Hack Director or Envy?

First off we have Kevin Smith, whose claim to fame (?) is "Clerks" which I once tried to watch when there were only like 3 Cable Stations at the time and the fact that it took place in New Jersey (personal vendetta) had me scoffing at the tv screen. He then went on to create failure after failure and from what I've read kept employing the same hackneyed routines from his debut. He also employs Matt Damon and Ben Affleck often, which has a repelling magnet affect on me ("Good Will Hunting" read title above). HE ALSO does bits for Jay Leno, which not only states to me that a mortgage payment was due in the Smith household but has a "maybe the people in Missoula will like me and rent 'MallRats'" ring to it.

Ed Burns. Ugh. Smarmy guy who stepped in shit once and now will not go away. He has a new film out, "The Groomsmen" which has gotten panned in every review I've read and I get kind of a nice warm feeling reading those reviews. (I know, I am a bastard) Although I have also never sat through his debut film, "The Brothers McMullen", I did have the non pleasure of seeing the recycled version of one of his waste of Kodak moments starring none other than Bon Jovi. (See New Jersey vendetta above) I squirmed in my seat of the near empty theater, one of the other eight people sitting next to me; a reciprical jesture on my part for having invited said person to "Big Night" (brilliant!) the previous weekend. Ed Burns in turn married Christy Turlington, whom I once liked until I read a few interviews with her and fell asleep in the crease of the magazine. Three times.

M.Night Shyamalan (sp?). Having been living oversea's at the time of "The Sixth Sense" and the bruhaha that surrounded the whole don't give away the ending hubris, I returned to Los Angeles and started work at an Agency (UTA) whom represented M. I was in the Video Transfer department and we would send out actors and directors (and the likes) demo reels. So if someone wanted to hire Scarlett Johansen (sp) for a roll, I would dupe her reel and forward it. This was one of the best jobs of my life because we represented David Chase and we would get the 'Sopranos' episodes a week before they aired. But I digress. We repped M.Night, and like every other director's oeuvre we had catalogued, I would take movies home to watch. One word,
"Unbreakable". Unbearable. I've also heard from people who were pissed by shelling out money for "The Village" as well.

I guess I feel towards these guys as I did when I was growing up towards kids who had great Dads. (Awww!) Somewhat envious but determined to go it alone.