Five Favorite Films with Kevin Smith

Summary

RT spoke to Smith for his five favorite films ever, and followed up with an interview about dealing with the MPAA and the process of creating the Zack and Miri universe. Back to Article

Comments

vitajex

Mike M

Love Kevin Smith, but "A Man for All Seasons" was about Henry VIII, not Henry VII... Hope that's just a typo...

Oct 28 - 03:29 PM

vfxtodd

Todd Groves

"...they aren't even the best films by those directors. That's either trying to be "edgy", or actually being lame."

Kevin Smith was stating his opinion. Unfortunately, you seem to be mistaking your opinions for fact. While I liked Spike Lee's "25th Hour", I agree with Kevin Smith that "Do The Right Thing" was his best. But like every other comment on this web site, its just an opinion.

Let's take movie reviewers in general. If any, or all, of them were "right", then why do they disagree on what are good and bad films? I'll tell you why. Because they're just stating their opinions. I find that many times reviewers miss the boat on films they don't like, most of the time. Sure, you and I might agree on films once in a while. That doesn't make us right. It just means we agree. And sure, there are really bad films out there that ALL of us can agree ARE bad. But, I'd say a majority of the time, movie reviewers are simply full of themselves. Failed screenwriters that could find no other occupation related to films that they could land. But, that's just my opinion.

Oct 28 - 08:33 PM

S H.

S H

I hate Kevin Smith.

Oct 29 - 05:12 AM

Jason C.

Jason Coffey

Then beat it nerd. I hate you for your ignorance. Have you ever met Kevin Smith? He is an extremely honest, down to earth and inspiring film maker. I wonder what you do for a living? What ever you do I guarantee K. Smith wouldn't talk bad about you because he could care less. So basically... I hate ingrates like yourself that bash successful people because you are just a nobody and always will be. Kevin made his life something great out of not much and has provided fantastic entertainment for millions of people. He is a positive person and you are a completely insecure coward that needs a good old fashioned *** kicking. Watch your mouth son.

Oct 31 - 06:34 PM

S H.

S H

**** you and **** Kevin Smith. I hate ignorant geeks like you who take other people's opinions that happen to oppose yours so personally. I don't like Kevin Smith and I never will. I don't care if he's successful or not. Have you met Kevin Smith? How do you know he's so amazing, honest, and down to earth? From his interviews online? Did you see him at a convention? Or was it from one of his self-indulgent straight-to-DVD "Q&A documentaries" that are basically just him standing in a room of cave people who laugh at the simple and prejudice humor he spits out? Or am I totally wrong, and did you spend two months squatting on the couch in his bungalow just because he's such a great charitable guy that he'd do something like that for such a devoted zealot as yourself?

I'm not an insecure coward if I'm stating my opinion. I hate Kevin Smith. I'm not sorry. And **** you.

Nov 1 - 08:01 AM

filmdudejeff

Jeff Friedlander

BWAHAHAHAHA. You are FUNNNNY!!!!!!

Nov 3 - 04:17 PM

scbyfn4evr

saint jimmy

Kevin, your movies made me love movies, and the stuff you did behind the scenes to get those movies going made me believe that anyone who actually gives a **** about art can make a movie. Best of luck to you man, we all can't wait for the Zack and Miri premiere...and perhaps Red State soon?

Oct 29 - 08:26 AM

High School With Money

LEEEROOOOOAAAAHHHH MMMYYAAAANKEEEUUUNNNNSSSS

Cool interview. This Picture is Not Yet Rated didn't cover the appeal process like this, so reading about that is rather intriguing. And it is strange that the MPAA thinks it needs to watchdog the webbernet just because a film belongs to an MPAA-approved studio. Is that a matter of copyright infringement when said material goes over their heads and into some random videolog? It would seem to smack of studio involvment, since the MPAA is too few in number to account for the policing, as would any reporting done about DVD extras. It may come to pass that those extras get spied on and rated just as well. Sad.

I'm suprised he didn't add Phantoms to the list. Scuttlebutt has it that Affleck was the bom' in it.

Largelabia.com... heh heh...

[ ... looks it up... ]

Oct 29 - 10:44 AM

GreatDecay

Jack W

I am really shocked that he didn't name Star Wars.

Oct 29 - 01:24 PM

Indy!

Indy! Last

Led Zeppelin? Good lord, talk about your overrated cover bands. Half their songs are just standard blues numbers with the volume turned up to 11. They stole their most famous (and most overblown) song - Stairway - from Spirit when they opened for them on their first tour (check out "Taurus" from the self-titled Spirit CD). Dazed and Confused was a Yardbirds tune they hijacked as well. The sad truth is when you left those four to their own musical devices the best they could come up with was pretentious, self-possessed crapola like Kashmir and Hats Off to Roy Harper. Better than the Beatles? Anyone who would even suggest it obviously has a very limited musical vocabulary. Either that or they're just plain nuts.

PS: Why was Kevin Smith watching The Gumball Rally?

Oct 29 - 05:15 PM

Islander

John Watkins

Thank GOODNESS he mentions "Last Temptation of the Christ"!!! Everyone blathers on and on about other Scorsese films like "Goodfellas" (it was good, but definitely not classic!) and "Raging Bull" (exactly that: a load of raging bull), but all the fans mysteriously skip over Last Temptation. Martin Scorsese seems like a pretty good director, but he hasn't made anything that really resonates me, which is why I want to give him one last go with "Last Temptation", because I actually AM highly interested in religion, which is a lot more applicable to our lives than stories about greedy gangsters and boorish boxers. I'm glad that Kevin Smith has recommended it. I feel I'd get along very nicely with him; I myself am also a deeply spiritual Christian who can't relate to most Christians in America nowadays.

Oct 30 - 08:22 PM

Dan C.

Dan Chin

Kevin Smith is a top Notched Producer, I Like Dick And Fart Jokes as well! Keep Up the Excellent Work! I hope the Sci-Fi Movie and Red State will come sooner than later!!

Oct 30 - 09:25 PM

Dan C.

Dan Chin

Oh my Top Five Movies
1. Clerks
2. MallRats
3. Dogma
4. Clerks 2
5. Spaceballs

Oct 30 - 09:27 PM

StonetheCrow

First Last

I'm not a religious bastard in the least, but it's funny how - I saw both the major controversial Jesus flicks in the same year 2004, and it is THIS ' Last Temptation of Christ ' that really comes off as the Focus on the Family-Ultra-Right-Wing one, while ' The Passion of the Christ ' seems to be the Leftist stuff. The Martin Scorcese picture actually spends most its time scoffing at sex and how its bad for Jesus, while Mel Gibson's work's busy railing against the folly of Empire and the religio-nutcases who brutalize people who preach brotherhood and peace. You get out of that ' 80's flick thinking ' women only get in the way of the Lord ', and ' getting laid will doom mankind, especially if you've got this ' grand mission ' '. ' We were all saved because Jesus scoffed at copulation '. Isn't that the sort of ironic, counter-intuitive crap you get from Lenten specials, or Bible Belt paraphernalia, forced-stuff into high schools in them abstinence programs, - down to the fruity ' purity rings '? People don't realize 'coz they fixate on the sex and the violence.

Speaking of which, what's the deal with today's PG-13 ?!?!?

Nov 1 - 12:02 PM

Mr. Hulot

sean carney

you are very very wrong on your political leaning towards film with the Last Temptation of Christ and Mel Gibson's snuff film Passion of the Christ

Nov 1 - 05:37 PM

Rash Hunt

Rash Hunt

Clerks in Space, Coming soon!

Ultimately this is a pretty solid list with easy to recognize auteurs attached to each. On another note, it is nice to see that Kevin Smith enjoys Oliver Stone's material since they are both my favourite modern American directors.

Nov 2 - 10:11 AM

Rash Hunt

Rash Hunt

"He is an extremely honest, down to earth and inspiring film maker."

Gay.

Nov 2 - 10:12 AM

LillyVon

Gabrielle *no way*

Great choices! I have a guilty pleasure of watching JFK once a year. I love getting my teeth into that movie.

Really looking forward to seeing Zack and Miri very much! One of my more anticipted films this end of year!

And PLEASE swing by RTGD again one day - I know last time was 'weird' but we promise to behave and any a** clowns shall be delt with!

Nov 3 - 02:28 PM

filmdudejeff

Jeff Friedlander

I like Kevin Smith but his writing has traditionally emphasized religion as a goofy mythology. That's cool for some people but not my cup of tea. It gets old really quick for me because I've always thought that "what-if" stories that deal with religion, aside from the Bible, read or view like mental masturbation, (ie--Phenomena, What Dreams May Come, Dogma, The Prophecy, etc). Aside from that, Smith is a talented filmaker with a great knack for humor, dialogue and believable characters. I look forward to watching Zack and Miri and hope that it ends my hiatus from his films.

Nov 3 - 04:12 PM

Sablicious

Sablicious ko

Kevin Smith was great back in the 'Chasing Amy' and 'Clerks'(1) days. Since then he's trailed off into the realm of the absurd for mine. A realm where kitch comedy laced with intellectualism has made way for shlock shock gags.
Not really interested in the guy anymore. >_>

Nov 3 - 05:30 PM

Les T.

Les Toil

It's kind of disheartening that Kevin doesn't see much greatness of films before his time. I hope he has explored as far back as Fritz Lang's "M" or "Citizen Kane" or "All Quiet On The Western Front. I mean, even "Taxi Driver", "Clockwork Orange" and "Deer Hunter" rock a lot harder than "The Last Temptation of Christ". Listening to his SMODcast, he seems to have a really strong passion for movies, but I don't sense he's gotten much inspiration from its entire history. I love Kev's movies, but he's gotta move on beyond the dick jokes and the Star Wars references.

Nov 3 - 11:50 PM

Lorraine B.

Lorraine Balon

Wow. I am pleasantly surprised to see A Man for All Seasons on his list. It really is porn for dialogue lovers. I love it! The brilliant dialogue is one of the reasons that I enjoy Smith's movies so much. He injects his dialogue intelligence and philosophy then slathers a heap of humor on top. Fantastic!

Nov 21 - 09:38 PM

flippp w.

flippp wilson

No surprises here. He's had the same top five for years.

Dec 5 - 09:47 AM

peryteran

Pierre Rienne

how is babby formed?

Dec 31 - 07:33 AM

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