Worst Personal Reflection on One's Generation Ever

[Huggy]

Randal ordering videos is one of my fave scenes in any film

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Kevin Smith is awful. His movies have terrible structure, are horribly self centered, and have a tone of misogony.

Forgive me if I don't find him a voice of a generation or even an artistic voice I can even give a **** about.

Great thanks. Don’t want to out, but you’ve gotta be Phil Mushnik. Because you ****ing hate everything.

Some respect for consistency I guess.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Love it.
Also:
“You know, there's a million fine looking women in the world, dude.But they don't all bring you lasagna at work.Most of 'em just cheat on you.”

Also also:
“Pack o' wraps, my brotherman, time to kick back, drink some beers and shmoke some weed!”

"You guys see any balls down there?"

"Bout the biggest pair you've ever seen...dingleberry."

 

[justgladtobehere]

Great thanks. Don’t want to out, but you’ve gotta be Phil Mushnik. Because you ****ing hate everything.

Some respect for consistency I guess.

Clerks was funny, but it's not a well made film and not just because it was cheap. Smith's films are so poorly done. Any independent director from the '90's who is still around is so much better than Smith.

His resume shows what Hollywood thinks of him. The results are in. He is not good.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Clerks was funny, but it's not a well made film and not just because it was cheap. Smith's films are so poorly done. Any independent director from the '90's who is still around is so much better than Smith.

His resume shows what Hollywood thinks of him. The results are in. He is not good.

I won't quibble with technique, that's been documented. Though, I think he improved in that aspect along the way. Clerks was basically a student film.

I'll absolutely push back on "what Hollywood thinks" and "he's not good." What Hollywood wants is largely awful, mass-produced, focus-group written garbage.

Smith has fans, obviously. Not everyone cup of tea and clearly not yours. Which is a-OK. But judging on "what Hollywood thinks" is a poor argument.

 

[fossywriter8]

Dude writes about Gen X with a lot of music references without mentioning Prince, Madonna, Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys (or hip hop at all) or MTV. He gives one sentence to Kurt Cobain and Nirvana - the same as Morton Feldman, Pierre Schaffer and Theodor Adorno (who the **** are they!?!). Is this Jann Wenner’s alt?

Musically speaking, as a Gen-X'er I was never into Pearl Jam, Kurt Cobain or Nirvana. And I certainly don't know who Morton Feldman, Pierre Schaffer and Theodor Adorno were.

 

[Songbird]

Musically speaking, as a Gen-X'er I was never into Pearl Jam

PJ's last good song was Daughter. They were enormous ... then faded out pretty fast.

 

[justgladtobehere]

I won't quibble with technique, that's been documented. Though, I think he improved in that aspect along the way. Clerks was basically a student film.

I'll absolutely push back on "what Hollywood thinks" and "he's not good." What Hollywood wants is largely awful, mass-produced, focus-group written garbage.

Smith has fans, obviously. Not everyone cup of tea and clearly not yours. Which is a-OK. But judging on "what Hollywood thinks" is a poor argument.

Rian Johnson, Danny Boyle, Wes Anderson, PT Anderson, Quentin Tarantino are around Smith's age or had a debut film around the time of Clerks. Their debuts were much better and they don't go begging for work 30 years later. Smith's problem isn't which movies Hollywood is making.

Slacker was seen as more of a Gen X movie, even though Linklater is technically a boomer.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Rian Johnson, Danny Boyle, Wes Anderson, PT Anderson, Quentin Tarantino are around Smith's age or had a debut film around the time of Clerks. Their debuts were much better and they don't go begging for work 30 years later. Smith's problem isn't which movies Hollywood is making.

Slacker was seen as more of a Gen X movie, even though Linklater is technically a boomer.

It's a subjective argument you're making. As is with all art I suppose. I like some of the directors you listed. I'd also rather gouge my eyes out than watch a Paul Thomas Anderson movie. You seemingly feel the same way about Smith. To each their own.

Not sure if there's much else to discuss here.

 

[justgladtobehere]

It's a subjective argument you're making. As is with all art I suppose. I like some of the directors you listed. I'd also rather gouge my eyes out than watch a Paul Thomas Anderson movie. You seemingly feel the same way about Smith. To each their own.

Not sure if there's much else to discuss here.

I'm not a huge fan of either of the Andersons, but I never watch a movie and think they don't know what they are doing.

 

[I Should Coco]

PJ's last good song was Daughter. They were enormous ... then faded out pretty fast.

Actually, they’ve been putting out pretty good music for the past 30 years IMHO. I still enjoy playing the Backspacer album and their most recent CD, Gigaton, with one of their better songs, “Dance of the Clairvoyants” on it.

 

[MisterCreosote]

Smith’s ****ty production values are an argument in favor of, not against, his being a Gen-X icon.

Tarantino is interesting. I certainly think he’s a Gen-X icon, but I don’t think he’s any more enduring figure than Smith. They both hit their high-water marks very early in their careers.

Tarantino is certainly more technically proficient, but Gen-Xers don’t really give much of a **** about that.

 

[justgladtobehere]

Smith’s ****ty production values are an argument in favor of, not against, his being a Gen-X icon.

Tarantino is interesting. I certainly think he’s a Gen-X icon, but I don’t think he’s any more enduring figure than Smith. They both hit their high-water marks very early in their careers.

Tarantino is certainly more technically proficient, but Gen-Xers don’t really give much of a **** about that.

There is a lot I would argue against in this.

Smith's problem isn't just production values. The problems extend to story, structure, evenness of tone, a lack of anything resembling self awareness, all which ends up in overindulgence, shot very poorly.

Where is it that ****ty production is a staple of Gen X movies let alone defining?

I know people who hate Tarantino. The idea his career arc is in any way comparable to Kevin Smith's is absurd. Name a movie by Smith in the last 10 years you would want to watch. Hell, name a movie.

All the directors I mentioned are lauded for their ability. Gen X doesn't care?

Mumblecore? They showed much more talent than Smith could articulate.

 

[Songbird]

Tarantino has been chasing Basterds for 15 years and hasn't come close to capturing that magic. But Smith's best thing isn't within a thousand wet dreams of Tarantino's worst thing but he does get some credit for making a movie around Joey Lauren Adams.

 

[MisterCreosote]

There is a lot I would argue against in this.

Smith's problem isn't just production values. The problems extend to story, structure, evenness of tone, a lack of anything resembling self awareness, all which ends up in overindulgence, shot very poorly.

Where is it that ****ty production is a staple of Gen X movies let alone defining?

I know people who hate Tarantino. The idea his career arc is in any way comparable to Kevin Smith's is absurd. Name a movie by Smith in the last 10 years you would want to watch. Hell, name a movie.

All the directors I mentioned are lauded for their ability. Gen X doesn't care?

Mumblecore? They showed much more talent than Smith could articulate.

Gen X puts much greater emphasis on connection, and you can connect without all of the traditional Hollywood bells and whistles.

Honestly, reading your post makes me think about the growing chasm between critics and audiences, and how a lot of critics have completely lost touch with what makes a movie “good.”

I would never dare to compare Smith to Tarantino in terms of craft. Only that they both connected with our generation in a way few have. The zeitgeist, if you will.

Almost everyone my age will recognize and understand a quote from Clerks, Pulp Fiction, or Seinfeld.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Musically speaking, as a Gen-X'er I was never into Pearl Jam, Kurt Cobain or Nirvana. And I certainly don't know who Morton Feldman, Pierre Schaffer and Theodor Adorno were.

Oh good. It's not just me.

 

[justgladtobehere]

Gen X puts much greater emphasis on connection, and you can connect without all of the traditional Hollywood bells and whistles.

Honestly, reading your post makes me think about the growing chasm between critics and audiences, and how a lot of critics have completely lost touch with what makes a movie “good.”

I would never dare to compare Smith to Tarantino in terms of craft. Only that they both connected with our generation in a way few have. The zeitgeist, if you will.

Almost everyone my age will recognize and understand a quote from Clerks, Pulp Fiction, or Seinfeld.

I truly think Smith isn't good.

However, I am influenced by Syd Field and his idea of a film structure. So I have an ideal film type and Smith misses it. So if it comes across as a critic's opinion rather than an audience opinion, I will accept that.

But Smith has so many misses. You would think he would learn to make a movie.

 

[Oggiedoggie]

I’m a geezer and my wife and I have two”kiddos.”

I spend most of my day on a computer working with a variety of ever-evolving software. When our 30-something explains in first-grade level language something technical I already know, I call it Z-splaining.

The 20-something usually only long-winded about newer social norms and language. Despite ingrained habits, I’m pretty aware of those norms. But calling that pontification X-splaining just doesn’t work.

 

[justgladtobehere]

I’m a geezer and my wife and I have two”kiddos.”

I spend most of my day on a computer working with a variety of ever-evolving software. When our 30-something explains in first-grade level language something technical I already know, I call it Z-splaining.

The 20-something usually only long-winded about newer social norms and language. Despite ingrained habits, I’m pretty aware of those norms. But calling that pontification X-splaining just doesn’t work.

My father was late 50's early 60's when the Internet and mobile phones became ubiquitous. Not only does he not know how to text, he doesn't understand voicemail. He will call back without listening to a message. I try taking him through apps, and things I find intuitive I have to explain to him in detail.

Pretty much everything I learned to do on the Internet or a phone was self-taught or trial and error. When I have to explain where to click on the menu to find the page he wants or to set up an account, it's like a foreign language. He is just unable to poke around a website and figure it out or transfer the understanding of the way one app or website works to another.

It is so frustrating because he doesn't see all these as intuitive or having a similar logic to them and he just doesn't try to figure it out.

 

[Songbird]

I was "Samsung for life" before switching to T-mobile 2 months ago and getting a free iPhone.

iPhone sucks ass. So user unfriendly and ****ty camera system.