I had the opportunity to see Red Statee on March 5th, 2011 at the Radio City Music hall screening followed by a Q&A with Mr. Smith and cast of the movie.
I am very much a fan of Kevin's other work but after seeing the movie it's clear that this flick transcends his typical fan base. You do NOT need to be a fan of Kevin Smith to enjoy this movie or even know who he is. For starters it's not a comedy or a romance, it's a suspense/thriller/horror with a bit of psychological-ness thrown in the mix in regards to the family's religious fanaticism and how it shapes the characters. I would define this as a character driven film. There are a few action things going on but you really only care about that because you're intrigued by the multi-faceted characters.
Pros: -Great casting and acting. All of the actors, including the young boys, seemed to really understand their roles and pulled them off without a hitch. John Goodman is incredible along with Michael Parks. They really sell the part. -Interesting script. The story doesn't really unfold in the typical/expected way. By this I don't mean there a ton of "m. knight shamamalanalanama" twists, but rather the way the story progresses is slightly off-course from how you would expect it to go. -Engaging cinematography and editing. You can really tell that this movie was edited by someone who smokes (i.e. has a short attention span). Mr. Smith cut out every scrap of "fat" that would have slowed down the pace of the movie and it pays off. Additionally, the cinematography was everything you would want it to be. The majority of the movie is hand held but it's not distracting. They also do the thing where they switch to cameras mounted on the actors so you can see their perspective and it all just worked perfectly in pulling you into the flick.
Cons: -This wasn't an issue for me, but at times in the movie they go from "incredibly serious/scary" to "im making sarcastic/inappropriate jokes." I could see this pulling some people out of the movie.
All-in-all this was a great, fun movie to watch. It is not overly gory and tells a very interesting story. Definitely check it out if you are a fan of good movies! Again, you do NOT have to be a Kevin Smith fan to dig it.
I am very much a fan of Kevin's other work but after seeing the movie it's clear that this flick transcends his typical fan base. You do NOT need to be a fan of Kevin Smith to enjoy this movie or even know who he is. For starters it's not a comedy or a romance, it's a suspense/thriller/horror with a bit of psychological-ness thrown in the mix in regards to the family's religious fanaticism and how it shapes the characters. I would define this as a character driven film. There are a few action things going on but you really only care about that because you're intrigued by the multi-faceted characters.
Pros: -Great casting and acting. All of the actors, including the young boys, seemed to really understand their roles and pulled them off without a hitch. John Goodman is incredible along with Michael Parks. They really sell the part. -Interesting script. The story doesn't really unfold in the typical/expected way. By this I don't mean there a ton of "m. knight shamamalanalanama" twists, but rather the way the story progresses is slightly off-course from how you would expect it to go. -Engaging cinematography and editing. You can really tell that this movie was edited by someone who smokes (i.e. has a short attention span). Mr. Smith cut out every scrap of "fat" that would have slowed down the pace of the movie and it pays off. Additionally, the cinematography was everything you would want it to be. The majority of the movie is hand held but it's not distracting. They also do the thing where they switch to cameras mounted on the actors so you can see their perspective and it all just worked perfectly in pulling you into the flick.
Cons: -This wasn't an issue for me, but at times in the movie they go from "incredibly serious/scary" to "im making sarcastic/inappropriate jokes." I could see this pulling some people out of the movie.
All-in-all this was a great, fun movie to watch. It is not overly gory and tells a very interesting story. Definitely check it out if you are a fan of good movies! Again, you do NOT have to be a Kevin Smith fan to dig it.