I watched two movies this weekend I’ve been putting off for awhile. Chasing Amy and Dogma. Both are Kevin Smith movies, in the progression of Clerks, Mallrats, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

I’m in general not sure how I feel about Kevin Smith’s stuff. In a lot of ways it is gross, stupid and inane. But I’m not sure if that is in a bad way. I remember as a child of the 80’s really being into John Hughes movies, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles etc. They really seemed to capture my experience growing up in suburbia. Kevin Smith does that for the stoners of modern suburbia. Of course now I’m a middle aged father of two, whose biggest worries have to do with money, body fat and children. Chasing Amy isn’t going to help me with those things.

Dogma, is interesting because it is a movie of Theology. I watched An Evening With Kevin Smith and in it he said he really believed in Jesus Christ and what he had done for us, but had a real problem with the Catholic Church. Which really is the theme of Dogma. And I can understand that. Christ is cool, but the church is made of people, and people aren’t always cool.

Still these movies are fascinating. Chasing Amy does take you into the world of the homosexual lifestyle and how it works in the minds of those that are part of it. (An interesting aside on this is Smith’s discussion with a lesbian in Evening). The biggest bummer of Chasing Amy is it doesn’t have a happy ending.

Any way if you want to check out Smith’s stuff. Start with Mallrats, which is my favorite.