An Evening With Kevin Smith

First of all, let me just explain that it's impossible to review "An Evening With Kevin Smith". No two Q&A's are alike, it's completely unscripted, full of surprises, and always fall on the floor hysterical.

I have to admire Kevin Smith for one major reason: he doesn't hold himself back. Not only does he not have an internal censor, which allows him to be up front and say exactly what he thinks or feels about a subject, he is inherently truthful and tells it like it is. Now this comes at a price, of course, when he starts to divulge in rather personal stories about he and his wife's sex life, or her experience with an "ass shovel" as it were, but as he put it: "I get paid to tell stories", and the people in his life have to be ready and willing to share their lives as he is with his own.

What made the night so fantastic was how appreciative he was of the Toronto fans for selling out his Roy Thomson Hall gig so fast that they instantly had to add a second show. The news of the sellout came at a time when he was reeling from the blow of learning that his latest film, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," only made $2mil on its opening weekend and was fast becoming the lowest grossing Seth Rogan film to date. He truly loves his fan base here in Canada and is always happy to be here.

The topic he could never stray too far away from this evening was his new discovery/obsession with Wayne and Walter Gretzky. He recently watched the 10 hour DVD set of the CBC broadcast, "Hockey: A People's History" and fell in love with the Gretzky's story so much that he's made Wayne and Walter his own religious icons and always refers back to their mottos as dogma. Almost everything he had to say came back to "What would Walter do?" or "That's the Gretzky way!"

Of course he had many fans asking pretty standard questions about his films and such, but the most interesting story came from someone asking about the MPAA issues when it came to fighting for an R rating instead of an NC17 for "Zak and Miri". Another absolutely hysterical story came when discussing when he realized how fat he had become (because of Seth Rogan's introducing him to the joys of weed) when he sat on and broke a toilet in a bar bathroom. Insanely funny.

And of course, he had his partner in crime Jason Mewes with him and, like always, he sat through most of it just hanging out quietly on the couch, occasionally wandering offstage or answering his own questions. Although at one point in the evening he did give his microphone to a woman who was leaving to go to the bathroom....

Three solid nonstop hours of great stories, hysterical tangents and sheer hilarity.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I just don't understand what all the hype is.

I mean, it's a great movie. Fantastic, even. Brad Pitt gives a marvelous performance, Cate Blanchett is entrancing as ever, and the special effects are incredibly well done. Of all of the Academy Award nominations, I can certainly agree with those for special effects and cinematography. Even best actor or actress. But best picture? No, I can't see that.

In case you haven't been following this phenomenon, "Benjamin Button" follows the story of a man who is born a shrivelled old man and ages backward, gradually becoming physically younger the older he gets. What occurs is a lovely and well written story about love, loss, ageing and finding the strength to let go. The messages are powerful, and we follow the story through the eyes of the dying Daisy (Blanchett) who is reflecting on her past through her daughter, asking her to read through Benjamin's old journal.

It is truly a beautiful story and it's beautifully told. At some points slow moving, it has its moments of "do we really need to flesh this out any more?" But on the whole the film flows smoothly from moment to moment in Benjamin's life. One of the most exciting sequences involves a first person perspective of an attacking German submarine as Benjamin's boat attempts to ram into it. Very harrowing and intense.

With all this being said, however, there just isn't anything particularly special about this movie that I would think merits so many Oscar nominations. Honestly, I would put this film on the shelf next to the likes of Tim Burton's "Big Fish". Both films are incredible stories, both indulge in themes of age, love and loss, and both have a sense of magic about them. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" certainly makes my list for one of the best in 2008, but I'm not sure if I'd put it in my top 5.