Clerks X

So, if you're Kevin Smith and your "new" direction (the more "mature" Jersey Girl) didn't have enough of your style (i.e., dick and fart jokes) to please old fans and succumbed to the bloated disaster that was two or your stars' worst film ever (Gigli), in terms of appealing to a new mainstream audience, what's a Silent Bob to do? In Smith's case, it's release a tenth anniversary edition of the film that started it all for him (Clerks, duh) and boldly state that you're going back to where you said you'd never go again and make its sequel (Clerks 2). Telling the tale of the worst day ever in the life of two of the most horrendous employees retail service has to offer (Dante and Randell), shot entirely in black and white and loosely based on Dante's Inferno (if hell were jockeying a register at a convenience store, wait a sec…), Clerks may not be Smith's best work (Chasing Amy), but it is still endearing, even ten years later. However, while laden with what would become Smith's trademark intelligent, sharp, sometimes overly long dialogue (Smith's greatest attribute), where Clerks always faltered was with its acting. Featuring mainly friends of Smith (for those unfamiliar with the story, Clerks was financed independently by Smith via credit cards), often the performances are wooden (at best), with the actors and actresses just trying to deliver Smith's speechifying without suffocating. Still, it's a testament to Smith's then fledgling ability and writing that his characters have become as endearing as they have since the movie's release and that Clerks was the most stolen tape from rental chains, pre-DVD. Extra-wise, this three-disc Clerks X set is stacked, including the original warts and all (taken from a VHS copy) Sundance cut (complete with alternative ending) with new commentary track, the original Clerks commentary with the standard version of the film (fans of Smith know he always does commentary right, being an engaging story teller), MTV spots (some of which are actually funny), outtakes and surely everything else vaguely Clerks-related. Plus: music video, trailer, more. (Alliance Atlantis)