Uncle Kent 2.0: Re-cut and More Awkward?

Uncle Kent a Sundance Select film by Joe Swanberg proved to be my first film of Sundance 2011.   Just like myself, Mr. Swanberg was making his first Sundance Debut, though not his first film as the man has a fairly impressive IMDb resume of a few independent director titles and a good list of acting credits from the last 6 years.  Much like you, I went into this film knowing nothing of Swanberg or the film.  My attendance came much as a surprise to me, and all I was able to gather before entering the theater was two words: technology and love. Uncle Kent delivered both.

My initial reactions to the film were focus on the amateurish qualities of the film.  Much of the camera work, though some of it diagetic via a flip camera from the main character Kent (Kent Osborne), was obtrusive and reminded me of the many films I watched from my peers during my tenure as a film student.  However, I recognize this a part of the style as much of the film is meant to look like a blogger documentary style shoot.  Still I feel was left disappointed with the cinematography of Uncle Kent, and offer a helping hand to Joe Swanberg in asking him to study The Squid and the Whale by Noah Baumbach.  Swanbergs attempt at this semi-autobiographical piece fell short in the attempt to engage me in the faux documentary style he strived for.

The content of Uncle Kent, though not really what I tend to seek out in films was full of subtle commentary on the state of an aging bachelor living in Los Angeles.  I remained unable to relate to Kent as a character and therefore any hope of narcissistic ego identification and personal connection to the film was lost, sorry Laura Mulvey.  Yet, the content remained pepper with comedic situations in the interactions between Kent and the two women he met online via Chatroulette and Craigslist.  It was in this awkwardness that the real substance of the film existed.

The film, though unimpressive in its current state, still has potential.  The presence of amateurish camera work, awkward characters played by unknown actors, and even more awkward content leaves me in the belief that with some tighter editing a substantial film can be made.  Swanderg fell into the same mistake that is easily made by many independent filmmakers in taking too much control of his film and shooting and editing it himself. Outside hands need to be used to re-cut this film into a more finely tuned version that truly highlights the awkwardness of it all.  If this film can be picked up and Mr. Swandberg allows them to re-cut the film without him, I would certainly give it another try.  As it stands now, I feel Uncle Kent looks and feels more like a film students capstone film, good enough to earn him a degree, but not quite good enough for the general audience.  So, Mr. Swanberg, please watch The Squid and the Whale, learn from it, and I will see you again for “Uncle Kent 2.0: Re-cut and More Awkward.”

Uncle Kent

Jesus Died For Kevin Smith’s Sins; Thank God!

On January 23rd, 2011 Kevin Smith once again returned to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah to debut his latest film. This is Kevin Smith’s tenth film since his award-winning Clerks in 1994 and shows the maturity and experience of an aged ”fat masturbating stoner” turned cult film director. The premier of his film Red State at Sundance last night became as much of a performance by Kevin Smith as it was about the film itself. The largest venue of Sundance the Eccles Theater sold out without an empty seat in the house and hundreds of wait-listing public and Sundance volunteers stood improperly dressed in the cold for over two hours hoping to catch their idol in person; and Mr. Smith did not disappoint. With the energy and drive of a rock star playing The Greek Theater, he attacked the corporations of the film industry, the economics of marketing, every distributor in the room, and even the practice of making movie trailers.  He yelled of fire and brimstone on that oppose his new fundamentalist style of debuting his film to his congregation or over a 1,000 live members.


As an admitting Kevin Smith fan, I write this review without the presence of a single plot point or summary of the film for two reasons: One, I admire Smith’s drive and wish him the best in his quest to release this film successfully with a marketing budget of $0 million dollars, and two, as iterated earlier, this world premier was more about Smith and his agenda as it was about the film itself (my auteur theory professor would be proud).


With that said my experience with the Red State premier began with conflicting feelings. I enjoy Smith’s work and watch all of his movies, however, with the undoubted success Smith has achieved since his unknown directorial debut in ’94 made me question his presence at Sundance. Increasingly Sundance has begun to trend away from independent film and accepted submissions from bigger names and even bigger budgets. This made me wonder whether Kevin Smith was stealing the show and taking away another opportunity from a debut director much like himself entering Sundance for the first time. Nonetheless, I stood there in the cold, just as improperly dressed for just over two hours to earn my ticket and chance to hear Kevin Smith talk in person for the first time. I was then greeted as I entered the theater by protesters against Smith, the film, and homosexuality all together. Thankfully, there for comic relief was Smith and his entourage standing amongst the picketers offering their own take, including statements like “I am a happy Jew,” and other more explicit takes on life.


From there I was exposed to a film appropriately dubbed a horror flick, as much a horror as any B-level Bruce Campbell film is a comedy. Nonetheless, the performances of Michael Parks, John Goodman, Melissa Leo and the photography of David Klein treated me to a much more experienced film than Smiths previous catalogue. The camera work moved form the static mid shot, with the occasional use of a dolly track to a more fluid shot making the camera as much a part of the film as religious overtones. Similarly, the often filmed, and uncut, Parks offered sermons to the camera that truly makes one believe he is Abin Cooper offering a deep intellectual connection to the film beyond the level of a passive recipient and into an active consumer (I prefer theories that take the audience members experience into account).


With fear of becoming too wordy, pointless, and giving away the film I will end my review of my experience at the world premier of Kevin Smith’s Red State saying, the film is best delivered with a side of Kevin Smith so, join him on his rock star film tour in March that will tour the film through New York, Boston, Chicago, and other usual suspects. Other than that I must offer one more bit of creativity, as creativity sparks creativity, right Mr. Kevin Smith? Jesus died for Kevin Smith’s Sins; Thank God.

Red State.