For the French to boo a film that casts a jaundiced eye on Bush’s Patriot Act – wow, it must really be bad.
But Southland Tales is not entirely without merit. In it, there is a commercial where cars have sex. The Rock drinks an entire six pack of Bud Light in one go. There are lines like “The fourth dimension will collapse upon itself… you stupid bitch!” And all that’s a good thing. But all the stunt casting (half the faces are from Saturday Night Live) and frame-within-frame-within-frame shots can’t hide the fact that there’s just no narrative here. And the “cool world” that has been created can be found in much more polished form in places as varied as Starship Troopers to Alan Moore’s “Watchmen.”
I can best describe the long, long mess that is Southland Tales as if John Waters came in to direct every 25th scene of David Lynch’s Dune. And while that may sound like a fun thing worth checking out – it really isn’t.
