Apologies for my complete and total neglect of this blog. I'll start with a little follow-up: The grand experiment has all but been abandoned only three movies in. It was a noble one, and perhaps far more ambitious than I anticipated. I'll still try to watch some of the films I rarely watch from my collection, and I will still keep this blog going, however infrequently, should any movie blog-suitable events occur in my life. Which segues quite nicely into this entry.
I got a call from my sister one day in mid-February saying excitedly that she'd gotten us tickets to attend an early screening of Kevin Smith's new movie "Red State"in Ann Arbor, MI, which would be followed by a Q&A with Smith. Needless to say, I was pretty excited about this. I have been a fan of Kevin Smith ever since I first saw "Clerks" on video in July 1995. At the time I worked at a movie theater (the AMC Southland 4 in Taylor, MI, which has since been closed, reopened, closed again, and then gutted and converted to a Borders) and therefore related well to the customer service humor. (It's also worth noting I have a twisted sense of humor.) Within a couple of months time my badly dubbed VHS copy of the movie had been passed around and forced upon so many of my friends and co-workers that it literally became unwatchable. I anxiously anticipated the release of "Mallrats" (though I was not technically old enough to see it), and eventually saw it three times in theatres (the first, on opening day, I was the only person in the theater.) I quickly became a fan of the unique voice present throughout Smith's films, even those that were not part of the semi-loose narrative known as "The Askew-niverse". His films are relatable and down to earth, as raunchy as is required to be true to its characters, and even at their most ridiculous had a very grounded sense of reality and even somewhat of a moral lesson to be learned. In other words, smart hard-hitting stuff disguised as slacker humor and "dick and fart jokes." I've seen every film he's made since, and while I didn't necessarily love them all I appreciated the statement each of them made, and the voice that connected them all. Which brings me to his latest film.
"Red State" (2011)
The basic premise behind "Red State", or at least what it first appears to be, is three teenage boys answering an Internet ad promising them sex. They end up being kidnapped by members of the Five Points Church, an ultra conservative group with some pretty unique ideas about cleansing the world of sin. The inspiration behind them is the infamous Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas, but the congregation of Five Points don't settle for just holding signs at funerals, they take matters into their own hands. The film takes somewhat of a surprising turn when an investigation of a car accident spirals into an ATF raid on the church's compound, leading to a climactic battle between "good" and "evil".
"Red State" is very different in tone and content from Smith's previous work, and yet it strangely never feels out of place with it. Moral and religious discussion has always been present in his films, but with the possible exception of "Dogma" it has never been more prevalent or hard-hitting than it is here. "Red State" has been described as being a "horror" film, though viewers of the film realize that the terror comes not from suspense but from discomfort, in that you truly believe that somewhere in the country even a group as out there as Five Points truly can, and perhaps does, exist. (And not even necessarily the Phelps family of the Westboro church, who exist in this film's universe.) That is a pretty chilling thought indeed. But there is so much more going on in "Red State", much of it dealing with making the right moral decisions at the bleakest of times. There is plenty of Smith's trademark humor here, to lighten the mood just enough to feel for its characters and somewhat understand the complexities of being on both sides of a major moral argument. The Cooper family and the congregation of Five Points are clearly the "villains" of this film, though they are presented not necessarily as monsters but as people who stand firm and passionate behind their beliefs and would be willing to kill or even die for them. Likewise, our "heroes", the ATF agents who conduct the raid on the compound, realize they are staring down evil but still question the morality behind what they do. This is what "Red State" is truly about: what truly defines the concepts of "good" and "evil", and when is it okay to make exceptions to the rules?
The message of "Red State" is lifted even higher by the two primary performances in this film. Michael Parks plays Abin Cooper, the family patriarch and leader of the Five Points church. And he plays the part brilliantly, with a fiery passion for his work and a cold but almost charming demeanor that recalls some of the great screen villains of recent memory, from Hans Landa in "Inglorious Basterds" to Lots-o-Huggin Bear in "Toy Story 3". At the other extreme is ATF agent Joseph Kennan, played exceptionally by John Goodman. He provides the film with both its humorous and ultimately its moral center. Both actors own every scene they appear in, and raise up the great performances around them (there are simply too many to single any more out) that much more.
In order to keep things spoiler free, I won't go into too much detail about the ending, except to say that while the climax is slightly less, well, climactic than it could have been, the ends do tie up nicely and the last few lines of dialogue close the movie (and its message) out perfectly. While different in tone than his previous work, "Red State" is undeniably a Kevin Smith movie in every way. It feels like a definitive statement, perhaps even a swan song of sorts (indeed, he has announced that it will be his second-to-last film), full to the brim with all sorts of moral questions that will have audiences talking about this film for years to come, and perhaps re-examining their own morals and beliefs. "Red State" is truly, without exaggeration, Kevin Smith's finest hour-and-a-half.
The film was followed by a Q&A session with Smith, for which he is nearly as famous for as he is for being a filmmaker. He certainly didn't disappoint on this particular night, spending as much as half an hour answering a single question. He spoke at great length not only about his past but his future after being a filmmaker, which he plans to devote to recording various podcasts (which he already does at his website, www.smodcast.com) and starting his own Internet radio station this May. His devoted audience, myself included, hung on every word, relishing the opportunity to hear the self-described storyteller cover all elements of his life and career, fitting so many long and interesting stories into two fast-moving hours. Few filmmakers have as close and direct of a connection with their fans as Smith does, and his fans obviously appreciate his frank and open discussions.
The evening as a whole was a satisfying and thrilling experience for fans of Kevin Smith, and of the art of film making in general. At a time when many filmmakers and studios spend exorbitant amounts of money making and marketing what amounts to be pretty but hollow commercials or rehashes of proven commodities, it's refreshing to see a filmmaker who bucks the system and brings his work directly to the fans, and feels a passion so deep for what he does that anyone who gets close enough, fan or otherwise, can see and admire it. If Kevin Smith should ever read this, I'd thank him for sharing his passion and his voice with us at a time when the average moviegoer so seldom gets to see or hear such things from filmmakers. And I, like the rest of his fans, look forward to seeing what the future holds for him and all of us. Bravo.
