Southland Tales (2006)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

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:

Amnesia | Porn Star | Ensemble | Beach | Nuclear Attack

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Carlos Amezcua	...	Himself
Curtis Armstrong	...	Dr. Soberin Exx
Robert Benz	...	Tab Taverner
Todd Berger	...	Bing Zinneman
Dave Carlin	...	News Reporter
Joe Campana	...	Brandt Huntington
Chris Andrew Ciulla	...	UPU 4 Officer 3 (as Chris Ciulla)
Rebekah Del Rio	...	Vanessa Vera Cruz
Aaron Dillar	...	Jimmy Hermosa
Nora Dunn	...	Cyndi Pinziki
Shari Dunn	...	USI Dent Reporter
Michele Durrett	...	Starla Von Luft
Jon Falcone	...	Soldier Falcon
Leila Feinstein	...	Herself
Jaret Gardiner	...	Shane Laverne

Also Known As:

Southland Tales (Germany) (DVD title)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

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

Country:

Germany | USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | South Korea:15 | Australia:MA | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Singapore:M18 | Brazil:16 | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Hermosa Beach, California, USA

Company:

Cherry Road Films

Trivia:

The police cruisers in the film have a Latin quote "oderint dum metuant" inscribed on them. It was a famous saying of Roman emperor Caligula: "Let them hate so long as they fear."

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the home video at the start of the film catches a glimpse of the initial bomb blast, we see the flash and hear the boom at the same instant. Anything close enough to a nuclear blast to hear the boom at the same instant as seeing the flash would be instantly disintegrated.

Quotes:

Baron Von Westphalen: Clearly your attorneys didn't read the whole contract. It stipulates a six-inch margin of error in the cutting radius!
Hideo Takehashi: Contract said finger only!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Tina Fey/Carrie Underwood (#33.5)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Teen Horniness Is Not a Crime

For All This Film's Narrative Problems - Why Is It Still In My Head?

Many of us have seen hundreds, if not thousands of films. Once in a while a movie comes along that tickles your brain in new ways. Whether you like it or not, it has an impact. Movies like Blue Velvet, Repo Man and Brazil. This is one of them.

Southland Tales is basically a collection of great moments pulled off by a great cast and a brilliant director. Think of 20 wonderful YouTube clips strung together in an interesting yet incoherent way. And believe me, numerous scenes in this movie will be YouTube hits.

This isn't a movie for most audiences. You won't relate to any characters, and you won't follow or really care about the preposterous plot. It is dark and cynical. And despite it's heavy-handed political story, there is no deep, introspective meaning behind anything whatsoever. This is why many people won't get it, and thus will hate it. It's a dark film with a dash of comedy and a heavy dose of LSD. But there are enough funny moments to save it from feeling like a depressing, bad trip.

Critics have used the word mishmash - and it is. Just like David Lynch and Terry Gilliam, Richard Kelly is clearly conflicted between telling a coherent, compelling story while simultaneously expressing his creative vision. Sometimes you have to choose one or the other, and he chose the latter this time. Which is fine by me. This movie is a gem, and if you are confused or put off by the plot, just pay attention in the beginning. The entire story is explained very early on during a movie pitch scene. After that, all that matters is you enjoy the ride.

And one last note to Kelly fans. Do not expect anything remotely similar to Donnie Darko. Very different type of film. The only similarity is the amazing soundtrack.