He called it a "strange hybrid of the sensibilities of Andy Warhol and Philip K. 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. The Tangent Universe is an alternate reality to our own. Edit, The term fluid karma is used to refer to two things in the movie. Edit, The name does not refer to anything other than the anagram and the late U.S. Somehow I doubt that will ever happen. Because of this rift the world is essentially going mad.remember when I said there's a reason why everything seems so crazy in this movie ? Unfortunately for the Neo-Marxists, their operative in USIDent, Kenny Chan, has been compromised. The only new special feature announced was an audio commentary by Kelly. The movie plays in the background in several scenes, and in the "Prequel Saga," Krysta tells Boxer it is his favorite movie. However, there are several in the graphic novel "The Prequel Saga." The first time Fortunio appears in the film, he quotes Karl Marx ("Anyone who knows anything of history knows that great social changes are impossible without feminine upheaval"), and several characters quote the song "Three Days" by Jane's Addiction ("We saw the shadows of the morning light/ The shadows of the evening sun/ Until the shadows and the light were one"). The song he listens to is "All These Things I've Done" by The Killers, while he was listening to the song, the "friendly fire" incident occurs. How did the Taverners end up with the Neo-Marxists in Venice Beach? One critic wondered if Kelly had ever met another human being. Edit, Richard Kelly stated in his interview with Empire magazine; that the irony is, he's sort of the decoy messiah, and it ends up that Seann William Scott (Roland Taverner) is the true one. In this article, Kelly is interviewed about some of the less straightforward aspects of Southland Tales. It may seem really amateurish at first, letting things like that "this is the way the world ends" quote fly from all directions throughout the film. All of these references to Marxism aren't entirely unconnected to the film's biblical references. Muriel and Jericho take the child after its parents are killed, and, under Muriel's guidance, drive to a farmhouse, where they are met by Serpentine, the Baron's mistress. As the movie suggests, the Baron conducted secret experiments, headed by Simon Theory, with soldiers in Iraq. The final chapter of the film ("VI: Wave of Mutilation") begins. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. 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 [17] The film often references religious and literary works; a policeman says, "Flow my tears," in reference to a Philip K. Dick novel of that name. Like its contemporary David Lynchs Inland Empire (which used the then modern aesthetic of digital video to emphasise the way technology allowed the user to be present in two places, and therefore exist in two different states) it exaggerates the ugliness of 2006 the tribal tattoos and the awful CGI, the typefaces that look like something from a bitchin Geocities website until what was merely bad taste looks absurd, a dark dream that takes place in a strip mall food court. "RONALD: "Its a physiological requirement of the body. 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). Set in the then-near future of 2008, the film is a portrait of Los Angeles, and a satiric commentary on the militaryindustrial complex and the infotainment industry. Why did Roland Taverner end up driving Boxer Santaros through the space-time rift? Spirituality has nothing to do with it. That's why Taverner always feels so guilty.The Baron used the drug to keep everyone under control and on a leash but did not realise that each person under the influence of Fluid Karma can communicate with one another. "[43] Manohla Dargis also gave the film a positive review in The New York Times, writing, "He doesn't make it easy to love his new film, which turns and twists and at times threatens to disappear down the rabbit hole of his obsessions. Starla is in love with Boxer and, in a fit of delusion, has assumed the role of Dr. Muriel Fox, a character from the screenplay. For reasons that never become entirely clear, he was hired by the Baron to kidnap Boxer Santaros from a charity scavenger hunt and drive him to Lake Mead. Ultimately, we may have to vote with our thumbs at some point. "ZORA: "You just wait and see." This is the way the world ends not with a bang, but with a fascinating near three-hour disaster of a movie, as deranged as Heavens Gate and as distinctively mid-Noughties as a Juicy Couture tracksuit. Where does the information in this FAQ come from? The world ends. 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. We zoom out to a satellite view, revealing that another nuclear bomb has been detonated in El Paso. Boxer diverts the attention away from the real messiah, who almost gets killed. You know those overlooked classics that are critically ignored only to blossom into beautiful definitive works over time.like "Pinkerton" or "Starship Troo. Does "Southland Tales: The Prequel Saga" explain what this fluid karma stuff is? 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. 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. He's the best friend of Seann William Scott's character (Roland Taverner), so he's witness to the resurrection. And why is he having an affair with Krysta Now? 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. Ambitious and arresting to the eye -- the gray palette serves the film well -- it's too bad that Southland Tales is also pretentious, chaotic, and tries too hard. Southland Tales EXPLAINED - Breakdown & Heavy Analysis - YouTube FOR MORE MOVIE EXPLANATION VIDEOS PLEASE LIKE AND COMMENT THIS VIDEO! "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's. He then asked her to forecast the last three days on Earth, and she made her prediction in the form of a screenplay: "The Power." Is it just me, or did that make no sense? Comedy Drama Mystery During a three-day heat wave just before a huge 4th of July celebration, an action star stricken with amnesia meets up with a porn star who is developing her own reality TV project, and a policeman who holds the key to a vast conspiracy. Once there, Boxer meets Simon Theory, one of the Baron's employees. Edit, Fred Zinnemann, the well-known movie director of the 1950s and 60s, maybe? We'll begin with a recap of the film. "Martin Kefauver: He is the angel of death that rides on the horse (the ice cream truck) Y'know, the way porn stars are exploited is not that far off from the way actors are exploited. | Edit, It is a mechanical ball (built by Treer) which acts as remote antennas for the wireless electricity energy fields powered by Fluid Karma. Edit, Operation Dream Theory was an experiment created by Treer. In the "Southland Tales" universe, when war broke out following the nuclear attacks in Texas, Treer was contracted to build several mega-zeppelins to ferry troops and equipment across the world. 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. If you replace the Antichrist with the bourgeoisie, and the kingdom of God with a communist utopia, you've got the same basic narrative. 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. Roland Taverner, his (alleged) twin -- a racist cop -- is sitting unconscious in the main room, having been kidnapped and drugged by the Neo-Marxists. Liberal extremist cells start to emerge, including a group called the Neo-Marxists. They are eventually killed by those who are tormented by their prophecies.Revelation 22:5: One theory is that duplicate souls from alternate timelines are not meant to exist together in a single timeline. "And God wiped the tears from his eyes, so the new Messiah could see out to the New Jerusalem." Pregnant woman from Revelation 12 and 13 (Puppet of the Anti-Christ)Bobby Frost and Vaughn Smallhouse: Krysta has decided to make her sex tape public by placing it into a Neo-Marxist drop box. [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. He played a character named "Donnie" in a movie with Boxer Santaros (in an obvious allusion to "Donnie Darko"). The three perform an abstract dance. Would a tide-powered electrical generator actually contradict the Second Law of Thermodynamics? The screenplay ends at a McDonald's restaurant, when Caleb starts belching noxious gas and launching fireballs. [24][25], The soundtrack for Southland Tales was released in stores and online on November 6, 2007. She would, I think, make a good president. On his way to meet Krysta, Fortunio discovered Boxer Santaros in the desert, stricken with amnesia. A website was also developed to intertwine with the graphic novels and the film itself. Using the graphic novels, the Book of Revelation, friends and whatever else we could find, we've pieced together everything you need to know (or at least everything we've been able to figure out) about "Southland Tales.". Unfortunately, the reworked film was received just as poorly, seen as an unfinished version of something much bigger. 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. They claim to have read his screenplay. Most of the screenplay is included in The Prequel Saga. "[29], The film remains enigmatic to many viewers and even some of its makers. When a confrontation erupts near the Neo-Marxist drop box, Zora and Bart are both killed by a soldier. 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.The film that is most obviously referenced is "Kiss Me Deadly," a 1955 film noir about a private detective who uncovers a plot to detonate a nuclear device. 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. One copy of Boxer traveled 69 minutes back in time, while the other copy was killed by an explosive charge in the car. She became psychic when a plane she was onUnited 23flew through the rift in space-time above Lake Mead. When scientists injected fluid karma into the soldiers, they became telepathic and could see into the past and, eventually, the future. Southland Tales is a 2006 thriller and comedy-drama film and the second film of Richard Kelly. Krysta is brought to the Frost mansion, where she is confronted by Madeline. Cheri Oteri plays Zora Carmichaels, while Jon Lovitz plays violent police officer Bart Bookman who is in love with Zora. For "Southland Tales," he loosely adapted the plot of the Book of Revelation and set it in an alternate version of the present day. She cuts the ribbon as USIDent employees -- dressed in windbreakers -- applaud. What exactly happens at the end of the movie? Edit, Richard Kelly stated in his interview with Empire, If Roland Taverner pulls the trigger and kills himself, the ice-cream truck will fall and the gateway it opens will close, and it's that gateway that may be humankind's salvation, so suicide represents surrendering to defeat. Ronald and Martin Kefauver pull up to the Rove Credit Union where Kefauver tries to withdraw his savings. 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. Abilene injects himself with fluid karma, collapses, and, in a dream sequence, dances a routine to the Killers' "All The Things You've Done," while nurses twirl around him. Boxer (The Rock) dances with Krysta (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Madeline (Mandy Moore); he stops dancing, knowing that he's going to die, and the tattoo of Jesus on his back starts bleeding. Shortly after they received their first injection of fluid karma, however, Taverner and Abilene were sent on a mission to Fallujah, and Taverner accidentally injured Abilene with a grenadedisfiguring him. As the party in the Mega-Zeppelin kicks off, Boxer heads upstairs to the Baron's secret chamber. Dick". In "Southland Tales" the Earth's rotation IS actually slowing down BECAUSE of an inter-dimensional rift above Lake Meade. Once Krysta departs, Boxer receives a phone call from Starla instructing him to go to the Santa Monica pier. But, then again, you probably shouldn't try to interpret "Southland Tales" too literally. Richard Kellys Southland Tales, a science-fiction comedy about the aftermath of the Third World War, is set in Los Angeles circa 2008, roughly three years after a sudden nuclear attack on Texas. That needs to change, The autonomous future is nearly here with Wejo, The need to grow Londons EV infrastructure at speed and scale, Ben Wheatleys In the Earth is a trippy eco-horror, Twenty years of feminist classic Legally Blonde, Cary Grants turn in the 1950s romcom Indiscreet is a lesson in effortlessness, The big consultancy con, with Mariana Mazzucato, The rise and fall of Nicola Sturgeon Audio Long Reads, Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance, HR, Training and Organisational Development, Information and Communications Technology, Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives, Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities, Science and Technical Research and Development. HitFix's Alan Sepinwall reviews "Reckoning," the season finale of the TNT cop drama "Southland," and says it worked as a perfect series-ender in the event of cancellation. Lots of scary apocalyptic stuff will happen (judgment, plagues and the like), before Jesus Christ will ride in on a white horse and establish the new kingdom of God. Zora Carmichaels (Cheri Oteri), a member of the Neo-Marxist movement, buys blank bullets from Walter Mung (Christopher Lambert) in an ice cream truck filled with weapons. "Memory Gospel" by MobySongs Not Featured in on the soundtrackFrom the album Hotel by Moby (2-CD Deluxe Edition): "Snowball (played in opening sequence before opening title) "Blue Paper" (played when Dion and Dream are having discussion about bowel movements, also in trailer) "Overland" (heard before and after Pilot's dream sequence) "Aerial" "Hotel Intro" (featured in Cannes cut, not in theatrical cut) "Live Forever" (featured in Cannes cut, not in theatrical cut)Other songs not featured: Water Pistol" by Moby "If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)" by Louis Armstrong "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers "Planet Telex (Live in San Francisco)" by Radiohead Symphony No. What do all the characters in the film keep on quoting from? One moment, for example, is during Cyndi's meeting where she asks Krysta how much of her own money is she putting into her career makeover. Cindy meets Vaughn Smallhouse at a restaurant and gives him a copy of the sex tape. The novels were written by Kelly and illustrated by Brett Weldele. Anything important or cool? [23], Southland Tales: Music from the Motion Picture is the original soundtrack of Richard Kelly's 2007 film Southland Tales. This assertion seems to be based upon a flawed understanding of the the particular Law. His colleague, Starla Von Luft (Michelle Durrett), has planted a bug on his jacket and is leading the police forces to their hideout. 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. 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. Movie star Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson) plans his next film with the . The Baron admits that he has been paying Krysta to deceive Boxer, but also mentions that Madeline is pregnant with the child of Brandt Huntington (Joe Campana), one of her father's assistants. If you haven't seen the movie and don't want to have it -- or the graphic novels -- spoiled, you should stop reading this right now. 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. The other main reference points are T.S. Inside the levitating ice cream truck, the two Taverners continue to hold hands. According to Serpentine, "The future is just as [he] imagined.". "[44], In a 2013 interview, Kelly said he considered this work as "the thing that I'm most proud of, and I feel like it's sort of the misunderstood child or the banished child. A white light emerges from their hands and the ice cream truck starts floating. "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death"Revelation 11: Three days later, he is discovered in the desert near Lake Mead. [30] The film was originally scheduled to be released in the United States on November 9, 2007, in partnership with Destination Films and Samuel Goldwyn Films,[31] but in eventually opened in limited release in California on November 14, 2007. The theatrical cut of "Southland Tales" has been extensively reedited -- a subplot has been excised, additional special effects shots have been inserted, a new explanatory sequence opens the movie -- and critics have been considerably kinder to it. The purpose of these novels is to explain much of the back-story and set the viewer up for parts IV, V and VI in the movie itself.An article titled Everything you were afraid to ask about Southland Tales. 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. Southland Tales also predicted that the government was always watching us. Vaughn sends a car to pick up Boxer and bring him back to the Frost mansion. "Forget Myself" by Elbow13. She may also be representative of the Whore of Babylon (ancient Babylon situated in what is now Iraq) and her energy drink the "Cup of Abominations".Madeline Frost Santaros: Back when the film was released in Cannes, three scenes were released on YouTube (which have long since been rendered unavailable): Boxer and Krysta talking with Roland about their film, Fortunio watching Krysta's show "Now", and Krysta's meeting with Cyndi Pinziki. No idea. As Treer employees were interviewing the plane's passengers, they noticed that she was the only passenger who didn't suffer from amnesia and that she could see into the future. What's the relation between Walter Mung and Veronica "Dream" Mung? The Book of Revelation and Marxism have been connected by academicsboth advocate the overthrow of tyranny. Once it was discovered, they sent monkeys through it, which failed (Boxer claims that only a human soul could survive the trip). She says "The religion that is the winner of the contest will bleed" What does the phrase "Do You Bleed" mean? Edit, It is implied that they are either divorced or brother and sister. Our weekly culture newsletter from books and art to pop culture and memes sent every Friday. Dragon from Revelation 12 and 13 (Puppet of the Anti-Christ)Pilot Abeline: 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. The soundtrack does not feature all the music from the film, probably due to rights/royalties issues. Boxer and Roland run out in a panic. However, its inventor Baron von Westphalen and his associates are hiding the fact that the generators alter the ocean's currents and cause the Earth to slow its rotation, and that the transmission of Fluid Karma to portable receivers (via quantum entanglement) is ripping holes in the fabric of space and time. 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). Who does the name "Bing Zinneman" refer to. alternative fuel or the increasing obsession with celebrity and how celebrity now intertwines with politics". The Cannes boo is the annual terrorist attack of . User Reviews The generators depicted in the film, and similar real-life power sources, are not closed systems but open ones. He had Roland Taverner kidnap Boxer and drive him through the rift. 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. Before being drafted, Pilot Abilene was also a movie star. Edit, It is a proposition on the ballot to restict US-IDent's powers. Metacritic Reviews. He has the solution to the energy crisis and becomes the most powerful man on earth. "Me & Bobby McGee" by Waylon Jennings6. 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. [It] restores an uncanny to American culture, she wrote in Fetishism and Curiosity, that the uncanny president disavows. In Southland Tales we have a movie whose frenetic, all-American surrealism its blend of censorship and sexuality, commerce and violence spookily pre-empted the prevailing culture under Donald Trump a decade before he was elected president. 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. The project was named "Serpentine Dream Theory." 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. Feb. 7, 2021. Director Richard Kelly Writer Richard Kelly Stars Dwayne Johnson Sarah Michelle Gellar Sign up to receive information regarding NS events, subscription offers & product updates. As part of his job, Jericho must tattoo a symbol from every world religion onto his body and, when the Messiah reaches maturity, the "winning" religion's symbol will bleed snake blood. Roland and Ronald (Seann William Scott) meet and shake hands. "[16] Kelly said the film's biggest influences are Kiss Me Deadly, Pulp Fiction, Brazil, and Dr. Strangelove. 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. Unfortunately, Kefauver and Ronald's Hummer soon collides with the ice cream truck carrying Roland. Edit, No. Boxer and Ronald have stopped for some lunch. What does the Latin inscription "oderint dum metuant" on the UPU cars mean? In Donnie Darko, the world ends when the Tangent Universe collapses, which may also be what happens at the end of Southland Tales. But, unexpectedly, police officer Bart Buchman (Jon Lovitz) pulls up and shoots both of them for real. They are available together in the one graphic novel as Southland Tales: The Prequel Saga. "[28] Salon.com critic Andrew O'Hehir called the Cannes cut "about the biggest, ugliest mess I've ever seen. This soundtrack has 41 tracks, 9 of which are sound bytes taken from the film.