I do like it more than THE BOX. I know the film was a financial and critical disaster, but I do feel there is a reason to watch this movie more than once. Am I the only person on earth that liked this movie!?
If I’m the only fan of this movie; well, I’m fine with that, but I find it hard to believe. Shall I list the incredible cast!
Like DONNIE DARKO. Excited to see THE BOX. Couldn’t get through 30 minutes of SOUTHLAND TALES, even craving a Philip K. Dick homage per Kelly’s own words about the project. I’ll reserve further comments till I’ve seen the thing. Maybe. Someday.
DAMMIT! I will not let this thread die until SOMEONE gives me an opinion?
@BEN
The movie is not as bad as people say. I really like it. Nothing like it ever made before.
THE BOX is nothing more than an extra long episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. SOUTHLAND TALES was a completely original concept that does not overstay its welcome. I do believe this is the closest to modern day armegeddon we are going to get,
And if you are a fan of SNL, this movie has ab out five former cast members and as many hostst. C’mon!
Not ONE person has any love for SOUTHLAND TALES?!
And the music for this flick is freakin’ awesome! No one!
I will keep this thread alive until I get a good reason why this movie tanked. You have been warned!!
I really dig Southland Tales, and I’d say it’s Kelly’s best film. Critics were unfairly condescending towards the ‘mess’ that the movie is, when the messiness is arbitrary and intentional. Kelly carefully appropriates his viewer feelings (however frustrated) to experience the world as it was after 9/11. Genuine wit bounces off occasional stupidity, but I wouldn’t want Kelly to shed his casual stupidity, as it’s the only thing he has which separates himself from all the people he builds homages for. Sadly, not everything is good: Timberlake’s expository narration wouldn’t hurt by being more impressionistic, and Kelly can’t do much with his camera except for shot / reverse shot–– except when he’s armed with one of his pop songs, he approaches rare transcendentalism. Oh, and that Memory Gospel scene is one of my favorite scenes from last decade.
The Box sucked though!
@KURT
Agreee with most of what you said. Love Timberlake, though. But such a funny movie!
@KURT
Actually, think I agreed with everything you said.
I am watching SOUTHLAND TALES right now. I have grown because of it. Great flick!
Plese give me reasons?
As a fan of Donnie Darko I can say without a doubt
Southland tales is the biggest piece of shit to ever be converted into film
It thinks it’s smart when it’s actually retarded, the cast is horrible, it wasn’t entertaining, it wasn’t even well-made. I’ve seen made-for-tv movies with MUCH better production values.
On principle I don’t like to stop watching a movie once I’ve started it because I like to give it a fair chance.
This movie put my principles to the test, it took everything in me to finish this movie.
I’m not a big fan of it, but for an apocalyptic film it is pretty original.
The intention and the idea behind Southland Tales is good. Kelly was definitely running a risky experiment and on that pure intellectual level, it is worth appreciating the risk he took. However, it did not work out, and by “it”, I mean absolutely everything he tried to do. EVERYTHING, from the serious aspects to the humorous aspects to the purposefully bad aspects (which passed by so-bad-it’s-good and became bad again). Ten minutes into this film and Timberlake is STILL narrating, and drops the single dumbest line in all of cinematic history (“The war was running out of alternatives…. alternative fuel, that is!”), halfway through we get “treated” to a musical setpiece which was just Kelly screaming, “Look how kitsch I’m trying to make it!” and two and a half hours later the movie is DEFINITELY doing exactly what you said it didn’t, “overstaying its welcome” and dragging ass.
And for what? “Californians are stupid and Bush sucks!” Wow. DEEP.
These complaints just being the broader ones. I remember initially trying to review this movie after seeing it for the first time and being at a complete loss at where to start. This is the only horrible movie in the world that actually does require frame by frame deconstruction, simply because to do so is the only way to fully describe everything wrong with this movie, since every single frame just does not work. It’s like the qualitative, thematic opposite of Sans Soleil—just to even start criticizing it, you have to pull it apart bit by bit.
But why do that? The first time was horrible enough. No way I’ll put that much more energy into it.
—PolarisDiB
I watched SOUTHLANDS more to say I’d seen it, since there was alot of controversy around it. DONNIE DARKO is one of my all time favourite films, and SOUTHLANDS is nowhere near as perfect as that time travel in suburbia film, but it is a lot better than I thought it would be, I felt it would have worked better as a mini series, so that the different characters and storylines could have become more fleshed out.
@ PolarisDiB
Your statements about the movie are very sound and well thought out. I too don’t like the Bush bashing and I was very much not a fan of the guy. I guess I don’t have anything to back it up—but I like it. I like crazy movies and this one qualifies.
My friend loves this movie and would put it in his top ten. I thought it was hilariously bad. And I loved Donnie Darko.
I actually don’t really love Donnie Darko, but I loved Southland Tales. Its an experiment in filmaking and i’d say only abut 80% successful. But still awesome to watch.
I didn’t hate the film, but it did seem a bit overstuffed, which is kind of the point, I can see. Can’t say I liked it very much. I’d put it in the Interesting Failure category.
And I don’t have a problem with Bush bashing. Bash the fuck away, I’d say.
As for Californians being stupid, well, any state that elects Arnold Schwarzenegger ain’t exactly chock full of geniuses. Just saying.
Sadder truth is he can’t do much worse than what was already done.
Truman Sparks
Not sure if this thread already exists—if so, sorry.
Just purchased the DVD this past weekend and watched for the second time. Not a great film, but I really like it. Very original and great cast. Destined for cult status. Anyone agree/disagree?