Kevin Smith's Red State

[faethor]

It's early but I just started the download. We plan to watch it this weekend, perhaps not tonight. I'll give a short review sometime after I view it. ... Thanks for sparking more interest than I originally had Whyzzat crowd.

 

[the_leander]

You're welcome

 

[faethor]

First - Redrumloa's concern that 'Red State' mischaracterizes Republicans. I'd say no such thing. The film in the beginning makes statements that this group is so ultraright wing that the nazi's and Fred Phelps have issued statements distancing themselves from them. IMO, they are an extreme cult. The government, of course, is displayed too. And their display isn't without issues. Clearly the gov is messed up and the John Goodman character is working to make the best of being part of a careless gov and a careless cult.

I think the film is filmed on a HighDef Camcorder? The quality seemed a bit different than actual film. The styling was rough like a last year film student moreso than anyone that's in the film industry. The writing was sophmoric. (It's sad I think it was something different for Kevin Smith and it fell short. Acting was mostly good and most of the actors it seemed fairly natural. Unfortunately, the preacher wasn't among those. His acting was the most forced.

Overall - wait for the rental, at best.

 

[the_leander]

First - Redrumloa's concern that 'Red State' mischaracterizes Republicans. I'd say no such thing. The film in the beginning makes statements that this group is so ultraright wing that the nazi's and Fred Phelps have issued statements distancing themselves from them. IMO, they are an extreme cult. The government, of course, is displayed too. And their display isn't without issues. Clearly the gov is messed up and the John Goodman character is working to make the best of being part of a careless gov and a careless cult.

Indeedy.

I think the film is filmed on a HighDef Camcorder?

Something like that. IIRC from interviews the stuff he was using was all digital.

The writing was sophmoric. (It's sad I think it was something different for Kevin Smith and it fell short. Acting was mostly good and most of the actors it seemed fairly natural. Unfortunately, the preacher wasn't among those. His acting was the most forced.

Very much in agreement with this. There were some absolutely brilliant one liners from Goodman, but I get the distinct impression that Smith's cannabis use is making him "more creative" in the same sense it did John Lennon, which is to say it isn't (there were interviews by friends of Lennon shortly before he died that described some of his experimental music being little more than background noise with the odd bit of whale song thrown in).

The preacher... What can I say... If Smith had turned him down by even a single notch he would have worked brilliantly but like you say, it just came off as forced.

Overall - wait for the rental, at best.

Yeah.

And as a life long Kevin Smith fan, I have to say I have been seriously disappointed by the last two of his films and for much the same reasons as you outlined.

 

[faethor]

Leander - Thanks for watching. I agree with your Kevin Smith assessment.