I’ve been hanging on to these for much too long… now I’m going to post an article with so many links out that Google will probably decide that the blog is a link farm and stop indexing it…

Today is the day before Richard Kelly’s “Southland Tales” goes into limited release in the US (on Wednesday, November 14th), and wide release this Friday, November 16th.

Richard Kelly, you may recall, wrote and directed “Donnie Darko”, the (dare I say) dark, funny, somewhat-science fiction film that I want to say launched Jake Gyllenhaal on the world, except that it wasn’t his first film and not many people saw it. The film involved time travel, possible hallucinations, a man in a rabbit suit talking about the end of the world, and disenfranchisement, and suffered from being released soon after September 11th, 2001 - a major plot point in the film involves falling aircraft pieces.

This is all very timely for me as I had the good fortune to see a stage adaptation of “Donnie Darko” by the American Repertory Theatre this weekend (held at the wonderfully named “Zero Arrow Theatre” - it’s at 0 Arrow St.). The production was surprisingly good.

Kelly’s new film - “Southland Tales” seems to follow on similar themes. Sarah Michelle Gellar is cast as a porn star trying to break into mainstream film (”Scientists are saying the future is going to be far more futuristic than they originally predicted”), pitching her script through an amnesiac action star played by “The Rock”, Dwayne Johnson. The film takes place in a Los Angeles in the near future, after nuclear attacks in Texas have propelled the USA into becoming more of an in-denial-police-state.

The film famously was booed at its premiere at Cannes in 2006. Sony Entertainment picked it up and Richard Kelly cut the film by 25 minutes.

Three graphic novels are available as a prequel to the film: “Southland Tales Book 1: Two Roads Diverge”, “Southland Tales Book 2: Fingerprints” and “Southland Tales Book 3: The Mechanicals”. The three are also collected together in a single volume: “Southland Tales: The Prequel Saga”. They follow the main characters and explore the setting, presumably leading up to the events of the film.

Given its background, the cult success of “Donnie Darko” and the fan support for much of its cast, it’s not surprising that “Southland Tales” has generated a lot of news the last couple of months. Check below for the nest of links to news items on it, some reviews, interviews with Sarah Michelle Gellar about her role (she was originally planned to play a different part but fell in love with the role of Krysta Now, the former porn star), and many other tidbits.

Initial reviews are mixed. Not having seen it yet, it strikes me as a film that some people just won’t understand, likely a fish-out-of-water like “The Fifth Element” and “Mars Attacks!” were - not that this is a comedy that people will think is an action film, but I think that “Southland Tales” is likely a combination of elements which, if you go into it wanting it to be one thing, will defy your expectations. Just when you think it’s an action flick, there’s a Justin Timberlake dance number.

The trailer reminds me of “Wild Palms”, a psychedelic combination of science fiction, apocalypse, social commentary, and outrageous hairstyles that will seem commonplace in twenty years. I’m really looking forward to it.

You can check out or download the trailer at Apple’s Quicktime trailer site.

Or you can watch it here in lower-rez, from Youtube:

Via: Darko Entertainment comes crashing through your bedroom ceiling!!! — Ain’t It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Via: SOUTHLAND TALES gets a nifty final poster!!! — Ain’t It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Via: UPDATED! Davey Bizzle’s Got A Look At The (Not Remotely) Finished SOUTHLAND TALES! — Ain’t It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Via: SCI FI Wire | Southland’s Kelly Hangs Shingle

Via: SCI FI Wire | Southland Has Run Time

Via: SCI FI Wire | Kelly: Southland Almost Done

Via: Another Pair Of SOUTHLAND TALES Reviews For You! — Ain’t It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Via: Two Very Different Reviews For SOUTHLAND TALES! —
Ain’t It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Via: Massawyrm Says SOUTHLAND TALES Goes South Fast And That KILTRO And MIRAGEMAN Can’t Come North Fast Enough!! —
Ain’t It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Via: Harry has seen how the world ends according to Richard Kelly’s finished version of SOUTHLAND TALES at Fantastic Fest —
Ain’t It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Via: So… About That SOUTHLAND TALES Trailer… —
Ain’t It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Via: SCI FI Wire | Southland Delayed To Nov. 14

Via: SCI FI Wire | Gellar Defends Southland Tales

Via: SCI FI Wire | Southland Has New Shots

Via: SCI FI Wire | Southland Prequel Films Possible?

Via: ‘Darko’ Director Richard Kelly Explains the Long Wait for ‘Southland Tales’

[tags]southland tales, donnie darko, richard kelly, sarah michelle gellar, the rock, movie, film, apocalypse, time, seann william scott, wild palms, justin timberlake[/tags]

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