A Second Look At Richard Kelly's "Southland Tales".

During my junior year of high school, I fell in love with a little film called "Donnie Darko".  After years of watching classic cult cinema, "Darko" assured me in a small way that cult was making a small comeback. I didn't expect a big new wave of cult cinema but something told me that I would see some new cult gems from time to time. Something else told me that Richard Kelly's next film with either going to be a massive hit or be a misunderstood opus. That misunderstood opus would become 2007's "Southland Tales".

One of those films I've watched, that I've found myself very intrigued but at the same time going "what the fuck is this ?". Beautifully shot and executed very well. However, there's so much going on. To be frank, this movie is a mess. Underneath this mess lies a masterpiece. That's the real beauty of this film. Critics and internet hipster film dickhead critics didn't see that. It wasn't a "powerful, moving film" or a "Wes Anderson/Bill Murray vehicle" so, they essentially said "fuck you Kelly ! Go back to making movies about a dude in a bunny suit !".

This was one of the few end of the world flicks I found to be believable in a sense. Not by situation but in a environmental sense. Think about it, most end of the world movies take place in a post-apocalyptic/over imagined/most ridiculous setting. Granted, the film is set in 2008; I think it passes for 2008. For me, if your going to portray the world ending at least make it believable. Don't spoon feed me a over desolate society that ignores it surroundings and are shocked when the world ends.

I think this film has some strong commentary as well. Kelly is essentially taking a look at economic and social issues that plague this country. He's doing in a comedic, sci-fi fashion. This is a film that's overlooked now but in the future will be looked as genius. This film joins the ranks of "Brazil", "12 Monkeys", and "Blade Runner"; misunderstood classics in the making.

To wrap it up; if you loved "Darko" as much as I, I recommend it. However on the flip side, this film requires more than one viewing to soak it all in. Kind of like "JFK".