This Movie Guy: Happy Birthday, Kevin Smith!

Birthday time again, folks! This time we're celebrating the 41st birthday of director Kevin Smith, one of the premiere comedic directors of the last twenty years. From his debut feature - 1994's Clerks. - he has managed to craft an intertwining universe around his native New Jersey. In a way, all of his comedic films reference and look back at the ones that came before them. In addition to directing his films, he's appeared in most of them as a character named Silent Bob, adding to his comedic prowess. He's found a way to tap into pop culture in a way that few directors have ever been able to do, and he does so extremely effectively. As a tribute, I've counted down my five favorite of Smith's films. You'll next be able to see Smith's work when he breaks into the horror genre with a film called Red State, set for release in the U.S. on October 19, 2011. But once again, happy birthday, Kevin Smith!