From one extreme to the other, Kevin Smith’s RED STATE is green lit
From one extreme to the other, Kevin Smith’s RED STATE is green lit
Mar 25
I saw Cop Out with my younger brother and sister last week in a crowd that should have whipped the movie into a hysterical spin. It didn’t happen. Cop Out lived up to its unfortunate title and I left the cinema with my head low, unable to defend director Kevin Smith against those bashing his name at every given chance– because even a fan needs to admit at this point, the last batch of flicks have been below par.
So here’s a chance for me to give some credit back to the man, because I like the move he’s about to make in his career. His little indie-horror-film-that-could, titled Red State, has finally gotten a green light to start pre-production. I like this move as it gives Smith the chance to cover his tracks somewhat and go from one extreme to the other: a big studio buddy-cop film to an independent gritty horror. He’ll get to flex his muscles (or, erm, flab) again and maybe stumble on a genre he didn’t know was in him. The last time I recognized Smith as being in full swing was probably Chasing Amy. His films post Amy haven’t lived up to the potential shown in that 1997 indie standout.
Smith finished the script for Red State in 2007 and has been shopping it around since, with little luck until recently. The run of rejections from studios even spawned the idea that perhaps fans could contribute funds to get it made (as many were desperate to see the resulting product) a suggestion that quickly created a ruckus online and had the Smith camp having to squash it.
While Cop Out may not be Smith’s best work critically, it’s the most successful film he’s ever had at the box office. Goes to show what the studio system can achieve. I’d venture a guess that DVD sales won’t be the same as Smith’s other films, though. Most fans likely won’t feel the need to collect Cop Out for their personal collections. Hopefully Red State will find Kevin Smith in good form… it’s probably the last straw.
The Red State one-liner reads:
A horror film in which a group of misfits encounter fundamentalism gone to the extreme in Middle America.
