So, I love SOUTHLAND TALES. I remember seeing it in a special screening when it first came out, and being completely blown away by it. From the mesmerizing score by Moby, to the wackadoo performance by Dwayne Johnson (still going by The Rock), to the insane visuals (like the floating, glowing ice-cream truck and MegaZeppelin one-shot), and of course that show-stopping Justin Timberlake dance sequence lip-syncing to The Killers. Now, while the reception to the film has been lukewarm, if not actively hostile since then, I maintain – while flawed – SOUTHLAND TALES is an ambitious, unique one-of-a-kind film that's worth checking out at least once.
What's even more fascinating, is that it tried to be one of the first "interactive experiences", with accompanying graphic novels telling the first three chapters of the story (with the film being the final three), as well as a multimedia website that expanded on both.
And it seems now that director Richard Kelly, who made a name for himself with the cult classic DONNIE DARKO, wants to go back and revisit those prequel stories, and make them into movies. He teased his intentions on Twitter, while promoting a new 4K transfer of the original film:
Kelly even started a hashtag "#SouthlandNow", which I can get behind. Like I said, as a fan of SOUTHLAND TALES and DONNIE DARKO, it's good to hear that Kelly hasn't been sent to movie jail forever after SOUTHLAND TALES and his last theatrically-released film, THE BOX, failed to meet box-office expectations (or the cultural cache of DONNIE DARKO). He's still a talented, creative, and passionate filmmaker, and even if the SOUTHLAND TALES prequel is a total fiasco…it'll still be an interesting and fascinating fiasco worth seeing and talking about.
But what do you guys think? You excited for more SOUTHLAND TALES? Either way, sound off below!