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A perfect film to put you to sleep...
Aug. 24th, 2008 03:59 pmWeekends have a nasty habit of flying by when you are working during the week, and slugging by when you are not. Proving the fact that our perception of time is directly related to how busy we are and how much we want to accomplish.
Finished watching Southland Tales this morning. Southland Tales is the film by Richard Kelly that was deservingly panned at Cannes a while back. He re-edited it to make it clearer and less politically grating. It was amongst Sarah Michell Geller Prinze's first roles after Buffy. This poor actress has had the worste luck when it comes to movie roles. I give her credit for taking risks. Southland Tales was definitely a risk, and considering the last film Kelly made was Donnie Darko - not necessarily a bad risk. A lot of other good actors pop up in this one - including John Larruquet, Wallace Shawn, and Miranda Richardson - all of whom have very little to do. The best thing in the film is surprisingly enough, Justin Timberlake, which I guess tells everything about this film doesn't it? Timberlake has a sort of catchy rock solo number. It lasts about five minutes and is not worth renting the film for.
I think Kelly meant the film as a sort of hallucinatory and at times satirical take on the current political situation/economic crisis in the US. He critiques such as things as the US ID, the Patriotic ACT, locating alternate sources of fuel, and the Bush administration's invasion of any country it deems as a terrorist threat - which in Kelly's universe starts World War 3.
That part of the film is actually sort of interesting, but like the Timberlake number - it only lasts about five minutes. The film is closer to two-three hours. Felt like 3 and I fast-forwarded, because it was putting me to sleep last night. Took it up again this morning mid-way through.
Has a lot of scientific mumbo jumbo about time travel and the fourth dimension - which makes sense to anyone who has ever read a superhero comic book or pulp science-fiction. And it's not particularly hard to follow. Just rather dull. You don't care about anyone in it. No one resonates. We spend quite a bit of time just following people around while they are walking, chatting aimlessly or just staring at each other. There is a lot of just staring at each other. Not a hell of lot happens though - what does? Could have been done in about twenty minutes. The director apparently likes to linger on a scene...until we've made out every speck of dust on the actor's face or the lack of dust - the air-brush technician must have been well-paid on this one. Everyone looks a bit too perfect. SMGP doesn't have a blemish, Richardson not a wrinkle, and the Rock looks like a Ken Doll.
I'd skip it if I were you. I know a few folks online rather liked it, no clue why - but they did. I didn't hate it, just found it boring. If need something to put you to sleep - rent this movie.
Finished watching Southland Tales this morning. Southland Tales is the film by Richard Kelly that was deservingly panned at Cannes a while back. He re-edited it to make it clearer and less politically grating. It was amongst Sarah Michell Geller Prinze's first roles after Buffy. This poor actress has had the worste luck when it comes to movie roles. I give her credit for taking risks. Southland Tales was definitely a risk, and considering the last film Kelly made was Donnie Darko - not necessarily a bad risk. A lot of other good actors pop up in this one - including John Larruquet, Wallace Shawn, and Miranda Richardson - all of whom have very little to do. The best thing in the film is surprisingly enough, Justin Timberlake, which I guess tells everything about this film doesn't it? Timberlake has a sort of catchy rock solo number. It lasts about five minutes and is not worth renting the film for.
I think Kelly meant the film as a sort of hallucinatory and at times satirical take on the current political situation/economic crisis in the US. He critiques such as things as the US ID, the Patriotic ACT, locating alternate sources of fuel, and the Bush administration's invasion of any country it deems as a terrorist threat - which in Kelly's universe starts World War 3.
That part of the film is actually sort of interesting, but like the Timberlake number - it only lasts about five minutes. The film is closer to two-three hours. Felt like 3 and I fast-forwarded, because it was putting me to sleep last night. Took it up again this morning mid-way through.
Has a lot of scientific mumbo jumbo about time travel and the fourth dimension - which makes sense to anyone who has ever read a superhero comic book or pulp science-fiction. And it's not particularly hard to follow. Just rather dull. You don't care about anyone in it. No one resonates. We spend quite a bit of time just following people around while they are walking, chatting aimlessly or just staring at each other. There is a lot of just staring at each other. Not a hell of lot happens though - what does? Could have been done in about twenty minutes. The director apparently likes to linger on a scene...until we've made out every speck of dust on the actor's face or the lack of dust - the air-brush technician must have been well-paid on this one. Everyone looks a bit too perfect. SMGP doesn't have a blemish, Richardson not a wrinkle, and the Rock looks like a Ken Doll.
I'd skip it if I were you. I know a few folks online rather liked it, no clue why - but they did. I didn't hate it, just found it boring. If need something to put you to sleep - rent this movie.
