He said, "[The original script] was more about making fun of Hollywood. The truck is his horse and the rocket launcher his sword.Dream and Dion: (Krystas pop album is called Teen Horniness is Not a Crime.) Roland, Ronald, Pilot, etc.) Cindy meets Vaughn Smallhouse at a restaurant and gives him a copy of the sex tape. It's a sign that he is at the edge of uncertainty as to who he is. We'll begin with a recap of the film. "RONALD: "Its a physiological requirement of the body. This is a reference to a Philip K. Dick book called Flow My Tears the Policeman Said. Walter Mung recognizes him and quickly sedates him with an injection of fluid karma. That's why he wakes up on the beach at the start of the movie. | It's a schizophrenic break. We may have to wait for the DVD commentary to figure that one out. The novel has obvious links in its plot with Southland Tales, and the story's main character is named Jason Taverner. The first time Fortunio appears in the film, he quotes Karl Marx ("Anyone who knows anything of history knows that great social changes are impossible without feminine upheaval"), and several characters quote the song "Three Days" by Jane's Addiction ("We saw the shadows of the morning light/ The shadows of the evening sun/ Until the shadows and the light were one"). Starla is in love with Boxer and, in a fit of delusion, has assumed the role of Dr. Muriel Fox, a character from the screenplay. The three perform an abstract dance. The name of Dr. Severin Exx is a reference to the name of an evil doctor in the movie "Kiss Me Deadly," and Boxer Santaros' convertible is the same car driven by Ralph Meeker in the 1955 film. What does the phrase "Do You Bleed" mean? In particular, Southland Tales apes his Four Lines, All Waiting style of plotting, his sci-fi meets religion Mind Screw nuttiness, his themes of identity and counterfeits, his gratuitous mixing of high literature and pop culture references, his Medium Awareness twists about characters believing fiction is secretly communicating to them, and an What's the deal with the Treer company, and why are there all these references to Karl Marx? Metacritic Reviews. Ambitious and arresting to the eye -- the gray palette serves the film well -- it's too bad that Southland Tales is also pretentious, chaotic, and tries too hard. Why would Martin let himself die after he killed everyone on the Mega-Zeppelin? Amy Poehler and Wood Harris appear as Neo-Marxist activists. Jericho Cane is the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in "End of Days." "Southland Tales" opens on July 4, 2005, in Abilene, Texas. At their Venice Beach headquarters, we meet the rest of the Neo-Marxists, including Veronica "Dream" Mung (Amy Poehler) and Dion Element (Wood Harris). The quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. Ronald walks up to Martin Kefauver's Hummer, which is parked near the ocean. Kelly's movie may not be entirely coherent, but that's because there's so much it wants to say. Meanwhile, using a sex tape given to her by Krysta Now, Cyndi Pinziki is blackmailing Frost for money and demanding the passage of Proposition 69 (a bill that restricts USIDent's powers). "Memory Gospel" by MobySongs Not Featured in on the soundtrackFrom the album Hotel by Moby (2-CD Deluxe Edition): "Snowball (played in opening sequence before opening title) "Blue Paper" (played when Dion and Dream are having discussion about bowel movements, also in trailer) "Overland" (heard before and after Pilot's dream sequence) "Aerial" "Hotel Intro" (featured in Cannes cut, not in theatrical cut) "Live Forever" (featured in Cannes cut, not in theatrical cut)Other songs not featured: Water Pistol" by Moby "If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)" by Louis Armstrong "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers "Planet Telex (Live in San Francisco)" by Radiohead Symphony No. If you'd like to skip directly to our question-and-answer section, click here. However, he has stated several times that if Sony commissioned one (based on the sales of the current DVD), he would happily be involved in a "Director's Cut" DVD in the future with more special features and deleted scenes from the Cannes cut. "Kelly launches Darko Entertainment", by Dade Hayes, "How The World Ends: Conversation With Richard Kelly", "Anatomy of a Cannes Disaster: What Happened After 'Southland Tales' Was Booed", "Exclusive Interview: Richard Kelly (Southland Tales)", Southland Tales - Music From The Motion Picture, "Apocalypse Soon: A Mushroom Cloud Doesn't Stall 2008 Electioneering". "Broken Hearted Savior" by Big Head Todd & The Monsters10. But despite the reaction, Kelly managed to secure a distribution deal and, on Nov. 14, released a shortened version of the film in U.S. theaters. Inside the levitating ice cream truck, the two Taverners continue to hold hands. [24][25], The soundtrack for Southland Tales was released in stores and online on November 6, 2007. Kelly wrote Southland Tales shortly before the September 11 attacks. On his way to meet Krysta, Fortunio discovered Boxer Santaros in the desert, stricken with amnesia. Support 100 years of independent journalism. A blockade in the Strait of Hormuz impedes the flow of oil to the United States, causing an increased demand for alternative fuel sources. This is because, at the end of the day, Southland Tales is a very indulgent, very silly and weirdly endearing film that all manages to come together in a near indescribable sweet spot. "[28] Salon.com critic Andrew O'Hehir called the Cannes cut "about the biggest, ugliest mess I've ever seen. [23], Southland Tales: Music from the Motion Picture is the original soundtrack of Richard Kelly's 2007 film Southland Tales. The film also evokes Kurt Vonnegut's sci-fi absurdism, Philip K. Dick's philosophical approach to time travel, and Thomas Pynchon's sprawling narratives. Roland, a Hermosa Beach police officer, became involved in a "deep conspiracy" and he would be in grave danger if anyone found out that he was alive. Treer knew of these effects and decided to use it to their advantage in the war. That's why Taverner always feels so guilty. Why is the film listed as 2006 instead of 2007? There already exist generators powered by rivers or by wind, which clearly do not contravene physical law. You know those overlooked classics that are critically ignored only to blossom into beautiful definitive works over time.like "Pinkerton" or "Starship Troo. But, unexpectedly, police officer Bart Buchman (Jon Lovitz) pulls up and shoots both of them for real. Martin has just learned that he's been drafted to go to Iraq and is about to shoot himself in the head. If you read the graphic novel, you'll find the legend which is spoken by Bai Ling's character Serpentine. For reasons that never become entirely clear, he was hired by the Baron to kidnap Boxer Santaros from a charity scavenger hunt and drive him to Lake Mead. A pregnant woman, a dragon and two beasts; They are the puppets of the Anti-ChristRevelation 22:12: The film that is most obviously referenced is "Kiss Me Deadly," a 1955 film noir about a private detective who uncovers a plot to detonate a nuclear device. It tells the story of Jericho Cane, a renegade Los Angeles police officer (and Boxer Santaros doppelgnger), who teams up with Dr. Muriel Fox, a psychic stripper (and Krysta Now doppelgnger), to protect a baby named Caleb. Boxer meets Fortunio on the beach after his rendezvous with Starla. He had Roland Taverner kidnap Boxer and drive him through the rift. 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 [38], Glenn Kenny, in his review for Premiere criticized the film's style, "Kelly's camera placement and framing are at best textbook and at worst calamitously mediocre. It's. ("Taverner" is the name of the main character in the same book and suffers identity problems of his own.) If "Southland Tales" is a semi-straightforward reinterpretation of the Book of Revelation, then Baron Von Westphalen is the Antichrist, Sen. Bobby Frost is probably his false prophet, Krysta Now is the Whore of Babylon, the two witnesses are probably Boxer Santaros and Roland Taverner, the white horse is the levitating ice cream truck, and Christ is Ronald and Roland Taverner. What's with the glow from Roland and Ronald's hands? Southland Tales encapsulates these anxieties in the form of US-IDent, a state agency that can hear and see everyone in America at all times. In the universe of the film, Dr. Inga Von Westphalen is also the granddaughter of Jenny Von Westphalen, Karl Marx's wife. As Treer employees were interviewing the plane's passengers, they noticed that she was the only passenger who didn't suffer from amnesia and that she could see into the future. What exactly happens at the end of the movie? The 2008 election, which is being fought between Clinton-Lieberman (Democrats) and Eliot-Frost (Republicans), hinges on the electoral votes of the state of California. It turns out that Fortunio has been on the Baron's payroll all along. Defecation is a part of life. Neo-Marxist cells have begun to converge on central Los Angeles. When Southland Tales was released in 2006, it confounded filmgoers.A dense, sprawling science-fiction tale, Southland Tales throws the war on terror, the surveillance state, Hollywood, and the Book of Revelation into a blender and purees that unlikely mix into a stylish, acerbic film that we're still trying to figure out. How did the Taverners end up with the Neo-Marxists in Venice Beach? The first chapter in the film ("IV: Temptation Waits") begins. She cuts the ribbon as USIDent employees -- dressed in windbreakers -- applaud. "[39] In her review for the Los Angeles Times, Carina Chocano wrote, "You get the sense that Kelly is too angry to really find any of it funny. You could argue that all of Southland Tales occurs in the Tangent Universehence the film's alternate history of the past three years, and its weird mishmash of pop culture. The song he listens to is "All These Things I've Done" by The Killers, while he was listening to the song, the "friendly fire" incident occurs. "Tiny Elephants" by Moby12. It's just more physical. Many people think wireless electricity is the thing that could rescue us from our dilemma as we reach the end of the petroleum era. [12] Editorial changes were made to restructure the order of the film's scenes, including re-recording all of Timberlake's voice-over. It's easy to empathize with his position, not so easy to remain engrossed in a film that's occasionally inspired but ultimately manic and scattered. It is unhinged, and occasionally exhilarating, and quite often funny. 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. What's the relation between Walter Mung and Veronica "Dream" Mung? Comedy Drama Mystery During a three-day heat wave just before a huge 4th of July celebration, an action star stricken with amnesia meets up with a porn star who is developing her own reality TV project, and a policeman who holds the key to a vast conspiracy. All three graphic novels were written by Richard Kelly, with artwork by Brett Weldele. Dragon from Revelation 12 and 13 (Puppet of the Anti-Christ)Pilot Abeline: the Indian chief Boxer encounters in the graphic novels). For reasons that never become entirely clear, he was hired by the Baron to kidnap Boxer Santaros from a charity scavenger hunt and drive him to Lake Mead. Who does the name "Bing Zinneman" refer to. Due to the poor reception they received at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and still without a distributor, Richard Kelly went back and re-edited the film, trimming out 20-25 minutes worth of footage and adding approximately a hundred or so extra visual effects shots. The two Rolands found each other in the end, but the movie ends before we can see what actually happens to them. The Baron has built an enormous machine off the coast of California that generates an electromagnetic energy field called fluid karma. Edit, According to The Prequel Saga, "The Power" was written entirely by Krysta Now, who is apparently psychic. Edit, Richard Kelly stated in his interview with Empire, Whenever Boxer becomes scared or agitated or paranoid, as a defence mechanism, Jericho Kane, the character he is playing (in the film "The Power" he is making), takes over. Just before it hits, Boxer extends his arms, and his tattoo of Jesus begins to bleed in the nape of his neck. The film was released in the UK on December 7, 2007, exclusively to UK cinema chain Cineworld in a limited number of locations. Fluid karma also makes telepathy possible between those that are using it. Why does the movie start with Boxer Santaros asleep on a beach? 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