We have reviewed the movie before and made it clear just how much of a classic movie this is. It's been all said and done before so I won't reiterate myself. Instead we will focus on what makes this release better than any previous release of the film on any format.
So the Clerks X disc comes in some attractive packaging that includes an awesome booklet. Normally we don't talk about the booklets but this one just rocks with full color artwork and a nice lengthy rant from Smith and Mossier. We all know the movie was originally released in B&W meaning a less than usual look to the transfer. This transfer pumps up the crisp black and white look of the film with a new HiDef transfer from the 16mm IP supervised by Dave Klein, the cinematographer for the film.
Sounds on this special edition have been pumped up so we can here even more of the background chatter that made the movie one worth listening closely to. While previous version had only a 2.0 soundtrack, Scott Mossier supervised a new 5.1 track that was remixed by Skywalker Sound. So while this is still a full on talker with little action, the few action scenes such as the hockey game do sound even better.
Ok so on to the extras on this three disc set. First up is Disc One which contains the original 92 minute theatrical cut of the film with the above mentioned new audio and video. There's a commentary track here but it's the same one as on previous versions. Now is where things get interesting. There's another audio track that is basically for geeks of the film. While you unfortunately cannot use it along with either of the other tracks, it does allow for some cool things. Basically it puts all kinds of trivia at the bottom of the screen as the film plays like a broke mans popup video.
Possibly the best new thing in the set is the much talked about animated short version of the "lost scene". OMG this was classic Clerks material and it's a shame this never got filmed for the movie. The animation follows the style of the short lived Clerks animated series and opens with Smith and Mossier in front of the funeral home where the scene would have taken place.
Next up there's a short film called The Flying Car which was part of Smith's Tonight Show stint. The clip has Dante and Randall stuck in a car with some hillarious results. The hit song and thus video "Can't Even Tell" from Soul Asylum makes an appearance along with mini features on restoring the audio and video plus the eight different spots that ran on MTV back in the day. Finally there's the theatrical trailer and audition tapes for everyone who tried out.
Disc Two, on the other hand, is alot of fun. First it's the original cut of the film clocking in at 103 minutes. This is REALLY original, as the film looks like it was shot out of someone's polaroid. There's a real charm here to seeing this but don't expect the technology to impress. Smith, Mossier and others put together a brand new commentary track for this version, 2004 style. I could listen to Kevin Smith all day long I think. Anyways this track is just as good if not better than the previous.
Disc Three is full of extras beginning with a 95-minute feature The Snowball Effect: The Story of Clerks, featuring new interviews with everyone involved in the movie. I found this to be the most exciting thing on the whole set. Seeing these guys interviewed years later along with knowing that a sequel is officially in the works makes this an exciting prospect. This piece really shows what it means to dedicate one to a cause with all of the actors working full time during the day and filming overnight.
Next up is The Arclight 10th Anniversary Q&A featuring Brian, Jeff, Marilyn, Scott, Dave, Mewes, and Kevin. At 42 minutes it reminds us quite a bit of An Evening With Kevin Smith. While not nearly as funny as that classic DVD, this piece still emits some funny ass moments. Next up is Kevin Smith's journals which have been entered in as static text pages that can easily be navigated. Finally there's some articles, a photo gallery and a piece from Kevin's film school days.
