View Askew Productions has become known as the company to beat when it comes to DVD production, so it’s no surprise that the VSDA gave Kevin the first ever DVD visionary award this year. Since the dawn of the format, Kevin and crew have always seen the DVD medium as much more than a place to put only a film. They’ve pushed the envelope to the edge, taking full advantage of space and resources to provide the best possible end product to the fans. From engaging commentary tracks to deleted scenes to personal intros to television material, View Askew has to be the most in-depth production company putting out DVDs today.

Disc one will probably be considered the main disc of the set, given that it contains the newly remastered and restored print of Clerks supervised by DP Dave Klein, the best looking copy of the film yet, anywhere. In addition to that, it’s got our “classic” commentary track from the original Clerks DVD, an enhanced playback track that shows trivia throughout the film, Jay & Bob MTV spots, the animated “lost scene”, “The Flying Car” short, Soul Asylum’s “Can’t Even Tell” video, the original trailer, all of the original auditions, video with Kevin, Scott and Dave on the restoration, and is also the only disc in the set to feature DVD-ROM content.

We kick off the disc insertion with a brand new Miramax 25th anniversary movie montage. Sure, it’s an ad tooting their own horn a bit, but wow, what a great bunch of flicks these guys have made in the past 25. You forget how many GREAT films have been seen and made because of this studio. Don’t skip this one by, let it play through. You’ll enjoy it. Then it’s onto the full Jersey Girl theatrical trailer right off the bat.

We’re then greeted with an animated menu asking if you’re “Ready for some special edition DVD ostentation?” followed by a large floating X which then explodes and leads us to the main menu screen of the disc. “Berserker” plays in the background. Then, like a kid in a candy store, I was off to explore the massive amount of options on this first disc.

CLERKS: THE MOVIE

How can I give any less than four stars to the film that made me a View Askew fan for life? This is the original Clerks, after all, and there’s not much more I can say than that. The one that started it all. There’s not much more I can say about the film that hasn’t already been said, so let’s take a quick peek at the video and audio enhancements done for this 10th anniversary presentation.


The 1:85 video transfer has obviously seen cleanup, that’s apparent right away. Keep in mind this is still from an original 16mm source, so things are going to look a little grainy. This is certainly the least grainy version of the film I’ve ever laid my eyes upon, though. We tried to take a few snapshots from the two discs (original and this one) to show a difference, yet sadly, DVD screen capture leaves a lot to be desired. Trust me when I say, you’ll notice the most pristine copy of the film you’re ever gonna get…Unless they go back and refilm the whole dang thing again. Which I somehow doubt. So love it.


As for the audio, just as I was starting to think that the 5.1 wouldn’t make a ton of difference, that opening “Love Among Freaks” track kicked in, and my system came to life. The flick sounds great in 5.1! I’m not going to nitpick all the different sound effect changes, though dialogue is more crisp and clear than ever, and yes, the little girl saying “Happy Scrappy” in the video store, as Kevin and Scott point out in one of the intros, is indeed replaced with ADR. Walt smashing the eggs into the cooler was another obviously beefed-up sound. There’s tons more. In addition, surrounds are the most active they’ve ever been, coming to life with the occasional sound effects, but mostly, when the music kicks in. Crank it up, baby!


Sounds options include English DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 (for the first time, ah, it’s nifty seeing that little blue light come on the stero receiver) and French language tracks are included. Subtitles are available in Spanish and English for the Hearing Imparied. The trivia section also uses a subtitle track to display.


** NOTE: We’re not reviewing the audio commentary, as this was already reviewed in our original Clerks DVD review.

BONUS TRIVIA TRACK

This one was a great surprise. How’d you like random tidbits of facts showing up along the bottom of your screen, pop-up video style, identifying cast members, defining all those big vocabulary words, pointing out continuity errors (that missing SHOPLIFTING sign, for example) and sharing all sorts of View Askew history, past and present? This is a neat way to watch the film and take it to the next level, especally if you’ve watched it through as many times as we have. Pop-ups come at a fairly regular interval, rarely a minute goes by without a fact showing up for your reading pleasure. An unexpected, fun surprise!

THE LOST SCENE

The disc gives the viewer the option to view THE LOST SCENE on its own or incorporated into the newly remastered CLERKS itself. We grabbed a comic copy of THE LOST SCENE to flip along with as the scene played. And yep, the script follows the book acccurately, which would stand to reason as both comic and animation are based on the cut scene from the earliest draft of Clerks. Powerhouse Animation has yet again done a great job with the material, and watching this, we seriously hope that the team gets to work on more Clerks animated material.


There’s some subtle additions, such as a flashback to Julie Dwyer jumping into the pool to do her laps and floating to the top. Also, the style is different than the Hestor/Parks art, since this one’s done in the Clerks: TAS style. As a whole though, THE LOST SCENE follows the comic dialogue and scene structure. So, for those of you who have flipped through the book a bunch of times, you’re not in for TOO much of a surprise. If you forget the story or have yet to read the book, you’ll find this scene a hilarious treat.


After the animated series, it’s also a pleasant surprise to see the characters openly swearing, and gives you a bit of an idea of what full length Clerks animated flicks would be like. If you like this short, let it be known that you’d pay to see more! THE LOST SCENE is a true highlight.

JAY & BOB MTV SPOTS

Music clearances weren’t available for the DVD, so some music has been changed in the shorts. You purists with the originals on VHS somewhere may want to hold onto those copies as well, if you want a truly “complete” View Askew collection.

Again, a PLAY ALL option is included to have them all run through following the Kev/Scott intro. Some skits are funnier than others, but I’ve gotta go with Jay’s take on Marilyn Manson’s “Beautiful People” (a popular tune at the time), the absolute hands-down winner of the funny in this group. It was fun watching all these again, for sure. They’re also available over in the News Askew Summaries, by the way, but the DVD versions are the best anywhere.

RESTORATION VIDEOS

In case you’re wondering just how much work went into getting this version of Clerks looking like the best version EVER, this section of the disc features 3 video segments. One from Kevin, a general explanation and introduction to the process, a very brief one with DP Dave Klein, mentioning the video restoration, and one with Scott Mosier, regarding the new Dolby Digital sound mix supervised by Skywalker. Mosier first explains the original mixes that took place before the film was released (the IFFM cut on disc two actually features mix #1), and then goes on to explain that the new Skywalker mix was moved onto a digital workstation, which we actually see him working on as these segments are filmed. Some convenience store sounds, recorded at the time of filming, have also been discovered and added to this new cut.

ORIGINAL AUDITIONS

Yet another slam-dunk here. Kevin and Scott step in front of the camera to yet again introduce the audition tapes in yet another very lengthy segment, explaining that we’re about to see the auditions from some of the folks who we’d soon grow to know and love as the Clerks cast. Most folks brought their own dramatic monologues with them to show their chops, but of particular interest, the complete version of Jeff Anderson performing as Jay (also seen later in “Snowball Effect”) is seen in complete format for the first time here. Ernie O’Donnell, who later became the beloved Rick Derris, reads for the Dante role.


A PLAY ALL option is included, allowing you to watch the intro followed by each clip. Some of you might have seen a bit of this at the first Stash Bash in Red Bank, by the way. The clips are taken from a video source, and have aged well. It’s like looking at a View Askew time capsule, watching all of these soon-to-be-famous faces performing before they even had the roles.

AND THE REST

There’s not much to be said about the original Clerks trailer, and the “Can’t Even Tell” video. These 2 items were included on the original Clerks DVD, and haven’t changed at all. Kevin’s original voiceover intro is included prior to the trailer, and Kevin appears in a brand new video intro for the “Can’t Even Tell” video, where Kevin explains the origin of the video (along with the fact he was originally offered a $30,000 budget for it, more than the entire film of Clerks cost to make!). A superhero we all know and love makes a special appearance to help out, as well. “Can’t Even Tell” is a true classic video though, and I found myself watching it all the way through yet again even though I’ve seen it a hundred times. If ever a video was made in the spirit of the film it’s from, this is it. The transfer is slightly grainy and looks to be lifted directly from the original Clerks disc.

A menu loops a montage of classic segments from the film, with a familiar Clerks soundtrack tune looping in the background. The menus are fast and simple to operate. Switching to the options included on this disc quickly interrupts you with a “big” vocabulary word (Hey, “Frasier” stole this device!) and a sound bite from the film before taking you to each selected submenu. The First Cut is separated into 18 different chapters, separated by that very same device. The only caption option included is “English for the Hearing Impaired”.

When I first looked at this disc, I was surprised to see that the ONLY feature was the actual First Cut of the film, and no other extras. What I didn’t realize was the reason for this: Not only can you listen to a brand new commentary track with Smith, Mosier, Mewes, O’Halloran, and Anderson, but you can WATCH the entire thing, full screen, instead of the film. Yet again, we believe View Askew has another first on their hands with this feature. Because of the length of the film, 2 complete video and 2 complete audio options are included. Regular film & audio, Film with commentary audio, and Commentary video with commentary audio.

CLERKS: THE FIRST CUT

Oddly enough, the flick starts with Kevin and Scott in mid-discussion of blind guitarist Jeff Healy’s work in the Swayze classic “Road House” (a personal guilty pleasure, so bad it’s good). Notice the Green Hornet and Kato statues in the mid-ground! Classic stuff. Here’s hoping that MGM does indeed take Kev & Scott up on their offer to do a commentary for that cinematic masterpiece.


Eventually, Kevin explains that they considered doing a restored cut of this version, with redone deleted stuff inserted into the new version. However, they decided that this 105 minute rough cut, taken to the IFFM and Sundance (sans ending), should be seen by you, the fans, in the same exact style that was passed around years back. So that’s what we’re about to watch.


And hey, did you know that the clapboard they used to make Clerks was a bought prop from a Suncoast Pictures store? We didn’t.


The first cut comes around 26 minutes into the flick, a never before seen shot of Randal shutting off the video surveilance, an interesting scene that originally would have played into the cut ending. When Dante is shot, with no camera turned on, the assailant would never have been caught. Some scenes are quick and come up during another conversation, so they go without a mention. Clerks purists should be able to spot them all, though. Some scenes are totally new, others are just extended on what they originally were. Fans of the original Clerks disc will recognize some of the deleted and extended scenes from there, reintegrated into the film, yet there’s still content here that’s never been seen before, anywhere. There’s also the occasional alternate soundtrack, never heard before anywhere. Wrangler jeans even gives permission for Dante’s original Wrangler jingle to be sang as Randal makes his final exit from the store.





Quality: Taken from the original SVHS that passed between all the critics and Miramax execs, for a “bootleg”, this ain’t too bad. As this is a full frame off 16mm, the presentation is not letterboxed at any way, and will run full screen on your television. Thus, you’re seeing more material on the top and bottom of the screen than originally projected in this cut. Sound is also video quality, fairly muffled but loud and quite audible. Would this be the only copy of Clerks in this set, of course, we’d give it poor marks, but the fact that it’s a second full length copy of the flick, and presented this way FOR A REASON, that can certainly be appreciated. Just let yourself be taken back to 1994 as you watch this, and remember a time when independent film was just starting to catch the notice of critics and audiences.


The original theatrical cut of Clerks is 92 minutes, and this run clocks in at around 105 minutes, giving you around 13 minutes of new or extended scenes. However, you’ll notice the film hasn’t changed much overall, so the cuts made were all very justified to get it down to its final running time. I’m always a sucker for seeing deleted stuff integrated back into a film, though, so this version is a welcome addition to my View Askew DVD collection.

2004 VIDEO/AUDIO COMMENTARY WITH KEVIN, BRIAN, JEFF, MOSIER and MEWES

As for the commentary content itself, with all the participants aware that the other commentary will also be on the set, this track starts right off on a tangent and strays from scene specific content quite often. Fans of View Askew’s fun, hanging out in the living room type of commentary will be very at home here. As the film goes on, the participants do sometimes get on track with the film, but more often than not, the cast is just reminiscing about the past. It’s great fun, though if you’re looking for film facts and trivia, listen to the commentary track on the first disc along with the enhanced film facts popping up. All six participants take active part in the track, though the key players seem to be Kevin, Scott, and Jeff Anderson (who makes his first ever appearance in a View Askew commentary).


Sadly, the video option was one that doesn’t seem to pan out all that well. The Mallrats picture in picture option was much more effective, bringing up video in the corner of the screen for certain portions of the track where video was beneficial (visual gags, etc). This worked better for me, especially when watching the film on a big screen TV. I’d have enjoyed the video commentary more in just a small corner of the screen, or at least the option to place the film in a corner of the screen overtop of the full screen video commentary. It’s a neat idea, and perhaps some viewers will watch the entire video commentary through, however, I found myself seldom switching to it and instead watching the full screen film with the commentary audio underneath my first time through.


It might also have been neat for a little icon (a vulgar the clown or something, perhaps) to colorfully pop up on the screen using the angle feature (if enabled) to indicate a cut scene or sequence. This has been done on other releases before with deleted material. That being said, the crew tries to point out deleted material as the film plays.


A sidenote: Though the commentary track mentions it, THE LOST SCENE does not appear as an option in this cut of the film. You can watch THE LOST SCENE integrated into the Clerks cut on disc one, but it’s not an option for inclusion in THE FIRST CUT (unless it’s a yet undiscovered easter egg, none of which we were able to spot so far, if they exist at all).

A loop of “Kill the Sex Player”’s opening moments plays as you’re presented with the main menu. Clerks is typed onto the screen followed by Brady Bunch-like montage of full motion scenes from the film. A clapboard in the forefront gives you the option to play the documentary, select from up to 39 chapters (4 per page), or jump into the Special Features screen.

The SPECIAL FEATURES includes the full version of Kevin and Scott’s first short film, “Mae Day: The Crumbling of a Documentary”, along with a new introduction from Kevin and Scott. Also included here is the recently recorded 10th Anniversary Q&A session that took place at the Arclight in California, outtakes from the “Snowball Effect” documentary, a huge Still Photo Gallery, Kevin’s Pre-Clerks and Sundance Journals (in text format, first time available anywhere), and a selection of articles and reviews covering Clerks and Sundance, from the likes of Amy Taubin, Janet Maslin, Bob Hawk, and John Pierson.

Let’s take a look at all of this great stuff, one feature at a time.

“SNOWBALL EFFECT” DOCUMENTARY

This 90 minute documentary, which runs as long as the theatrical cut of Clerks, is the showpiece of this new set, and reason alone to purchase the entire thing. “The Snowball Effect” is an adeptly put together piece which focuses on Kevin and the influences that brought him into the world of filmmaking. Beginning with Kevin’s childhood, chapter by chapter, we’re taken through his life through the point that Clerks is purchased by Miramax. And if you’re like me, you won’t want it to end there.


The doc starts off with quick clips from the Arclight fan interviews held outside of the theater before recently held 10th Anniversary Q&A session. Quite a few familiar faces who asked questions during that show are used (superfans, obviously). So, if you’re lucky, you might be immortalized on film forever as a part of this Clerks retrospective.


Following the intro, we’re taken back to Highlands, New Jersey, where Kevin grew up. Shots of his childhood surroundings, family, and friends quickly indicated that this was going to be a very thorough piece of work. Most of this is stuff that we’ve never seen before, photos from the past that have been unearthed and shared to help paint the picture of Kevin’s past. How’d you like to see Kevin dressed up as Ronald McDonald or the Trix Rabbit doing sketch comedy during high school? It’s all here.


No narration, per se, is used, however, the doc relies on extensive interviews conducted with Kevin and all of the folks that influenced his life and put him on the path to filmmaking to move the tale along. Cut together again with the famous white text on black between chapters, the massive amount of material comes forth at a breakneck pace. Interviews range from locations outside of Highlands and into Quick Stop and RST Video themselves.


For those die-hard fans out there, most of this story is already known. We’re quickly introduced to Kevin’s early friends and influences in life from high school, Mike and Ernie. Brian Johnson and Walt Flanagan bring us into the famous Rec Center where they met up with Kevin. We learn that Walt’s the one that got Kevin into reading comic books, and that Bryan introduced Kevin to hockey. And then came Mewes.


We go into Kevin’s past careers which lead him into getting the job at RST/Quick Stop, and we learn that he also got Bry a job there as well, where the two of them became their own Dante and Randal of sorts. This in turn, became the the inspiration of Clerks. Randal is very much based on the wit and wisdom of Bryan Johnson. Kevin is more like the Dante character.


We’re also introduced to Vincent Pereira. Vinnie’s the guy who got Kevin into the more smaller, independent films, which led into the two of them seeing Slacker in New York City (the movie that would make Kevin want to become a filmmaker).


So, for a lot of you, the story is very familiar from this point on. Knowing he wanted to make a movie, Kevin wanted to go to Film School, and thus enrolled with Vancouver Film School to learn how to operate all the necessary equipment to make a movie. Film school didn’t last, but Kevin met Scott Mosier there, which would change the course of his career forever.


Here’s a few more interesting tidbits from the thousands that get dropped throughout the program:

• Clerks was first conceived as a more abstract film, about the odd characters that come into a convenience store during the graveyard shift. It wasn’t until later drafts that it turned into a comedy.

• We see the actual ads Kevin placed to sell his comic book collections towards the budget for Clerks.

• We visit the First Avenue Playhouse, where auditions for Clerks were held. Here you’ll even see, for the first time, footage of Jeff Anderson auditioning as Jay!

• There’s a fantastic segment in the documentary that covers all the multiple roles played by the likes of Mosier, Walt, Dave Klein, and the fact that practically every member of the cast was a friend or somehow connected with the shoot.

• Oodles of new production photos surface, along with some of Vincent’s Super 8 video taken during filming.

• A few never before heard audio clips where the film was lost due to a bad film mag are played.

• Clerks was cut together inside of RST video.

• We see actual footage from Kevin’s first ever Q&A after the Sundance screening, and it’s easy to see why so many people come to see the guy speak today — He had that charisma onstage from the start.

• A few of the stories from the 10th anniversary Q&A are taken from the docuemntary.


Quite a bit of time is then spent on the acquisition pains that happened when trying to get Miramax to to obtain the film. After Miramax initially passed on the film, it was its admission to Sundance that brought the film the attention that was so needed. Through the magic of home video, we are actually taken inside the Sundance screening before it takes place, and isten to the applause of the crowd as the film finishes its first screening. Video of Kevin and Scott as they’re entering the final screening shows their excitement and nervousness all at once. Harvey Weinstein was in attendance at this final screening. The full footage of Kevin and Scott’s introduction of the film is presented.


Sadly, the piece stops when Clerks gets picked up at Sundance. I would have liked to hear some thoughts on the actual theatrical release, and even the incredible following the the film found on video. However, the documentary seems to be set up for a certain time frame, and that period was definitely covered very well. While “Snowball Effect” focuses on all of the influential people in Kevin’s life as it progresses, it comes full circle in the end when all of these subjects explain the impact that knowing Kevin has had on their own lives.


The documentary is cut together very professionally, including tons of photos, articles, music, clips…This is a very very nice piece of work, and efficiently covers the entire Kevin Smith and View Askew history (up through Clerks) better than the hours of reading posts and summaries that were required previously. I love this compilation. I can’t say enough about my surprise at the extent that went into producing this thing. Bravo to all involved.


Absolutely the best View Askew “extra” ever. When you get your discs, watch this FIRST!

ARCLIGHT Q&A

Some of you were lucky enough to attend this one in person, however, for those of us who missed it, the Clerks screening and Q&A from the Arclight is included on the disc. It begins as Kevin takes the stage just following the film, joined by guests Brian O’ Halloran, Jeff Anderson, David Klein, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Scott Mosier, and of course, Jason Mewes.


Since the segment was being filmed for the disc, the audience was instructed that ALL questions could only be about Clerks. Topics discussed included the original ending and the cast’s preference, the post-Clerks Anderson/Smith feud (this is the first time that I’ve ever heard Kevin and Jeff talk about it in public), and favorite stories from the shoot. Unlike the Evening with Kevin Smith DVD, this Q&A has a very film-like quality to it, so it looks as if it was shot on some sort of digital video giving it that very smooth look.


Unfortunately, when you let folks ask questions you don’t always get the best of them, so some that come up aren’t exactly the best or most creative, but this group can make a funny answer out of pretty much anything. Stories range from some classic stuff that’s been told before, up to stuff we’ve never heard. Some good overall questions are posed to the group, such as a favorite scene or memory from making the film, what they’ve taken away from the experience, budget challenges, and the like.


In the audience’s defense, it’s tough to come up with questions on a more limited subject matter than Kevin’s standard anything goes Q&A format, but the 42 minutes still flies by thanks to the talents of the onstage ensemble. I wish they’d have had some better questions to work with, but the new discussions that DID take place, as well as seeing the cast side by side, makes for another memorable part of this set.

MAE DAY: THE CRUMBLING OF A DOCUMENTARY

Upon selecting this option, you’re first treated to a funny little intro with Kevin and Scott shot in the same silhouette style in which they appear in the film. Mae Day, for those of you who aren’t familiar with your Askewniverse history, is the first ever production shot by Kevin and Scott, a short for the Vancouver Film School that went horribly wrong. Originally conceived as a documentary about a man undergoing a sex change, things went horribly wrong when their subject disappeared. Mae Day: The Crumbling of a Documentary interviews the crew involved with the shoot and examines eveything that went wrong.


The doc has been transferred to DVD from a video source of some kind. Quality is as good as it can be given the date and source material. Mae Day has recently been made available on the web through our production sites, however this is the best quality copy we’ve seen to date. I’d probably have been more thrilled to see this if I hadn’t already caught the copy floating around on the web, but it’s still a welcome (and, for historical purposes, ESSENTIAL) addition to this set.

OUTTAKES FROM DOCUMENTARY

14 Deleted scenes from the “Snowball Effect” documentary include Walt and Kevin’s explanation of the original View Askew mascot and animation, the revelation that Jeff Anderson auditioned for the role of DANTE for the Clerks live action TV pilot (!), Janet Maslin, their Sundance trophy acceptance speech, and even more new stories from the production of Clerks.


Yet again, a PLAY ALL option is included which enables reviewers like myself the ability to hit one button and let them all fly. If you do choose to click through them one at a time, the menus move nicely to the next entry for you in sequence after one completes. Always a very nice touch.


The scenes presented here are unedited and raw, thus you occasionally will hear the interviewer’s comments, and some scenes tend to roll on a bit. But they weren’t intended to be edited together nicely, rather, just to give you a taste of some interesting stuff that ended up on the cutting room floor. Watching these scenes gave me a better idea of just how extensive these interviews were, though, and made me appreciate the editor’s job even more.


So, leave it to View Askew to ALREADY have deleted scenes included on a disc with a first ever presentation of the source material! Watch the documentary first, then head over to the deleted scenes right after to fill in all the blanks. In total, the deleted material probably adds up to another half hour, at least. You’ll never hear this reviewer complain about the chance to watch deleted material. I’d say the stuff presented here was definitely best left out of the doc, but happy I was able to see it elsewhere on the disc all the same.

ARTICLES, JOURNALS, & STILLS

I’ve never been a big fan of reading stuff off of DVDs, probably just because it takes so long to click through screen by screen of text. Reading on the web just seems so much easier. That being said, I also like the fact that it’s there. Delving into Kevin’s early journals shows his penchant for writing and expression early on in his career, and it’s fascinating stuff, seeing the guy’s honesty and mindset as the amazing process of bringing Clerks to the masses took place.


Most of the articles and reviews here are mentioned in the documentary itself. So, it’s a very nice companion piece to read these things (if you haven’t caught them here at the site before, over the years) after you can put them into the context of what they meant to the Clerks process.


A handful of still photos, mostly from Clerks’ production (but also including some of the yearbook photos from the documentary) are presented here as well. You must click through them one at a time to view them. A play all option that gave a slide show could have been a nifty little addition here. I’m just realy lazy. But jumping through them didn’t take all that long. I didn’t count but I’d say there was around 50 or so.

So, there you have it, folks. A very extensive early look at the disc set that’s sure to be spinning up in many of your players come this September 7th. Clerks X doesn’t disappoint, that’s for certain, and it’s obvious that an incredible amount of production time went into making this set. The sheer amount of time alone that Kevin and friends have devoted in front of the camera for this set is remarkable. Practically every segment has a newly filmed introduction, plus there’s that new commentary, and of course the amazing “Snowball Effect” documentary which is sure to be the talk of the Askew web next month. We can’t wait for you to have a look at that one.

And hey, let’s not forget the reason for this set: Clerks itself. The film’s never looked better and it’s great to have that original classic commentary track included with the newly restored print of the flick. The First Cut is something we’ve been lucky enough to have on VHS for some time, however the fact that the masses are now able to see and own this cut is absolutely fantastic. And, of course, another favorite, that animated Lost Scene…Let’s just hope that Powerhouse Animation gets tapped on the shoulder to do more projects.