Kevin Smith. I love that man. I love him the same way I love a former teacher or relative who moved away. He was a huge part of my teens and early 20’s. His movies painted worlds I could not only relate to, but eventually grow into. He was my favorite writer/director and he still might be. I’ve watched his movies many times, I’ve listened to the commentaries, I’ve watched his “Evening With” stand up rambles, I’ve even gone to one. I saw Clerks before I understood it, I spent months rewatching Chasing Amy, I was unnerved by the religious pamphlet left on the car as we left the theatre after Dogma, Mallrats, Jay and Silent Bob, the cartoon, and all that stuff was great. Then something changed. It wasn’t his movie work because I still think Jersey Girl is good and I loved how he evolved his skills for Zack and Miri. I didn’t get into the web cast stuff and the more and more he took the internet and the more he put himself out there more than any actual work is when I stopped seeing him through rose colored glasses. I enjoy the man’s anecdotes and thoughts, but he’s not a stand up comedian or a talk show host he’s a kick ass writer, underrated director, and a great filmmaker. I miss that Kevin Smith. I’m always going to love the dude, but we’re just different people. It’s not him. It’s me. Really.
Okay… that said, I’m looking forward to Red State. It’s categorized as a action, thriller, horror movie. That’s cool. Smith is stepping out of his slacker world comfort zone and doing something weird and crazy. He’s got John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Stephen Root, and then others I don’t know. I trust his casting though. I like the fact he went for people that aren’t as “known”. It adds to the realism of a horror movie when you can’t say “oh man! The scream guy is trying to kill Monica from Friends!” The story is about a crazy priest who kills sinning teenagers and then battles it out with the law. That’s a very general description because I don’t want to get too deep into it. It’s a fun concept and I’m really interested in how dark and sadistic this side of Kevin Smith is. If it’s on par with how funny his funny side is then we should be scared. I want this movie to rock. I know he said his next movie, a movie about hockey, is his last but he lied about Clerks 2 and a slew of other things. His intentions might be true, but he’ll cave in… I hope! I would love to see “Clerks 3-D”.
