place would fall apart if Dante wasn't here. Jesus, you overcompensate for having what's basically a monkey's job. You push fucking buttons. Anybody can just waltz in here and do our jobs. You-You're so obsessed with making it seem so much more epic, so much more important than it really is. Christ, you work in a convenience store, Dante! And badly, I might add! I work in a shitty video store, badly as well. You know, that guy Jay's got it right, man. He has no delusions about what he does. Us, we like to make ourselves seem so much more important than the people that come in here to buy a paper, or, god forbid, cigarettes. We look down on them as if we're so advanced. Well, if we're so fucking advanced, what are we doing working here?
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Mallrats (1995)
Generazione X
Regista: Kevin Smith Scrittore: Kevin Smith Genere: Comedy, Romance
Valutazione: 7.1/10 (33173 voti)
Durata: 94 min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English
Cast:Trama:Brodie Bruce, a Sega and comic book obsessed college student, and his best friend, TS Quint, are both dumped by their girlfriends on the same day, and to deal with their loss, they both go to the local mall. Along the way, they meet up with some friends, including Willam, a guy who stares at Magic Eye pictures, desprately trying to see the hidden image; Gwen, one of TS's ex-girlfriends; and Jay & Silent Bob, of Clerks fame. Eventually, they decide to try and win back their significant others, and take care of their respective nemesises (TS's girlfriend's father, and a store clerk who hates the two for not having any shopping agenda).
Trivia random: The book Bob is reading in the bookstore is simply a mockup, as is the display stand - the real book had not come out yet.
Citazione random: Ivannah: Free your minds.::Brodie: I'd like to free something...
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb. 
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