If by any chance you yearn for somebody who could wax poetic for a few hours about the new Super V Batman movie, Kevin Smith is pro



If by any chance you yearn for somebody who could wax poetic for a few hours about the new Super V Batman movie, Kevin Smith is probably your man. Bringing his one-man talking extravaganza to our fair city of Richmond on April 19th is none other the renowned director himself.

If you’re unfamiliar with Smith, he’s one of the few defining directors to emerge from the early 90s independent film boom that helped carve out the decade with cult hits such as Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma. Smith known for his quick wit, vulgar romanticisms, and lovable self-deprecation would soon envelope a large cult following while amassing an impressive resume in Hollywood. Also part of Smith’s charm is that he’s absolutely a pop-culture guru that will talk just about anything personal or professional if there’s a captive audience.

Beyond the 90s, Smith would go on to broaden his repertoire with varying degrees of success with Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl, Clerks 2, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Cop Out and Red State. In case you wondered if he did in fact write and direct a movie where Justin Long is turned into a walrus, yes that was Kevin’s last disturbing but always entertaining effort.

While he’s still a director, Smith now spends a great deal producing a podcaster empire (Smodcast) and AMC’s Comic Book Men. Smith may not of been the first man to ponder the mating habits of Superman and the moral ambiguities of blowing up the reconstructed Death Star, but he certainly was the first to include it his movies. And if you’ve never heard Smith speak, it’s quite the mental adventure.

Typical events usually have Smith field questions from the audience while he goes into humorous monologues about said subject. These rants can be quite long and usually very entertaining. They are akin to something resembling improvised stand-up with more dick jokes you can shake a lightsaber at. Some of Smith’s more famous stories range from working with the ever eccentric Prince on a documentary that will likely never see the light of day, to writing the failed Superman script that would of stared Nicolas Cage and directed by Tim Burton, to protesting his own movies, to having to direct a grumpy and lazy Bruce Willis.

Recently for Smith, he’s worked with Johnny Depp for Yoga Hosers due out later this year and hopes to eventually start production on Moose Jaw, which will be like the film Jaws but with a moose. Luckily for Smith, no director has had the wherewithal or tenacity to make such a film.

Kevin Smith will bring the funny to The National Tuesday, April 19th at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $24.50 to $34.50.