Southland Tales

TerrorFirmer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtp14ikRvxo

One review I read pegged this as 'abstract crap', and it's hard to disagree with that to a certain extent...though that said, Southland tales is an interesting movie with some merit, and the visuals alone make it somewhat worthwhile. Very reminiscent of Command and Conquer '95 actually, in the sense that the movie is set up strikingly similar to the technologically overcharged intro of said game...

Excellent cast including Sean William Scott, Jon Lovitz, Justin Timberlake, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kevin Smith, Mandy Moore amongst others and Dwayne Johnson's leading performance is surprisingly up to the task, though I find it strange that this movie was ever made, at least, in the sense of a relatively high budget affair that it was. Only making 300,000 worldwide gross in comparison to a 17,000,000 budget comes as no surprise whatsoever.

Strangest movie I've seen since The Nines, though at least this one strings together at the end in a more coherent fashion.

monkeyfudge

I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

There were some very good ideas in there and the performances were great... yes even from the Rock and Sarah Michelle Gellar...

It felt like David Lynch meets Robert Altman with a pinch of Philip K Dick.

But Richard Kelly just isn't as good as Altman is at weaving multiple characters and plot threads and the narration by Justin Timberlake feels like a clumsy attempt to pull the story together.

Vic Vinegar

Twas a strange film indeed! I probably didn't "get" all of it but then I don't really care! I certainly won't be watching again. The word "twaddle" springs to mind! good acting performances mostly though.

johnny_ultimate

It is probably the most fascinating mess ever committed to celluloid. I still find far more to criticise (the awful acting - Mandy Moore, Wallace Shawn and Jon Lovitz in particular - some very misjudged scenes and a general sense of incoherence would be the major offenders - oh, and the constant usage of the nonsensical statement "Pimps don't committ suicide) but there's something oddly compelling about the whole disaster. The ideas are there, if they are never fully realised, but there is hints of the film Kelly clearly had in his mind, and I think that is when it shines. My favourite scene was the Wave of Mutilation sequence, which really showed the film's visual flourish and creepy atmosphere. There are a couple of other terrific sequences like that (I also liked the All the Things I have Done sequence, despite Justin Timberlake and its general random/pointlessness, although I'm sure many others would hate it).

It is an intelligent film, that had it not bitten off more than it could chew, would be truly special. Certainly far more worth the effort than a conventionally bad/average film, and not worthy of all the negativty that is thrown its way. Worth a watch just too witness what is a truly unique experience.

Lets just hope Richard Kelly is pimp-like and doesn't committ career suicide.