August 25, 2009

Southland Tales (2006)

Wow! What a FUCK-IN' MESS! You gotta admire Richard Kelly for having the balls to shove this onto some producer's desk and actually getting them to greenlight it! Then again, I guess if your first feature was Donnie Darko they'll pretty much greenlight any crazy thing you do next. Where to begin... Justin Timberlake as the introspective Iraq vet drug pushing sniper? Buffy as pornstar-turned-social-issues-reality-show-host/pop-star/movie director? The abundance of SNL/Mad Tv graduates? Stifler as an interdimensional apocalyptic medium? The rock as an amnesiac prophet with a bleeding jesus-head tattoo on his back and a David-star on his belly button? The abundance of Linchyesque elements including... hum.. midgets, spiritual gibberish, spotlights and oh, Timberlake's musical number with sexy Marilyn Monroe nurses... and do not forget about the 1930's german Zeppelin powered by (quote) "Liquid Karma". This is way way WAY beyond over the top. And I'm not even talking about the constant quoting of Revelations (yes, the crazy bible book featuring the "great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns"), incessant political drivel (L.A. is at some point is overrun with "neo-Marxist" rioters) and ofcourse nonsensical pseudo-science about the fourth dimension ripping a hole in spacetime (yes, this is what actually happens). Well worth the 2:35 running time, if only for the cheap-CG of hummers doing it doggy style complete with chrome penis/vagina (look it up on youtube under "Treer Saltair"). If there is one redeeming element about this movie, it is the music, from such names as Muse, The Killers, Blur, Radiohead, Moby, Louis Armstrong and Beethoven. There is no doubt this is not a good movie, not as "good" as Donnie Darko anyway, but it is a wonderful mess with a respectable budget and stars, and if you're in possession of some good narcotics this might just make your night more interesting.