Southland Tales

Rating: 3/5
Southland Tales is basically a collection of great moments pulled off by a great cast and a brilliant director. Think of 20 wonderful YouTube clips strung together in an interesting yet incoherent way. And believe me, numerous scenes in this movie will be YouTube hits.

This isn't a movie for most audiences. You won't relate to any characters, and you won't follow or really care about the preposterous plot. It is dark and cynical. And despite it's heavy-handed political story, there is no deep, introspective meaning behind anything whatsoever. This is why many people won't get it, and thus will hate it. It's a dark film with a dash of comedy and a heavy dose of LSD. But there are enough funny moments to save it from feeling like a depressing, bad trip.

And one last note to Kelly fans. Do not expect anything remotely similar to Donnie Darko. Very different type of film. The only similarity is the amazing soundtrack. Southland Tales is an ambitious film, but a messy one, and while it may not work on the kind of level it's aspiring to, in a movie climate where so many films play it safe, at least Kelly tries. Very flawed, but entertaining nonetheless.