As you likely have heard, from any number of sources (such as the AV Club), Kevin Smith premiered his new film, a horror/action film entitled Red State, out of competition at Sundance on Sunday night. He had originally implied that he was going to be auctioning off the independently produced film to the highest bidding distributor, but ended up "buying" the film himself for $20. That's right; Smith will also be distributing his own film, first doing a several state Q&A/Film Preview tour (soon to hit my town) to raise money, with tickets in the $50 range. With the money earned from this, and one would assume some out of pocket, he will then do a wide release on 1000 screens in October. Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong.
Several critics have rightly pointed out flaws in this plan, and Smith's general outlook. During his post-film speech, Smith seemed to be implying that this would be the new paradigm for independent filmmakers. Does he really think that some Joe Schmoe could raise money by selling out concert halls with $50 a pop tickets WITHOUT being a decade-long studio filmmaker with an already rabid fanbase? Or that, as he proposes to do, you could release a film with no advertising money spent?
So, it's not really original, and it's not practical for most people, but y'know; more power to the guy. If it works out for him, that's great. So why the venomous rants on either side of the aisle?
This time, it's personal. When Smith released his last film, the Bruce Willis comedy Cop Out, critics rightly tore it to pieces. Smith, who in the past has had a good sense of humor about his missteps, had finally been pushed too far. Using Twitter, and his "Smodcast", he went about decrying the very art of film criticism. No longer would he be screening his films for critics, yadda yadda yadda. The critics, particularly the online ones, were not a huge fan of this backlash. Similarly, Kevin Smith's fans, who have a creepy, cult-like devotion to the man, would accept no implied disrespect to their lord and master. The film community was divided into teams; you're either with Mr. Smith, or against him.
Which side am I on? Neither. Look, the dude has directed some fairly funny, if not exceptionally well made, comedies filled with dick jokes and Star Wars references. I don't really care enough about the guy to have an opinion one way or the other. And, for the most part, he seems like a generally nice, laid back guy. Troy Duffy, the director of The Boondock Saints, is easy to hate: In addition to his movies being terrible, he's also a horrible person. Smith? Seems like a fun guy to drink a beer with.
My only negative thought on Kevin Smith is that he ended up being extremely disappointing. When I was a teenager, Clerks was an incredible movie to see, and I (along with many others) anxiously anticipated his next project. When that next movie turned out to be Mallrats, I think we were all really let down. This wasn't a virtuoso on the level of Tarantino or Soderbergh; he's just a dude with a camera who can swear really eloquently. I eventually came to terms with Smith 2.0, the talentless, but humorous, director of raunchy comedies, who didn't seem to take himself very seriously, and enjoyed his movies on their own terms.
The second disappointment is a little harder to forgive. Smith has time and again been given chances to expand his style, to grow as an artist, and has always chosen the easy route. He was given the opportunity to direct a Green Hornet movie over a decade ago, but chose not to because he didn't know how to direct action. Learn, motherfucker! You've made ten movies, and your style hasn't changed one iota?! Tim Burton used to be pretty clunky with his camera work, but through experience he learned how to move that thing around.
And really, that's fine. Not everyone has to grow up (I should know!). Some people follow the Tarantino path, not being comfortable to rest on their laurels. What if, instead of doing Jackie Brown, or Kill Bill, or Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino had just decided to make Pulp Fiction 2? That's essentially the career path that Smith chose, and I understand how comfortable it can be when you have such a strong brand, a rabid fanbase of sociopathic losers, and have surrounded yourself with sycophants. That's why the Star Wars Prequels were horrible; George Lucas no longer lives on the planet Earth, having long ago moved to Planet George. Kevin Smith has been residing on Planet Kevin for some time. A planet upon which, apparently, movies like Cop Out are above reproach.
Am I interested in Kevin Smith's new film? Yes. It looks like he actually made some effort to alter his trademark style, and expand his boundaries. Do I think it will be any good? Probably not. But the guy is really passionate about his work, which is something that I can admire. Michael Bay is a technical genius, but I'm sure he puts zero-percent of his heart and soul into movies like Bad Boys 2.
So yeah; I think everyone needs to calm the fuck down out there. Let's just be honest. . . Kevin Smith isn't a great filmmaker. But his movies are (sometimes) funny.
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