Kevin Smith was once the darling of internet movie fans, a self-professed geek made good. In the 1990s he had an extremely dedicated cult following, if not huge box office returns for his films, and became a celebrity director who was as known for his own personality as his work. He even wrote some damn good comic books, contributing in many great ways to an industry he adores. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way his star began to wane, as his film output in the 2000s dipped in quality quite badly. It seemed that once he ventured into uncharted territory by directing films outside of the View Askewniverse (named in honour of his production company), the wheels began to come off. Smith's first 5 efforts were all connected via the characters of Jay and Silent Bob (the latter played, of course, by Smith himself), but when he left the two loveable stoners behind and tried his hand at romantic comedies and buddy movies, he just couldn't seem to find his voice again. Perhaps Smith's very public persona began to work against him. He has always been active on the internet (currently overseeing his extensive podcast network, SModcast Internet Radio), and has gone on many successful spoken word tours, which often land somewhere between stand-up comedy and exposés of the Hollywood machine. Smith is an affable and self-deprecating presence, but has that led to reviewers being unable to deliver their verdicts on his films in an objective manner, whether consciously or not? It could be said that Kevin Smith himself began to be judged almost as much as his films, rather than his work being taken on it's own merits. This year saw the release of his 11th directorial effort, Tusk, and even though it was a failure at the box office, it has definitely continued a recent resurgence in the quality and inventiveness of his filmmaking. So, what better time to cast your eyes back over the mans storied career and rank his movies from worst to best.
