Southland Tales (2006)

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

I watched this on Netflix recently, and I seriously think I aged about 4 and a half years in the time it took to get through it. At one point in the film, it FELT like it had gone for two and a half hours already and was about to wrap up, and I was shocked to see that I'd MAYBE hit the halfway mark. This movie is just so ridiculously far up it's own ass, and I'm still trying to figure out why the cast was like a who's who of late '90s-early '00s TV sketch comedy. Actually, this movie DID feel like a bunch of unfunny skits that get stuck in the last 15 minutes of SNL all strung together.

[Nasher 29]

Southland is just an experience in it's own right.. they guys have to deal with sometime soon.. this remains one of the most popular threads on the boards for it's sheer baffling concept, structure/editing and overall execution (not to mention the farce that ensued from it's test screenings and the initial backlash).

 

What i love about the flick is it's ability to confound everyone, from the casual viewer to hardcore sci-fi/fantasy fans and even those who are adept at spotting subtext and layered meanings.. everyone is confounded at what he was trying to get at.. and is there actually any depth to it at all? Listening to Kevin Smith and Kelly discuss it proves the man had a vision but he seems so jaded by the project I'm not sure he cares enough to try and explain it anymore.. he did that with Darko and nearly ruined it.

 

I am beginning to think that HDTGM don't even check the forums anymore as they never mention them and seem to ignore these threads and just pick movies for themselves... not a bad thing as it give us a place to introduce bad movies to like-minded people.. but a shame none the less.

[Wien 401]

This confusingly awful movie is available on netflix instant, so that helps.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Guys, I think they FEAR Southland Tales. That's the only reasonable explanation for why it's name has never even been whispered on the podcast. Going back to what I said about the cast being a who's who of sketch comedians, there has to be SOMEONE associated with this thing that they can get on as a guest.

[Themovieguy12345 9]

It made sense it its own way. I liked it. You just have to be in the right mind for it.

[Wien 401]

It made sense it its own way.

 

I would love to hear your explination, considering that people who starred in the friggin movie can't even explain what it is.

[Wien 401]

I watched this movie last night and it pissed me off, it was so epically bad. Its intensely confusing and directionless, almost to the point where it feels like Kelly is punishing people who dare try to gleam anything other than dumb loyal enjoyment out of a movie.

 

This scene is all you need to know about this movie, in a perfect nutshell. It surmises this movie perfectly. The Rock's cool guy persona and sudden shift to nervous cartoon character, the bad hammy acting from the girl, vague sci fi references, non sequiturial vulgar sexual references that are completely unprovoked and without any merit or weight on the story or anything, random acts of ultra violence.... the only thing its missing is a dumb, pretentious musical dance number to (insert modern pop song here). Pure bullshit, and people label it as art like that gives it diplomatic immunity. Well, ITS JUST BEEN REVOKED.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

"the only thing its missing is a dumb, pretentious musical dance number to (insert modern pop song here)"

 

Are you SURE you made it through the whole thing? Or do you just mean it isn't in this clip? Because man, that pretentious musical number happens, and it happens like a motherfucker...

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

You son of a bitch. Look what you made me do...

 

http://youtu.be/ra7Fa6kE718

[Wien 401]

 

Are you SURE you made it through the whole thing? Or do you just mean it isn't in this clip? Because man, that pretentious musical number happens, and it happens like a motherfucker...

I just meant in that clip. I sat through that Killers bit, and I hated every second of it.

[Themovieguy12345 9]

Alright here something from Imdb.

 

Operation Dream Theory' was an experiment created by Treer. The Treer generators were slowing the rotation of Earth by .0000006 miles per hour, which caused strange effects around the world.

 

One of these was a rift created in the fourth dimension -- the fourth dimension being time itself -- at Lake Meade, which was discovered when an airplane flew through it and had all its passengers left with amnesia (bar one - Krysta Now, who gained psychic abilities from it).

 

Once it was discovered, they sent monkeys through it, which failed (Boxer claims that only a human soul could survive the trip). After much trial and error with monkies, Baron decided to send Boxer through it - chosen because of his political ties and his celebrity persona.

 

When Boxer (and Roland) traveled through the rift, it created duplicate versions of both -- one set of duplicates traveled 69 minutes back in time, while the "originals" stayed in their original time. There are now two versions of each co-existing in the same universe -- two Boxer Santaros and two Roland Taverners.

 

Boxer's original self was incinerated in a car bomb triggered by Serpentine, while the duplicate Boxer is still roaming. .

 

Three days before the movie starts, Krysta Now was vacationing on a houseboat on Lake Mead with Ronald Taverner, Tab Taverner (Ronald's father) and Fortunio Balducci. After losing a game of cards, Fortunio needed to make his way back into California, and Krysta offered to set him up with a visa. On his way to meet Krysta, Fortunio discovered Boxer Santaros in the desert, stricken with amnesia.

 

When Boxer and Fortunio met up with Krysta, she recognized Boxer and managed to convince him that she was an actress researching a role in his new movie, "The Power." Also, they had sex. Then, after several detours, Krysta and Boxer made their way to Los Angeles, where Boxer went on a nighttime stroll on the beach, injected himself with fluid karma and passed out. That's why he wakes up on the beach at the start of the movie.

 

"Southland Tales" follows the same logic as "Donnie Darko," as laid out in that film's DVD extras, when the fourth dimension is corrupted, it causes the creation of two parallel universes: the Tangent Universe and the Primary Universe.

 

The Tangent Universe is an alternate reality to our own. You could argue that all of "Southland Tales" occurs in the Tangent Universe -- hence the film's alternate history of the past three years, and its weird mishmash of pop culture. In "Donnie Darko," the world ends when the Tangent Universe collapses, which may also be what happens at the end of "Southland Tales." Why that happens when the Taverners touch, only Richard Kelly knows.

 

One theory is that duplicate souls from alternate timelines are not meant to exist together in a single timeline. When they join hands, a bond is formed and the rule of singular existence is completely broken. Two souls join into one, the forth dimension collapses. The current world ends, the joined souls become the new messiah, a new world begins.

 

Taken as a purely Christian parable then this is the book of Revelations and God ending the world and humanity in it's present form. Roland and Ronald are the Messiah and in the end they find each other and save humanity through the power of forgiveness. The other characters have all played their part and are redeemed in the end to enjoy eternal life. Jericho Crane is a 'John the Baptist' style prophet, Krysta is the 'Whore of Babylon' (and her energy drink the 'Cup of Abominations'), The Baron is the 'Antichrist' etc

 

 

 

Its a bit long so I'm going to link it http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405336/faq

[KevinJones 9]

This is the one quote that needs to be read from the FAQ:

Is 'The Power' important for understanding Southland Tales?

 

"Not really, but it explains why the tattoo of Jesus on the back of Boxer's neck starts bleeding at the end of the film. This means that Christianity has won the "contest" for Earth and is the one true faith."

 

Holy crap, never going to watch anything by Richard Kelly ever again.

[Nasher 29]

Oh the guy works on levels and levels above everyone.. so far up looking down it kinda makes some sense when you hear Kelly explain things but when you sit and think about what he says you soon realize: if it wasn't for his completely genuine manner and explanations of the thematics of his works you'd be sure he was flicking V's behind your back.

 

Watching one of his movies on the surface level you can have some fun but it raises questions and it's hugely fun to debate the meanings, I'll never forget the revelation of watching Donnie Darko and the days of conversations that followed..

 

It's just this time.. i dunno if stuff got lost in editing, the movie certainly went through 2 major editing phases, or the grand vision was just too board, or it was supposed to be a start of a trilogy or something.. but what ended up on DVD is a garbled mess of cameo's and awkwardly connected scenes.

 

There is so much minutia to his concepts I think he just failed to get the central story right and strong enough to give it a spine for the rest to develop and be supported by.

[Themovieguy12345 9]

Donnie Darko wasn't really deep. It was just a mysterious superhero movie. It like unbreakable.

[ErikBishoff 2]

 

Ohhh, please do this one. Watching southland tales felt like I'd fallen asleep and was half-dreaming it.

 

 

This is EXACTLY how I feel when I watch a lot of bad movies... sort'a dead inside. (well said)

[fredsolo 40]

This movie really fits the "How Did This Get Made?" theme. I mean how and why did a studio greenlight what I imagine was an incomprehensible script, and how did they get all this famous actors to be in it?

 

I would love to get an episode on this mostly because it would be great hearing the gang trying to explain the plot of this movie.

[Foxtrot1 67]

I love this movie more than anything else and I'm glad people are still talking about it. I was watching it with a few friends and I paused it after ten minutes (the first JT scene) and asked, "Does anybody know what's going on?"

 

And nobody did. You just have to embrace the insanity. This movie is definitely watchable too, just because it keeps getting weirder

[Bill Haverchuck 0]

God, yes! I signed up for an account just to recommend "Southland Tales" for How Did This Get Made. I put it on every now & then - not because it's good, but because it is absolutely fascinating how something so singularly bizarre & misguided could have ever been financed. It's got great scenes & ideas rubbing shoulders with SyFy Channel movie-caliber scenes & ideas. If you love ambitious disasters where it's obvious the writer / director was never told "no", "Southland Tales" is where it's at, dudes.

[AntoinetteLeilaniNelson 2]

i don't have anything really insightful to say; i just wanted to add that i think this "next-level bonkers" disaster would be an excellent candidate for the show.

 

ok, maybe i do have some stuff to say:

 

ugh. i -- UGH. i HATED this movie.

 

i watched this movie with a friend (the sort of person who 'tries to like' films like this), and was pissed when it finished. i hated this movie because it's the kind of movie that comes with a built-in excuse for its terribleness: you don't like it because you don't "get" it. this is partially true; i absolutely did not get this movie. i mean, i "got" it; in that i understand that it appears to be a film "about" a bunch of somewhat disparate ideas clumsily smashed in a box and sealed with smug satisfaction.

 

and it's not even a fun watch! this movie is like two hours of homework.

 

this movie sucks, guys. it's a bummer. PLEASE do this movie.

[jarrycanada 2483]

I wanted to like southland Tales, as I loved Donnie darko as a movie, it's one of my all time favorite movies and on the trailer southland tales looks like a kick ass movie. but boy was I let down Southland tales as a film.

 

http://www.youtube.c...bed/vtp14ikRvxo

 

wow I forgot it had, Bai Ling in it. as soon as you see her in a film your expectations just get lowerd to the ground. Justin Timberlake is another one who lowers that excitement level. yet there are some great actors in this film and it had all the makings of a good film how they screwed it up, god only knows.

 

Looking at IMDB, i can't remember Christopher Lambert in this movie.

 

Ok it had Jon Lovitz in this film. that should say it all.

[RyanSz 3140]

This could very well be the first 2 hour episode of HDTGM since this movie is nuts. I actually skimmed the prequel book in a Barnes and Noble and even then I was lost. What's more insane is that there was supposed to be a part 7 through 9 after the movie, in essence Richard Kelly wanted this to be his Star Wars. Characters are introduced just to be shot and let's not forget the car commercial where two cars FUCK, that alone should be episode worthy.

[Fatpossum 1]

This movie was insane. Theres a damn music video in the middle of it. I think it could set a record for most times Jason uses the words bonkers and insane. And for a super special guest, Justin timberlake, who has said since making this movie, he still thinks it's crazy and has no idea what's going on in it.

[metaphiller 2]

Casting my vote for this. You guys have to do this one!

[Tron83 3]

Have Kev Smith back for this since he loves to pod, and was I. The movie. I would def cast my vote for this

[jimkiler 84]

This is one of the few movies i have attempted to watch and could not finish. I did sit through 40+ minutes and skipped to the end where both Sean William Scotts are in an Ice Cream Truck that is floating in the air.

 

They should totally review this movie but i feel bad for wasting 2 hours of their life.