We’re pleased to finally bring you our own look at the wonderful new “Kevin Smith Collection” on Bluray. Some shipping snafus held our review copy up quite a bit, coupled with the holidays and some issues grabbing screenshots, and there ya have it. A late review. Still, we’re got a lot of insight on this collection, and plan to cover all the stuff the fans care most about here — The NEW stuff. As for screenshots, unfortunately our PS3 used to review the flick doesn’t have the ability to grab stills (surprisingly). So, not the ideal review that we wanted to put together for you, but we still wanted to give you a nice idea of what was in the set — Especially if you’ve yet to experience it and have it on your Christmas shopping list. So, let’s take some looks at what’s included with this 3-movie collection…

Man, how great is it to have 3 of Kevin’s best flicks in one nice package like this? Perfect timing, too, with Bluray finally hitting the masses and players becoming VERY affordable this holiday season. This set is going to be a must-buy for any fan, even WITHOUT the extras. However, not one to disappoint, Kevin approaches this new set like he does any re-release — He’s LOADED it with special features.

The packaging itself is pretty neat and tidy – A simple cardboard slip sleeve, nicely designed with new cover art, and a 3-panel backing that lists all the special features. The “Clerks” Bluray features everything from the awesome “Clerks X” DVD and a brand new remaster of the film presented in 1080p video and DTS HD-MA audio. For “Clerks”! That’s so great. Interestingly, the much-loved “Lovely Tea Party” documentary, which is for many fans a long-awaited addition to their collection, is not listed among the “Clerks” extras on the box art. But rest assured, it is indeed there, clear as day, at the top of the “Extras” menu.

The centerpiece of this set is the film that many consider to be their favorite of Kevin’s offerings, “Chasing Amy”. This marks the first time that the film has arrived in a HD format, and serves as the 10th anniversary edition of a true indie classic. Having the ultimate copy of the film is again paramount here, but this disc gives us what we think is the best crop of new extras we have ever seen on a View Askew Production – A brand new “SModcast” style feature-length audio commentary from Kevin & Scott, the 10th year anniversary Q&A filmed during a Vulgarthon at the Arclight in Los Angeles, and finally, the crown jewel — A brand new documentary titled “Tracing Amy”. This doc was the go-to item for the set. There’s always that one thing you want to check out first when you open that shrink wrap. Sometimes it’s the movie itself, or the deleted scenes, or the commentary — For us, on this one, it was “Tracing Amy”.

As mentioned, the Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back disc, which is simply a duplicate of the already-released Bluray of the film, does not add anything new, and is missing a chunk of the awesome extras found on the DVD release of the film. Not sure why they did that, but despite it, this set’s still well worth the buy even for the other two discs, even if you already have the J&SBSB Bluray. So pass this second copy on to a friend, as it’s one of Kev’s most colorful and really pops in the HD format.

So, what a lot of folks joke about is, why a “Clerks” Bluray? Well, folks, even Kevin himself will tell you, the film’s already looking as good as it’ll ever look, and we like it just fine the way it is. We’re notorious for hating to have to swap discs out for features, so a big benefit with this one, and why it will forever replace the rugged “Clerks X” DVD on the shelf, is that there’s no flipping or disc swapping here. Everything, including BOTH cuts of the film (the theatrical and the festival cut), the documentary, and all the other goodies…All finaly here on one beautiful Bluray. The restored print you hear discussed in the set is the same print that was worked on for “Clerks X”. Still, there’s just something special about having one of the best indie flicks of all time on this new format. I cherish you, “Clerks” Bluray.

If you’re curious about what we thought about all the Clerks X contents, which include “The Snowball Effect”, the best documentary you will EVER see on the film, check out our extensive “Clerks X” review.

There’s still that one gem of a new item here on the “Clerks” Bluray, so, let’s move on to that doc…

Kevin’s recorded a brand new interview for this lost documentary, explaining that this doc is the new bonus for getting the “Clerks” disc. Considering they didn’t remaster “Strike Back” and just re-purposed the already-pressed version for this set, it makes a lot more sense that the doc for that film was added to this “Clerks” Bluray. In the intro, Kevin explains that this is the new feature that made it all worth buying “Clerks” again. Heck, though, we’d have had to pick it up anyway. How can you not have the ultimate version of this classic? Hey Kevin, we bought tons of copies of Terminator 2 as well. Even on VHS. Yikes.

What you’ve got here is a look at all the fun involved in making the great “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back”. We’re still in awe that this film was banked with such a great budget, considerng this is probably the ultimate tribute to fans. Kevin threw in everything AND the kitchen sink, and you can see, throughout this documentary, that the cast and crew sure had fun.

Kev’s longtime pal Maclcolm Ingram and wife Jen Schwalbach are the co-creators of this piece, which plays more like an extended behind-the-scenes than a documentary, we’d say. All the cast were pulled aside for exclusive interviews, featuring footage that you’ve never seen anywhere else. Ingram was behind his camera for a large portion of the shoot, capturing angles, takes, and bloopers that have also never seen the light of day — This is all exclusive stuff. Having had the pleasure of visiting the set of the film for a few days, we can vouch — This guy worked HARD and had a ton of footage to pull from. What you’re seeing here represents just a small sampling of everything shot — We’re hoping that something even more extensive might be made available in the future.

The original “Tea Party” doc cut ran well over 2 hours, if memory serves — This version, last screened at “Vulgarton” in Los Angeles (coincidentally, the same day that the “Chasing Amy” Q&A mentioned below took place), runs a nice learn 87 minutes.

There’s been some die-hard fans saying that this new transfer of “Amy” has been softened and lost some detail. Frankly, we don’t really see it. The disc looks great and the film looks like I’ve always remembered it. It’s been a few years since I’ve spun up this disc, and I gotta admit, “Chasing Amy” drew me right back in. This movie has fantastic replay value — The performances and production values, given the budget and working conditions, are truly amazing. There’s no way that “Chasing Amy” will not go down in history as one of the most successful, critically loved indies in history. It’s just that good. So far, still Kevin’s most personal film, and one of his best.

For more detailed thoughts on the movie itself, you might wanna check out our Criterion Collection review of the “Chasing Amy” DVD.

Watch the likes of Affleck, Lee (hot off signing onto “My Name is Earl”), Kevin, Joey, and the rest of the bunch answer questions about signing onto the movie, and recalling that time in their lives. Looking at the cast, you can tell what an amazing eye Kevin’s got for talent — Noticing at how far so many of them, then unknowns, have come since them…Lee and Affleck on to huge acting careers, Joey Lauren Adams now a successful director, and Ewell a working actor today.

What’s great in this segment? Overall, a lot of stories recollected from the making of “Chasing Amy”, in pretty amazing detail given the time that’s passed since they’ve done it all. Of particular fun here was Kevin retelling the tale of collecting the budget for “Chasing Amy”, and he and Mosier’s quest to make the movie the way they wanted, with the actors they wanted.

Other highlights: Some great stuff on Kevin directing Joey during the production since they were seeing each other at the time, and the interesting dynamic that came along with with it, and Mr. Affleck himself chatting about giving that amazing speech in the car, the film’s turning point. Seeing “Chasing Amy” on opening day in the theater, that scene was probably one of the most amazing bits of dialogue and performance I had ever witnessed on screen.

The Q&A runs a little under a half an hour, and has been edited down somewhat from what took place in the theater, but they’ve covered all the good stuff for sure. We were there in person for this one, front and center, grabbing some photos and some notes for our Vulgarthon coverage. As a result, look for a quick little shot of one of your loyal News Askew webmasters chuckling at one of Kevin’s comments around the 9 minute mark or so.

Yes folks, this is the crown jewel of the set — Zak and Joey, our pals at Chop Shop Entertainment, have done it AGAIN!!! After putting together amazing documentaries for “Clerks” and “Mallrats”, these guys have completed their trilogy with what we think is their best work yet. These guys just GET IT.

Running an hour and 21 minutes in length, almost as long as “Chasing Amy” itself, “Tracing Amy” takes viewers on a complete journey through the process of bringing the film to live. All the way from the original ideas for the film after the “Mallrats” aftermath, taking us all the way into the critical acclaim for the film, and the seeds being planed for “Dogma”. New interviews have been conducted with all the players: Smith, Mosier, Adams, Affleck, Lee, Mewes…And some surprises from Guin Turner, Dave Klein, and a couple of “Amy”’s early champions, Bob Hawk and film critic Amy Taubin.

Everything’s been bridged together expertly, using pages from the “Bluntman and Chronic” comic to symbolize moments in the process itself — The guys have done such a good job weaving their chapter titles into the fabric of the comic’s pages, we had to stop and realize that they weren’t originally a part of the pages. It’s that seamless.

Those of us who are very familiar with the production of “Chasing Amy” may have heard some of this before over the years. However, never before has the story of the film been told in such detail, from start to finish. As with the other docs, we think they’re best enjoyed without spoiling all the aspects, but here’s some highlights of what you can expect to learn and hear more about as the story unfolds.

- Many folks think the story was inspired by a relationship that Kevin was in, however, early on, as Scott Mosier developed a friendship with director Guin Turner, Kevin’s script took shape with that story as an inspiration, and an early proxy for Holden. Later, when Kevin began dating Adams, his inspiration shifted to his relationship with her as “Amy” progressed.

- At an early scripting stage, “Chasing Amy” was written as a high-school based film! A few pages from this fabled script are actually shown and can be freeze-framed for the die hards. This material has never been released, and Kevin has only hinted at it before. Pretty cool to see.

- As mentioned in the past, the studio, when offering more money for the budget, wanted Kevin and Scott to use David Schwimmer, John Stewart, and Drew Barrymore as the film’s 3 leads. A great deal of time is spent on the budget wars that took place, eventually culminating with Kevin’s decision to make the movie, their way, on an impossible budget (resting the burden of making it all happen on Mosier’s shoulders).

- We’re treated to extended segments of behind-the-scenes footage that we’ve never seen to this degree before, including the amazing rain rig that DP Dave created for the pivotal car scene, as well as the comic-con.

- Another behind the scenes treat: Watch the stress on Mosier’s face as he continually faces challenges in trying to make the film happen with the impossible budget. Mosier is the true hero of “Chasing Amy” — Without him, the movie never would have happened.

- After hearing fabled tales of Kevin’s difficulties as Silent Bob in the diner scene, we’re treated to extended versions of those outtakes during the documentary.

- Towards the doc’s end, time is spent covering the studio’s mandate to choose their own cast and crew for Dogma, where Joey is unfortunately kept from the role of “Bethany” (a role Kevin scripted for her), and the great DP Dave is passed over from shooting the film. A sad, frustrating moment, that we never realized actually came as they were all enjoying such great praise from their work on “Chasing Amy” a true injustice, still.

- A final magical moment — Watching the great Quentin Tarantino praising “Chasing Amy” as his favorite movie of the year as he apprears on the Charlie Rose show. You can really see his true love and passion for the film.

The documentary also wisely credits “Chasing Amy” as the first ever “Bromance” movie, and when you think about it, it really is. With so many films today revolving around close friendships between a couple of “guy’s guys”, Amy certainly was ahead of its time in developing that level of relationship between Holden and Banky. “Tracing Amy” managed to do something I actually never thought possible — It made me appreciate “Chasing Amy” even more than I already did. I always knew that the movie was made on a shoestring budget, but watching the process, the challenges, and hearing all these stories in the context of their timing during production of the film…”Chasing Amy” has to be one of the biggest underdog success stories in movie history, and a lot of that credit goes to the creators: Smith, Mosier, and Klein, just as well as the fantastic cast who delivered those incredible performances. Watch this documentary, and we’re sure you’ll never be watching “Amy” the same way again. Congratulations to Zak and Joey on another home run — “Tracing Amy” is the gem of this set.

In this 18-minute piece, an unexpected surprise, Kevin Smith and Joey Lauren Adams take a few moments in The Stash (sitting behind Kevin’s famous poker table) to discuss their relationship and how it affected to course of “Chasing Amy”. It’s really cool to see these two interact one-on-one — While some of the discussions are themes that we saw explored in the Q&A and the documentary, here we see star and director chatting very personally about that time in their lives. Many appropriate stills are mixed in here, just like the documentary, along with some candid photos from the shoot that we’ve not seen before, and of course, some choice clips from “Chasing Amy” itself.

Don’t skip over this, as it’s one of the coolest things on the disc, and we’re so pleased that they decided to film and include it when putting these extras together.

This Bluray is the same version we’ve done a capsule review for in its release, and contains the same Bluray transfer currently available. The commentary is the classic Smith, Mosier, and Mewes track from the original DVD release. Read our complete review for all those details.

As a fan, and a collector, if you’ve got a Bluray player, you owe it to yourself to pick up this set. Once again, you’re not only getting 3 funny films, but more new, exclusive extra content that you can’t see anywhere else.If you’ve already grabbed Jay & Bob on Blu, you’ll be happy to know that you can also pick these up separately, however, you’ll be missing out on the cool sleeve that only comes with the set ‘o three. Miramax’s “Kevin Smith 3-Movie Collection” on Bluray is now available everywhere, including in a beautiful SIGNED version exclusively available from Jay & Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, the perfect Christmas gift for yourself or the Kev-fan in your life.