Tonight I saw a screening of Red State, Kevin Smith's newest film. He is self-distributing and spending no money on marketing or advertising, so don't be surprised if you haven't heard of it yet as it is still months away from a mainstream release. The film has screened four times now: twice at the Sundance Film Festival, once at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and then tonight at the Wilbur Theater in Boston. The film is expected to be released in theaters in September.
I must say that not only was this a great film, it was one of the best movie going experiences I've ever had. Kevin Smith started the show with a short monologue where he introduced himself and thanked the crowd for being there, and then after the screening he did a Q+A for about an hour and a half. He only answered about 6 or 7 questions, but he still talked for 90 minutes.
The crowd was, to borrow a wrestling term, red hot! We hung on Kevin Smith's every word, we laughed at all his jokes (except the ones that missed, and there were a few that missed), and we clapped and laughed and cheered and gasped at every point in the movie where he wanted us to clap and laugh and cheer and gasp. At first I thought it was sort of disingenuous that we were reacting so publicly, if Kevin Smith wasn't there, would we be reacting this way? No. But then on second thought, I realized that we weren't behaving this way because of Smith's presence, it's because everyone in the audience was a die-hard Kevin Smith/indy film fan that had been waiting to see this movie for months, and we were all watching it together, almost like how you would watch a movie in your friend's living room.
I could go on and on about the crowd and the evening in general, but I know what you really want to hear about, and that's Red State.
Red State focuses around the events of the Five Points Church, a church that shared a lot of similarities to the Westboro Baptist Church. This church also protested funerals and held up signs that taunted homosexuals, and they were regarded as crazy by even the most ultra-conservative groups. To go into anymore detail regarding the plot would risk spoiling some of the movie, as it is full of shocks and surprises.
That said, I can still tell you all about this film not as a story, but as a film. It was a very special, impressive work of art. There is no main character, rather, every character is so human, so real, that they all lead the story in their own way. In that regard it's sort of similar to No Country for Old Men in that No Country also blurred the lines of who the main character was, but this one was even better in that everyone was a main character. From the teenage kid who gets his friends into trouble to the fire and brimstone preaching pastor to the leader of a special task force that has less control over the situation than he'd like to admit to the random woman who blindly follows her leader... all characters are so important and so real that it's hard to choose who is the lead.
To pull off such a feat as this, the movie had to be extremely well cast, and just as well acted. I can safely say that I have never seen a movie that was more perfectly cast. Every single character was believable, and they all looked the parts and assumed the roles very well. The acting was also nearly flawless, and there wasn't a single actor who didn't do their role justice. I'd give the casting 10/10 and the acting a 9.5/10.
One of the craziest things about this movie is how you feel about people dying. I will tell you now that people die in this movie, and sometimes you will want to cheer. How fucked up is that? And it's not like it's a monster dying, it's a person dying, and you're cheering for it. It makes you realize that when you disagree with someone so violently that you are almost happy to see them go. How would you feel if tomorrow, all of the members of the WBC died? Would you be happy? Would you feels some sadness in the massive loss of human life? Do people deserve to die simply because they are filled with anger, hate, and prejudice? Red State forces you to examine these questions.
This movie was billed as a horror movie by Kevin Smith, but many of his fans have been bothering him to start billing it as a black comedy. I will tell you know, there are a few moments where you will be terrified, many moments where you will laugh, and a lot of moments where you'll resist the urge to throw your fists in the air and scream, "HELL YEAH! KICK ASS!" That's because you get three movies in one here: you'll see a religious horror movie, a black comedy, and an action movie. The film is divided into three acts (not literally, but you can tell where the obvious breaks are), and each act has a little bit of each element. I hesitate to say there's something for everyone in this movie, as the dark and sinister tone of the story is strong throughout the film, but it will truly appeal to you in many different ways if you are a fan of dark movies.
Overall, this was Kevin Smith's best movie ever, and probably my favorite (dethroning Dogma for those who care). Kevin Smith himself said that this was his best movie yet, that he threw everything he had into this movie, and "emptied his tank of creativity" into this movie. It was a great script, the characters were amazing, the plot was flawless, the camera work was beautiful, everything in this movie was on. I give easily give it a 10/10
I must say that not only was this a great film, it was one of the best movie going experiences I've ever had. Kevin Smith started the show with a short monologue where he introduced himself and thanked the crowd for being there, and then after the screening he did a Q+A for about an hour and a half. He only answered about 6 or 7 questions, but he still talked for 90 minutes.
The crowd was, to borrow a wrestling term, red hot! We hung on Kevin Smith's every word, we laughed at all his jokes (except the ones that missed, and there were a few that missed), and we clapped and laughed and cheered and gasped at every point in the movie where he wanted us to clap and laugh and cheer and gasp. At first I thought it was sort of disingenuous that we were reacting so publicly, if Kevin Smith wasn't there, would we be reacting this way? No. But then on second thought, I realized that we weren't behaving this way because of Smith's presence, it's because everyone in the audience was a die-hard Kevin Smith/indy film fan that had been waiting to see this movie for months, and we were all watching it together, almost like how you would watch a movie in your friend's living room.
I could go on and on about the crowd and the evening in general, but I know what you really want to hear about, and that's Red State.
Red State focuses around the events of the Five Points Church, a church that shared a lot of similarities to the Westboro Baptist Church. This church also protested funerals and held up signs that taunted homosexuals, and they were regarded as crazy by even the most ultra-conservative groups. To go into anymore detail regarding the plot would risk spoiling some of the movie, as it is full of shocks and surprises.
That said, I can still tell you all about this film not as a story, but as a film. It was a very special, impressive work of art. There is no main character, rather, every character is so human, so real, that they all lead the story in their own way. In that regard it's sort of similar to No Country for Old Men in that No Country also blurred the lines of who the main character was, but this one was even better in that everyone was a main character. From the teenage kid who gets his friends into trouble to the fire and brimstone preaching pastor to the leader of a special task force that has less control over the situation than he'd like to admit to the random woman who blindly follows her leader... all characters are so important and so real that it's hard to choose who is the lead.
To pull off such a feat as this, the movie had to be extremely well cast, and just as well acted. I can safely say that I have never seen a movie that was more perfectly cast. Every single character was believable, and they all looked the parts and assumed the roles very well. The acting was also nearly flawless, and there wasn't a single actor who didn't do their role justice. I'd give the casting 10/10 and the acting a 9.5/10.
One of the craziest things about this movie is how you feel about people dying. I will tell you now that people die in this movie, and sometimes you will want to cheer. How fucked up is that? And it's not like it's a monster dying, it's a person dying, and you're cheering for it. It makes you realize that when you disagree with someone so violently that you are almost happy to see them go. How would you feel if tomorrow, all of the members of the WBC died? Would you be happy? Would you feels some sadness in the massive loss of human life? Do people deserve to die simply because they are filled with anger, hate, and prejudice? Red State forces you to examine these questions.
This movie was billed as a horror movie by Kevin Smith, but many of his fans have been bothering him to start billing it as a black comedy. I will tell you know, there are a few moments where you will be terrified, many moments where you will laugh, and a lot of moments where you'll resist the urge to throw your fists in the air and scream, "HELL YEAH! KICK ASS!" That's because you get three movies in one here: you'll see a religious horror movie, a black comedy, and an action movie. The film is divided into three acts (not literally, but you can tell where the obvious breaks are), and each act has a little bit of each element. I hesitate to say there's something for everyone in this movie, as the dark and sinister tone of the story is strong throughout the film, but it will truly appeal to you in many different ways if you are a fan of dark movies.
Overall, this was Kevin Smith's best movie ever, and probably my favorite (dethroning Dogma for those who care). Kevin Smith himself said that this was his best movie yet, that he threw everything he had into this movie, and "emptied his tank of creativity" into this movie. It was a great script, the characters were amazing, the plot was flawless, the camera work was beautiful, everything in this movie was on. I give easily give it a 10/10
