Zack and Miri, DVD review

I wasn't disappointed by Kevin Smith's most recent comedy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno. I listen to Smith and his producer, Scott Mosier's podcast almost weekly, so I feel like I know how Smith speaks and what he finds funny, and Zack and Miri fits great into that. Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks are terrific, as is much of the supporting cast, especially Justin Long. However, I don't really care for the amount of swearing and sex that goes into all of the conversation. I'm not particularly curious about the many different possibilities that the porn world explores, and this movie takes to a different level. So, I have to say, I liked the movie, but I doubt I'd watch it again, and I have trouble recommending it to people who don't already know what they're getting into. If you like Smith's style and storytelling, then you'd probably like it too.

Why I love Kevin Smith

There's a lot about Kevin Smith I didn't know a year ago, and I was probably a better person. However, now that I know more, I do have even more respect for him as a person and not just as a film maker. First, I love most of his movies. Mallrats was the first of his movies I saw, and watched it over and over. It was hilarious, talkative, and probably dirtier-mouthed than any movie I'd seen that far. Jay and Silent Bob were some of the most innovative characters I'd ever seen. Afterward, I've see Clerks, which I can't love like Mallrats, but still think is pretty amazing. Chasing Amy was pretty amazing, again opened doors I'd never even known existed. And finally Dogma appealed to me on a personal level. I'd always wondered about a lot of the rules of my own religion and Kevin Smith just put them all into a movie, and still made it funny and crazy while not disrespecting religion, just questioning certain elements. I love it, I watch it all the time still. Okay, so those are the movies (I can't wait to see Zack and Miri make a Porno). But there are other media that Kevin Smith has started that are almost more intriguing. First is his podcast: Smodcast available on itunes. He and usually his producer Scott Mosier sit and talk for an hour about whatever floats their boat that day. Then they ponder various incarnations of it, and how it relates to sex, love and such. It's usually very funny, always fairly vulgar, but if that bothers you, you already don't like Kevin Smith. He has some guest hosts too, notably his wife Jennifer Schwalbach who is hysterical. Other guest hosts are fun too. He did a father's day episode talking about poo with his daughter. It was actually pretty sweet. And finally, I just started watching "An Evening with Kevin Smith" through Netflix on my Roku and it's also hysterical. It's a series of Q&A interviews he did at college campuses edited together. It's funny, informative, and silly. I like it so far. And these are among the many reason I love Kevin Smith.