Melody Sweets pinup

Kevin Smith's Blue Balls.. ER I mean "Red State"

I’m so sorry I have to write this, fellow Kevin Smith lovers. And I preface by saying, I think he's brilliant.

I had such high hopes for this film, mainly because Mr. Smith did all he could to make it on his own. I also love his sense of humor and sweetness about his usual work. He's bold without having to shine his brass. He's crass, and old ladies will still pinch his adorable cheeks. He’s a trooper and one of the boys from the neighborhood who made it big. It’s nice to know a regular guy can nowadays.

That being said, this is not his usual work.

Me and the hubbster just sat on our loveseat WAITING... BEGGING for something absolutely insane to happen. But it never did. Okay, we can write a script and describe characters, said characters getting involved in a hairy scene all day. But it all just turns into some branch dividian news soup that ends up with no real resolution. There’s no point to the story, not even telling a story. It’s almost like he took a blender and tossed some names into it, turned it on chop, and then wrote down where the parts ended up when he opened the lid and dumped it. (I am not even going into the political satire here, because you can take it or leave it from the equation, the answer is still the same nothingness sphere of zero). It's regurgitated news, reheated, and plated to look like today's fresh lobster bisque.

The trumpets of Gabriel gave one small inkling of a hair raise. Wait, maybe some gruesome archangel will come and mash them all. Dare I say, I prayed for the Affleck to save something in his Bartelby gear? (I just puked in my mouth a little saying that). But then the credits rolled after no satisfaction was delivered. It was sudden and not graceful at all.

After the DVD was over I re-read the synopsis on the Netflix sleeve in disbelief. I still can’t believe the words “Kevin” and “Smith” are typed on it in ink. Twice.
I never saw Jersey Girl, so I am going to say this is his mimzy; hopefully his last.

I give this film 4 blue balls.

BB King at GVR in Henderson last night

Just saw BB King last night (At Green Valley Ranch in Henderson).   Before now, I had not known he'd been living here in Las Vegas for the past 10 years.  Anyway, his band is top notch, total music lovers. Our city welcomed him back with open arms, and his genuine smile appreciated it.

BB is turning 86 soon, so as one can imagine he's not so frisky anymore, though he would hold onto Lucille and dance around in his chair the best he could with the heartiest of grins. His back-up guitarist played most of the songs for him, but he played 2 songs their entirety: The Thrill is Gone and Key to the Highway. He shredded both like time never touched him with age. But no matter how tired his fingers may be, his voice is still striking and thunderous from a stage. He's still got it after all these years.

He pretty much cracked jokes and told stories most of the time but it was a real treat to see.  At one point he even threatened his drummer, saying, "I'm from Mississippi, I'll cut you." You could tell he still sincerely enjoys what he does, lives for it, even. He even joked about how he woke in bed to see a news report of his death and he called his assistant saying, "did you know I was dead?" Seeing him really hits you, and I even felt tears swelling at one moment.  He's a living legend we'll only get to treasure and see for, I fear, not much longer. He's the real deal; a Southern boy who's seen cotton fields and his mother's stink-eye at Sunday church when he misbehaved.

There was one odd moment of the show that really lasted about twenty, in which he started playing "You are my Sunshine" and the audience was singing along. Some cranky-voiced woman in the front was screeching so loud that his mic caught every word. I felt as if I was in the middle of "O Brother Where Art Thou?" or something.

At the end, he left with his overcoat placed upon his shoulders and a proper pimp hat, and I left feeling somehow blessed. I hope the old bugger lives another 20 years.

Sucker Punch

Well, I just got back from the theatre and I was quiet the entire way home just thinking about what I had just watched. It was a simple enough story. I don’t think the story could have been successfully more complex or it would have totally been lost in the dream sequences. But what was done so beautifully, is that the transitions between sequences were seamless enough to pass between realities without the pain of going, “WTF?”

That being said, it also laid out the obvious path to the film, which I believe to be the film’s worst foil. You knew what was going to happen and what sequences were coming next, just like the girls knew by the nifty power point presentation that Baby Doll scribbled in chalk on the black board. It nearly spoiled the flow.

Now, as for the action sequences are concerned, I could not have been happier. Zack did what he does do incredibly well, by painting each frame as a masterpiece of brutal art, while guiding you through his world of creation. My favorite sequence was the one where the bouncy bunny Nazi killing machine and the girls infiltrate a Nazi bunker and obtain the map. My least favorite: the dragon slaying sequence. (The Orcs were oddly reminiscent of the ones used in LOTR and got a chuckle from me).

The theme of the story was one of fight and sacrifice and it came to an end that, again, was predictable just from the plan that had been laid out to Baby Doll by the Wise Man. (Who was a very enjoyable character that used his words and cameos wisely).

I’m still kind of taking it all in (it was a 2 hour movie that went very fast) so I will definitely watch it again on DVD. I just don’t get all of the bad reviews this film is receiving, though. If you haven’t figured it out by now, you don’t go to a Zack Snyder film to get a warm and fuzzy feeling and walk on a cloud on the way out. You go to take in some visual violence and escape reality just for a little while.
And that’s just fine with me.