SOUTHLAND TALES
June 9th 2008 04:40
Southland Tales
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sean William Scott.
Written & Directed By: Richard Kelly
A work of unrecognised genius; or a woolly, convoluted mess? Unfortunately for Richard Kelly, Southland Tales tends towards the latter, rather than the former.
The basic plot (there are many) is that Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson), husband of the daughter of a prominent politician, has gone missing. He subsequently reappears in Southern California (the “Southland” the “Tales” are about) in the company of Krysta Kapowski (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Kysta, who becomes Kysta Now, is a porn star, and aspiring pop culture icon, with her own television channel where she debates issues with other porn stars (no, really), and has her own energy drink and album in development. Boxer has no memory of his former life, and writes a screenplay about the end of the world. He then starts going by the name of the main character in his script, Jericho Cane, and hangs out with Sean William Scott’s cop, Roland Taverner, filming him in order to research the life of a cop for his proposed film.
Add to the mix a rebel group called the Neo-Marxists (who seem to consist only of perpetually hysterical middle-aged women) who plan to have Boxer film a fake murder by Roland in order to expose the police force as corrupt. However, the groups’ main complaint is with US-IDENT, a group set up to regulate cyberspace in the U.S.A, and which is run by Nana Mae Frost (Miranda Richardson). Throw into the pot Justin Timberlake playing a soldier who may or may not be dead throughout the film, and whom lip-synchs to The Killers “All These Things that I Have Done” – the only time you will ever hear him sing with a man’s voice! And, furthermore, some scientists who, in 2008’s energy crisis, invent a perpetual motion machine in the sea that can generate energy forever, but which may be causing a Donne Darko style rift in the fabric of time that will bring about the end of the world.
Whew! As you can see that is a hell of a lot of plot to get through in Southland Tales slightly more than 2 hours running time. Unfortunately it is not enough time to do any of the plotlines justice, or allow any of the characters room to breathe. The film wants to be so many things that it cannot make up its mind and just settle on a couple of issues. Kelly wants to tackle the erosion of civil rights in the U.S.A, rebel groups, the energy crisis, pop culture, pornography, Christopher Lambert, soldiers returning from war, drugs, guilt, time travel and its ensuing complications. What he has set up is actually the grounds for an ongoing television series, not a film.
All the actors are quite good, (even Timberlake does not stink), and do the best with what they are given, but none of them are ever given enough to do. Miranda Richardson’s role seems to consist of sitting in US-IDENT’s headquarters and watching TV all day. Boxer Santaros/Jericho Cane seems to be the main character we are supposed to be following, but even he gets left behind in the second half of the film as the many many plotlines are haphazardly and inadequately resolved. For the very end of the film, Kelly opts for his default third act plot arc, established in Donnie Darko, of Time Rift Destroying Earth. The fim concludes with the plainly ridiculous line from Roland: I’m a pimp, and pimps don’t commit suicide.” What? Did Snoop Dogg help write the script?
In the making of on the DVD, Kelly talks about how controversial he believes Southland Tales is, because the film is such a cutting satire on current politics. But he tried to keep it balanced by attacking the liberals as well as right-wing supporters. He also believes he directed a black comedy.
For a start the film is not that funny. I thought I was watching something serious with the odd funny moment. It is not satirical either. If you were right-wing I do not think you would even realise you were begin satirised. The only satirical bits are the advertisements by the government to vote against a political bill: “Do you think upholding your civil rights is going to protect my family from terrorists?” Apart from that, there is no satire, which is probably why there was no great controversy about the film.
The most telling part of the making of is when one of the actors reveals that when his agent rang him up, she was in tears because she could not make head nor tail of the script, and so did not know whether or not to recommend that he accept a role in the film. That’s Southland Tales for you. It would probably make more sense with repeated viewing, but it is not really worth all the effort it requires to follow all the myriad storylines.
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sean William Scott.
Written & Directed By: Richard Kelly
A work of unrecognised genius; or a woolly, convoluted mess? Unfortunately for Richard Kelly, Southland Tales tends towards the latter, rather than the former.
The basic plot (there are many) is that Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson), husband of the daughter of a prominent politician, has gone missing. He subsequently reappears in Southern California (the “Southland” the “Tales” are about) in the company of Krysta Kapowski (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Kysta, who becomes Kysta Now, is a porn star, and aspiring pop culture icon, with her own television channel where she debates issues with other porn stars (no, really), and has her own energy drink and album in development. Boxer has no memory of his former life, and writes a screenplay about the end of the world. He then starts going by the name of the main character in his script, Jericho Cane, and hangs out with Sean William Scott’s cop, Roland Taverner, filming him in order to research the life of a cop for his proposed film.
Add to the mix a rebel group called the Neo-Marxists (who seem to consist only of perpetually hysterical middle-aged women) who plan to have Boxer film a fake murder by Roland in order to expose the police force as corrupt. However, the groups’ main complaint is with US-IDENT, a group set up to regulate cyberspace in the U.S.A, and which is run by Nana Mae Frost (Miranda Richardson). Throw into the pot Justin Timberlake playing a soldier who may or may not be dead throughout the film, and whom lip-synchs to The Killers “All These Things that I Have Done” – the only time you will ever hear him sing with a man’s voice! And, furthermore, some scientists who, in 2008’s energy crisis, invent a perpetual motion machine in the sea that can generate energy forever, but which may be causing a Donne Darko style rift in the fabric of time that will bring about the end of the world.
Whew! As you can see that is a hell of a lot of plot to get through in Southland Tales slightly more than 2 hours running time. Unfortunately it is not enough time to do any of the plotlines justice, or allow any of the characters room to breathe. The film wants to be so many things that it cannot make up its mind and just settle on a couple of issues. Kelly wants to tackle the erosion of civil rights in the U.S.A, rebel groups, the energy crisis, pop culture, pornography, Christopher Lambert, soldiers returning from war, drugs, guilt, time travel and its ensuing complications. What he has set up is actually the grounds for an ongoing television series, not a film.
All the actors are quite good, (even Timberlake does not stink), and do the best with what they are given, but none of them are ever given enough to do. Miranda Richardson’s role seems to consist of sitting in US-IDENT’s headquarters and watching TV all day. Boxer Santaros/Jericho Cane seems to be the main character we are supposed to be following, but even he gets left behind in the second half of the film as the many many plotlines are haphazardly and inadequately resolved. For the very end of the film, Kelly opts for his default third act plot arc, established in Donnie Darko, of Time Rift Destroying Earth. The fim concludes with the plainly ridiculous line from Roland: I’m a pimp, and pimps don’t commit suicide.” What? Did Snoop Dogg help write the script?
In the making of on the DVD, Kelly talks about how controversial he believes Southland Tales is, because the film is such a cutting satire on current politics. But he tried to keep it balanced by attacking the liberals as well as right-wing supporters. He also believes he directed a black comedy.
For a start the film is not that funny. I thought I was watching something serious with the odd funny moment. It is not satirical either. If you were right-wing I do not think you would even realise you were begin satirised. The only satirical bits are the advertisements by the government to vote against a political bill: “Do you think upholding your civil rights is going to protect my family from terrorists?” Apart from that, there is no satire, which is probably why there was no great controversy about the film.
The most telling part of the making of is when one of the actors reveals that when his agent rang him up, she was in tears because she could not make head nor tail of the script, and so did not know whether or not to recommend that he accept a role in the film. That’s Southland Tales for you. It would probably make more sense with repeated viewing, but it is not really worth all the effort it requires to follow all the myriad storylines.
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