5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
During a three-day heat wave just before a huge 4th of July celebration, an action star stricken with amnesia meets up with an adult star who is developing her own reality TV project, and a policeman who holds the key to a vast conspiracy.
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Curtis Armstrong, Joe CampanaDrama | 100% |
Thriller | 59% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In a way, it’s almost downright comical that anyone expected Southland Tales to be an easily digestible narrative feature after the tumult that writer-director Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko had engendered. While that film is often thought of nowadays as at least a successful cult item, if not exactly a mainstream hit, Kelly, in some Zoom- like supplements adorning this release (which I assume were done during Covid lockdowns), recounts how Donnie Darko’s premiere at Sundance the year of its release was kind of the cinematic debut equivalent of the Hindenburg-like explosion that caps Southland Tales. It actually took quite some time before Donnie Darko found its audience and its own level of appreciation for its patently gonzo proclivities, but Southland Tales may seem to still be waiting for its own moment. In that regard, Donnie Darko famously has both a theatrical and a director’s cut, two versions which may have arguably helped the film establish its current reputation, and this release offers both the original version screened at Cannes the year of the film’s release (which was greeted with the same sort of shocked and dismissive response that Donnie Darko endured at Sundance), as well as the massively rejiggered cut that became the theatrical release. I’m frankly not sure if the longer, ostensibly more “straightforward” (a decidedly relative term in this particular instance), account really helps to make things more instantly accessible, but the two together, along with Arrow’s typically copious supply of interesting supplemental features, may spark enough curiosity among film fans to at least offer Southland Tales an opportunity for reassessment.
Note: Screenshots 1 through 15 are from the Theatrical Version. Because, as per below, I didn't notice huge differences between the two
versions, I only included a few screenshots from the Cannes Cut, in positions 16 through 18. Screenshots 19 and 20 show the Main Menus for both
discs in this set.
Southland Tales is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet
contains the following information on the restoration:
Southland Tales has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 [sic] with 5.1 and 2.0 stereo sound. The restored film is presented in both the Theatrical and Cannes Cut versions.While there was a long ago Sony Blu-ray release of Southland Tales, it was so long ago that it was covered in the early days of this site, and so there are only five screenshots accompanying that review. That said, you can see in that review that the original release featured a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, which is arguably a bit closer to what the aove verbiage suggests was the film's theatrical exhibition in 2.39:1, though that said the IMDb lists the film as having been released in 2.35:1. There are some very slight framing differences between the two Blu-ray releases as a result, but my personal reaction is you're going to have to hunt to really see anything major (and maybe not even then). The Arrow release is a bit less garish looking than the Sony release, with a more burnished and slightly darker overall appearance, though with consistently excellent detail levels (with an understanding that there are some intentionally lo-fi elements like supposed video feeds and the like). It's also kind of interesting to note with regard to the above information provided by Arrow that the IMDb lists a 4K DI for this film, while also detailing a perhaps subliminal aspect in that there are both traditional film and video elements utilized throughout the presentation, which can lead to a somewhat (again, intentionally) hetereogeneous appearance. I noticed no huge differences in quality between the two versions presented in this release, other than some occasional aspect ratio changes in terms of supposed video elements (see screenshots 16 and 18 from the Cannes Cut).
Southland Tales was originally completed in 2K resolution and rendered out as 2K Digital Internegative files, which were used to record film negative elements from which theatrical prints were struck. this same workflow was used for both the Theatrical and Cannes Cut versions of the film. This restoration was sourced from these DI files. The film was graded and restored in 2K at Silver Salt Restoration, London. Grading was supervised and approved by Director Richard Kelly and Director of Photography Steven Poster.
The 5.1 mixes for both film versions were newly remastered from the original sound stems by David Esparza and approved by Richard Kelly.
Both cuts of the film feature DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 tracks. The surround tracks feature nicely consistent immersion, certainly often most evident in but not always completely reliant on some of the more science fiction tinged aspects of the story. Both outdoor material, as in several scenes set near water, or even the cacophonous confines of US IDent offer clear placement of ambient environmental effects in the side and rear channels. There is occasional LFE here, but this is a rather subtle track at times, one which layers effects in what might almost be compared to the sonic equivalent of montage. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
Disc One
- Through the Looking Glass (1080p; 18:46)
- This is the Way the World Ends (1080p; 21:31)
- Have a Nice Apocalypse (1080p; 10:37)
Is Southland Tales seemingly willfully perplexing? Yes, but the film does offer a truly bizarre assortment of plot points and attendant visuals. This is another Arrow release of a cult item that may arguably hold as much interest in its supplemental content as for the feature itself. Technical merits are solid, and the supplemental package very enjoyable. With caveats noted, Recommended.
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