SETH ROGEN SIGNS ONTO KEVIN SMITH PROJECT

Kevin Smith is like the retarded boy in town who everyone's rooting for. Fans of his work act like we've gone through an "era" of Kevin Smith films, but there's no such thing. He's a talentless hack who put more time into promoting himself than advancing his skills, meager as they are.

Fan-boys express love for his films, but what is it that attracts them? Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense, David Lean brought grand ideas into focus, Alexander Payne has great comedic timing, Ridley Scott knows how to tell a complicated story, James Cameron communicates action well. What does Kevin Smith do? Aside from being Kevin Smith, speaking ridiculous Kevin Smith dialogue through his finger pupet actors. Clerks, Chasing Amy, and Dogma, the holy trinity of Smith films, are all hamfisted variations on the "Slacker" theme. When someone sets out to make a film showcasing a type of subculture or trend or area of the country (New Jersey, in this case), it takes delicacy and finesse to conquer the material in such a way as to make it accessible and likeable, two things Kevin Smith lacks.

Simply put, he is the bored, lazy, failure, who idolizes comic book heroes and dreams of making films and being famous. He has no vision, no talent, no story, just a desire to meet and mingle with movie stars and live the life of an exalted Hollywood director. The fact that he's had any measure of success makes all the people who identify with him feel like they can do it too. He gives the masses hope, just like American Idol and Project Greenlight (THAT COULD BE YOU!!!). One of those people who's done a little something, but nothing deserving of the attention they've received.

Now he's casting a successful comedic actor/writer, made famous by another director (a director who has the career Smith seems to have imagined for himself but fallen short of achieving) in a Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) type film: Zack and Miri make a porno.

Two slackers, Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks), attempt amature porn to pay the rent.

Actually, even for Apatow, this would be a boring subject: the sex thing has been done to death by him.

Filming for Zack and Miri begins in January. - lordm