"Samuel Goldwyn to handle US distribution of Southland Tales", "Universal, Wild Bunch board Southland Tales", This Maligned 2006 Movie About Dystopian L.A. Is Too Real at This Point. [28][29] After significant edits, the final version premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 22, 2007. Somehow I doubt that will ever happen. The Tangent Universe is an alternate reality to our own. The Taverner twins are revealed to be the same person by the engineers of Treer, duplicated when Roland traveled through a rift in space-time, while Boxer has become the most wanted man in the world despite his political ties and his having the fate of the future, in the form of a prophetic screenplay foretelling the end of the world, in his hands. Is it just me, or did that make no sense? 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 It was first released in 2006 to almost uniformly terrible reviews, and has since found an audience with fans who love it for its great ambition, its disdain for common sense, and its prescient use of neo-Marxism, internet censorship and celebrity sex-tapes as harbingers of the future. Although Kelly's first film, "Donnie Darko," was an obtuse cult hit about time travel and an apocalyptic rabbit, few people could have anticipated a follow-up as thoroughly baffling as "Southland Tales." But once they went through the rift, the car's self-destruct mechanism was activated, killing the copy of Boxer that did not travel back in time. The movie plays in the background in several scenes, and in the "Prequel Saga," Krysta tells Boxer it is his favorite movie. Where does the information in this FAQ come from? She is pursued by Zora and Bart, who have discovered that Krysta has taken Dion and Dream's murder tape by mistake. "[14], Kelly's breakthrough film, Donnie Darko, was released in the United States on October 26, 2001, the same day the PATRIOT Act was signed. Kelly's movie may not be entirely coherent, but that's because there's so much it wants to say. During their discussion, they learn that Ronald has been dreaming of Boxer. On the mega-zeppelin, Krysta Now performs a dance number. 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. When it premiered in its original three-hour form at Cannes, last year, the response was acidic. Additionally, tracks from Radiohead, Louis Armstrong, Beethoven, Kris Kristofferson, and several tracks from Moby's Hotel:Ambient are likewise absent from the album. Why does the movie start with Boxer Santaros asleep on a beach? Messiah ( forgives sins)"I forgive you. 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. Singer Rebekah Del Rio, who (as herself) performs the "Star Spangled Banner" onboard the mega-zeppelin, is also featured in David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive." Despite being critically and commercially unsuccessful, the film has developed a cult following in later years. The film features an ensemble cast including Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy Moore, and Justin Timberlake. Boxer meets Fortunio on the beach after his rendezvous with Starla. A pregnant woman, a dragon and two beasts; They are the puppets of the Anti-ChristRevelation 22:12: Edit, He had fulfilled his purpose on the earth and as witness to the coming of the next age, saw his body as an empty shell and gave it away. Edit, Operation Dream Theory was an experiment created by Treer. 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. How did the Taverners end up with the Neo-Marxists in Venice Beach? These are (Book 1) Two Roads Diverge, (Book 2) Fingerprints and (Book 3) The Mechanicals. What exactly happens at the end of the movie? Or, maybe it's just an hallucination from Fluid Karma that only the two of them can see (since Martin doesn't actually notice the light from his hands in the Hummer). 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. . 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. The restaurant starts floating into space. They are eventually killed by those who are tormented by their prophecies.Revelation 22:5: Defecation is a part of life. Kelly sought more financing to finish visual effects for the film, and he negotiated a deal with Sony to cut down on the film's length in exchange for funds to complete the visual effects. Zelda Rubinstein and Beth Grant portray Dr. Katarina Kuntzler and Dr. Inga Von Westphalen, members of the baron's entourage. "Southland Tales" also borrows from "Repo Man," which ends with a flying car (and which also referenced "Kiss Me Deadly"). Serpentine explains that the world is coming to an end; the rotation of the Earth is slowing at a rate of .000000006 mile per hour every day. Ronald Taverner and Baby Caleb in "The Power") not have a bowel movement? This would be a perpetual motion machine, and could not work. Edit, It means "let them hate, so long as they fear", Caligula's favorite saying, attributed originally to Lucius Accius, Roman tragic poet (170 BC). 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. The Book of Revelation, or the Revelation of John, was written by an unknown person in the first century. In Donnie Darko, the world ends when the Tangent Universe collapses, which may also be what happens at the end of Southland Tales. Once it was discovered, they sent monkeys through it, which failed (Boxer claims that only a human soul could survive the trip). . Everything and everyone is bedazzled in red, white, and blue; burgers and Buds are happily consumed on the lawn of every McMansion. [16] Kelly consciously sought out actors that he felt had been pigeonholed and wanted to showcase their "undiscovered talents."[14]. Eventually, the Antichrist will show up and take over the world. Ronald and Martin Kefauver pull up to the Rove Credit Union where Kefauver tries to withdraw his savings. Although he recognizes Madeline as his wife, she remains unimpressed and demands to know why he disappeared. The filmmaker explained that the original film is chapters 4-6, while a prequel project will explore chapters 1-3 with intentions being to do so through an animation medium; while additional projects can explore events that take place in 2024. Kids are shooting home video of their Independence Day barbecue. For some reason, Wallace Shawn is dressed like a new-wave Japanese pimp. His colleague, Starla Von Luft (Michelle Durrett), has planted a bug on his jacket and is leading the police forces to their hideout. [18] Kelly's film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2006 with a length of 160 minutes. Ronald and Roland Taverner, furthermore, are not twins, but copies of the same person. Shown with white shirt flecked with blood as Revelation describes the white horseman as wearing "A white robe flecked with blood." Roger Ebert called it "the most disastrous Cannes press screening since, yes, 'The Brown Bunny.'" What exactly happens at the end of the movie? He wakes up in a bed in his apartment in Treer Plaza. How would that work? 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 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. The movie and prequel saga focus a lot on the "blood red" version of the drug which gives the person using the drug ability to see, or "bleed", into the past, and with repeated use, the future. Both vehicles come to a rest in the middle of a shootout and Walter Mung is killed. As part of the deal, the Baron has Serpentine cut off the prime minister's left hand. Ten years ago, a critical audience at Cannes sealed 'Southland Tales' fate. At least that way, he isn't . Kelly has said that this idea was inspired by a real U.S. Army project. After the attacks, Kelly revised the script. "The Star Spangled Banner" by Rebekah del Rio & The Section Quartet14. What's the deal with the Treer company, and why are there all these references to Karl Marx? So it's trying to say that our veterans are the biggest badasses that we have. Messiah = high spirituality. Is Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) based on anyone? Kelly wrote Southland Tales shortly before the September 11 attacks. A newsletter showcasing the finest writing from the ideas section, covering political ideas, philosophy, criticism and intellectual history - sent every Wednesday. 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. It's too bad, because "Southland Tales" is one of the more interesting and ambitious American films in recent memory. Vaughn sends a car to pick up Boxer and bring him back to the Frost mansion. That's why he wakes up on the beach at the start of the movie. No idea. The mega-zeppelin explodes, and its pieces scatter across L.A. We learn that July 4 will be the launch date for the new Treer mega-zeppelin (the "Jenny Von Westphalen"). But once they went through the rift, the car's self-destruct mechanism was activated, killing the copy of Boxer that did not travel back in time. The anagram of his name, FREAK MAN VIRTUE is most important, foreshadowing the ultimate destiny of Martin in the film. Martin has just learned that he's been drafted to go to Iraq and is about to shoot himself in the head. The Grey Horseman. The project was named "Serpentine Dream Theory." The Book of Revelation and Marxism have been connected by academics -- both advocate the overthrow of tyranny. One copy of Boxer traveled 69 minutes back in time, while the other copy was killed by an explosive charge in the car. The other characters have all played their part and are redeemed in the end to enjoy eternal life. In March 2004, Kelly and Cherry Road Films began development of Southland Tales. ("Taverner" is the name of the main character in the same book and suffers identity problems of his own.) "Southland Tales" also borrows from "Repo Man," which ends with a flying car. This release will include both the original theatrical cut and the Cannes cut. She says "The religion that is the winner of the contest will bleed" The reasons for this are never really explained, but Caleb is the child of Tawna and Rick McBride, a couple in Palmdale, Calif. Caleb does not produce bowel movements, but when he farts, the Earth shakes. The site's consensus states: "Southland Tales, while offering an intriguing vision of the future, remains frustratingly incoherent and unpolished. It's just more physical. According to their plan, Boxer is to videotape their faked murder. What's Justin Timberlake doing in all of this? What's the deal with the "I'm a pimp, and pimps don't commit suicide" motto? It's not exactly easy to follow, and its meaning is still heavily debated, but if you read it as a prophecy, this is one way of interpreting it: In the future, the world will be a miserable place filled with war, famine and disease. Edit, The term fluid karma is used to refer to two things in the movie. Dragon from Revelation 12 and 13 (Puppet of the Anti-Christ)Pilot Abeline: The film follows the criss-crossed destinies of Boxer Santaros, an action film actor stricken with amnesia; Krysta Now, a psychic exporn star in the midst of creating a reality TV show; and twin brothers Roland and Ronald Taverner, whose destinies become intertwined with that of all mankind. A cool guy. Thinking it's her sex tape with Boxer, she takes it with her. I think defecation is the result of an inferior food supply and spiritual weakness. So what's causing the Earth to slow down ? Movie star Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson) plans his next film with the . As a result of the attacks, Republicans win the November 2006 elections by a landslide (290 Republicans and 145 Democrats in the House) and they beef up the Patriot Act -- creating USIDent, a think tank that monitors, among other things, the Internet. This has opened up a rift in the space-time continuum on the outskirts of Lake Mead. Before being drafted, Pilot Abilene was also a movie star. [36], 41% of 106 reviews compiled by review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes are positive, and the average rating is 4.9 out of 10. As Andrew O'Hehir put it, the recut film "transcends its adolescent awkwardness and approaches being magnificent." "Oh My Angel" by Bertha Tillman3. "ZORA: "I disagree. The director also sought to keep the musical number performed by Timberlake, based on "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers which he felt was the heart and soul of the film. But, unexpectedly, police officer Bart Buchman (Jon Lovitz) pulls up and shoots both of them for real. Edit, "The Power" is a pretty hilarious piece of work. Its depiction of an American teenager experiencing premonitions about doomsday clocks and jet crashes suddenly became more piquant in light of such astounding tragedy. What's with the glow from Roland and Ronald's hands? The original script was written 6 years ago just after Richard and his team returned from Sundance. [35] The Village Voice critic J. Hoberman, for example, called Southland Tales "a visionary film about the end of times" comparable in recent American film only to David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. The New Statesmans weekly environment email on the politics, business and culture of the climate and nature crises - in your inbox every Thursday. Above him, Pilot Abilene (Justin Timberlake) sits in a gun turret and recites from the Book of Revelation, Robert Frost's poem "The Two Roads" and an inverted version of T.S. And why is he having an affair with Krysta Now? Edit, In the 1980s British TV comedy 'Allo 'Allo!, the right-hand man of Herr Flick of the Gestapo is called "von Smallhausen", so maybe that's where Kelly drew his inspiration from. Running time: 160 minutes. Krysta is brought to the Frost mansion, where she is confronted by Madeline. In addition to her reality show, Krysta has launched an energy drink and recorded a hit single called "Teen Horniness Is Not a Crime." Krysta Now stops by Zora's place to buy some drugs, when she notices the tape of Dream and Dion's murder on a chair. She cuts the ribbon as USIDent employees -- dressed in windbreakers -- applaud. Boxer walks up to the Frost mansion, where his wife, Madeline Frost (Mandy Moore), and the Frost team are waiting for him. 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. etc., although it bears a resemblence to Eastern religious concepts such as Qi and Ki. These are all references to the seven plagues that precede the destruction of Babylon. "ZORA: "You just wait and see." Since then, Kelly has released prequel comics to coincide with the film. Kids are shooting home video of their Independence Day barbecue. 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. The novels were written by Kelly and illustrated by Brett Weldele. Edit, After Roland Taverner came back from Iraq, he got a job as a police officer in Hermosa Beach, thanks to his father. A weekly round-up of some of the best articles featured in the most recent issue of the New Statesman, sent each Saturday. "[40] David Edelstein's review in New York magazine criticized the film's writing, "Kelly aims high and must have shot off his own ear, which is the only way to account for the dialogue. Edit, The idea of not having a bowel movement really doesn't seem to have anything to do with being the messiah; it's more of a sign of human evolution led by the new messiah. In 2016, I implore you to give it a shot. 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. 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. [7] The title refers to the Southland, a name used by locals to refer to Southern California and the Greater Los Angeles area. One of these was a rift created in the fourth dimensionthe fourth dimension being time itselfat Lake Meade, which was discovered when an airplane flew through it and had all its passengers left with amnesia (bar oneKrysta Now, who gained psychic abilities from it). At a beachside restaurant, Krysta Now meets Cyndi Pinziki (Nora Dunn), a porn producer with ties to the Neo-Marxist movement, to discuss Krysta's marketing plan. 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. The screenplay ends at a McDonald's restaurant, when Caleb starts belching noxious gas and launching fireballs. Most of the screenplay is included in the "Prequel Saga.". This is where "Operation Dream Theory" came into play. "Howl [Extended Version]" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club4. Before Edward Snowden released information to the public about the NSA's numerous global surveillance programs, many people joked about the government spying on us through simple technology like our phones. When he first discovered the rift, we learn, the Baron decided that the first human to travel through the rift would be a movie star and that movie star would be Boxer Santaros. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. The false prophet and the Antichrist will create a dominating world system. No, it's not just you. Ronald agrees to take Boxer for a ride-along so he can research his role. 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