During a recent roundtable interview, Kevin Smith spoke about the upcoming Blu-ray release of
Cop Out (street date July 20) and especially about Warner Bros' Maximum Movie Mode (redubbed Maximum Comedy Mode for this title). The MCM features trivia, outtakes, interviews and other bonuses, but the main attraction is Smith cracking jokes at everything – including himself.
"If f***ing Zack Snyder can pull this s*** off, I can do it," said Smith.
Smith admits he talks a lot on the MCM; otherwise, he quipped, "my fat ass would be eating." At one point there are three Smiths on the screen, lashing out at each other.
The MCM was recorded mere days after the much-publicized incident when Smith was prevented from flying on a Southwest Airlines plane on grounds of excess waistline. "It was cathartic for me," says Smith. "Just because an airline tells you you're fat doesn't mean it's true. I mean, yes I'm fat, but not like that. So it was kinda cool, and I can say the extras are full of my fat jokes."
The implications of Smith's humor, self-deprecating as it was, didn't escape WB, who sent someone from its legal department to be present during the recording. However, the director of
Cop Out said that when he saw the check disc he was "surprised and delighted" at how much the studio had let slide by.
The New Jersey-born director is a huge Blu-ray advocate, and said that for him the future is "only Blu-ray, that's the future right there. DVD is getting phased out." However, he wasn't so enthusiastic about 3D, and said that he's unlikely to make a stereoscopic movie. "If you make a certain bombastic, over-the-top type movie, you'll start thinking 3D. To me, it's still bells and whistles. Can't you just enjoy the story?"