tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post1473027036664923619..comments2023-11-05T07:44:07.654-05:00Comments on GeniusboyFiremelon: Southland Tales: Did Anyone Else See This?Timothy Callahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04078183191900311833noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-24666863744212241332008-07-19T16:59:00.000-04:002008-07-19T16:59:00.000-04:00I watched this because Donnie Darko (yeah, the the...I watched this because Donnie Darko (yeah, the theatrical one, not the director's cut) is one of my all-time favorite films. I'd heard Southland Tales was bad, but I figure it'd be worth a watch, right?<BR/><BR/>It's maybe the worst movie I've ever seen. I couldn't comprehend it at all, and worse than that, it was exceedingly boring.Bill Reedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14811238618910477219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-1859095767836911662008-07-18T09:18:00.000-04:002008-07-18T09:18:00.000-04:00Oh, I might be wrong about you being a bad viewer,...Oh, I might be wrong about you being a bad viewer, but I'm not wrong about the film being enjoyable. I like it more each time I watch it, and (on a side note) the prequel comics DID help me understand the movie.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps you should read the comics. Not necessarily to enjoy the film (although it would help), but so you could read some cool comic ideas AND understand the film slightly better. After all, wasn't it you that said that sometimes you've got to do a little work to really enjoy a story?<BR/><BR/>Oh, and also: I will kick you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-65268203299515969242008-07-18T02:27:00.000-04:002008-07-18T02:27:00.000-04:00You know what, Michael Montgomery Phillips? In th...You know what, Michael Montgomery Phillips? In this case, I'm going to have to disagree with you. Because you are wrong. On so, so many levels.Timothy Callahanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04078183191900311833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-31590216015584652682008-07-17T10:11:00.000-04:002008-07-17T10:11:00.000-04:00Tim, you're just a bad viewer.Tim, you're just a bad viewer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-81564724684385511682008-07-16T16:53:00.000-04:002008-07-16T16:53:00.000-04:00My take (having read the prequel comics as well):T...My take (having read the prequel comics as well):<BR/><BR/>The comics are not necessary to enjoy the film. Yes, ENJOY the film. The comics are actually really good, but I don't even like to think of them as an important part of the film's story. The prequels actually f'ed up my expectations for the film. I love them separately actually. The comics make you think the movie's going to be this killer sci-fi epic with alternate realities and time travel; giving you that Donnie Darko expectation. Then I watched the film, and it doesn't deliver on that front too much.<BR/><BR/>But the film by itself is very cool. I get the feeling that Kelly's actually poking fun at himself or a writer/director who tries to take on/pontificate about every aspect of (pop) culture and reality TV. Imagine someone sitting in front of their laptop and thinking, "I've got to SAY something about society, damn it!"<BR/><BR/>Kelly does, but with all of the tongue-in-cheek silliness of someone who knows that to write about it in a serious fashion would be super hard, arrogant, and ultimately absurd to try. So, speaking of absurd, Kelly seems to have decided that the absurdity of American culture was the target.<BR/><BR/>It's fun, soap-operah-ish, and as cool as the comic prequels but for a different reason.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-44075013768953793162008-07-16T13:19:00.000-04:002008-07-16T13:19:00.000-04:00Tim, it's not so much as giving the movie credit f...Tim, it's not so much as giving the movie credit for being an ambitious failure, it's about it being interesting because it's an ambitious failure. Since you can see the disparity between intention and execution so easily, it's engaging to examine exactly what went wrong. At least, it is for me.Chad Nevetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11785622045733202883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-29009972392400251262008-07-16T13:07:00.000-04:002008-07-16T13:07:00.000-04:00From The Lion in Winter:"Does it matter how a man ...From The Lion in Winter:<BR/><BR/>"Does it matter how a man falls?"<BR/>"When the fall is all he has: it matters."<BR/><BR/>so, yeah, I think a failure is not always just a failure.Geoff Klockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09080580776997273785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-72904974760687098842008-07-15T17:45:00.000-04:002008-07-15T17:45:00.000-04:00Thanks for reminding me, Geoff. I saw your review...Thanks for reminding me, Geoff. I saw your review but ignored it because I wanted to see the movie for myself, but I pretty much agree with what you have to say.<BR/><BR/>ALTHOUGH, I'm not convinced about the idea that it gets some kind of credit for being an ambitious failure. Sure it's better than "Norbitt" or "Daddy Day Camp" which lack ambition and quality, but a failure is still a failure, no? Sometimes I think ambitious failures are even more frustrating because you can see what might have been, but the director didn't pull it off.<BR/><BR/>I have to think about the idea of ambitious failures some more...Timothy Callahanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04078183191900311833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-77251377393522327932008-07-15T15:57:00.000-04:002008-07-15T15:57:00.000-04:00You can read my review HERE I actually sort of lik...You can read my review <A HREF="http://geoffklock.blogspot.com/2007/12/southland-tales.html" REL="nofollow">HERE</A> I actually sort of liked it. Chad is right about it being a glorious failureGeoff Klockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09080580776997273785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-73442661256343360592008-07-15T11:58:00.000-04:002008-07-15T11:58:00.000-04:00I'm with all of the above who said it was fascinat...I'm with all of the above who said it was fascinating on the ambitious failure level. For all the movies flaws, I had a GREAT time watching it, just because it was so .... something. <BR/><BR/>The other thing I loved about it was the stunt casting and complete reversal of typecast for the actors, which almost seemed to be directly and intentionally fucking with the audience, the same way Millar is doing in All-Star Batman.<BR/><BR/>Sean William Scott is usually a hyperactive, goofy pothead? Well, here he is as an ultra-serious street cop/messiah.<BR/><BR/>The Rock is basically a living superhero? Well, in this movie he's a patsy who runs away terrified from Jon Lovitz.<BR/><BR/>Speaking of Jon Lovitz, he's a silver-haired psycho racist cop who quotes Phillip K. Dick novels for no apparent reason, nary a joke to be found! Enjoy!<BR/><BR/>Booger from Revenge of the Nerds as a genius scientist guy; Justin Timberlake as an facially scarred reclusive who doesn't even get to sing his own songs (in my favorite scene of the movie); Buffy the Vampire slayer as a porn star (possibly the only casting choice which may have been pandering to its audience a bit, at least the men); etc.<BR/><BR/>I just had fun watching it, to see what it was going to do next.Matt Jacobsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17780688232878059439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-33308166248983695402008-07-15T09:40:00.000-04:002008-07-15T09:40:00.000-04:00It is a glorious failure of a movie, but (as we'll...It is a glorious failure of a movie, but (as we'll see in a day or two when I post on another failure) I really enjoy ambitious failures. I find them far more interesting than successes. And Southland Tales is about as ambitious a failure as you can find. I was strangely compelled while watching it and think I'll wind up watching it again soon. Odd, I know, but it's nothing if not interesting. Not good, but interesting.Chad Nevetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11785622045733202883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-71931791139524182212008-07-15T03:16:00.000-04:002008-07-15T03:16:00.000-04:00Southland Tales doesn't quite work, but it fails i...Southland Tales doesn't quite work, but it fails in mostly the same ways as David Lynch's Dune, which looms as large over Southland Tales as Blue Velvet does over Donnie Darko.<BR/><BR/>I can't imagine getting nothing from the film, though, particularly when the "All the Things That I've Done" segment was far and away the best scene from any film I saw last year (it helps that last year was a godawful year for movies, but it was still good).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-6092978441659448972008-07-15T02:43:00.000-04:002008-07-15T02:43:00.000-04:00I loved Southland Tales but yea i guess i am going...I loved Southland Tales but yea i guess i am going to remain the only one who did lol. I understand why most people hated it but i don't know something about the movie just clicked with me. <BR/><BR/>I would recommend even if you didn't like the movie to read the Southland Tales prequel comics if even for the art alone. I actually think Richard Kelly should of just done the whole project as a comic book, and it would of worked out a lot better.malpracticehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12951567969857627623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-87779947057488823692008-07-14T22:57:00.000-04:002008-07-14T22:57:00.000-04:00"This is a movie where Wallace Shawn can't even ma..."This is a movie where Wallace Shawn can't even make the dialogue work."<BR/><BR/>Inconceivable! (Dude, couldn't resist.)Marc Caputohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03293532769174212726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22842788.post-51974102936803993072008-07-14T22:00:00.000-04:002008-07-14T22:00:00.000-04:00I heard it was absolutely terrible, and so never w...I heard it was absolutely terrible, and so never wasted money or time to watch it.<BR/><BR/>Until it comes on HBO. As soon as it comes on HBO, even with the horridness, I'm sure I'll watch it about 50 times. That's a ballpark estimate. It could be one million, it could be twice.<BR/><BR/>I can't tell you how many times I've seen Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. ... Sometimes, I can still hear the audio late at night.Matt St. Pierrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01722985525608851913noreply@blogger.com