But if "Southland Tales" follows the same logic as "Donnie Darko," as laid out in that film's DVD extras, when the fourth dimension is corrupted, it causes the creation of two parallel universes: the Tangent Universe and the Primary Universe. When Boxer and Fortunio met up with Krysta, she recognized Boxer and managed to convince him that she was an actress researching a role in his new movie, "The Power." 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. He climbs out and walks up to the nearby ice cream truck. 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. 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. "Three Days [Live Version]" by Jane's Addiction15. Before being drafted, Pilot Abilene was also a movie star. Boxer, although he does not remember it, is married to the daughter of a Republican senator who is in turn the brains behind an agency called US-IDent, which controls what citizens can and cannot see on the internet. Despite being critically and commercially unsuccessful, the film has developed a cult following in later years. Boxer's original self was incinerated in a car bomb triggered by Serpentine, while the duplicate Boxer is still roaming. [citation needed]. Southland Tales encapsulates these anxieties in the form of US-IDent, a state agency that can hear and see everyone in America at all times. "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. Also, they had sex. Two months before Southland Tales was released, he announced the launch of Darko Entertainment.[15]. Edit, Their role is explained a lot better in the graphic novels: they are the heads of the Neo-Marxists and are also street poets who have released several albums. Initial release: May 21, 2006. In fact, Marx was indirectly influenced by the Book of Revelation in his writing. 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. In the graphic novels, Krysta says it's Boxer's favourite film. Published May 20, 2016. Once it was discovered, they sent monkeys through it, which failed (Boxer claims that only a human soul could survive the trip). Interview with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried", "Southland Tales director hopes to reunite with Dwayne Johnson for planned sequel", "Richard Kelly Talks 'Southland Tales', The Time Travel Prequel & His James Cameron-Inspired 'Donnie Darko' Sequel [Interview]", Southland Tales: Music From The Motion Picture, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southland_Tales&oldid=1140958996, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Articles with dead external links from July 2022, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from September 2018, Articles with dead external links from March 2018, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Wave of Mutilation" (UK surf version) by, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 17:09. They are eventually killed by those who are tormented by their prophecies.Revelation 22:5: Boxer appears at the Santa Monica pier to meet Starla Von Luft. Eliot or the Book of Revelation. Janeane Garofalo appears as General Teena MacArthur. The world ends. She would, I think, make a good president. Then, two "witnesses" will appear. What's the deal with the Treer company, and why are there all these references to Karl Marx? Things certainly ended on a dark note for many of the characters on the "Southland" season finale, but the final moments left fans' jaws on the ground in a cliffhanger that may never be resolved. 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. When a confrontation erupts near the Neo-Marxist drop box, Zora and Bart are both killed by a soldier. [18] Much to his surprise, they loved it and wanted the film entered in competition for the Palme d'Or. Edit, It is a mechanical ball (built by Treer) which acts as remote antennas for the wireless electricity energy fields powered by Fluid Karma. As in "Southland Tales," a character in "Kiss Me Deadly" picks up a stranger in the desert, and one of the main characters in the film is named after a poet. Dragon from Revelation 12 and 13 (Puppet of the Anti-Christ)Pilot Abeline: Edit, No. The three perform an abstract dance. Is it just me, or did that make no sense? This means that Christianity has won the "contest" for Earth and is the one true faith. Kids are shooting home video of their Independence Day barbecue. When cops arrive on the scene, he still doesn't stop,. Kelly wrote them while making the film and found it very difficult as it pushed him "to the edge of my own sanity", as he remarked in an interview.[18]. 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." Edit, It is implied that they are either divorced or brother and sister. The second section of the film ("V: Memory Gospel") begins. When Fortunio and Boxer arrive at the rendezvous point, this is where the two are introduced to one another In the hopes of helping you make sense of the movie, we've decided to unravel "Southland Tales" as we've done for "Mulholland Drive," "The Wire" and, of course, "Donnie Darko." Chemical Bleeders can see back in time while Natural Bleeders can see back and forward in time. Just before it hits, Boxer extends his arms, and his tattoo of Jesus begins to bleed in the nape of his neck. User Ratings All of these references to Marxism aren't entirely unconnected to the film's biblical references. 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 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. As a result, Boxer was duplicated. "Me & Bobby McGee" by Waylon Jennings6. Dr. Severin Exx read Krysta the Book of Revelation while she was under hypnosis. On his way to meet Krysta, Fortunio discovered Boxer Santaros in the desert, stricken with amnesia. How Kelly persuaded the likes of Wallace Shawn, Amy Poehler, Justin Timberlake, Cheri Oteri, and Mandy Moore to go along for the ride is confounding. Nana Mae Frost is also monitoring the entire situation from USIDent. SOUTHLAND TALES is an ensemble piece set in the futuristic landscape of Los Angeles, as it stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster. Holmes Osborne plays conservative Senator Bobby Frost, Will Sasso plays Fortunio Balducci and Christopher Lambert plays Walter Mung. When Ronald arrives at the home of Fortunio Balducci (Will Sasso), a movie producer, to meet Boxer and Krysta, Boxer explains that he and Krysta have written a screenplay called "The Power," about a "paranoid schizophrenic cop" named Jericho Cane. For some reason, Wallace Shawn is dressed like a new-wave Japanese pimp. Edit, Richard Kelly stated in his interview with Empire, They're representations of every major religion on Earth. These are all references to the seven plagues that precede the destruction of Babylon. Surrounded by his entourage, which includes Serpentine (Bai Ling); the Baron's mother, Dr. Inga Von Westphalen (Marion Card); Dr. Katarina Kuntzler (Zelda Rubinstein) and Dr. Soberin Exx (Curtis Armstrong) -- all dressed like a Cirque du Soleil troupe -- the Baron explains how fluid karma works: by "quantum entanglement.". Krysta says she's putting it all in, Cyndi asks why she would do something that stupid, and that's what causes her to tell Cyndi she's sleeping with "a large and powerful man." Starla Von Luft, the double-crossing USIDent employee, is reading a copy of "The Power" at work. 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. One copy of Boxer traveled 69 minutes back in time, while the other copy was killed by an explosive charge in the car. Taverner reveals that he hasn't produced a bowel movement in six days. So what's causing the Earth to slow down ? A weekly round-up of some of the best articles featured in the most recent issue of the New Statesman, sent each Saturday. 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. Nowadays, the debate surrounding freedom, privacy,. 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. With the help of Dion and Dream, Roland will then help stage a double murder that, caught on tape, will incriminate Boxer and destroy the Republican campaign. [18] Kelly's film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2006 with a length of 160 minutes. "ZORA: "A modified organic diet and transcendental meditation. It exists under the Earth's mantle, circles the world like a "serpent," and, as the movie explains, is being used by the Baron to power his Utopia energy plants. She became psychic when a plane she was onUnited 23flew through the rift in space-time above Lake Mead. 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. Southland Tales is an ensemble piece set in the futuristic landscape of Los Angeles on July 4, 2008, as it stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster. [20][21], Universal Studios had originally optioned the U.S. rights, but after the Cannes screening, it was sold to Sony, although Universal still retained some international rights. The screenplay ends at a McDonald's restaurant, when Caleb starts belching noxious gas and launching fireballs. Feb. 7, 2021. 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." 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. [18], The track "Memory Gospel" was used from time to time by the CBC Radio One program Q in the background of an opening monologue given by host Jian Ghomeshi. Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. The Book of Revelation is the last book in the New Testament. She says "The religion that is the winner of the contest will bleed" 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. Its story overlaps with the movie, so it explains some of the back story. According to the "Prequel Saga," "The Power" was written entirely by Krysta Now, who is apparently psychic. "[33] Jason Solomons, in The Observer (UK), said that "Southland Tales was so bad it made me wonder if [Kelly] had ever met a human being" and that ten minutes of the "sprawling, plotless, post-apocalyptic farrago" gave him the "sinking feeling that this may be one of the worst films ever presented in [Cannes] competition. Shown with white shirt flecked with blood as Revelation describes the white horseman as wearing "A white robe flecked with blood." Edit, 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. Is Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) based on anyone? [4][5], Along with two other American filmmakers (Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette and Richard Linklater's Fast Food Nation), Kelly's follow-up to Donnie Darko was in competition for the coveted Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival[32] and was screened on May 21 at the Grand Lumiere Theater. What's up with Baron Von Westphalen (Wallace Shawn)? What exactly happens at the end of the movie? Jericho Cane is the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in "End of Days.". 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. Senator. After losing a game of cards, Fortunio needed to make his way back into California, and Krysta offered to set him up with a visa. Musician Moby was approached on composing and performing the film's score. How meta. The first chapter in the film ("IV: Temptation Waits") begins. The filmmaker stated that discussions are ongoing as to whether the projects should be released as films or in a long-form format through a streaming service.[46]. He called it a "strange hybrid of the sensibilities of Andy Warhol and Philip K. Neo-Marxist cells have begun to converge on central Los Angeles. 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. Most of the screenplay is included in The Prequel Saga. How would that work? Fortunio and his buddies break into USIDent, killing all of the employees, including Nana Mae Frost. They are the two witnesses.Krysta Now: He played a character named "Donnie" in a movie with Boxer Santaros. [45], Kelly later expressed regret in releasing the latter chapters first through the original film, stating that this placed the audience at a disadvantage. 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. Serpentine explains that the world is coming to an end; the rotation of the Earth is slowing at a rate of .000000006 miles per hour every day. Running time: 160 minutes. "[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. 9 in D Minor, op. 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