# "Red State" Kevin Smith's Horror Film- tonight with live Q&A after the screening! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 24, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-state-kevin-smiths-horror-film-tonight-with-live-q-a-after-the-screening/593900 "2011-08-24T15:13:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-state-kevin-smiths-horror-film-tonight-with-live-q-a-after-the-screening/593900/21 "2011-09-06T05:19:49Z")
The trailer makes it look pretty dark and depressing. Is that accurate? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-state-kevin-smiths-horror-film-tonight-with-live-q-a-after-the-screening/593900/22 "2011-09-06T05:22:51Z")
Smith appears to be getting a questionable rep in the industry. [Kevin Smith, Burned Out?](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/02/kevin-smith-burned-out-director-s-retirement-red-state-more.html) > [@](#): > > After lashing out at critics and freaking out at film fests, the indie upstart says he’s retiring from movies. Chris Lee reports on the director’s topsy-turvy last few years and whether pot smoking has derailed his career. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-state-kevin-smiths-horror-film-tonight-with-live-q-a-after-the-screening/593900/23 "2011-09-06T05:27:32Z")
The Seth Rogan movie about somebody or other making a porno was terrible, but _Red State_ isn’t bad. I think Michael Parks really helps it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-state-kevin-smiths-horror-film-tonight-with-live-q-a-after-the-screening/593900/24 "2011-09-06T05:29:58Z")
I just watched the longer trailer and had to chuckle that the actor I refer to as “bad kid” is in this movie. I swear he’s been on every hour-long drama as a bad kid of some type. He played a Columbine bad kid on Cold Case, and a basement wrestling bad kid on SVU, and just yesterday I saw an episode of the Closer, where he was, naturally, playing a bad kid. But yeah, I definitely want to see this movie. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-state-kevin-smiths-horror-film-tonight-with-live-q-a-after-the-screening/593900/25 "2011-11-27T09:36:59Z")
I just watched _ **Red State** _ on Netflix Streaming. I was somewhat disappointed. It was better than most Kevin Smith movies that I’ve seen, but that’s not saying much. The story doesn’t really seem fully developed–even at 90+ minutes I felt like I’d only seen half of a movie. When it finally started to get interesting, it was over. It’s not a horror movie at all. It’s pretty much an action/thriller, though the action is mainly just gunfights and it’s very limited in scope–taking place primarily in one location. I did like the cast and I thought they all gave good performances, particularly John Goodman and Michael Parks. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-state-kevin-smiths-horror-film-tonight-with-live-q-a-after-the-screening/593900/26 "2011-11-28T00:33:48Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I just watched _ **Red State** _ on Netflix Streaming. I was somewhat disappointed. It was better than most Kevin Smith movies that I’ve seen, but that’s not saying much. The story doesn’t really seem fully developed–even at 90+ minutes I felt like I’d only seen half of a movie. When it finally started to get interesting, it was over. > > It’s not a horror movie at all. It’s pretty much an action/thriller, though the action is mainly just gunfights and it’s very limited in scope–taking place primarily in one location. > > I did like the cast and I thought they all gave good performances, particularly John Goodman and Michael Parks. I watched it on Netflix too. There’s a good movie in there. He didn’t get to it though. He’s made a decent movie that paints the government as evil and the religious fanatics as evil. Something for everybody! ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-state-kevin-smiths-horror-film-tonight-with-live-q-a-after-the-screening/593900/27 "2011-11-28T00:50:48Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > I watched it on Netflix too. There’s a good movie in there. He didn’t get to it though. He’s made a decent movie that paints the government as evil and the religious fanatics as evil. Something for everybody! That’s kind of where I come down on it. Also, I found the shootout tedious and thought Michael Parks was a bit flat as a character. Wasn’t invested in him at all. Part of that stems from the lack of backstory and limited character development. I realize that it was told by the perspective of the three captured teens so backstory isn’t possible. Guess that puts me and Kevin Smith in a bit of a stalemate. I’ll give Kevin smith some credit though, a bit more mature directorially than the usual. He tried a few things visually that would’ve seemed out of hes repertoire a few years ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-state-kevin-smiths-horror-film-tonight-with-live-q-a-after-the-screening/593900.md?page=1)