The evening was a special occasion for fans of the writer/director. In addition to answering any and all questions, Smith also regaled the audience with some juicy behind-the-scenes stories of Hollywood. There is a realness to Smith that is refreshing. He has none of that self-satisfied show business ego that too many in his position wear like an Olympic medal. Instead, he has a down-to-earth appeal; he presents himself as exactly what he is - a Jersey guy lucky enough to do what he really loves.

One of the very first questions posed to the filmmaker was about his next project, the tentatively titled "View Askew 5" (the real title, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, has since been made public). Rumors on the internet claim that this picture will bring together many of the characters from Smith's four previous films. Smith declined to reveal too much about it, claiming he wants to build "a Star Wars level of secrecy, as if anyone gives a shit." He later joked that the movie would be "a real Mighty Ducks kind of affair."

Scheduled to hit screens on August 10, 2001, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back will be released by Dimension Films, a mainstream offshoot of arthouse Miramax. Smith says that the movie is intended to be an ultra-commercial event, which is why he chose to set up shop with Dimension instead of its parent company, for whom he made Chasing Amy and Dogma.

From the moment he burst onto the scene with 1994's Clerks, Kevin Smith has been a self-described master of "dick and fart jokes." As the crowd of fans recognized, he was understating the appeal of his work. Although punctuated by crude humor (just ask anyone who saw Clerks what it means to be "snowballed"), his films have an undeniable amount of comic heft to them. Clerks captured the anarchic spirit of minimum-wage drones everywhere. Mallrats was a throwback to the kind of Saturday-night-at-the-movies popcorn flicks that John Hughes and John Landis used to make. Chasing Amy was a mature look at male sexual insecurity, and Dogma satirized religious rule-making while remaining a work of genuine faith.

Surprisingly, Smith didn't start out to be a filmmaker. Along with friend (and View Askew cohort) Bryan Johnson, he took criminal justice courses in college. The duo figured "if all else fails, fuck it - we can be Batman."

The creative spirit soon took over, and Smith decided to make his low budget opus to convenience store workers. Raising the cash through credit cards and selling his prized comic book collection to pay them off, he made Clerks on a low budget. The film played like gangbusters at Sundance and was eventually distributed by Miramax (the quintessential indie filmmaker dream). Almost instantly, it became a cult hit. The story of two hapless counter-monkeys named Dante and Randal, the film had surprising insight into the philosophy of low-level retail workers. Dante was the responsible guy with a strong work ethic, even for a menial job. Randal, meanwhile, had a more blunt attitude, basically saying "I'm not paid enough to care." Those of us who have worked such jobs in our lives (and have dealt with long hours, low wages, and rude customers) appreciated the exactness with which Smith captured the helpless feeling. It was clear that a unique and original talent was on the scene.

If Smith has inspired thousands of wannabe filmmakers (and he certainly has), who inspired him? He notes individuals such as Richard Linklater (whose Slacker is a touchstone of independent cinema), Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, Mystery Train), Hal Hartley (Trust), and Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, She's Gotta Have It) as inspirations. Like his heroes, Smith quickly established himself as someone with an identifiable perspective. Although he loathes the term "auteur," it's safe to say that one could identify a Kevin Smith film even without seeing his name on the credits. It's a quality only the most interesting filmmakers possess. (Would you be able to say the same thing about the director of Little Nicky? Of course not.)

In addition to independent film lovers, Hollywood has also taken note of Smith's talents. He has worked as a script doctor on several big studio films (including, it is rumored, Coyote Ugly). The tales of his exploits in Hollywood were high points of the evening's lecture. Among other topics, he discussed at length the saga of Warner Brothers' planned remake of Superman. Smith's brilliant screenplay (long available on the internet) was tossed when director Tim Burton came aboard. The project was never brought to completion. This failure to produce Smith's screenplay has to be considered one of the great losses in recent entertainment. A true scholar of the comic book art form, his screenplay kept the spirit of Superman fully intact while still making him seem relevant for a new era. I've read the script and, quite frankly, it would have made a hell of a good movie.

One of the most interesting questions of the evening was about Jason Mewes, the actor who plays Jay to Smith's Silent Bob. The filmmaker calls his friend the kind of guy upon whom "urban legends hang." Smith met his future screen sidekick through friends Bryan Johnson and Walt Flanagen ("You tell 'em, Steve-Dave!"). At first Mewes proved to be little more than an irritant. "He's the kind of guy you know for two minutes and he whips his cock out," Smith quipped. Eventually, though, that brand of snoochie-boochie-noochies humor won Kevin over. The friendship has proven loyal. When Universal wanted to replace Mewes with actor Seth Green ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") on Mallrats, Smith fought for his pal - and won. Convincing the studio execs to give the guy a chance, Mewes turned in a funny performance that won everyone over. (These are the same execs who, in response to a planned final scene in which Jay and Silent Bob walk down a street with a monkey, urged Smith to "develop the monkey further." Smith's reply: "Like what - explain why he eats bananas?")

During the Q&A, a ribald - and very funny - story was told about Mewes, a video camera, and a wedding proposal. This one may be too raunchy for publication here. If you get the chance to attend one of Kevin's lectures, make sure you ask him to tell it.

Also during the evening, the Bloomsburg audience had the chance to screen one of the unaired "Clerks" cartoons. The series was unceremoniously dumped by ABC, despite being quite groundbreaking in the area of animation. All six of the produced cartoons will be released on DVD in February, complete with commentary and videotaped introductions.

One of the reasons why Kevin Smith is an important filmmaker is that he doesn't lock himself into one particular thing. He does features, commercials, cartoons. He produces movies for other people (e.g. Good Will Hunting). He writes comic books. He operates a website and a store, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. He not only seems aware of the wide variety of options a filmmaker has, but he also sees the possibility of expanding his vision to all sorts of media. Similarly, his fans are more than your garden variety. They possess an intensely loyal devotion that is both admiring and enthusiastic. People will check out a Kevin Smith project - regardless of media type - simply because his name is on it.

Smith also shows a lot of range in his choice of subject matter. Who would have thought that the same guy who made the gleefully adolescent Mallrats would also create a romantic drama as topical as Chasing Amy or a satire as poignant and inspiring as Dogma? Smith refuses to be pigeonholed into one kind of story.

Immediately following the talk, Smith hung around to kindly sign autographs for his fans. I had been wanting to meet the man for years. He's a fresh voice in the cinema, and his pictures have given me hours of enjoyment. During my career, I've met a lot of famous people. Some of them have been wonderful, others have been...well, I won't use the word I'm thinking of. Happily, I found Kevin to be an incredibly nice guy. He genuinely seems appreciative not only of his success but of his fans as well. One of the things that separates him from most other celebrities is that he enthusiastically interacts with his audience, through college lectures, comic conventions, and his own website www.viewaskew.com. Too many stars act like they are afraid of their fans (admittedly, some have good reason). Smith is a fan himself, so he knows how his own admirers feel.

And believe me, the fans love it. Kevin Smith is not only a talented filmmaker, but a skilled raconteur and all-around entertaining personality as well. I'll leave you with one final example. During the lecture, an interpreter for the hearing impaired stood onstage alongside Smith. He seemed to take delight in dropping profane words and vulgar expressions into his speech, just to see how she would sign them. The audience howled with laughter every time he did it.

Funny, clever, a little bit raunchy. Sounds like a perfect idea for one of his movies.

Mike McGranaghan is Gamut! Magazine's Film Critic. In addition to his print reviews, he can be heard on several Central Pennsylvania radio stations, where he hosts "Mike on the Movies," a weekly movie review segment. He is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, an organization of internet critics. Mike's favorite Kevin Smith movie is Chasing Amy, although as a Catholic, he has a strong appreciation for Dogma as well.