SOUTHLAND TALES is, quite simply, bizarre. It resembles a futuristic comic book whose dismembered pages have been flung about the room, defying understanding of a plot, while providing some strange moments of entertainment mixed with metaphor and farce. If this grab bag concept of a film doesn't appeal, then skip this film. But for the adventuresome viewer this is a funny lollipop of a movie.
July 4, 2005 and an atomic bomb explodes during the usual follies of the holiday. What happens from that point to the effects on contemporary Los Angeles is an amalgam of American responses to current events of potential annihilation of the country and the appearance of a lot of strange characters whose minds are either tethered by amnesia or by corrupted views of reality, or who are simply out of sync with what is happening. The cast for this bit of acidic and sour fluff that resembles disconnected fragments of the fertile imagination of writer director Richard Kelly ('Donnie Darko') includes a fine Dwayne Johnson (excellent here!), Seann William Scott, Nora Dunn, Miranda Richardson, Jon Lovitz, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy Moore, Justin Timberlake, John Larroquette, Christopher Lambert and many others. Just don't try to make sense of it and sit back and watch the crazy antics of a cast having fun with one view of the apocalypse. It is entertaining...Grady Harp, March 08 Southland Tales
This movie cannot be summarized or explained easily so I will provide my impressions of this strangely fascinating movie. First off, it's a long movie (over 2 hours) and the first 15 mins. confused me until I just let go of any normal movie expectations and sat back to enjoy the freak show that is Southland Tales. There is no way this film is going to appeal to the masses and if odd movies appeal to you, then you better run out to see it at the handful of theaters playing it or wait for the dvd release. I know I can't wait for the dvd release (please let there be commentary) for repeated viewings. This movie was so crammed full of insight, digs and jokes that I couldn't catch every single thing. This mind blowing version of what the USA might be like in the very near future is crazy but addictive. I found the scene where someone questions after a commercial, "Did I just see two cars f**k?" "Yes, but that was the European version" to be very telling. The smarmy salesman easily tosses aside any moral questions. Are Americans being sold swamp land by Corporations? Some might even question if the viewer is being sold a load of crap dressed up as fine art. I think not. The aggressive subtext was a nice touch too. Be prepared for very crude dialogue - I found it amusing but it might not appeal to others. The against-type casting was a stroke of brilliance (Sarah Michele "Buffy" Gellar as a porn star and Mandy Moore as a I can't say without giving things away). Obscure references were a treat such as the Baron's "Dune" overtones and Kevin Smith (not easily recognizable) evokes the Wizard of Oz. I loved the light handed social commentary. This film never came off as preachy but made it's point of view on serious issues nonetheless (it's not for the war in Iraq for starters): they used a heavy technology vibe to get some points across (there are many scenes with several computer screens on view with running commentary underneath each screen); the national anthem was being sung in Spanish to start and then continued in English; the energy crisis resolution was pure sci-fi; and the Revelations from the Bible, as read by Timberlake, were played out by the characters (Revelation that apocalypse will be brought on by a pregnant woman (Moore) surrounded by a dragon (tattoo on Mei Ling's back) and two beasts (you get the point). A lot of attention was given to the minute detail of this movie and that dedication showed. The "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" subplot was amusing and only one example of what this movie was all about to me - a joke, and it invited us all to enjoy it with them. At IDent, all the employees wore these see-through plastic jackets that meant what? They looked out-of-place and silly. Soon, the same exact question was sarcastically being asked by an onscreen actor. Another example is when Kysta Now (porn star) attempts to sell her screen play (who doesn't in LA? apparently not even a looming doomsday can stop Hollywood) with such typical blondness ("apparently, the future is much more futuristic then scientists thought") that one actor cannot keep a straight face. Everyone else is nodding along but this one actor cannot stop laughing to himself. It all seems to be a joke and some of the actors got it and some didn't. It's almost as if two sets of scripts were handed out on this film, one set said it was a dark comedy and the other set said this was a serious film about the future of America. Fans of the director's earlier work (Donnie Darko) will not be disappointed. This movie stands out as a film with edge that many viewers will not fully comprehend (myself included) but can certainly appreciate. Well worth watching on the big screen to help with the enormity of the what is going on in this film but waiting for the dvd with cribnotes might help.
See, here's the thing. This film is like 2001: a space odyssey; it's meant to be "experienced," preferably after two bottles of NyQuil.
It's a hands down amazing film. Well shot, paced, edited, cast, and scored.
But it's borderline insane. Watch with care, but don't hate on the guy for being original.
Southland Tales is not your typical science fiction movie. It's not your typical thriller, or even your typical independent film (if there is such a thing). I don't know exactly what kind of film this is, and I don't think the creators of Southland Tales really know either. One thing for sure, this film is hysterical, as long as you don't take it too seriously.
Richard Kelly follows his dark cult film Donnie Darko with this portrait of an alternate version of America where darker events and imaginative technological developments have led to a more extreme version of the present day. Terrorist acts on American soil beyond 9/11 have led to more US military incursions around the globe and greater governmental control over civil liberties. It is mid-2008, and people connected to the Iraq war and the upcoming Presidential election are involved in a mysterious technological/mystical/religious/drug -addled conspiracy. The film centers on Boxer Santaros, a movie star married to the candidate for vice presidency's daughter, who suffers from amnesia. He finds himself in the company of Krystal Now, a porn star branching into the reality show/music/energy drink business, who tells him he's directing and producing a thriller about the end of the world based on his own screenplay, which she has actually written herself. And the storyline gets much more convoluted from there.
The best way to make sense of this movie is to read Southland Tales: The Prequel Saga, a graphic novel written by Richard Kelly, which covers the events prior to the movie. No wait, it still won't make much sense. Well, it will at least explain some of the loose ends in more detail, such as how the characters got into the situations they're in at the beginning of the film: how Pilot Abilene (Justin Timberlake) and Roland Taverner (Seann William Scott) ended up in a friendly-fire incident that scarred them both; how the body in the box ended up in Simon Theory (Kevin Smith)'s possession; and what the heck Santaros mumbles when he gets overwhelmed. Reading the graphic novel will lessen (not eliminate) the number of times you say "Huh?" while watching, but nothing will stop the ever increasing times, as the movie continues, you'll say "What?" in greater frequency and volume.
And therein lies the charm of this crazy, patch-work quilt of a movie. As you watch, you'll find yourself moving from willing disbelief to confusion to frustration and then to utter hysteria as the farcical nature of the labyrinthine story line overwhelms you. This will be easier for some to accept than others, for Richard Kelly didn't really intend for Southland Tales to so absurd, but unfortunately that's what it ends up being. The antics of the characters, and the depictions by the actors, are more and more hilarious as the film goes on.
There are too many uniquely memorable scenes and lines to encapsulate here, but some of the best are: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's depiction of Santaro's nervous fidgeting; Cheri Oteri as a psychotic henchman, accompanied by a deadpan Jon Lovitz channeling Rutger Hauer channeling Hannibal Lecter; Amy Proehler (from Saturday Night Live - theres's a lot of Saturday Night Live alumni here) and Wood Harris (from "The Wire") pretending to be a bride and groom in a domestic disturbance; Chris Lambert dealing arms out of a ice cream truck; Seann William Scott playing twin brothers who are both constantly injected with designer drugs causing them to interrupt their deadpan deliveries with cross-eyed collapse (over and over again); Wallace Shawn as a mad scientist wearing mascara and his thinning hair moussed into a curlicue on his forehead; Bai Ling revealing a hideous mole (apparently real) in her plunging (no, more like missing) neckline; and one of my favorite actresses, Sarah Michelle Gellar, as Santoro's scheming porn-star love interest, delivering her lines with a waifish tone and "come hither" look. Gellar, and all the actors, do the best they can with the script, better suited for the world of comic books, but they can't keep the film from devolving into an unintentionally ridiculous commentary on the policies of Bush administration, and the director's view of the world Bush and his people tried to create.
Watching the film as a serious attempt as political commentary melded with futuristic science fiction will lead to frustrated disappointment, but the viewer who is looking for a wacky, comic-book-style ensemble performance will find the 2 and ½ hour film (that's 2 ½ hours, be prepared for that) a enjoyable release from reality, even worthy of repeated viewing. If you're in the right frame of mind, you'll find tons of moments to talk about after the film is finished, like whether Gellar meant to sway on her high heels as she walks away in one scene, or Johnson's personal belief about suicide, or Justin Timberlake's singing and dancing interlude (yes, that's right). If you come to this film knowing what it's like, then, like the red-headed stepchild of the family or the runt dog of the litter, it may soften your heart and become a favorite of yours. - Comedy - Science Fiction - Adventure - Seann William Scott'
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