Posted by Twitching Monkey at spider-mtc-tb014.proxy.aol.com on August 08, 2001 at 12:15:25:
Hey, kids. I'm new to the board, but have been a Smith fan and NewsAskew reader for years.
I joined today because I wanted to post some thoughts on this Burton/Smith "feud" of sorts...
I am a filmmaker myself, in production on an indie feature here in Dallas. My two biggest influences in film are, in all seriousness, Kevin Smith and Tim Burton.
Both of them use film to relate personal thoughts through twisted humor, exorcising their demons through fiction. Both are "love them or hate them" cult-type filmmakers, thought Burton has collected some serious cash applying his sense of style to other people's creations. Both of them have widely misunderstood tributes to films they loved when they were younger (Mallrats being a Hughes/Landis teen comedy nod and Sleepy Hollow intended to resemble Hammer Horror flicks). The big difference is Burton uses atmosphere, mood, fairy tale stories and things you can't really put into words to get his point across, and Kevin's strong point is the brilliant, witty banter mixed with the classic dick-and-fart-joke humor we all love so much.
I know that occasionally Kevin's mouth can be too big for his own good (he's said this himself) and Burton is a notoriously moody bastard who's had well publicized fueds with even his closest collaborators, Danny Elfman and Henry Selick. But come on, kids, if Kevin can handle the GLAAD situation with such class and maturity, I know this can blow over quickly too. It was a misunderstanding, Burton probably heard the lawsuit comment 3rd hand, possibly 37th hand, and by that time the joke aspect was lost and it was twisted out of context. Let's shake hands and continue with the great flicks. Fuck Superman, both of you should aim for more interesting targets.
Kevin - I'm going to see your Jay & Silent Bob screening in Austin on Monday - Please, no Burton bashing. I want the two sides of my brain to stop kicking each other.
Your close, personal friend,
The Twitching Monkey