The Wasteland Reviewer

Outside the Wasteland: Clerks (1994)

Film can mean so much more than just entertainment on a screen, right? Outside the Wasteland is my new avenue to express my thoughts on films that have truly made an impact on my life. This is not about how great the films are or even how much I love them. This is an expression of how these films have made a direct impact on my life including my love of film, my personality, my world view, and just an overall lasting impression that deeply affected me.  This is a doorway into The Wasteland Reviewer through the films that have shaped me.

Clerks (1994)

What is my experience with independent cinema? To be honest, the answer would be nothing before I went off to college. Growing up, my palette for movies really did center around franchises, animation, and genre films. That is probably not surprising as many kids have the same experience. The main exception would be if someone in their life introduced them to more independent films. That was not the environment I grew up in. Some people might have had parents who showed them Soderbergh and Tarantino when they were younger but that was not true for my household. My mom showed me films like Die Hard, First Blood, and True Lies. My grandfather showed me films like The Great Escape, Patton, and The Dirty Dozen. When I took a cinema class in high school, we did watch Memento and Run Lola Run but we never delved into that independent movement of the 90s that shaped filmmaking in new directions.

But what was the catalyst for me in college that changed my perspective on film and discovering smaller filmmakers? Back to Rider University Alternative Film Club! My experience in this club really changed so much for me as a cinephile and I cherish watching films I never thought I would ever see. Our meetings were officially every other week but us running the club decided to have a special film series in our off weeks. I distinctly remember holding a Mad Max series where I highlight Mad Max and The Road Warrior. One series that grabbed my attention was a Kevin Smith series with Clerks, Clerks 2, and Chasing Amy. Clerks 2 is honestly my favorite film of Smith’s (which is probably not true for most people), but I find it so hilarious and enjoy the character journeys. Chasing Amy was a film I loved upon first viewing back in college but as I have aged and I watch it more, there are so many issues that I have with the film now. But it all started with Clerks and that was the first film of Smith’s that I did watch (because of this Film Club series).

Why was this experience so important for me? One of the most distinguishing traits of me as a cinephile is that I will watch everything…everything and anything. But Clerks opened the door for me to check out smaller budgeted films. If you look at my favorite films of all time, they are all larger budgeted and most genre films with fantasy, science fiction, religious epics, and animation. My favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy, but it is so hard to make these films work on a tiny budget. But Clerks opened the door for me to explore smaller films. Now I watch so many smaller films from micro-budgeted flicks to indie studio films like A24 and Neon. There is such a large range of different independent films to explore, experience, and appreciate. Now I have seen plenty of films from Smith, Soderbergh, Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola, and Richard Linklater. Two of my favorite filmmakers came out of this movement as well with The Coen Brothers and Wes Anderson. When you watch more independent cinema, you get to see so much more creativity from filmmakers. With little to no money, you have little resources and are forced to find more creative ways of creating their film. If you want to broaden your horizons and discover more inventive cinema, explore some of these filmmakers for sure.

How else does the film Clerks connect to me so deeply? Outside of being a gateway film for me into independent cinema, this is also a film about New Jersey. I am a proud citizen of the Garden State (which might be hard to hear since New Jersey tends to be the butt of many jokes in the United States). I was born in New Jersey, I have lived in six different towns in South Jersey and Central Jersey, and I will die in New Jersey. Jersey Boy through and through. I am a South Jersey and have a lot of pride being in a place where there are so many Italian Americans like me. I think New Jersey is a great state with all different types of experiences that you can have and explore. I still live in South Jersey (which is my home) but I have a strong connection to Central Jersey as I went to Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ (between Trenton and Princeton) and I have been working there for almost 10 years.

Why does this matter? There are not many filmmakers who present the great state of New Jersey. We certainly have a few musical artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and Frank Sinatra (yes…Frank was born in New Jersey, and we shall claim him). But when it comes to film, there are only a few names you can go to. Smith is certainly the most high-profile New Jersey filmmaker, and he also makes films about New Jersey that connect them so well to Jersey folks. So many films use New Jersey as a punchline to joke and actively mock it. Even an atrocious film like Moonfall decides to attempt humor at the expense of New Jersey (that movie can suck it). But most of Smith’s films are centered around Jersey people living their lives in New Jersey. There is something meaningful when it comes to representation in that way. Coppola and Scorsese have my Italian American identity covered and Smith has my prideful Jersey identity covered. I might not love Netflix but there are a lot of new films being filmed here and set here. New Jersey was one of the cradles of cinema with Thomas Edison. Smith is that kind of filmmaker who has brought New Jersey to the front of cinema with pride and positivity. I (and many other proud New Jersey folks) love to see it.