The soundtrack does not feature all the music from the film, probably due to rights/royalties issues. 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. He learns that his account has been blocked, so Kefauver and Ronald use the Hummer to rip the ATM from the wall. Meanwhile, Martin Kefauver (Lou Pucci), a young man dressed in hip-hop gear, meets Pilot Abilene at the "Fire" Arcade, where he exchanges pot for fluid karma. He stopped editing the film and was also unable to complete all of the visual effects in time for the screening. "Three Days [Live Version]" by Jane's Addiction15. The title refers to the Southland, a name used by locals to refer to Southern California and Greater Los Angeles. 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. A cool guy. [citation needed]. Kelly has said that this idea was inspired by a real U.S. Army project. Edit, The Treer company is a German defense contractor that employs Dr. Inga Von Westphalen, a zeppelin designer and the Baron's mother. Edit, It is a proposition on the ballot to restict US-IDent's powers. If "Southland Tales" is a semi-straightforward reinterpretation of the Book of Revelation, then Baron Von Westphalen is the Antichrist, Sen. Bobby Frost is probably his false prophet, Krysta Now is the Whore of Babylon, the two witnesses are probably Boxer Santaros and Roland Taverner, the white horse is the levitating ice cream truck, and Christ is Ronald and Roland Taverner. "[29], The film remains enigmatic to many viewers and even some of its makers. But, then again, you probably shouldn't try to interpret "Southland Tales" too literally. In "Southland Tales" the Earth's rotation IS actually slowing down BECAUSE of an inter-dimensional rift above Lake Meade. This soundtrack has 41 tracks, 9 of which are sound bytes taken from the film. Roger Ebert called it "the most disastrous Cannes press screening since, yes, 'The Brown Bunny.'" There will be some dancing and singing, but it will be incorporated into the story in very logical scenarios as well as fantasy dream environments. Pimp is American slang for badass. When Boxer (and Roland) traveled through the rift, it created duplicate versions of bothone set of duplicates traveled 69 minutes back in time, while the "originals" stayed in their original time. When a confrontation erupts near the Neo-Marxist drop box, Zora and Bart are both killed by a soldier. 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]. | As part of his participation in the Neo-Marxists' plot, Ronald must pretend to be his brother Roland and accompany Boxer during his movie research. Or, maybe it's just an hallucination from Fluid Karma that only the two of them can see (since Martin doesn't actually notice the light from his hands in the Hummer). Does "Southland Tales: The Prequel Saga" explain what this fluid karma stuff is? What If He Is Dead, But He Is Not? Roland and Ronald are the Messiah and in the end they find each other and save humanity through the power of forgiveness. He climbs out and walks up to the nearby ice cream truck. 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. 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. It is suddenly interrupted when Boxer pulls out a gun and threatens to kill himself unless everybody evacuates the mega-zeppelin. 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. She cuts the ribbon as USIDent employees -- dressed in windbreakers -- applaud. User Reviews || Southland Tales Movie Ending Explained in English#endingexplained endingexplained Copyright Disclaimer: No Copyright in. Elsewhere, in a luxurious apartment, Boxer crawls into bed with Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar), a former porn star with a reality television show. Roland manages to escape, climb onto the roof, and fall into a dumpster. Kelly sent the organizers of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival a rough cut of Southland Tales on DVD assuming that it would not be accepted. Amy Poehler and Wood Harris appear as Neo-Marxist activists. What does the name Martin Kefauver refer to, other than to its anagram "Freak Man Virtue" and the late U.S. senator? Before being drafted, Pilot Abilene was also a movie star. "Forget Myself" by Elbow13. 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. Two souls join into one, the forth dimension collapses. 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. Why that happens when the Taverners touch, only Richard Kelly knows. Its story overlaps with the movie, so it explains some of the back story. Southland Tales also predicted that the government was always watching us. Fluid karma also makes telepathy possible between those that are using it. The New Statesmans global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. The Treer generators were slowing the rotation of Earth by .0000006 mile per hour (.9 inch per day, or 2.3 centimeters per day), per day, which caused strange effects around the world. But even with the changes, the film is still almost impossible to understand, a trait that probably hasn't helped its box office. 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. What does the phrase "Do You Bleed" mean? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The anagram of his name, FREAK MAN VIRTUE is most important, foreshadowing the ultimate destiny of Martin in the film. [12] Editorial changes were made to restructure the order of the film's scenes, including re-recording all of Timberlake's voice-over. Suddenly, a bright light appears through windows and a mushroom. What's the relation between Walter Mung and Veronica "Dream" Mung? Thomas Rogers is Salon's former Arts Editor. [19], Many critics responded unfavorably to the film's long running time and sprawling nature. 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." "[40] David Edelstein's review in New York magazine criticized the film's writing, "Kelly aims high and must have shot off his own ear, which is the only way to account for the dialogue. [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. In 2021, Kelly announced that there are developments to expand the film into a franchise. Southland Tales is a 2006 thriller and comedy-drama film and the second film of Richard Kelly. Edit, Operation Dream Theory was an experiment created by Treer. "3 Steps" by Moby9. Running time: 160 minutes. Fifteen years after Southland Tales was booed out of the Cannes Film Festival, director Richard Kelly tells Inverse he embraces the chorus of jeers. The idea with the severed thumbs is that the Neo-Marxists have figured out a way to create a free-floating voter. "[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 tide-powered generator, however, relies on an external source of power, the tides, and would not fall under that definition. I think defecation is the result of an inferior food supply and spiritual weakness. As a result, Boxer was duplicated. [24][25], The soundtrack for Southland Tales was released in stores and online on November 6, 2007. At a beachside restaurant, Krysta Now meets Cyndi Pinziki (Nora Dunn), a porn producer with ties to the Neo-Marxist movement, to discuss Krysta's marketing plan. The Baron phones Simon Theory (Kevin Smith), an old bearded man, and instructs him to "remove the body from Utopia Three.". So "The Power" is an adaptation of the Book of Revelation, written by a character in a movie called "Southland Tales" that is itself an adaptation of a screenplay based on the Book of Revelation? Then why do people keep on injecting it into their neck? Where does that qualifying characteristic for a messiah come from? Somehow I doubt that will ever happen. "[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. Edit, Richard Kelly stated in his interview with Empire, He is the doomsday prophet, the witness of everything. Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. That's why he wakes up on the beach at the start of the movie. 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. Once there, Boxer meets Simon Theory, one of the Baron's employees. Links to many post-Cannes reviews, including multiple positive reviews by American, French, Spanish, Polish, and other reviewers. Southland Tales begins on Independence Day 2005 in an eminently recognizable Bush-era Texas. The movie begins in earnest when Boxer wakes up on a beach near the Santa Monica pier. 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. Neo-Marxist cells have begun to converge on central Los Angeles. [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. As Andrew O'Hehir put it, the recut film "transcends its adolescent awkwardness and approaches being magnificent." It's also symbolism for the above quote: almost a foreboding for the ending of the film where Roland turns out to be the Messiah. Once Krysta departs, Boxer receives a phone call from Starla instructing him to go to the Santa Monica pier. Boxer joins her on the stage, followed by Madeline. Before being drafted, Pilot Abilene was also a movie star. The Baron has built an enormous machine off the coast of California that generates an electromagnetic energy field called fluid karma. Why does the messiah (e.g. "Southland Tales" also borrows from "Repo Man," which ends with a flying car. They decided to take advantage of her powers. 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." [18] Much to his surprise, they loved it and wanted the film entered in competition for the Palme d'Or. 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.". Meanwhile, using a sex tape given to her by Krysta Now, Cyndi Pinziki is blackmailing Frost for money and demanding the passage of Proposition 69 (a bill that restricts USIDent's powers). The original script involved blackmail, a porn star, and two cops. Background newscasts in "Southland Tales" are also constantly referring to earthquakes, wild fires and "red tides." She says "The religion that is the winner of the contest will bleed" All of these references to Marxism aren't entirely unconnected to the film's biblical references. 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