While "The Flying Car" shows the possibilities of Kevin Smith's writing abilities, it also leaves me wondering after the fact what happened between this short and "Clerks II"? "Clerks", "Mallrats" and "Chasing Amy" showed us that Smith is a master of the dialogue. He writes like people actually talk, only smarter. "Dogma" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" focused more on his directing and less on writing (or rather more on action and less on talk), and I feel this is the downfall of the series.
With "The Flying Car", he is back in top form. Directing at a minimum (the characters never move) and conversation both intricate and interesting. Yet, by the time "Clerks II" comes out, the conversations are weak for the most part, the jokes are juvenile rather than thoughtful, and the action is returned...
So, this short is not only great in and of itself (really a fine piece of film), but is like a time capsule -- capturing the last scene before Smith's demise as a serious film writer.
With "The Flying Car", he is back in top form. Directing at a minimum (the characters never move) and conversation both intricate and interesting. Yet, by the time "Clerks II" comes out, the conversations are weak for the most part, the jokes are juvenile rather than thoughtful, and the action is returned...
So, this short is not only great in and of itself (really a fine piece of film), but is like a time capsule -- capturing the last scene before Smith's demise as a serious film writer.