Whether you love him or hate him, you simply have to admit that filmmaker Kevin Smith has a commanding presence.
Having said that, a new special featuring the filmmaker – whose credits include “Clerks” (and its spectacular sequel), “Jersey Girl” and “Dogma” - is worth watching regardless of what side you fall on your opinion of him. In addition to a few laughs here and there, “Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell” offers some intense insight into Smith's technique, experiences and decisions.
In “Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell,” which airs 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 on EPIX, channel 310 on Cox Communications in Phoenix and channel 380 on the Dish Network in Phoenix, the filmmaker conducts a Q-and-A session about the aftermath of his latest film “Red State.” Topics include drawing the ire of the movie blogger community at the Sundance Film Festival and being followed around the country by the highly devout Phelps Family.
Some questions seem out of place (such as the first one about Batman villains from a disturbingly mature 12-year-old girl whom Smith compares to “Juno” actress Ellen Page before proceeding to say things that no man should ever say to a child) but, fortunately, these are handled relatively swiftly whereas more pertinent subjects are discussed at length.
Moreover, Smith discusses said subjects with a passion that retains the viewer's attention throughout the during of the special – which is strange considering the fact that the filmmaker claims to no longer feel passion for motion pictures and therefore getting out of the game after his next project, a 2-part hockey flick titled “Hit Somebody.”
As a result, “Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell” is not only entertaining but also interesting, especially when it comes to the filmmaker's adventures in promoting “Red State” and reasons for hating film critics – an unfairly generalizing grudge that I, as a member of said circle, still despise. After all, any way you cut it, Smith's arrested comedy “Cop Out” simply does not qualify as self-expression.
“Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell,” on the other hand, certainly does and therefore warrants a watch this weekend.
“Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell” (TV-MA – 89 minutes) airs 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 on EPIX, channel 310 on Cox Communications in Phoenix and channel 380 on the Dish Network in Phoenix.
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