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UK SciFi / Horror and Fantasy |  |
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Southland Tales [2006]
ReviewsKelly's anti-heroes... Review date: 2008-11-17 Rating: 10 out of 10 I can see this getting the same plaudits (from those who lambasted it first time round, no doubt) in 20 years time as Gilliam's 'Brazil'. An utterly non-conformist, anti-hollywood, anti-film film. Watching it is like turning up at a crime scene. It doesn't make sense until you begin to sift and investigate the minutae. It makes YOU work very hard for any satisfaction and even then, when you think you have a hold of the thing, it will turn round and slap you between the eyes. Brilliantly flawed, simultaneously profound and completely farcical (there are moments of great comic writing here, brought to cringing life by a cast as diverse as the ideas on show). A flayling, self aware beast that now runs lose on DVD. BEWARE. Observe from a safe distance, make notes and study it's habits. This film will make you look over your shoulder. Ignore the cynics, embrace the cult and get inside the mind of a bad genius. Mere Words Cannot Describe The Experience This Film Is Review date: 2008-10-21 Rating: 2 out of 10 Imagine if someone filmed a word-for-word version of a Philip K Dick novel. Now, I'm not talking a well known and brilliant PKD work, like Eye In The Sky, or Ubik, or A Scanner Darkly ; I'm talking about the kind of drug-addled, 8th-novel-in-12-months that made no sense at all ; something like the long lost and absolutely dreadful Vulcan's Hammer. Now, imagine, not only that, but someone took out every piece of exposition that linked the plot together so plot then became nothing more and nothing less than a bunch of stuff that happens without any core reason. Characters lack motive and actions lack momentum and purpose. People do stuff, without there being any reason why they do anything. There are odd musical interludes that join the work at random intervals, statements that make no sense, vignettes that confuse and add nothing to the narrative (there is no narrative), and a thematic presentation that is at best incoherent. At the time of the release of Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly seemed like a visionary, obtuse film-maker blessed with a unique voice. Now, he seems like a Sci-Fi David Lynch, jettisoning plot for obvious, clunking statements about the totalitarian state, porn, energy crisis', war, and other juvenile pursuits. This is not a film : it is a mistake, a waste of talent and time and electricity. Now, I'm not sure if it is a film so wilfully obscure that only multiple viewings will unlock it like a puzzle, or if it cleverly hides the fact that it has absolutely nothing to say for itself and no idea what it would say if it could say anything in a confused mess of middle class nothingness, where someone arrogantly thinks they have the answers to life, the universe and everything they gleaned from spending time with books, not having nonsensical dribble come from some rich kid who thinks he knows how the world works when he knows nothing. It's the unrestrained widescreen vomit of an ego that never looked in the mirror and was told the facts of this insane venture. Simply put, it doesn't make any sense because the ideas behind it are wilfully intellectually crippled, and unrelated to everything else around it. It's a cinematic conceit of a narrative, equivalent to the worlds greatest stand up comedian being a man who can do nothing but string together one-liners that are ultimately waste everyones time. There are rules to an Apocalypse. Firstly, this film requires a Godzilla of a McGuffin to drive the plot. It has nothing. Narratively, this film is incomplete : like watching a rough cut of Star Wars where the guy says "Bang" when Alderaan blows up instead of the widescreen special effects. Secondly, one apocalypse at a time. This is a film you have to watch ; not because it is good, but because it is bad. Because it has midgets and Justin Timberlake quoting T.S.Eliot and The Bible from behind his sniper spot on the pier. Imagine that terrible, vile idea you had for a science fiction movie when you were 16 when you thought every idea you had was gold and blessed with genius but didn't actually think about long enough to realise it was the most embarrassing thing you have ever done, then wrote 4 pages of, realised it was ill thought nonsense, then buried in a drawer and hoped nobody would ever find? Well, this is what happened if someone made a film of it. And called the film Southland Tales. Brilliant Nonsense Review date: 2008-10-11 Rating: 10 out of 10 This film has really stuck with me. At first I didn't want to see it because the cast sounded awful (Buffy, a wrestler, that guy from American Pie, Justin Timberlake) but it blew me away. Absolutely bizarre, totally pretentious and tremendous fun. It aims for big, big things and doesn't quite pull it off. But I love it for being so obstinate and audacious in a world of boring, predictable films!! A plot to be unravelled Review date: 2008-09-02 Rating: 10 out of 10 So here's the thing, the first time I watched this film I came away feeling a little confused, a little happy and a little sad but ultimately feeling like I had just watched something special. After watching Southland Tales multiple times I am staggered at how many ideas have gone into this film and actually link up to make it one of the most mind boggling and sheer brilliant films I have seen in some time. I'm not going to discuss the plot as you will find enough of that on here but I will point you in the right direction with some things that aren't apparently obvious. Southland Tales is a modern day adaptation of the book of revelations played out in a post apocalyptic reality. The characters and scenes play out various set pieces that bear symbolic references to the book of revelations. Southland tales also encompasses a lot of Karl Marx's (famous philosopher) theories about social uprising. Without any knowledge of both of these you can miss the unravelling of Southland tales but still appreciate it for the beautiful film it actually is. Southland Tales is not for everybody and while some may find it pretentious, I personally found it extremely engaging and thought provoking and in my opinion is a misunderstood masterpiece. Product Details/SpecificationsActor(s): Holmes Osborne Miranda Richardson Wallace Shawn Seann William Scott Christopher Lambert Creators: Seann William Scott (Primary Contributor) Wallace Shawn (Primary Contributor) Director(s): Recording label: Universal Pictures Video Manufacturer: Universal Pictures Video EAN: 5050582487213 Binding: DVD Number of items: 1 Format: PAL, Release date: 2008-03-31 Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region code: 2 Running time: 138 minutes Theatrical release date: 2006 Language: English (Original Language)
Tech info, cast and quotes/trivia when available. Exclusions may apply with free delivery. Price and availabiltity subject to change |
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