Southland Tales (2006)

Director:

Richard Kelly

Writer (WGA):

Richard Kelly (written by)

Release Date:

7 December 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Have A Nice Apocalypse

Plot:

Southland Tales is an ensemble piece set in the futuristic landscape of Los Angeles on July 4, 2008...

Plot Keywords:

Messiah | Riot | Soldier | Split Personality | Dream Sequence

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Carlos Amezcua	...	Himself
Curtis Armstrong	...	Dr. Soberin Exx
Robert Benz	...	Bergie Taverner
Todd Berger	...	Bing Zinneman
Joe Campana	...	Brandt Huntington
Chris Andrew Ciulla	...	UPU 4 Officer (as Chris Ciulla)
Rebekah Del Rio	...	Herself
Aaron Dillar	...	Jimmy Hermosa
Nora Dunn	...	Cyndi Pinziki
Shari Dunn	...	Reporter
Michele Durrett	...	Starla Von Luft
Jon Falcone	...	Soldier Falcon
Leila Feinstein	...	Herself
Jaret Gardiner	...	Shane Laverne
Janeane Garofalo	...	General Teena MacArthur

Also Known As:

Southland Tales (Germany) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence, sexual material and some drug content.

Runtime:

145 min | Argentina:160 min | France:160 min (Cannes Film Festival)

Country:

Germany | USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Ireland:16 | Argentina:16 | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Hermosa Beach, California, USA

Company:

Cherry Road Films

Trivia:

Scored the lowest reviews for the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, averaging 1.1 out of 5 in all the dailies.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene when they are stealing the ATM the tires on the SUV change from both spinning, to only the right one spinning, and then back to both spinning.

Quotes:

Krysta Now: We're a bisexual nation living in denial. All because of a bunch of nerds. A bunch of nerds who got off a boat in the 15th century and decided that sex was something to be ashamed of. All the Pilgrims did was ruin the American Indian orgy of freedom.

Movie Connections:

References Doom (2005)

Soundtrack:

Teen Horniness Is Not a Crime

A Wonderfully Electric Misunderstood Masterpiece

I'm just gonna go right out and say it. Richard Kelly's visionary epic "Southland Tales" is one of the best movies of 2007 and one of the most unique films ever created. However, to my (and yours as well) dismay, any attempt to synopsize this film would be an almost impossible task.

What Richard Kelly achieves with "Southland Tales" however, is unprecedented. He basically shows audiences what movies are really all about. They are a universe unto themselves. And the writer and director of that movie is the God of this universe and can do anything he or she pleases. And that's exactly what Kelly does. He uses the film to speak his mind about the things that people of this country and of this world stand for and believe in. He satirizes politics and our government, our involvement in the Iraq war, our obsession over movie stars and Hollywood in general. And he pokes fun at our religious beliefs as well, at our fears and wants of destruction and mayhem all at the same time.

He creates scenes filled with action, with drama, with comedy, with despair, scenes filled with music and dance, with dreams and nightmares, with science fiction and our perception of reality. If only people could let go of their obsession with common sense and realism, and appreciate it for what it is-a unique blend of fantasy and art that has never been achieved before. Yes, it is a film that is truly "out there", so much so, that it doesn't even come close to being anything audiences have seen before or will see again anytime soon. But therein lies the biggest appeal of the film, the fact that Richard Kelly had the guts to make a movie no one else wants to or can make.

The ending is a bit ridiculous, I must say, in its outrageously prophetic view of the apocalypse and coming of the messiah, but everything that comes before it is almost too amazing for words. The backlash that "Southland Tales" has received is unwarranted but certainly welcome. This film reminds me of the failure that "Blade Runner" once was, when it was released in the 80s, and how Kelly's first feature, "Donnie Darko" was a box office bomb in its initial run as well. Today though, both pictures are considered to be cult classics, and two of the best sci-fi films of our time.

The key to enjoying "Southland Tales" is not taking it too seriously. With character names like Boxer, Krysta, Serpentine, Nana Mae, Zora, Soberin, Starla, how can you? The movie takes place in present day, but looks like a despotic futuristic world, one in which nothing is coherent and everything is on the brink of obliteration. But that's what makes it so special. It's unlike every other film out there, and I'd go so far as to say that Richard Kelly thinks more outside of the box than any other filmmaker since the likes of Francis Ford Coppola and Stanley Kubrick.

Kelly decides to ignore all conscious reason of what's possible and what's not. It's as if the film speaks to you, saying "everything is possible in the future". "People can be called Zora and Boxer, and other absurd names that are usually only given to household pets." Or the film might speak out to you and say "religion is a joke. The presidential election is a joke. Hollywood is a joke. YOU are a joke. And so I will continue to make a big joke out of all of that and more and you're not going to like it at first because it's the truth, but one day you will, and one day you will appreciate everything I have to say".

I'm sure that if people can eliminate their pre-conceived notions of what a movie is supposed to be structured like, and what it's not supposed to be structured like, then audiences and critics alike would enjoy this film and the ambition of its director. Richard Kelly, I applaud you, and one day, everyone will too. And Darko fans, rest assured, and I'm only telling you this because I know you've been through this once already, but the infamy this film acquires today will lead it to its immortality tomorrow.