Kevin Smith 3-Movie Collection Blu-ray Review
You can’t go wrong with this great three disc set.
GRADES:
Content: A
Picture: B+
Audio: B
Extras: A-
THE MOVIES:
The “Kevin Smith 3-Movie Collection” Blu-ray set contains “Clerks,” “Chasing Amy,” and “Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back.” Below I have provided a breakdown of all three films, as well as the disc’s picture/sound quality and extra features.
Looking at Kevin Smith’s first feature film “Clerks” today, it is certainly a bit rough around the edges, but it still holds up remarkably well 15 years later thanks to Smith’s snappy and hilarious dialogue and, more importantly, the great characters he created. While raunchier than the average person, Quick Stop convenience store employees Dante and Randal are both relatable, personable people because, like most people in life, they want more out of life than crappy 9-5 jobs. Any 20 something person can identify with these two guys mindsets which is why “Clerks” remains resonates with so many filmgoers. Plus, it’s hard to ignore Smith’s fresh perspective and his witty and eccentric characters that he has managed to build a large fanbase/empire off of.
Despite some typically R rated dialogue, “Chasing Amy” is unquestionably Smith’s most mature work to date. The story of a comic artist (played by Ben Affleck) falling in love with a lesbian has a lot to say about relationships, love, and sexuality. It doesn’t hurt that there are amusing inside jokes about the comic industry, memorable characters (like Brodie), and plenty of hilarious one-liners and pop culture references to boot.
“Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back” may be nothing more than a silly road trip filled with potty humor, but it’s an absolute blast for fans of the View Askewniverse. ‘Jay’ is jam packed full of clever and funny references to Smith’s previous works, pop culture references (most notably “Star Wars”), as well as cameos from everyone from Carrie Fisher to Jon Stewart. Additionally, I liked the fact that many laughs came at the expense of Smith himself as he constantly pokes fun at himself (and his work). The only real downside here is an over-the-top and obnoxious performance by Will Ferrell as a Wildlife Marshall.
Summary: If you already own all three films on DVD, there isn’t much need to upgrade to Blu-ray. However, if you have yet to buy these three films or (for some odd reason) have yet to see a Kevin Smith film, you owe it to yourself to buy this Blu-ray set.
PICTURE AND SOUND:
‘Amy’ and “Clerks” are presented in 1.85:1 1080p while ‘Jay’ is presented in 2.35:1 1080p. You might think that having the extremely grainy “Clerks” on Blu-ray would be odd, but the movie has been cleaned up and it surprisingly doesn’t look half bad. ‘Jay’ has the best transfer here despite the presence of some dirt specs here and there. The transfer for ‘Amy’ is sadly not up to Blu-ray standards. The colors and skin tones are washed out and faded looking. Honestly, the picture quality on the Criterion DVD looks just as good if not better than the Blu-ray.
‘Amy’ and ‘Jay’ have 5.1 Uncompressed audio tracks while the “Clerks” disc contains a 5.1 DTS-HD. ‘Amy’ has the weakest audio track of the three. The dialogue and music sounded flat to me. ‘Jay,’ on the other hand, has the best audio track, but that’s to be expected as it’s the most recent film of the three. The music in particular was a definite improvement here over the DVD release. As for “Clerks,” the DTS-HD track was solid all around.
EXTRAS:
Chasing Amy Extras:
* Miramax/Disney trailers, 10 deleted scenes, outtakes and a theatrical trailer.
* This Blu-ray disc contains 4 new extras including a “10 Years Later Q&A” with the cast, a conversation with Kevin Smith and Joey Lauren Adams, a new commentary by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier, and an 82 minute making of documentary titled “Tracing Amy.”
Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back Extras:
Sadly, the only extras here are Disney/Miramax trailers and a commentary by Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes and Scott Mosier. All of the extras from the great 2 disc DVD set are nowhere to be seen.
Clerks Extras:
Theatrical trailer, a music video, trivia track, commentary on both the theatrical and first cut editions, Kevin Smith intros, 9 MTV Spots, a featurette on the “Clerks” restoration, original audition footage, a superb 90 minute documentary about “Clerks” titled “Snowball Effect,” outtakes from “Snowball Effect,” Tenth Anniversary Q&A with the cast and crew, “The Flying Car” short film from “The Tonight Show” featuring Dante and Randal, “Clerks- Lost Scene” animated short at the funeral parlor, and a student film titled “Mae Day: The Crumbling Of A Documentary.” Also included is a 90 minute extra title “Oh, What A Lovely Tea-Party: The Making Of Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back.” Why this isn’t on the “Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back” Blu-ray disc, I don’t know.
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