This weekend, one of the year’s best films will play in 38 theaters across the country, and most of the general public will not see it — indeed, most will never even hear of it. The film is Red State, a potent and unsettling hybrid of horror, action, and socio-political commentary that echoes the Phelps family and the Waco massacre. It is the tenth feature film from Kevin Smith, the foul-mouthed auteur who burst onto the scene with the legendarily ingenious low-budget effort Clerks and who has spent the years since sharply dividing film fans, critics, and Internet commenters. Red State is 180 degrees from anything he has ever done; his filmography to date has been firmly comedic, with occasional seasonings of fantasy, romance, and action. Red State is deadly serious… and seriously disturbing. It is easily his finest film to date, but most moviegoers will remain completely unaware of it, because Smith has undercut its success at every turn with his own hubris, greed, or ignorance. Or, perhaps, all three. … Read More