Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011

Red State

What, a Kevin Smith film for Halloween? Smith throws everything but comedy in this witch’s brew – horror, action, religious fanaticism, social commentary. Smith reverts to his low-budget beginnings for this genre-hopping bloodbath. Focusing a large chunk of crazy at a fictional version of The Westboro Baptist Church (the idiots who stage protests at funerals, carrying picket signs and shouting, “God hates fags”), Smith takes the “Grindhouse” approach to the material, gritty and over-the-top. The one thing that is missing – character development. Not only is character depth missing, there are no likable characters in the whole damn movie. But it was a bold move for Smith, who’s made a career of bold moves. It feels like Smith is going back to his roots – working with little known actors and making a statement. Only this time, it’s not funny. For experimentation sake, it’s worth a rent.