So despite a lot of hype, Kevin Smith's "Tusk" opened earlier this month and pretty much died. It earned a paltry $1.4 million theatrically but that said, the VOD numbers might be more encouraging. Either way, the filmmaker knows how to hustle, and he's already at work at the low budget "Yoga Hosers," with "Moose Jaws" in the pipeline (part of what Smith calls the "True North Trilogy").

Kevin Smith‘s Tusk is a prime example of a filmmaker in the midst of reinvention. Every since the disaster that was Cop Out, Smith has been on a quest to become a new director. First he shunned Hollywood and self-distributed Red State, a welcome departure from his off-the-wall comedies of the past. Now he’s delving deep into horror with Tusk, the story of a man named Howard (Michael Parks) who kidnaps a podcaster named Wallace (Justin Long) and attempts to turn him into a Walrus. Much like Smith’s up-and-down career path, Tusk has a fascinating trajectory.

Since no one gets to dislike anything in a public venue without drawing accusations of being a “hater,” I feel compelled to unpack my Kevin Smith bona fides: I included “Chasing Amy” in my book “101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men” despite the divisive opinions that comedy sparked in the LGBT community. I defended “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” as a step forward for queer humor when the film was being pilloried by GLAAD.

A24 In 2011, Kevin Smith took to the Sundance stage after the premiere of his then-latest film, the horror-cum-satire-cum-action movie, Red State. The film, in conjunction with a 33-minute rant about Hollywood and the death of the indie film world, led many to declare that Smith had totally lost his mind.

Mathias (Kevin Kline) is a failure. He's three times divorced, and not coincidentally, has written three unpublished novels. But the passing of his father —who has otherwise given away all his money to charity— has opened to the door to potential prosperity. Mathias' father has left him the keys to a beautiful Parisian apartment, but there's just one problem: the 90 year old Mathilde (Maggie Smith) has lived there for seventy years and has no plans to leave. Nor does she have a legal obligation to.