Posted by TheClerkCalledFreeway at h24-79-53-90.cg.shawcable.net on August 18, 2001 at 16:10:10:
In Reply to: TO VA CREW AND FANS... posted by DarthMooby on August 18, 2001 at 15:46:19:
: Here I am, a mere six hours away from "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and I still can’t help but feel at least a small bit of sadness amidst all my excitement. There has been nothing more in my life that I’ve wanted to do more than be a filmmaker. My entire life’s passion boils down to this one thing. I want to make people laugh, cry, be scared, feel love and think. Ever since I first saw "Superman" "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Star Wars" when I was about one the want… no, need to entertain people has been there. So if George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Richard Donner created the spark, the love of movies, then Kevin Smith with "Clerks" was there to show me I could do it too, thus igniting the flame and pushing it from "I want to do this, but how," to "I want to do this and I can." I was there on opening day for Clerks with my brother at the tender age of fourteen. Sure we laughed hard, but I came out of that little Berkeley, CA theater knowing this was in the realm of possibility, that I too can create characters this true and situations this funny. I was hooked on this amazing new talent that not only gave me the courage for my art but made me laugh at the everyday goings on of a minimum wage worker, something I was soon to face myself with "Clerks" (and the rest of the Askewnaverse) alone keeping me sane through the workday as I wait with bated breath for that damn clock to strike midnight, releasing me from Blockbuster Hell so I can continue tapping away at my keyboard.
: We are not just saying goodbye to a couple of lovable morons here with "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back". There’s a whole pantheon of others that have helped me (and many others, I’m certain) through life thus far by making me laugh and, often times, think. Randall and Dante have shown me that even though my mediocre jobs are complete hell I’ve still got those friends and family there to help me through it. Brodie taught me to stay the hell away from chocolate covered pretzels (I just can’t eat the things after the Stinkpalm). Holden, Banky and Alyssa have shown me that even though they aren’t always one hundred percent supportive, they are there and that we should remember the past but not live there. Finally we have Bethany, Rufus, Metatron and the rest of the "Dogma" crew who taught me that it’s okay to have my ideas and be open ended with my spiritual side. This is just a very small sample of what I’ve taken from these movies as far as the message goes. They all mean different things to different people. For me, they’ve been eye-openers on all fronts. I know I’ll miss the whole bunch, not just Jay and Bob. So in closing I’d like to thank Kevin and the rest of the crew for opening my eyes and giving me the courage to seek out my trade. I’ll sure miss the universe that is Askew.
: Kevin H
: kal_el83@hotmail.com