10 years of Flick Filosopher: the new geek aesthetic

Generation X was starting to develop its own personality both onscreen and behind the camera in the late 90s, as I noted in my review of Chasing Amy:

I think it's safe, then, to put Kevin Smith in the vanguard of that particular subset of Generation X that's informed by a comic book/science fiction/pop culture attitude -- the group that venerates Yoda, thinks even Tim Burton's Batman is too lighthearted, gets the joke of the Home Shopping Channel, and remains ungeeky enough to actually have a life. Clerks -- with its great "Is Luke Skywalker a war criminal?" debate -- flirted with this attitude, and Chasing Amy wouldn't exist without it.

And it was only the beginning...

• review of Chasing Amy, posted 05.04.98