Even before he began promoting his self-distributed horror film Red State in earnest, Kevin Smith was saying that it would be his second-to-last movie before retiring from directing to preside over his podcast empire, write comics, and produce the cinematic efforts of aspiring filmmakers.  Turns out, though, that the assertion will end up being not quite accurate, since his last project, the hockey-opus Hit Somebody, will apparently be divided into two separate films.

With 1994's Clerks, writer-director Kevin Smith established that his characters frequently speak obscenity-laced dialogue that references all manner of sexual acts, usually of the most foul variety.  Much has been made of Smith's new film, Red State, and the left turn it represents for the podcaster in terms of both style and substance.  A new red band trailer for the thriller opens with some familiar Smithian dialogue before moving on to religiously-themed horror, Michael Parks pontificating, and no small amount of automatic weapons fire.  Through it all, though (except the screeching torture bits), there is a certain tone to the dialogue that suggests its still the work of the man behind Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Mallrats.

One of the things that sets the MTV Movie Awards apart from other, more staid and self-congratulatory awards shows is that the frequently unconventional categories are actually fun and unique.  Best Scared As Sh*t Performance, for example, is not a category you'll find at the Golden Globes.  The Best Fight competition this year is of particular interest, and has inspired me to advocate for one specific entry: Amy Adams versus the seven unstoppable Ward/Ecklund sisters in David O. Russell's The Fighter.  Allow me to break down exactly why The Fighter deserves your vote.

If you're one of the unlucky few who missed director David O. Russell's outstanding, Best Picture-nominated The Fighter in theaters, you can remedy that grievous mistake right now, as the film is available on Blu-Ray and DVD.  Mark Wahlberg, who also produced, stars as real life Lowell, Massachusetts pugilist Micky Ward, with Oscar nominee Amy Adams as his non-nonsense girlfriend Charlene.  Christian Bale and Melissa Leo both took home Academy Awards for their supporting performances as Micky's crack-addicted older brother and controlling mother, respectively.

By now, you've probably heard all about Red State, the low budget thriller from verbose writer-director Kevin Smith, who is known principally for Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and, well, being Kevin Smith.  He's self-distributing Red State this September, but this week he kicked off a cross-country roadshow tour, featuring the film itself and Q&A's with Smith for a premium ticket price.  The director also premiered a new teaser trailer for his religious-themed movie, and he provides an intro for it as well, as is his customary style.

The Golden Globe Awards have been given and the partying has begun. Some of the big winners include the undeniably fascinating The Social Network and the wonderfully gritty The Fighter, both films picked up multiple awards. The "Facebook" movie earned Best Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Score. Fighter earned both Melissa Leo and Christian Bale supporting nods for their fantastic performances. The unforgettable acting of these two talents will likely be remembered when Oscar noms arrive later this month.

The Fighter is looking to be a contender this year. The Mark Wahlberg/Christian Bale feature is garnering a round of terrific reviews. It has also been gathering numerous film critic society nominations, including best supporting actor and actress for Bale and Melissa Leo. The David O. Russell-directed feature found its way onto several top 10 lists as well.

Christian Bale’s performance in The Fighter is generating a lot of buzz. The words Academy Award and Oscar seem to appear every time he is mentioned.

The normally in-shape 36-year-old actor also lost weight for the role. It was not nearly as much as he did for The Machinist in 2004, but enough to convincingly play a drug addict.

When asked about the weight loss, Bale joked that he did “a lot of coke” to do it.

Welcome to the Rileys is filled with heartbreak. Doug and Lois Riley (James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo) have suffered so much from it that she refuses to leave the house. After the tragic death of their teenage daughter, everything has changed for this couple. Doug has found himself in a secret relationship with a waitress named Vivian (Elsa Davis), one which ends up bringing more pain. They clearer had been happy together at one time, probably very happy. Sadly, they are both in desperate need of each other now more than ever, yet they just can’t connect.

Kevin Smith is one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. He is the kind of person that will be completely honest with you about his work and what people have to say about him. And yes, there has been a ton of things said as of late. Yet this past Saturday, it was his turn to set the records straight. Whether it is his love for twitter or dealing with Southwest, he was ready to open up about all of it. He also expressed his excitement and joy for the opportunity to be doing a weekly podcast and of course, he spoke about his latest film Red State, which is nothing like we’ve seen from him before.