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Southland Tales
Southland Tales is a very intriguing, fascinating, but also very confusing movie that requires viewers to look deeper into many aspects of the plot.
Review by Dack
Southland Tales is destined to become one of the most misunderstood movies of all time. Years from now, filmmakers and fans alike will be analyzing the film for its deep ideas and layered political content. Right now, however, Southland Tales will be attacked as being a useless and incoherent mess. But that's alright – Cult Classics wouldn't be the same without initial hate.
Southland Tales takes place in an alternate pseudo-Post-apocalyptic 2008. After nuclear attacks hit Texas, World War III began. After the war, and the upgraded Patriot Act, privacy in the United States has become a thing of the past. The government set up a agency called US-IDENT to monitor any and all activity by citizens. Wars have made oil near impossible to get, so the U.S has turned to alternative energy sources. An eccentric scientist, Baron Von Westphalen, is commissioned to build a tidal current generator that can beam energy to any given output. A large Neo-Marxist rebel movement has begun that is preparing to take down the government. Most of Southland Tales unfolds with multiple plots that the Neo-Marxists are attempting to use, while the recently amnesic Boxer Santaros (The Rock) and Roland Taverner (Sean William Scott) are trying to figure the whole thing out.
Best described as Donnie Darko with a dash of Domino (The former directed and written by Southland Tales' director, Richard Kelly, the latter written by Richard Kelly and directed by Tony Scott), Southland Tales is a very intriguing, fascinating, but also very confusing movie. There are a massive amount of characters and new subplots constantly happening, so much so, that it is near impossible to describe the plot without giving another part of the film away. Although viewers might leave the theater confused, analyzing of the movie reveals that all of the subplots actually do tie in together to create a film that, yes, actually does make sense.
Even though there are many characters, they are all very intriguing ranging from Private Pilot Abilene (portrayed by an exceptionally strong Justin Timberlake), an ex-soldier wounded in the war, to Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Geller), a porn star trying to be a thought-provoking talk show host.
The movie really shines in the presentation and imagery department. There were some really cool weapons and buildings that seemed right out of a Phillip K Dick book, such as the MegaZeppelin or rotating maned camera/gun combinations. The setting is really interesting too, combining modern California streets with new futuristic buildings.
The soundtrack of Southland Tales is also a very strong suite. The entire movie has original music composed by the outstanding Moby, instead of orchestration, and also features great tracks from bands like The Pixes, Muse and Radiohead. One of the most memorable scenes sees Justin Timberlake lip-synching The Killers' All These Things That I've Done in a drug induced hallucination.
Southland Tales isn't for everyone. It's a very strange movie that requires viewers to look deeper into many aspects of the plot to gain meaning, which many people will fail to do. Those who do, however, will find a fascinating, misunderstood film that deserves more recognition then it has received.
Southland Tales is a very intriguing, fascinating, but also very confusing movie that requires viewers to look deeper into many aspects of the plot.
Review by Dack
Southland Tales is destined to become one of the most misunderstood movies of all time. Years from now, filmmakers and fans alike will be analyzing the film for its deep ideas and layered political content. Right now, however, Southland Tales will be attacked as being a useless and incoherent mess. But that's alright – Cult Classics wouldn't be the same without initial hate.
Southland Tales takes place in an alternate pseudo-Post-apocalyptic 2008. After nuclear attacks hit Texas, World War III began. After the war, and the upgraded Patriot Act, privacy in the United States has become a thing of the past. The government set up a agency called US-IDENT to monitor any and all activity by citizens. Wars have made oil near impossible to get, so the U.S has turned to alternative energy sources. An eccentric scientist, Baron Von Westphalen, is commissioned to build a tidal current generator that can beam energy to any given output. A large Neo-Marxist rebel movement has begun that is preparing to take down the government. Most of Southland Tales unfolds with multiple plots that the Neo-Marxists are attempting to use, while the recently amnesic Boxer Santaros (The Rock) and Roland Taverner (Sean William Scott) are trying to figure the whole thing out.
Best described as Donnie Darko with a dash of Domino (The former directed and written by Southland Tales' director, Richard Kelly, the latter written by Richard Kelly and directed by Tony Scott), Southland Tales is a very intriguing, fascinating, but also very confusing movie. There are a massive amount of characters and new subplots constantly happening, so much so, that it is near impossible to describe the plot without giving another part of the film away. Although viewers might leave the theater confused, analyzing of the movie reveals that all of the subplots actually do tie in together to create a film that, yes, actually does make sense.
Even though there are many characters, they are all very intriguing ranging from Private Pilot Abilene (portrayed by an exceptionally strong Justin Timberlake), an ex-soldier wounded in the war, to Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Geller), a porn star trying to be a thought-provoking talk show host.
The movie really shines in the presentation and imagery department. There were some really cool weapons and buildings that seemed right out of a Phillip K Dick book, such as the MegaZeppelin or rotating maned camera/gun combinations. The setting is really interesting too, combining modern California streets with new futuristic buildings.
The soundtrack of Southland Tales is also a very strong suite. The entire movie has original music composed by the outstanding Moby, instead of orchestration, and also features great tracks from bands like The Pixes, Muse and Radiohead. One of the most memorable scenes sees Justin Timberlake lip-synching The Killers' All These Things That I've Done in a drug induced hallucination.
Southland Tales isn't for everyone. It's a very strange movie that requires viewers to look deeper into many aspects of the plot to gain meaning, which many people will fail to do. Those who do, however, will find a fascinating, misunderstood film that deserves more recognition then it has received.
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