Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Southland Tales Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 20, 2021

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.

One of the things that might help clarify things for fans who have long been confounded by the more outré elements in Southland Tales is a rather nicely done three part “making of” featurette Arrow has assembled for this release. Kelly is on hand (in those Zoom- like aspects), clearly “confessing” that he has a tendency to overthink things and to add “ingredients” to his films where they’re perhaps arguably not needed. He and some other talking heads get into the genesis of the film, which actually began as a kind of caper outing featuring an acting troupe who kidnap a famous actor. The fact that Southland Tales is stuffed to the gills with alumnae from Saturday Night Live supports Kelly's assertion that the first version of Southland Tales was meant to be unabashedly funny. There are still remnants of that original idea in Southland Tales, notably in one of the many interlocking subplots, in this case, the story of amnesiac actor and writer Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson), who, though shorn of his memory, is trying to pitch a screenplay called Power which may (or may not) be a prophetic vision of the end of the world.

That apocalyptic aspect may at least hint at one of the "additions" Kelly made to his initial premise, namely a whole science fiction overlay that plays into the plot in various ways. The substratum of the narrative (such as it is) deals with a United States in the wake of a nuclear attack that devastated parts of Texas and which has led to a kind of quasi-fascistic government which has taken something that was au courant in 2006 when the film came out, the Patriot Act fostered after the devastation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to "logical" if absurd extremes. Into this swirling maelstrom Kelly weaves several other characters whose lives all intersect.

Among these are twin brothers Roland and Ronald Taverner (Seann William Scott), one of whom is (ostensibly) a police officer and whom Boxer is using as a "source" to build a cop character for his proposed film. Also playing into things is a porn star and reality TV wannabe with the stage name Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who also ends up intertwined (in more ways than one) with Boxer. Despite that "little" plot point, Boxer actually is married, to Madeline (Mandy Moore), who just so happens to be the daughter of a Senator running for Vice President, as well as Nana Mae (Miranda Richardson), a harridan who runs a company called US Ident, which is in charge of the superpowered Patriot Act issues. But, wait, you also get: a "mad scientist" named Baron von Westphalen (Wallace Shawn) has developed an alternative energy source which may in fact be aiding and abetting the end of the world, as well as a singing and dancing Iraqi war veteran with the interesting name of Pilot Abilene (Justin Timberlake), who, in the original theatrical version at least, narrates the proceedings.

As can probably be gleaned from even this relatively short summary, Southland Tales can be opaque at best and downright confounding at worst, and so it may take a certain amount of patience and/or "let's just go with the flow" acceptance on the part of some (most?) viewers. The film is often technically dazzling, even if Kelly still insists it's "unfinished", and it is certainly audacious in scope and concept. Whether that translates into an actually enjoyable viewing experience will of course be a matter of personal taste. In that regard, while the Cannes Cut offers at least a bit more context and background for some of the storylines, and removes the "interface" elements (as shown in screenshot 9 from the Theatrical Cut), it may ironically be even less comprehensible.

Southland Tales Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

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.

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Southland Tales Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Theatrical Cut (1080p; 2:24:54)


• Audio Commentary by Richard Kelly


• It's a Madcap World: The Making of an Unfinished Film is a really fascinating three part piece that features Kelly along with others involved in the production. The sections are frankly kind of random (this could have easily been assembled in one continuous part), but are as follows:

  Through the Looking Glass (1080p; 18:46)

  
  

  This is the Way the World Ends (1080p; 21:31)

  
  

  Have a Nice Apocalypse (1080p; 10:37)

• USIDent TV: Surveilling the Southland (1080i; 33:48) is a fun archival making of featurette with some good interviews.


• This is the Way the World Ends (1080p; 9:12) is an animated short set in the Southland Tales universe.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:31)


• Image Gallery (1080p; 24:11)

Disc Two

• The Cannes Cut (1080p; 2:38:32)

Additionally, Arrow provides their typically well appointed insert booklet.

Southland Tales Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.