Does "Southland Tales: The Prequel Saga" explain what this fluid karma stuff is? The purpose of these novels is to explain much of the back-story and set the viewer up for parts IV, V and VI in the movie itself.An article titled Everything you were afraid to ask about Southland Tales. What do all the characters in the film keep on quoting from? Pilot Abilene (Justin Timberlake) quotes Biblical scripture from the Book of Revelation in narrating the film and allusion is made both to Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening and an altered version of T. S. Eliot's The Hollow Men. Why did Roland Taverner end up driving Boxer Santaros through the space-time rift? The reasons for this are never really explained, but Caleb is the child of Tawna and Rick McBride, a couple in Palmdale, Calif. Caleb does not produce bowel movements, but when he farts, the Earth shakes. [16] Kelly consciously sought out actors that he felt had been pigeonholed and wanted to showcase their "undiscovered talents."[14]. Elsewhere, in a luxurious apartment, Boxer crawls into bed with Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar), a former porn star with a reality television show. Martin climbs on top of the truck and launches a missile at the mega-zeppelin. Vaughn sends a car to pick up Boxer and bring him back to the Frost mansion. Filmed in 2005, it was produced on a reasonable budget of under 20 million and had a hip as hell cast including Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Amy Poehler, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Smith, Mandy Moore and Wallace Shawn. Several days before the movie starts, on the same houseboat on Lake Mead, Tab Taverner, Ronald/Roland's father, told Ronald -- who has amnesia -- that he must kidnap his brother in order to protect him. How did the Taverners end up with the Neo-Marxists in Venice Beach? Many people think wireless electricity is the thing that could rescue us from our dilemma as we reach the end of the petroleum era. Its depiction of an American teenager experiencing premonitions about doomsday clocks and jet crashes suddenly became more piquant in light of such astounding tragedy. "Southland Tales" opens on July 4, 2005, in Abilene, Texas. Ronald walks up to Martin Kefauver's Hummer, which is parked near the ocean. Where does that qualifying characteristic for a messiah come from? Krysta says she's putting it all in, Cyndi asks why she would do something that stupid, and that's what causes her to tell Cyndi she's sleeping with "a large and powerful man." As the movie suggests, the Baron conducted secret experiments, headed by Simon Theory, with soldiers in Iraq. Fluid karma also makes telepathy possible between those that are using it. Southland Tales (2007) Rated R for language, violence, sexual material and some drug content 160 minutes Cast Dwayne Johnson as Boxer Seann William Scott as Roland/Ronald Sarah Michelle Gellar as Krysta Kapowski/Krysta Now Curtis Armstrong as Dr. Soberin Exx Mandy Moore as Madeline Kevin Smith as Simon Theory Justin Timberlake as Abilene Running time: 160 minutes. Krysta Now is as contemporary a creation as if she had been born yesterday a sharp alembic of Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Riley Reid, she is the best thing about Kellys jaded, freaky vision of future Los Angeles by a Miracle Mile. The Treer company is a German defense contractor that employs Dr. Inga Von Westphalen, a zeppelin designer and the Baron's mother. He learns that his account has been blocked, so Kefauver and Ronald use the Hummer to rip the ATM from the wall. The soundtrack does not feature all the music from the film, probably due to rights/royalties issues. [22], Kelly edited the film down to the basic storylines of the characters portrayed by Scott, Gellar, and Johnson. Although he recognizes Madeline as his wife, she remains unimpressed and demands to know why he disappeared. Background newscasts in "Southland Tales" are also constantly referring to earthquakes, wild fires and "red tides." Martin has just learned that he's been drafted to go to Iraq and is about to shoot himself in the head. As the party in the Mega-Zeppelin kicks off, Boxer heads upstairs to the Baron's secret chamber. The film features an ensemble cast including Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy Moore, and Justin Timberlake. It's not exactly easy to follow, and its meaning is still heavily debated, but if you read it as a prophecy, this is one way of interpreting it: In the future, the world will be a miserable place filled with war, famine and disease. When Boxer and Fortunio met up with Krysta, she recognized Boxer and managed to convince him that she was an actress researching a role in his new movie, "The Power." The name of Dr. Severin Exx is a reference to the name of an evil doctor in the movie "Kiss Me Deadly," and Boxer Santaros' convertible is the same car driven by Ralph Meeker in the 1955 film. [45], Kelly later expressed regret in releasing the latter chapters first through the original film, stating that this placed the audience at a disadvantage. Like its contemporary David Lynchs Inland Empire (which used the then modern aesthetic of digital video to emphasise the way technology allowed the user to be present in two places, and therefore exist in two different states) it exaggerates the ugliness of 2006 the tribal tattoos and the awful CGI, the typefaces that look like something from a bitchin Geocities website until what was merely bad taste looks absurd, a dark dream that takes place in a strip mall food court. It may seem really amateurish at first, letting things like that "this is the way the world ends" quote fly from all directions throughout the film. Shown with white shirt flecked with blood as Revelation describes the white horseman as wearing "A white robe flecked with blood." It also works as a drug. After losing a game of cards, Fortunio needed to make his way back into California, and Krysta offered to set him up with a visa. That's why. In 2021, Kelly announced that there are developments to expand the film into a franchise. "The Star Spangled Banner" by Rebekah del Rio & The Section Quartet14. Roland manages to escape, climb onto the roof, and fall into a dumpster. Together the two have written a screenplay, called "The Power," that tells the story of the end of the world. Then, after several detours, Krysta and Boxer made their way to Los Angeles, where Boxer went on a nighttime stroll on the beach, injected himself with fluid karma and passed out. The baby, she explains, is the Messiah, and Jericho is his guardian. [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. The two Rolands found each other in the end, but the movie ends before we can see what actually happens to them. Roland runs to meet him inside the ice cream truck. With the help of Dion and Dream, Roland will then help stage a double murder that, caught on tape, will incriminate Boxer and destroy the Republican campaign. After Roland Taverner came back from Iraq, he got a job as a police officer in Hermosa Beach, thanks to his father. Support 100 years of independent journalism. According to their plan, Boxer is to videotape their faked murder. The world ends. And, of course, gets corrupted and goes mad. Many of his answers are contained in this FAQ. Edit, Richard Kelly envisioned the story as being told across multiple formats. 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. Pilot Abilene, who has been watching the scene from his gun turret, shoots and kills Starla. Jericho Cane is the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in "End of Days.". This release will include both the original theatrical cut and the Cannes cut. Edit, Fred Zinnemann, the well-known movie director of the 1950s and 60s, maybe? Edit, Richard Kelly stated in his interview with Empire, They're representations of every major religion on Earth. You could argue that all of "Southland Tales" occurs in the Tangent Universe -- hence the film's alternate history of the past three years, and its weird mishmash of pop culture. "Look Back In" by Moby5. The anagram of his name, FREAK MAN VIRTUE is most important, foreshadowing the ultimate destiny of Martin in the film. Shortly after they received their first injection of fluid karma, however, Taverner and Abilene were sent on a mission to Fallujah, and Taverner accidentally injured Abilene with a grenadedisfiguring him. Fluid karma is an "organic compound" that the Treer company discovered while drilling off the coast of Israel. Once Krysta departs, Boxer receives a phone call from Starla instructing him to go to the Santa Monica pier. 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." In fact, Marx was indirectly influenced by the Book of Revelation in his writing. "Kelly launches Darko Entertainment", by Dade Hayes, "How The World Ends: Conversation With Richard Kelly", "Anatomy of a Cannes Disaster: What Happened After 'Southland Tales' Was Booed", "Exclusive Interview: Richard Kelly (Southland Tales)", Southland Tales - Music From The Motion Picture, "Apocalypse Soon: A Mushroom Cloud Doesn't Stall 2008 Electioneering". Neo-Marxist cells have begun to converge on central Los Angeles. The Book of Revelation, or the Revelation of John, was written by an unknown person in the first century. One theory is that duplicate souls from alternate timelines are not meant to exist together in a single timeline. Before being drafted, Pilot Abilene was also a movie star. 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. Starla Von Luft, the double-crossing USIDent employee, is reading a copy of "The Power" at work. Eliot's "Hollow Men. Likewise, Kellys casting is not simply of the period, but inspired by its teenybopper culture: Dwayne The Rock Johnson, fresh from working as a wrestler; the singer and sometime actress Mandy Moore; Seann William Scott, an American Pie alumnus; Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of Cruel Intentions and Buffy the Vampire Slayer; and the pop star Justin Timberlake. The filmmaker explained that the original film is chapters 4-6, while a prequel project will explore chapters 1-3 with intentions being to do so through an animation medium; while additional projects can explore events that take place in 2024. Edit, Their role is explained a lot better in the graphic novels: they are the heads of the Neo-Marxists and are also street poets who have released several albums. On this occasion the beginning of the end is predicted not by a high-schooler but by an adult performer: Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar), a former porn star, has shrugged off the bangs and whimpers of her previous employment with a new career as a Kardashian-style mogul, and a seer. The Book of Revelation and Marxism have been connected by academics -- both advocate the overthrow of tyranny. It's filled with so many references and so much self-conscious irony that it's nearly impossible to make sense of it all. If Proposition 69 passes, US-IDent will essentially be shut down or have its powers severely restricted. A white light emerges from their hands and the ice cream truck starts floating. Kelly sought more financing to finish visual effects for the film, and he negotiated a deal with Sony to cut down on the film's length in exchange for funds to complete the visual effects. When scientists injected fluid karma into the soldiers, they became telepathic and could see into the past and, eventually, the future. Southland Tales premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and received so much negative feedback that the studio reworked the film. Messiah ( forgives sins)"I forgive you. He had Roland Taverner kidnap Boxer and drive him through the rift. Fortunio and his buddies break into USIDent, killing all of the employees, including Nana Mae Frost. [18], The track "Memory Gospel" was used from time to time by the CBC Radio One program Q in the background of an opening monologue given by host Jian Ghomeshi. One critic wondered if Kelly had ever met another human being. Southland Tales begins on Independence Day 2005 in an eminently recognizable Bush-era Texas. They are eventually killed by those who are tormented by their prophecies.Revelation 22:5: Edit, Richard Kelly stated in his interview with Empire, Whenever Boxer becomes scared or agitated or paranoid, as a defence mechanism, Jericho Kane, the character he is playing (in the film "The Power" he is making), takes over. etc., although it bears a resemblence to Eastern religious concepts such as Qi and Ki. This assertion seems to be based upon a flawed understanding of the the particular Law. : Much of Pilot Abilene's voiceover consists of direct quotations from the Book of Revelation. The reason for the exclusion of some of these tracks, like the song by The Killers was as a result of a dispute with the record label. Reading the graphic novels shows that she had the revelation of the screenplay, which happened (more or less) as she said it would, much as the book of revelation was occurring (more or less) as John had proposed it. 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