Comedy news: Cop out and the top Kevin Smith films

Kevin Smith is a cool guy; the dude invented Jay and Silent Bob. Dude owns his own comic store in New Jersey! Dude kills it at Comic- and Wonder-con each and every year. And now dude is making film history with his latest film Cop Out. Read on.

Smith, who unbelievably will be 40 this year, is famous for writing his own films, based around aspects of his own life. But when he saw the Cullen brothers’ script for Cop Out, he liked it so much it became the first ever script that he chose to direct, but not write. Nevertheless, Cop Out is packed with Smith’s trademark school-boy humour and features smartly self-parodying performances from Tracy Morgan (30 Rock, SNL) and Bruce Willis (everything) .Seann William Scott, Michelle Trachtenberg, Adam Brody and Ana de la Reguera keep the laughs coming.

Here’s a clip featuring Brooklyn buddy-cops, Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis, and here’s the Cop Out trailer.

However, as we all know, there is more in Smith's back catalogue. In preparation of this new movie out tomorrow, 21st May, see a potted history of Smith’s directing cuts below:

Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

Tagline: What would you do to get out of debt?

Some people get two jobs, some play the lottery, but Zack And Miri make a porno. This film divided the critics but deserves much of its praise for its supreme casting alone – Seth Rogan, Jason Mewes and hello, Traci Lords!

Watch a clip of Zack and Miri make a Porno here.

Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

Exploitative celebrity love in, but y’know kinda funny all the same. Jay and Silent Bob find out that Hollywood’s gonna make a movie about them – and they’re not going to see a dime. Hence the pair wreak havoc in L.A.

Here is a clip showing Jay and Silent Bob kicking the butts of all the internet geeks who have called them out as losers online …don’t mess with the stoner duo!

Clerks II (2006)

Tagline: No Experience Necessary

This outrageous sequel premiered far from the director’s New Jersey roots, debuting not in America but at the1996 Cannes festival. Sneakily starting in Clerks-like black and white then flourishing into full on colour and full on toilet gags. This time Rosario Dawson joins in the fun.

Check out the trailer which include a nice jab at recent Star Wars movies…

Jersey Girl (2004)

Tagline: Forget about who you thought you were, and just accept who you are.

Just look at that crappy tagline…Lovable (!) Ben Affleck plays a high-rolling publicist forced to swap New York City for New Jersey when his wife (J-Lo!) dies in childbirth. He has to bring up his daughter alone til he meets unreliably hot video store clerk Liv Tyler and they fall in love. Blurgh: Miss this!

In this clip watch the main characters flouncing around in a production of Sweeny Todd – check out Liv Tyler’s hokey British accent.

Dogma (1999)

Tagline: Get 'touched' by an angel

Dogma, which stars Ben Affleck, Matt Damon Chris Rock, Alan Rickman, Salma Hayek and Alanis Morrissette (as God!) was a move toward big budgets and high-production values for Smith. The hilariously smart film about a loophole in religious Dogma that allows two naughtu angles back into heaven was a hit with nearly everyone (critics and fans alike) – but not God-botherers.

Check out this actual News 12 New Jersey news broadcast which features a Catholic protest against the movie, including a particularly famous protestor – a certain Kevin Smith. When asked what the movie he is protesting against stands for he says: ‘I dunno, but not good.’

Chasing Amy (1997)

Tagline: Sex is easy. Love is hard

A pre-J-Lo Ben Affleck plays the romantic lead in this schmaltzy alt. romcom. In the movie, ‘chasing Amy’ was coined as the term for giving up on someone you love because of dumb pride. Lesson: Never pre-judge your squeaky-voiced girlfriend’s mad past, you’ll spend your life chasing Amy!

In this clip Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams) reveals her sexually-active teen past to Holden (a bum-fluffed Ben Affleck).

Mallrats (1995)

Tagline: It's mall or nothing!

Set the day before Clerks and starring 90210’s Shannen Doherty as the female lead, Mallrats is the quintessential loser movie. And having grown up in the suburbs like Smith (he in Red Bank, New Jersey, me in Walton-On-Thames, Surrey), I too was a mallrat, I just didn’t know it. Until this came along – and thankful I’ll always be. A true nineties classic.

In this clip, Jay explains his master plan: smooth to the nootch!

Clerks (1994)

Tagline: Just Because They Serve You... Doesn't Mean They Like You.

The first Kevin Smith movie –  is it the best? Shot in black and white and starring Smith’s mates Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson – neither of who did much else than appear in Kevin Smith movies – it follows a  crappy day(off) in one clerk’s life. Shot for under $30k at the store Smith himself was a clerk at, it’s now made over $3m and, it’s a freakin’ classic!

Here is the original trailer showing off its soundtrack: Soul Asylum, Corrosion of Conformity, Bad Religion, the Jesus Lizard and Alice In Chains!