How meta. Defecation is a part of life. At their Venice Beach headquarters, we meet the rest of the Neo-Marxists, including Veronica "Dream" Mung (Amy Poehler) and Dion Element (Wood Harris). Before Fortunio encountered Boxer, he was introduced to Krysta, who promised him that she would get him an "interstate travel visa" to get him back into California. "Yes They Can! The first three chapters of the story are told in a graphic novel called Southland Tales: The Prequel Saga, which among other things explains Roland Traveler's back story, Boxer's journey from the desert back to Los Angeles, and the true origin of Krysta and Boxer's screenplay. Edit, 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. In Donnie Darko, the world ends when the Tangent Universe collapses, which may also be what happens at the end of Southland Tales. "[33] Jason Solomons, in The Observer (UK), said that "Southland Tales was so bad it made me wonder if [Kelly] had ever met a human being" and that ten minutes of the "sprawling, plotless, post-apocalyptic farrago" gave him the "sinking feeling that this may be one of the worst films ever presented in [Cannes] competition. The Tangent Universe is an alternate reality to our own. Its plot hinges on a barely explained back story involving rifts in the fourth dimension. Eliot's "Hollow Man" ("This is the way the world ends/ Not with a bang but with a whimper") and Robert Frost's "The Two Roads" ("Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-/ I took the one less traveled by"). There will be some dancing and singing, but it will be incorporated into the story in very logical scenarios as well as fantasy dream environments. Messiah ( forgives sins)"I forgive you. So what's causing the Earth to slow down ? Cheri Oteri plays Zora Carmichaels, while Jon Lovitz plays violent police officer Bart Bookman who is in love with Zora. I also watched it because at present there is something satisfying about an apocalypse story that suggests humanity may be too dumb, too self-interested and too naturally violent to survive. In June 2008, Boxer Santaros (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), an action movie star with ties to the Republican Party, disappears. The project was named "Serpentine Dream Theory.," which aimed to use the telepathic effect of the drug as an advantage for the soldiers on the battlefield.Two of the solders that participated in the experiment were Roland Taverner and Pilot Abilene. In 2021, Kelly announced that there are developments to expand the film into a franchise. Kelly sent the organizers of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival a rough cut of Southland Tales on DVD assuming that it would not be accepted. How Kelly persuaded the likes of Wallace Shawn, Amy Poehler, Justin Timberlake, Cheri Oteri, and Mandy Moore to go along for the ride is confounding. On January 25th Arrow Video released a Blu Ray double pack of Richard Kelly's 2006 film Southland Tales.Disc 1 includes a new 2K restoration of the Theatrical Cut, along with a new retrospective documentary on the legacy and making of the film, while Disc 2 contains the longer, rarely seen Cannes Cut, which screened at that festival back in '06 to a glacial response. Why does Boxer keep twiddling his fingers? Roland and Ronald are the Messiah and in the end they find each other and save humanity through the power of forgiveness. 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. He learns that his account has been blocked, so Kefauver and Ronald use the Hummer to rip the ATM from the wall. Also, they had sex. Both vehicles come to a rest in the middle of a shootout and Walter Mung is killed. The PATRIOT Act has extended authority to a new agency known as US-IDent, which keeps constant surveillance on citizenseven to the extent of censoring the Internet and requiring fingerprints to access computers and bank accounts. Edit, Richard Kelly stated in his interview with Empire, He's the snake-oil salesman who shows up in Santa Monica with the elixir of God. However, there was a promotional soundtrack that was given to members of the press when the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006. What happens in the screenplay? Metacritic Reviews. Eliot's "Hollow Men. Boxer, although he does not remember it, is married to the daughter of a Republican senator who is in turn the brains behind an agency called US-IDent, which controls what citizens can and cannot see on the internet. Dr. Severin Exx read Krysta the Book of Revelation while she was under hypnosis. Kelly said: "[Southland Tales] will only be a musical in a post-modern sense of the word in that it is a hybrid of several genres. Edit, 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. They will reign forever and ever"Revelation 12 and 13: A closed system that defies the Law would be along the lines of, for example, an electric car which completely recharges itself via the process of driving it around, requiring no external power once it's been turned on. With many repeated usage, Chemical Bleeders can sometimes see both ways (ahead and back in time). [42], J. Hoberman defended the film, yet again, in his review for the theatrical cut. It's too bad, because "Southland Tales" is one of the more interesting and ambitious American films in recent memory. Everything and everyone is bedazzled in red, white, and blue; burgers and Buds are happily consumed on the lawn of every McMansion. Ronald walks up to Martin Kefauver's Hummer, which is parked near the ocean. Since then, Kelly has released prequel comics to coincide with the film. He played a character named "Donnie" in a movie with Boxer Santaros (in an obvious allusion to "Donnie Darko"). Elsewhere in the building, Ronald Taverner (Seann William Scott) is in the bathroom, looking at his reflection. And "pimp?" There are now two versions of each co-existing in the same universetwo Boxer Santaros and two Roland Taverners. The title refers to the Southland, a name used by locals to refer to Southern California and Greater Los Angeles. "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death"Revelation 11: On the mega-zeppelin, Krysta Now performs a dance number. For half of Kelly's epic film about the end of the world, characters are quoting T.S. Chemical Bleeders can see back in time while Natural Bleeders can see back and forward in time. Southland Tales had a rough go of it. Krysta has decided to make her sex tape public by placing it into a Neo-Marxist drop box. The Book of Revelation and Marxism have been connected by academics -- both advocate the overthrow of tyranny. Original music was provided by Moby . Director: Richard Kelly. It's a sign that he is at the edge of uncertainty as to who he is. Back in the dumpster, Roland Taverner wakes up as his hands begins to glow. It stinks and we have to accept it. "Very soon now, I shall be with you again, bringing the reward to be given to every man according to what he deserves"Revelation 21? It never becomes clear what exactly happened in the desert. Kids are shooting home video of their Independence Day barbecue. They will reign forever and ever." No one really knows (except Richard Kelly, of course) but the glow could be to establish a connection between the two Taverners, that they are two identical souls walking on the same plane. Boxer Santaros (Dwayne "The Rock". Serpentine explains that the world is coming to an end; the rotation of the Earth is slowing at a rate of .000000006 miles per hour every day. NEXT UP REVOLVER (2005)!Southland Tales competed for. Tab wanted Ronald to help the Neo-Marxists destroy USIDent, so he entrusted Roland and Ronald to Zora Carmichaels, who then drove them to Venice Beach. Most of the screenplay is included in the "Prequel Saga.". The New Statesmans global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. Boxer and Roland run out in a panic. When Fortunio and Boxer arrive at the rendezvous point, this is where the two are introduced to one another Interview with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried", "Southland Tales director hopes to reunite with Dwayne Johnson for planned sequel", "Richard Kelly Talks 'Southland Tales', The Time Travel Prequel & His James Cameron-Inspired 'Donnie Darko' Sequel [Interview]", Southland Tales: Music From The Motion Picture, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southland_Tales&oldid=1140958996, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Articles with dead external links from July 2022, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from September 2018, Articles with dead external links from March 2018, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Wave of Mutilation" (UK surf version) by, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 17:09. Why did Roland Taverner end up driving Boxer Santaros through the space-time rift? Zora Carmichaels and Bart Buchman return to the Neo-Marxist headquarters, where we learn that the two are lovers and have planned the murder of Dion and Dream. He had Roland Taverner kidnap Boxer and drive him through the rift. Dwayne Johnson joined the cast in April 2005, and principal photography was slated to begin August 1, 2005 in Los Angeles. Messiah = high spirituality. It's. Through voiceover, we learn that Pilot Abilene was injected with fluid karma in Iraq, as part of an experiment by the Baron, and in his quest for global domination, the Baron has negotiated an agreement with the prime minister of Japan, Hideo Takahashi, for fluid karma. Edit, It is a mechanical ball (built by Treer) which acts as remote antennas for the wireless electricity energy fields powered by Fluid Karma. After Roland Taverner came back from Iraq, he got a job as a police officer in Hermosa Beach, thanks to his father. He wakes up in a bed in his apartment in Treer Plaza. Edit, Richard Kelly has stated that "Kiss Me Deadly" is a huge influence on Southland Tales and that Boxer Santaros was modeled off that film's main character, Mike Hammer. 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 The release of Kellys first film, Donnie Darko, more or less coincided with the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. Movie star Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson) plans his next film with the . It features 3 tracks by Moby that have not been released commercially: "Water Pistol", "It Looks Down" and "Ceanograph".Southland Tales OST Tracklist1. There are hundreds of these mechanical balls buried everywhere in the Southland. The other main reference points are T.S. When a confrontation erupts near the Neo-Marxist drop box, Zora and Bart are both killed by a soldier. Roland, Ronald, Pilot, etc.) The quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. 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. As the party in the Mega-Zeppelin kicks off, Boxer heads upstairs to the Baron's secret chamber. As the movie suggests, the Baron conducted secret experiments, headed by Simon Theory, with soldiers in Iraq. What do all the characters in the film keep on quoting from? It's also symbolism for the above quote: almost a foreboding for the ending of the film where Roland turns out to be the Messiah. "Southland Tales" also borrows from "Repo Man," which ends with a flying car (and which also referenced "Kiss Me Deadly"). When cops arrive on the scene, he still doesn't stop,. Reading the graphic novels shows that she had the revelation of the screenplay, which happened (more or less) as she said it would, much as the book of revelation was occurring (more or less) as John had proposed it. All rights reserved. Kelly has said that this idea was inspired by a real U.S. Army project. Presumably, Tab was afraid that the Baron's people would find out that Roland had survived the trip through the time rift. While Ronald is briefly distracted, Boxer is beckoned over by Serpentine, who has been hovering nearby. She is pursued by Zora and Bart, who have discovered that Krysta has taken Dion and Dream's murder tape by mistake. Feb. 7, 2021. This soundtrack has 41 tracks, 9 of which are sound bytes taken from the film. [24][25], The soundtrack for Southland Tales was released in stores and online on November 6, 2007. How did the Taverners end up with the Neo-Marxists in Venice Beach? The mega-zeppelin launch is at hand. Southland Tales is unashamedly maximalist, rushing through as many set pieces as Kelly can conjure whilst simultaneously touching upon practically every theme a work of art can contain. Elsewhere, in a luxurious apartment, Boxer crawls into bed with Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar), a former porn star with a reality television show. He said, "[The original script] was more about making fun of Hollywood. What's the deal with this screenplay-within-the-movie that all the characters keep referring to? All three graphic novels were written by Richard Kelly, with artwork by Brett Weldele. So it's trying to say that our veterans are the biggest badasses that we have. After much trial and error with monkeys, Baron decided to send Boxer through itchosen because of his political ties and his celebrity persona. When Boxer (and Roland) traveled through the rift, it created duplicate versions of bothone set of duplicates traveled 69 minutes back in time, while the "originals" stayed in their original time. He can be reached at @thomasmaxrogers. What do all the characters in the film keep on quoting from? But now it's about, I hope, creating a piece of science fiction that's about a really important problem we're facing, about civil liberties and homeland security and needing to sustain both those things and balance them. He has the solution to the energy crisis and becomes the most powerful man on earth. 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. When they join hands, a bond is formed and the rule of singular existence is completely broken. "[37] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 44 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Most of the information in this FAQ can be attributed to three main sources:The three graphic novels that serve as a precursor to Southland Tales. "[5], In January 2021, Richard Kelly announced that developments are underway to expand the film into a franchise with intention being that the original cast return. "Southland Tales" also borrows from "Repo Man," which ends with a flying car. Edit, Richard Kelly stated in his interview with Empire film magazine, The idea of wireless electricity and tides being a source of energy, and there being a potentially world-altering energy source under the ocean, is based on real scientific theory. We zoom out to a satellite view, revealing that another nuclear bomb has been detonated in El Paso. Although it's part of a different section in the book, Revelation also refers to the Whore of Babylon -- dressed in scarlet and covered in gold -- as a symbol of Babylon's corruption. Kelly has claimed on his MySpace blog that he had very little time for the DVD as he was starting shooting on his next feature, The Box. "[12] He described the film as a "tapestry of ideas all related to some of the biggest issues that I think we're facing right now . The soundtrack does not feature all the music from the film, probably due to rights/royalties issues. This assertion seems to be based upon a flawed understanding of the the particular Law. How did the Taverners end up with the Neo-Marxists in Venice Beach? At least that way, he isn't . In near-future 2008, Los Angeles (referred to as "The Southland" by locals) is a dystopian[8] city on the brink of chaos overshadowed by the growth of an underground neo-Marxist organization. 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