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6 Degrees Entertainment

'Southland Tales (2-Disc Limited Edition)' [BR]
(Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seann William Scott, Justin Timberlake, Kevin Smith, et al / Blu-ray / R / (2006) 2021 / Arrow Video - MVD Visual)

Overview: In 2001, writer/director Richard Kelly achieved cult status with 'Donnie Darko', an assured debut feature exploring deep existential questions through the lens of '80s nostalgia.

Five years later, he followed up with a more ambitious and even more beguiling sophomore effort, in which forces of totalitarianism and anarchism collide against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic, near-future world the beguiling and baffling 'Southland Tales.'

Los Angeles, 2008. As the city stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental chaos, the fates of an eclectic set of characters including an amnesia-stricken action star (Dwayne Johnson, the Fast & Furious series), an adult film star developing her own reality TV project (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Cruel Intentions) and a police officer whose identity has split in two (Seann William Scott, TV's Lethal Weapon) intertwine with each other and with the whole of humanity.

A darkly comic futuristic epic that speaks as presciently to our turbulent times as it did to the American socio-political climate in 2006, 'Southland Tales' receives a fresh and timely lease of life with this new, director-approved restoration.

Blu-ray Verdict: To put it bluntly, and not to sound pretentious, but this is not a movie for your weekend cinema goer, its a movie for those who want something new, unique and never done before. That in its own appeals heavily to me.

From the get-go the movie begins with a ensemble cast of characters who haven't yet been introduced nor spoken of, this is due to the fact that the movie has three prequel chapters, but I'll get to that later.

We are soon brought the first person narration of Private Pilot Abileine (Justin Timberlake) who's dreary, dark voice provides a sign of what is to come in this darkly comedic thriller.

As captions reading "Chapter IV" begin to surface, the viewer is confused as to what is happening, but with excess viewing, sense can be made of these. Another character is then "introduced", Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson) and Krysta Noww (Sarah Michelle Gellar), from what I have read online, most people believe these characters to be played badly.

This is incorrect, the director has stated on numerous accounts that the acting shown by these characters is completely intentional. This movie is a satire people! Not a drama!

The comedic, surreal acting is what is to be expected of these comedic, surreal characters. Most situations found within the movie are also quite strange and unnerving, situations that wouldn't normally take place, although this is a SATIRICAL DARK COMEDY. I hope I have made my point clear.

One needs to accept this and empathize with it in order to connect with the rest of the movie. The set design in this movie is absolutely fantastical, one of dreams.

The connotations and signs shown throughout the background of this crazy universe are so well placed and make the movie even more appealing, knowing that the next time you watch it, you will see another bit of detail you hadn't already.

The attention to detail is beyond marvelous as it isn't hard to see where director Richard Kelly got his aspirations from, the movie 'Brazil' by Terry Gilliam was an obvious inspiration.

The music, is beyond spectacular, the eerie, melancholic tunes played by Moby suit the dystopian universe so well, its almost like they were made entirely for the movie.

The musical sequence with Justin Timberlake is a direct homage to 'The Big Lebowski' and works so well, I was dumbfounded at how the movie packs so much and provides the viewer with a plentiful supply of genres and imagery.

And yet people look past this and insist on calling it an ugly mess! To each their own, I guess!

Anyway, along with a huge cast of other wacky characters including Officer Roland Taverner (Sean William Scott) this movie may not satisfy the needs of someone who needs a direct answer to every question, but heavily appeals to those who are open to question and give their own meaning without even having read the prequel comics; as I have not. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

New 2K restoration by Arrow Films, approved by director Richard Kelly and director of photography Steven Poster
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of both versions of the film: the 145-minute theatrical cut and the 160-minute Cannes cut, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006
Original lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM 2.0 stereo soundtracks
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary on the theatrical cut by Richard Kelly
It s a Madcap World: The Making of an Unfinished Film, a new in-depth retrospective documentary on the film, featuring contributions by Richard Kelly and members of the original crew
USIDent TV: Surveilling the Southland, an archival featurette on the making of the film, featuring interviews with the cast and crew
This is the Way the World Ends, an archival animated short set in the 'Southland Tales' universe
Theatrical Trailer
Image Gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jacey
Limited edition collector's booklet featuring new writing by Peter Tonguette and Simon Ward.

Amazon Purchase Link

Original Trailer

www.MVDvisual.com





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