If I might respond by borrowing another Kevin Smith cliché and overanalysing a Star Wars reference, the problem I think both with Anakin and Smith is that people assumed way too much of him. The guy made entertaining fun movies. There was no specific destiny that he would become good, or achieve cinema verite, or that he would usher in a new era of peace. Similarly, the idea that Anakin would bring balance to the Force was technically true, but there were a lot of things that were assumed into it. That Anakin would be the good guy in the whole thing. That he would be the hero. And that was dumb. But it works because people behave that way. And people did behave that way. They read into Smith far more than they should have, and were disappointed most for the things he didn't do that he never actually said he would.
I love the "Askewniverse" or whatever it's called. I love those movies far more than I ever should have. Even "The Bad Ones." But when he stopped making them, he sort of fell off my radar. Not because I'm mad at Jersey Girl, but because he stopped making entertaining movies I could laugh at over and over. But this is the danger of declaring the "new guard" and putting all your hopes into someone.
I hope the end point of this is that the backlash against Smith is not so much his doing, but the doing of the Gen Xers who held him up on their shoulders. Except I suspect the "Chosen One" quote is probably not going in that direction.
But then, I was never invested enough in him to care about his podcasts and stuff, so maybe there's something else I'm missing.
And don't get me wrong, I'm not one of them. I've never been of the opinion that Kevin Smith was great, nor have I hated him. His movies (to a point) were fun and made me and my friends laugh and I still enjoy watching them to this day. Then he started to do stuff I didn't care about and he fell off my radar, mostly. That's about it. I don't love or hate him, I'm not holding grudges or carrying torches, I just like to laugh at offbeat movies.
But Bob certainly isn't the only gen Xer with an issue with Kevin Smith.
Granted, I guess I have to wait until next time to see specifically what his arguments are, but I doubt they're too out of step with a large group of 90s kids.
I love the "Askewniverse" or whatever it's called. I love those movies far more than I ever should have. Even "The Bad Ones." But when he stopped making them, he sort of fell off my radar. Not because I'm mad at Jersey Girl, but because he stopped making entertaining movies I could laugh at over and over. But this is the danger of declaring the "new guard" and putting all your hopes into someone.
I hope the end point of this is that the backlash against Smith is not so much his doing, but the doing of the Gen Xers who held him up on their shoulders. Except I suspect the "Chosen One" quote is probably not going in that direction.
But then, I was never invested enough in him to care about his podcasts and stuff, so maybe there's something else I'm missing.
I don't think it's just him. There seems to be an army of people like him out there on the greater web. That may not translate to the Escapist quite so well, but this is true of a lot of cases.piscian said:*sigh* time for another "things bob doesn't like" series. Bob I'm 32, I play mtg, I know what Leftover crack is and I've seen the Ewoks movies. I like Kevin Smith just fine. This hate you have a guy who made movies that didn't always fit what you wanted is yours alone. I thought Red State was awesome and I liked his other movies for the most part. I like his TV show.
You sometimes come off as the woody allen high art fanboy critics you so despise. Looking forward to your third act back pedal on this one.
And don't get me wrong, I'm not one of them. I've never been of the opinion that Kevin Smith was great, nor have I hated him. His movies (to a point) were fun and made me and my friends laugh and I still enjoy watching them to this day. Then he started to do stuff I didn't care about and he fell off my radar, mostly. That's about it. I don't love or hate him, I'm not holding grudges or carrying torches, I just like to laugh at offbeat movies.
But Bob certainly isn't the only gen Xer with an issue with Kevin Smith.
Granted, I guess I have to wait until next time to see specifically what his arguments are, but I doubt they're too out of step with a large group of 90s kids.