BY SHARON LEFF
Correspondent

Above, Jason Mewes (l) and Kevin Smith, of "Jay and Silent Bob" fame, were in attendance at Vulgarthon 2006. At left, Tri-Town News correspondent Sharon Leff greets filmmaker Kevin Smith at the event, held at the Clearview Cinemas in Red Bank. The View Askew Universe descended upon Red Bank as movie director Kevin Smith and his colleagues took over the Clearview Cinemas, White Street, May 31 and June 1 for Vulgarthon 2006.

The two-day film festival included movies that all had some level of involvement from Smith, whether it was acting, producing or directing. However, fans weren't just treated to movies, they were also able to meet Smith and other View Askew members, a group of people with whom Smith regularly works.

Smith stood at the door of the theater shaking hands and greeting each film-goer as he or she entered. He served as the master of ceremonies both days and participated in some question-and-answer sessions when the movies ended. He could also be found chatting with fans, posing for photos and answering questions, acting nothing like the Silent Bob character he has played in five films.

Jason Mewes, Smith's lifelong friend and the other half of the Jay and Silent Bob duo, also circulated about the theater. Brian O'Halloran, who played Dante in Smith's first film, "Clerks," and who reprises the role in the upcoming sequel, "Clerks II," also chatted with fans.

Split between Clearview's two theaters, fans on day one were shown a longer version of Smith's 2004 film "Jersey Girl," the yet-to-be-released "Catch and Release," which Smith acted in, and a documentary about Smith's film "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" titled "Oh What a Lovely Tea Party." Also included was a documentary on homosexual bars in the South called "Small Town Gay Bar," Brian Lynch's comedy "Big Helium Dog" and "Clerks II." On day two "Big Helium Dog" and "Jersey Girl" were dropped from the schedule since day one started at 10 a.m. and ran past midnight.

The sequel to "Clerks" and "Catch and Release" were a surprise to fans, who knew only that the day would include two secret films. However, "Clerks II" was definitely the highlight for many fans, some of whom had traveled to Red Bank from as far as Florida and Detroit.

Dan Drajesk from Massachusetts attended day two of Vulgarthon and said seeing "Clerks II" was his favorite part.

"I get to brag to all my friends," he said about seeing the film almost two months earlier than its scheduled July 21 release date.

As for coming all the way from Massachusetts, Drajesk felt the day was worth the travel.

"Kevin Smith. Jason Mewes. It's just a good experience," he said.

Eric Leppala first became interested in Smith's work when he saw "Mallrats" on cable television when he was 10. He came from Detroit for day two and did not expect the long-awaited sequel to be the secret film.

"I didn't think they were going to show ["Clerks II"]. I was excited," Leppala said.

After the film, Smith, O'Halloran, Mewes and Smith's wife Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, who had a small role in the sequel, answered questions for about an hour.

Question-and-answer sessions also followed "Catch and Release," with director Susannah Grant. She discussed the possibility of changing the film's ending and took feedback from the crowd. Smith, whose role in the movie included more dialogue than he has in his own films, plays the friend of Gray (Jennifer Garner), who must deal with the death of her fianc. Grant said Smith tended to improvise his lines, but she said she would often use his improvisations.

"More often than not I'd say, 'Kev, just once, just once, say it as it's written,' " Grant joked.

The director of "Small Town Gay Bar," Malcolm Ingram, discussed the process of finding the bars that were featured in his movie, the editing experience and what it was like to interview anti-gay activist Fred Phelps.

According to Ming Chen, webmaster for the View Askew, the event was sold out, with 330 people attending each day. Smith credited Chen with scheduling and organizing the event.

"The biggest challenge is selecting the movies to play and keeping people's attention for 12 hours," Chen said.

As webmaster, Chen moderates the message board on the Web site, which connects View Askew fans from anywhere in the world. Vulgarthon allows fans who only converse online to meet in person.

"It's kind of cool to see their interactions, it's good to get them altogether, most of them have never met," Chen said. "And it's fun to see them take over Red Bank."

Joseph Kneel, who came from Florida for both days of Vulgarthon, said seeing the films with people from the Web board enhanced the experience.

"[Seeing the movies with] people who like the same thing you do, it's exciting," he said.

Elena Salcedo, a fan from Florida, traveled to New Jersey out of adoration for Smith and the films she enjoys.

"[I came] because it would be fun, and I love Kevin Smith and his movies," she said.

Vulgarthon has been held five times in Red Bank and in California.