Escape to the Movies: Red State

[Jesus Phish]

It'll be interesting to see how he handles the flak from this one if the critics don't like it. He sure didn't take it well with Cop-out.

I like a few of Smiths movies. Clerks 1 and 2, Zack and Miri, Mallrats are all enjoyable. Dogma is too if you let some of it's sillier parts slip by. I was excited when I heard he was going to work with Wilis, but after seeing a trailer I thought neither of them need to be doing that kind of movie.

 

[Jim Grim]

Well now I WANT to watch it.

 

[Xenominim]

Smith is just trying to hit every genre out there. He started with comedies, wacky, romantic, rated R, sequel, buddy cop, and realized he was taking too long. So now he's pairing them up and doing action and horror together. This was torture porn and generic shooter, so next we should get a giant monster mixed with a revenge flick like Taken or Colombiana. Godzilla pisses off Daniel Craig for instance and the two have a shaky cam fight in a hotel room.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Thomas the Transformer.

There goes my childhood.

 

[Kekkles]

May I ask, why is there so many films where there are American Pseudo-Christian Lunatics running around with guns killing whatever they deem as unholy? It's almost like Bad Guys with English Accents? Or a Hitman with a Russian Accent? Is this a trend?

 

[Tireseas_v1legacy]

i really hope that bob reviews a good movie next time, it's not like there isn't any out there

Like...?

i don't know what is out in america but he keeps saying that attack the block is a good film so i dont see why he cant review that, also he didn't review shark 3d or apollo 18 last week which are both out in the uk so i guess they are out in america so why can't he do a episode about one of them thats just a couple of ideas

From the look of things, he generally will put out a review which he can talk about the most. Remember his Surrogate and Hangover II reviews? Some movies can be good and still have nothing to talk about. Others are just mediocre and really would just be a rehash of what he said in a similar review (I'm thinking Shark Night 3D would sound a lot like Parana 3D). I am disappointed he didn't review Apollo 18, but I don't think it would give him as much to work with as Red State.

 

[Zodka]

I actually had a similar toy when I was younger. It was one of those super cheap plastic rip off toys that you find in dollar stores, except it wasn't Thomas the Train. They must have used the same mold and changed some things.

 

[Xman490]

It's funny how you're reviewing a "s**t movie for t**ts" after Yatzee reviewed a "s**t game for t**ts" (Hunted in particular). I'm not saying you're a ripoff, but the quality of the reviewed works is similar.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

You can say shit and twat, Xman. Your mom won't find out.

 

[Giest4life]

Why is it always the promising ones that have to go crazy and piss their careers down the drain?

Pressure.

I'd edit the post if I were you; the Escapist mods penalize even the seemingly valid 1 word posts.

OT: I guess the movie being terrible made for an entertaining to watch. I never go to the theater to watch genre movies anyways, and I stay away from the crazy political ones, so I was never going to watch it even if it got good reviews.

 

[pubbing]

Hmmm, well I've been reading very mixed things about this movie. I can't say that Kevin Smith has really failed because a lot of people seem to like it for some reason. Personally I'm probably not going to see it to be honest.

I think the lack of a clear "message" is supposed to kind of be the point. As I understand things Kevin Smith is trying to comment on perceptions, and the way the media sways them to an extent. I think the whole thing where the movie is shot in a way that it seems like your supposd to be cheering for the evil scumbag cultists, but you really can't do it, is kind of the point. To put it in the context of Waco, people will sit there and criticize the FBI for the "botched" handling of the case, but really you can't sit there and say that they should have just walked away and let David Koresh do whatever the heck he wanted to do. In a "big picture" kind of way you have to weigh the pros and cons, of certain things, killing children is never good, but when an organization like the "Branch Davidians", or the group from "Red State" has an influance outside of what they do internally (enough to get attention) the risk of losing those children becomes the lesser evil. Shadowy orders aside, is it really better to just have the FBI walk away and let them do whatever they want to do? Not to mention the message is sends that all a whack job needs to do is keep some kids in their compound and nobody will bug them.


The inflammatory title aside, I think a big part of the issue is that a lot of people were expecting a very clear cut "conservatives are bad, liberals are good" message, and really that isn't what this movie is trying to say, it's not based around a single clear message or idealogy and is criticizing groups like the Westboro church, but also the left wing media (indirectly) and pressures, and sort of supporting a fairly right wing take on hardcore law enforcement when needed.

Of course this is all based on what I've heard, I admit I have not seen the movie, but this is what I have been able to piece together.

Honestly, I'm hardly the liberal Kevin Smith seems to be in most of his work, but it would be nice if he went back towards his older style.

I agree with much of what you are saying. It seems like some people would be put off by this by the surface message saying that all conservatives are westboro baptist gun nuts. I can tell you that even hardcore conservative individuals are nothing like that. I kind of have first had experience with the westboro baptist church since they are headquartered in the same town that I live in. We in Topeka KS tend to be pretty conservative here and even we can't tolerate their stupid bullshit.

From the review though it seems like Kevin is trying to show that this is kind of a overblown stereotype without outright saying it. But the confusing way he does show it doesn't really get that message across.

As far as criticism of the Waco thing goes, it wasn't black and white like storm the compound or let him go. He came out of the compound every single day to jog on the road going right past the FBI agents. They could have taken him into custody very easily without that ridiculous shoot out. Granted it wasn't law enforcements fault that the children died in the standoff I believe their deaths were at the hands of their parents but it never had to go down that way. They didn't have unlimited supplies in there and they could have been apprehended one by one as they sent people out of the compound which they did.

Sorry for the long post and I would just like to say from a conservative Topeka Kansas Gamer "Fuck Fred Phelps" all us redstaters are not stupid hicks and are just painted that way by media propaganda. I think liberals should get some conservative friends that way we can have real discussions about issues and get past the propaganda.

 

[Smertnik]

Thanks for explaining the title. First I thought the movie would be about communism or something like that.
And as far as Thomas the Transformer goes, you should ask ashens.
<youtube=kYRK5lzfb9w>

 

[wooty]

Hmmm, when I read the title, I was expecting it to be some sort of psuedo-communism plot type.....movie about communismy stuff. But not hillbillys murdering gay guys and shooting at the feeb..............

Meh, I think I'll go and watch Hero now and forget that bad movies exist.

 

[uberhippy]

Aw thats really too bad. Here was I hoping Kevin Smith was on his way back.
I almost thought (glancing a quick plot summary) that this film would be straight-up satire,, you know a modern 'lets just laugh' take on really crazy conservative quazi-religious nut cases??

Well as this film was honestly compared to the room, i can %10000000000 gaurentee it would be horrific.
(ps, get friends & have a 'the Room / Danny Wiseau appreciation night' and laugh thy selves to tears!!)

 

[dex-dex]

I think Red State was just all over the place.
I personally really enjoy Kevin smith movies and have quoted them in real life situations and most people have no clue what I am talking about.
He is a lot better as a writer and maybe he should just stick to that instead of directing them as well.
Kevin came into the film industry and was sort of doing stuff that Judd Apatow was during the 2000's in the 1990's. Because he has sort of "grown up" since that time his stuff is reflecting that.

 

[therockdemon]

i really hope that bob reviews a good movie next time, it's not like there isn't any out there

Like...?

i don't know what is out in america but he keeps saying that attack the block is a good film so i dont see why he cant review that, also he didn't review shark 3d or apollo 18 last week which are both out in the uk so i guess they are out in america so why can't he do a episode about one of them thats just a couple of ideas

From the look of things, he generally will put out a review which he can talk about the most. Remember his Surrogate and Hangover II reviews? Some movies can be good and still have nothing to talk about. Others are just mediocre and really would just be a rehash of what he said in a similar review (I'm thinking Shark Night 3D would sound a lot like Parana 3D). I am disappointed he didn't review Apollo 18, but I don't think it would give him as much to work with as Red State.

he has done whole shows with films like hobo with a shotgun which was not a complex film, i'm just saying its like he's not putting much effort in reviewing films that have come out recently i don't mean anything bad by that its just i have seen some good films recently and i live in the uk (films come out in america first then europe) and i dont get to see them at press screenings so i know he has probably seen more films than i have and could do shows on one of them that he liked.

 

[TheSchaef]

May I ask, why is there so many films where there are American Pseudo-Christian Lunatics running around with guns killing whatever they deem as unholy? It's almost like Bad Guys with English Accents? Or a Hitman with a Russian Accent? Is this a trend?

It's pretty much the only way Hollywood knows how to depict all dem hokey Jesus folk anymore, is a bunch of Westboro-slash-Waco knock-offs. Other than the nominally watchable indie films coming from Sherwood Baptist Church (Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and soon Courageous), the last time I remember modern Christianity (albeit narrowly focused on the southern charismatic variety) getting a fair shake on film is The Apostle.

 

[Ken_J]

Holy crap, it's a Thomas the Tank Engine Transformer! My nephew would love that thing.

That would have made the Micheal Bay movies awesome. Sodor Prime