Kevin Smith to Lead Q&A following Clerks II Showings

Saturday, July 22nd Writer & Director will be onsite at Mission Valley UltraStar Cinemas!

July 22, 2006 – UltraStar Cinemas, the Exclusive Home of Pure Digital Cinema®, will hold special Q&A sessions with Kevin Smith, the writer & director of Clerks II, following the 3:30 pm, 6:00 pm & 8:15 pm showings at the Mission Valley Cinemas at Hazard Center on Saturday, July 22. All guests in attendance for these shows are invited to stay for the Q&A which will take place immediately following the film.

Clerks II, which will be shown in Pure Digital Cinema®, catches up with the characters from 1994’s Clerks, Dante & Randall, who have now moved on from working at a convenience store to working at a fast-food restaurant.

“We’re thrilled that Mr. Smith will be our guest on Saturday for these special Q&A sessions. We know that the movie-going audience will be out in full-force for the opening of his film and to present the film in Pure Digital Cinema® and have Mr. Smith on-site to speak directly following three prime showtimes is a great bonus for our guests,” stated Jill Rosenow, Director of Special Events & Promotions for UltraStar Cinemas.

Tickets for Clerks II are now available online at www.UltraStarMovies.com or at the UltraStar Mission Valley at Hazard Center box office located at 7510 Hazard Center Drive in San Diego. Guests who purchase their tickets online will receive priority seating.

UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas at Hazard Center will also have special Clerks II memorabilia, including hats & shirts, available for purchase.

UltraStar Cinemas has recently become the first theater circuit in the country to equip all of their auditoriums with Pure Digital Cinema® powered by DLP Cinema® Technology. Pure Digital Cinema® offers the crispest, clearest motion picture technology available.

Visit www.UltraStarMovies.com for a complete list of locations and showtimes.

Macleans – “Distilling Kevin Smith”

After your bad experience Jersey Girl, are you about to make another Hollywood movie any time soon?

I think it all comes down to what your perception of a Hollywood movie is. The 40 Year Old Virgin is a Hollywood movie, but it doesn’t occur to you that it’s a Hollywood movie. It’s got some edge to it. Same with Wedding Crashers. The parameters are blurred. It’s tough to figure out what’s indie and not indie any more.

Part of Clerks II was taking a break from that, having just made a movie with two of the biggest stars on the planet [Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez]. Even before the movie came out, it was like, man, it’s a bit much. Especially when you’re talking about people who were on the cover of US Weekly every fuckin’ week. You spend two years trying to tell a story, then you talk to the press about it, and most of them are like, “Hey man, have you seen the big, pink diamond?” What does this have to do with anything? Part of that, I guess, is that they didn’t want to talk about the movie and were trying to be polite. The other part is they’re far too wrapped up in the behind the scenes than what’s up front. It was all backstory, and then got progressively worse as we had to fight the ghost of fuckin’ Gigli.

What was it like making a movie with a $10 million star?

It sounds weird but I don’t think actors should be paid that much. And to Ben’s credit on Jersey Girl, he tried to take 15 per cent of the gross, which meant he would be taking the risk — for ever dollar the movie made, he would have gotten 15 cents. But Harvey felt the movie had a chance of earning so he said no to 15 per cent and said, “I’ll give you $10 million up front.” What’s Ben supposed to do, say no? But then that’s $10 million tacked onto the cost of the movie, which wound up costing $35 million and could have easily cost $20 million.

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ComingSoon.Net – Interview: Brian O’Halloran

CS: Is there any room for improvisation when you’re doing a movie like this or any more with the sequel than with the first movie?

O’Halloran: Moreso this one than the first one. The first one was all Kevin’s work and all his movie. It was all of our first attempt at a film, and we didn’t have the film stock to actually take multiple takes of something, so if we went beyond four or five takes of something, you’d actually see the color leave Kevin’s skin, because he was all sweatin’, “We don’t got this type of film to be doin’ these type of takes.” So this time around, being that it’s still a relatively modest budget of just five million in Hollywood terms, it still had the room to take multiple takes on something, so we would get what Kevin would want, and then if we had something we wanted to throw in or try, he would give us the couple takes to do that. And so even in the first read of the first draft of the script, Kevin opened it up to a discussion period afterwards, “So what do you think?” And we had some issues with certain things in the film that we wanted to tweak and make better or just rearrange, that we did by the second and third draft. After twelve years of us living with these characters and portraying them in many different formats, I think the trust level has gone way up for me and Jeff from Kevin, as to what these characters would do or not do.

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JoBlo – Interview: Brian & Jeff

Aren’t we glad they didn’t use the original ending for Clerks?

O’Halloran: Well, I hated the original ending when I first read that stupid script. I was just like, “killing him, what?” And I remember jokingly saying to him back then, “What if we ever wanna do a sequel?” [laughs] And he was like, “Yeah. Real funny there, boy. Put the sweater on and get shot.” I was like, “All right.” He [points to Anderson] always had a problem with the ending, too.

Anderson: I was fine with the ending, but I always felt they should have pulled back to reveal Randall did it. Then Clerks II would be a whole different movie.

O’Halloran: Ten years later, you’ve obviously finished your ten-year sentence. Jersey only giving ten years for murder.

Anderson: That’s the way Clerks II opens, with me coming out of prison with the little box.

O’Halloran: And ripped. Tattooed.

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CinemaBlend – Interview: Kevin Smith

“…I’ve been really lucky in as much as like we built ourselves a little audience. It’s not a big audience, but it’s enough of an audience where it’s kind of easy to get the stuff we do financed. Make no bones about it, this is a business. We can sit here and talk art and storytelling all we want, but it’s a fucking business. When someone else is paying for it it’s definitely a business and no one gives you money unless they’re assured some kind of a return on their investment. Historically we’ve done that. Our movies have never grossed more than $30 million theatrically, but our DVD is very strong. So even though you can’t build a studio system on the movies that we’ve made, someone is making a profit and that’s why they keep giving us money to make flicks. So for that reason I’m beholden to the audience. I love my audience almost more than I fucking love myself which isn’t that difficult, but because of them I got the job and that’s why I continue to work.”

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About.com – “Jeff Anderson and Brian O’Halloran Discuss Clerks II”

“…On Becoming Convinced Clerks II was a Good Idea: Anderson said, “Literally the first day driving to the set I was in a full panic, sweaty mode. One of the smartest things Kevin did was he put an editing bay… We filmed at a location that was adjacent to a Day’s Inn, so we took over rooms at the Day’s Inn in lieu of having trailers. Kevin put an editing suite in there, and was literally editing as we went. About the fourth day into it he called me into the [editing room]. I showed up to the set and I went up to the room and Kevin came out. His hair was all messed up and he looked crazed. I was like, ‘Oh my God, he finally realized we shouldn’t do this,’ and he was like, ‘No, I’ve been up all night editing. Come see what I’ve done.’ I went in and I watched the first day of filming, which was Brian and Rosario [Dawson’s] stuff. It was a scene that I’m in but I just sort of pop in and pop out. I really didn’t watch them film the scene because they were in another room, and in watching the footage together I just really got into it.”

Commentary Featuring Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier – The View Askew boys talked up Road House in the intro to the Clerks X DVD commentary and were subsequently brought on for a go at it. They come prepared with some of the coolest trivia and tidbits on the film and also, for a good portion of the movie, regale us with Daulton/Chuck Norris type lines like, “Daulton doesn’t tea bag, he potato sacks.” Funny shit.

This director’s first film was partially finanaced from a tuition refund and from an auto insurance settlement he received after one of his cars was destroyed in a flood.

This winter, Oni Press returns to licensed comics with a new series based on the smash NBC hit comedy MY NAME IS EARL! For those people who have been living under a rock for the last year, MY NAME IS EARL is the story of Earl Hickey (played by Jason Lee), a former petty criminal who wins the lottery and sets out to right the wrongs he’s committed in his life. With help from his friends and family, Earl works his way through the list he’s compiled of all his misdeeds, making amends and generating a ton of laughs along the way. Helping Earl along on his comedic quest for karmic redemption in the comics is EARL staffer Hunter Covington.

“When we first started talking to Fox about doing EARL comics, Hunter is one of the first names that came up,” Oni Publisher Joe Nozemack explained. “Hunter is the script coordinator for the show, a big comics fan, and the writer of one of my favorite EARL episodes, ‘The Bountyhunter.’ With a resume like that, I knew we had to get him involved in our new adventures of Earl and the gang.”

But Hunter isn’t alone in crossing things off Earl’s list. He’ll be joined by a bevy of comic creators in making the full color adventures of Earl to the comic page. Who? Well, you’ll have to come to the Oni Press panel to find out!

Yahoo/Reuters – “Directors tell Gen X’ers to grow up”

“For years, Smith vowed not to make a sequel to the first film, and he denies “Clerks II” is merely an attempt to cash in on the notoriety of its predecessor. “Clerks” was a hit on video and spawned a comic book and an animated TV series.

“If I was going to try to make money, I would have made (big-budget movie) ‘The Green Hornet.’ I would have made, like, $5 million just to direct,” Smith said. “‘Clerks” (II) whole budget was 5 million bucks,” Smith said.”

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MSN/AP – “‘Clerks’ returns, with hints of growing up”

“…I was just like, that’s a sacred cow, and I shouldn’t really mess with the first movie,” Smith said. “It’s the one that put me on the map. What if your sequel sucks, and then people retroactively go back and hate the first one, and you lose all that good will?”

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Yahoo/AP – “Clerks II: Something To Offend Everyone”

“…There’s something in this to offend everyone,” said Rosario Dawson, who co-stars as the Mooby’s manager. “So many movies that are made now are so safe. They’re trying to get as broad of an audience as possible, and the product is so watered down it’s just an insult to the intelligence of most audiences. That’s not at all what Kevin does.

“Clerks II” features cameos from Smith regulars Ben Affleck and Jason Lee, plus the return of drug dealers Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith), though they’re no longer users themselves, a nod to party-hearty Mewes staying sober for the last three years.

“I think people relate to Jay and Silent Bob, dudes just sitting around smoking weed and being obnoxious,” said Mewes. “A lot of people tell me, `I have a friend just like that.’”

For all its vulgarity, “Clerks II” has a sweet sensibility and ultimately takes Dante and Randal to a place that should please fans of the original flick — and could leave them counting on “Clerks III.”

Smith said he would not rule that out, and he hopes to do a straight-to-video animated “Clerks” movie. But a third live-action film would be a tough sell for Anderson, who only agreed to do “Clerks II” after a lot of arm-twisting.

“If Kevin thought he had a hard time convincing me to do number two, he’s in for a real battle to do number three,” said Anderson, who initially thought the sequel was a bad idea but signed on because he liked the script. “This one’s a very nice bookend to `Clerks,’ and I think the ending is really poignant.”

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NorthJersey.com – “Fanboys Run The Show”

“…And what of Kevin Smith — who has written comic books, named his daughter Harley Quinn after a DC comics character, and opened his own comic store (Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash) in Red Bank? Need you ask?

“My generation, we sat around talking about sex, and we talked about pop culture,” Smith says.

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Alexandia Times – “The Passion of Kevin Smith”

“…The end result, as far as Smith is concerned, is his best movie to date. “I do, I think it is [my best movie] I’m sure a lot of people disagree … I love it, though. It speaks to me … I am in that place in my life. I know exactly how Randal feels. I’m dialed in on it.”

And he hopes the fans will see his passion for the film and dial in, too. Smith, who has actively pursued interactions with the fans since he first jumped onto the Internet in 1995, realizes many see the first as a “seminal Indie film,” but knows that “Clerks II” is consistent with what the fans love best: two dudes sitting around talking for ninety minutes. “I love the fan base more than I love my own child,” said Smith. “I love my kid, but without those people I don’t have a job.” And to help get current fans, and prospective new ones, even more excited about the film, Smith is pioneering a new idea – a theatrical release commentary.

One week after “Clerks II” opens, Smith will release for download through iTunes, and eventually his own website, a director’s commentary for the film; thereby allowing fans the opportunity for an enriched second theatrical viewing.”

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NJ.Com – “Directors tell Gen X’ers to grow up”

“…Smith, a former Quick Stop clerk and Monmouth County postal employee, has come a long way since, with a résumé of six more idiosyncratic films reflecting his elevation of the very common man and his decidedly potty- mouth way of expressing things.

“Clerks II” is the latest. It opens nationwide Friday.

“I wanted to write about being in my 30s,” the 35-year-old director explains during a Philadelphia visit. “I wanted to create new characters and have Dante and Randal (the clerks in the original movie) go to town.”

Comic Book Resources – “Interview: Rosario Dawson”

How did you first become aware of “Clerks II?”

I guess they had come up with a list of girls to go out to and Kevin liked the idea of me a lot and thought it was a long shot to ask, which I think is crazy because I’ve always wanted to work with him. So, my manager and my agent had to go to the office to read the script. It was very hush, hush thing – no one could get the script out because they were afraid of leaks. They laughed their asses off and so they sent a messenger over to drop it off at my place, who was like, “I’ll be back in three hours.” So, I had to speed read it as I was getting ready to do a play in New York! I read it the first time through and thought it was absolutely hilarious. Kevin had me at the (SPOILER)! [laughs] I wasn’t the girl with the (SPOILER) – which I thought would be a little weird with my Dad – and I didn’t have to participate in (SPOILER), I just had to watch which wasn’t that bad! [laughs] So, no fear of retribution! Totally legal! [Zak Charles Knutson, who (SPOILER)] is actually the nicest guy on the planet – he really went for it. I was like, that’s some acting. If you’re going to be that guy, be that guy.” I had such a great time. I got so excited when I read it.

The movie does allude to certain things from the first film and it has those homage moments – I’m excited to be a part of some of those homage moments like the roof scene, the toe nail painting and all that kind of stuff – but you don’t need to watch the first movie to get it. And the first movie still stands on its own, it’s still a really great film, but when you watch it next to this movie you see how much Kevin’s grown as a film maker and a writer. It’s wonderful to be going out, talking to the press and seeing people who really liked this movie and reacting like, “I really liked it! I was really offended sometimes, but it’s a good film!” And yes, it is, it’s a good film. At the heart of it it’s about friendship and whether or not to go after the brass ring of success and what will make me look like I’m happy, or do I go after what will actually make me happy, even though it may not be as glamorous. And I’m the girl he settles for! It was a really interesting project for that reason. This movie reveals the fact that, deep down, Kevin’s really a sweet heart.

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Comic Book Resources – “Interview: Jason Mewes”

Jason, did you have any apprehension about doing a sequel?

Not at all. I didn’t really think about it. People keep asking me that. My thinking is we’re doing another movie and it’ll be fun. I love working with Kevin and everyone we work with. It’s a lot of fun for me. People have said, “Why would you do that? It won’t live up to the first!” But I don’t really think much about that shit. For Kevin, I do. I don’t want people to bash it and say, “It didn’t live up to the first” and all that shit because I know it would hurt his feelings and that’s what I think about more. For me, I’m like, “Let’s do ‘Clerks’ 3 and 4 and ‘Dogma’ 7.” [laughs] I love working with Kevin and I like playing different characters. Maybe he’ll [direct] a Ted Bundy movie or something similar to that and he can write me a character like that. I really enjoy working with Kevin.

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About.Com – “Interview: Kevin Smith”

“…In the first one I was more Dante wishing that I was Randal. This time around I’m definitely more Randal than Dante, which is odd because Dante is the one kind of going through ‘I’m having a baby and I’m getting married’ type thing, but I’m definitely more in the Randal headspace in terms of like I don’t want things to change. I’m a guy and so naturally change comes very hard to me. It’s a weird struggle all the time where it’s like how much can you remain the person that you were and still grow at the same time? I look at this movie and I definitely identify with Randal so much.”

“…I like to include everyone I know in the movie. I still love what I do. It’s a career now and I’m kind of used to it, but there is still a part of me that’s just like, ‘I can’t f**king believe that this is my job. This is awesome.’ I keep expecting that day where I wake up and I’m like, ‘I knew it was all a f**king dream. I knew that I was still f**king working at the Quick Stop.’ Because it’s that, because I still have that feeling there’s always a feeling that this is the last one that you’re going to get do. Something is going to happen and they’re going to pull rug out from under you so I like to put as many people as I know in the flick because each flick is kind of a snapshot of what’s going on in my life at the time that I wrote it. The people in the flick then are the people involved in my life at the same time. I like to pack it with my friends in the background or in the foreground and stuff like that.”

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About.Com – “Interview: Jason Mewes”

“…Getting his own place means he moved out of Kevin Smith’s. “Yeah, about two weeks ago I finally moved out. His wife was pretty tired of it. I was ready to stay for another three years, at least… I miss being around the house. I miss being around people; I miss being around family. I consider his wife, his daughter, his mother-in-law, father-in-law – Jen’s parents [family] – and they’re all amazing. The home-cooked meals are great. Waking up going swimming with Harley, just stuff like that, I miss all that.

But Mewes didn’t stray far from the Smiths’ house. “I’m real close – four or five blocks? No, I wouldn’t say four or five blocks, yeah – close. I was trying to figure out the distance, but I’m not real good. It could be a couple miles, but I could be totally wrong. It’s a five minute drive – put it that way.”

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About.Com – “Interview: Rosario Dawson”

“…I have to say it’s a really odd thing. You know, for me personally I think Kevin is so amazing. I was so excited to be called and to be a part of this film – to be on any list to have a position to say yes. I was really grateful for that. Especially for it being based off the first film he ever did. There is a nostalgic factor even for that for me. Being 10 years later and looking at that and starting to get into producing and in the industry for a while and going, ‘This is what I want to do.’ Like the exact same thing as [Kevin’s] doing. Maintaining your integrity, still stretching yourself, but still pushing your boundaries and being able to show both films and see how much he’s grown today – both of which hold up today. And, to me, that’s an amazing thing. To be in a position where he’s grateful for me to be a part of it is so odd for me because I’m so grateful to be a part of it myself.

I think it’s something I’m proud of, that I’ve worked hard enough to be in this position. But it’s also something I think is really funny, because he as well as on the first day realized, this doesn’t fall too far from the tree as much as I think it does. I think a lot of other people, at least my friends and family who watch this movie, will see that this character is a lot closer to my personality, and this movie is, more than anything I’ve done before.”