I'm 32. Clerks., Mallrats and Chasing Amy all came out when I was either in high school or a freshman in college. My point? Kevin Smith is partly responsible for this site. My love of movies started way before (probably with Gremlins, honestly), but his sharp writing and ridiculously unforgettable characters further cemented my affinity for all things cinema. The reason I mention this? Well, last night's film, Red State, is the latest from the man responsible for at least 40% of the words I uttered in the 90's. And that might be lowballing it.
Well, after more than a decade, it looks like we've both grown up. And yes, things change. I no longer quote Brodie and T.S. every chance I get, and Smith has stepped far away from his Jersey-based universe. Red State may not work the entire time, but I found it effective and engaging. Especially the performance of the man pictured above, Michael Parks. Incredible.
I rented this last night from Redbox. I was looking for The Tree of Life, but stumbled upon this one instead. It was late, and I figured that since school is closed tomorrow, I could stay up and watch it alone. Surprise! My wife was awake and wanted to watch something. Shit. This is not going be her cup of tea. She asked, "What is it? What kind of movie is it?" I told her it was a Kevin Smith movie.
She said, "Oh, okay. It's a movie about some kids that takes place over, like, three days..."
What a weird summation of the Kevin Smith genre, right? But it's not bad. I was surprised (she usually doesn't concern herself with such details). Oh, wife. You so crazy.
With that, we settled in. She assumed comedy, and I certainly didn't want to burst that bubble. I'd say by about ten minutes in, she'd known that I'd duped her. But, she was hooked. Being that she doesn't watch a lot of violent movies, this one shook her at times. Each death made her emit that weird low-gasp sound that women often make (my mom makes the same sound every time she has to slam on the brakes, or a small child almost walks into the corner of something). I bit too, though some of the shortcomings distracted me. I appreciated the tight editing (88 minutes!), but the jump cuts drove me crazy at times. It can be cool, but it seemed overdone and unnecessary. Whatever. It's not a dealbreaker.
One last thing! John Goodman was very solid in this one. Dan Conner delivers one of the finest film performances of his long career (though Walter from The Big Lebowski will never be topped). His agility may come into question during the shootouts, but his cajones were never doubted. Good stuff.
Damn. One more thing! I thought the sermon was very well written and impressively delivered. I read that some found it too long. Idiots. I found it amazingly hypnotic. It provided all the answers to any questions I could ever have about the motivations for these crazy bastards. Chilling stuff.
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Four hundred and sixty collars, all convicted. I hear he's even got two kills. |
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| What am I gonna do...with a gun rack? |
I rented this last night from Redbox. I was looking for The Tree of Life, but stumbled upon this one instead. It was late, and I figured that since school is closed tomorrow, I could stay up and watch it alone. Surprise! My wife was awake and wanted to watch something. Shit. This is not going be her cup of tea. She asked, "What is it? What kind of movie is it?" I told her it was a Kevin Smith movie.
She said, "Oh, okay. It's a movie about some kids that takes place over, like, three days..."
What a weird summation of the Kevin Smith genre, right? But it's not bad. I was surprised (she usually doesn't concern herself with such details). Oh, wife. You so crazy.
With that, we settled in. She assumed comedy, and I certainly didn't want to burst that bubble. I'd say by about ten minutes in, she'd known that I'd duped her. But, she was hooked. Being that she doesn't watch a lot of violent movies, this one shook her at times. Each death made her emit that weird low-gasp sound that women often make (my mom makes the same sound every time she has to slam on the brakes, or a small child almost walks into the corner of something). I bit too, though some of the shortcomings distracted me. I appreciated the tight editing (88 minutes!), but the jump cuts drove me crazy at times. It can be cool, but it seemed overdone and unnecessary. Whatever. It's not a dealbreaker.
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| You want a toe? I can get you a toe. |
Damn. One more thing! I thought the sermon was very well written and impressively delivered. I read that some found it too long. Idiots. I found it amazingly hypnotic. It provided all the answers to any questions I could ever have about the motivations for these crazy bastards. Chilling stuff.
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