KEVIN SMITH: HIS FILMS AND FANS, by David Gati, available now!

Published: January 26, 2023, noon CST by McEric

Calling all View Askewniverse residents! Your coffee table is boring! I hate to be the one telling you this, but I'd rather you hear it from a friend. I know you've tried sprucing it up with that colored glass bowl you throw your keys in, but you need something with a little more flair and street cred. You're in luck, because I found what you need!

David Gati has painstakingly compiled this impressive collection of trivia, photos and fan art to celebrate cult icon Kevin Smith's catalog of films as well as the (truly) record-breaking fan fervor he he attracted throughout his thirty years in the business. After combing through hours upon hours of Smith's own words from spoken word gigs, Q&As, interviews and podcasts, David selected the best bits from each of Kevin's films to give a broader context to their conceptualization, casting, filming and reception. .

Starting from his humble beginnings as a clerk, Kevin recounts his inspiration from Richard Linklater's SLACKER which led him to make a short personal film featuring his friends and their boredom, which became a magnet for the independent film revival of the 1990s. Inadvertently transforming the way we tell stories, Smith has gone on to make fifteen films (so far), each addressing different perspectives on existence in America , sense of self, our interpersonal relationships, and our roles and responsibilities as fans. Gati's delightful book finds its brilliance in including perspectives outside of Smith's own, with fan art, testimonials, movie reviews and a nod to his Guinness World Record. Yes, in case you didn't know, Smith holds the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as Jay & Silent Bob on August 5, 2017 in Red Bank, New Jersey.

The book had a few eye-openers for me (David Schwimmer in CHASING AMY?) while serving mostly as a time capsule for the concurrent years Smith grew up as a filmmaker and me as a person. There's plenty of insight inside, as even those with a passing interest know that Kevin Smith is the most talkative of Kathys. Gati, himself, was able to "interview" Smith on the production of 2019's JAY & SILENT BOB REBOOT, which is the entire book entry on Smith's thirteenth film. I use "interview" in quotes because Gati gives Smith an invite and, like a string pulled on Malibu Stacy, Smith continues for NINETEEN PAGES. One prompt, no additional questions or probes for elaboration; nineteen pages. Proof that no one can interview an open book.

But you, dear reader, can open this book and bask in the warm glow of Smith's films, his adoration for his fans, and their devotion to him and his work. I noticed while reading that there was little mention of Smith's films that weren't nearly so, or much of his work in front of the camera, but I realized, selfishly, that the book never promised such extra fat. This is KEVIN SMITH: HIS FILMS AND FANS, and he delivers exactly that, and in spades.

If you're not a sidekick, you might not find much to convert you to in these pages, however, if you're a real fan, a member waving the flag of the View Askewniverse, you will find much to adore in these pages. You'll see another perspective on your favorite movies, beautiful artwork created by like-minded people, and you might just see something of yourself inside.

KEVIN SMITH: HIS FILMS AND FANS is available now through Schiffer Publishing, and can be ordered from Amazon, Barnes & Nob...