Blu-ray Movie Reviews

"Southland Tales" is an ensemble piece set in the futuristic landscape of Los Angeles, as it stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster. Boxer Santaros is an action star who's stricken with amnesia. His life intertwines with Krysta Now, an adult film star developing her own reality television project, and Ronald Taverner, a Hermosa Beach police officer who holds the key to a vast conspiracy.

This is a film that is so bizarre that it is almost impossible to review. There are great elements and superb style, but the film is so dense and convoluted that you just get lost. Kelly’s previous work, Donnie Darko also had some difficult themes and direction, but this one makes that film look like a perfect narrative. While there are definitely elements of this film I enjoyed, the film as a whole was just too bizarre and confusing for its own good.

Sony delivers another exceptional HD transfer for this one. I was REALLY impressed with the level of detail and dimension the photography delivers. The visual style is a bit all over the place but the production values are pretty high. Fine object detail is outstanding throughout most of the film and the color representation is excellent. Some of the stylistic approaches encroach on overall detail at times but this was hardly distracting. I also noticed some light shimmering affects with some of the CG effects.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix is quite aggressive and an outstanding mix of action and spatial design. The mix has a very open quality with great surround activity and realism. The soundtrack lends a sense of coolness to the film that locks the film down in our pop culture but the director did a great job with the song selections.

The supplemental package does a great job with the material and includes the internet graphic novels that were released prior to the film’s theatrical debut. They give some insight into the characters and backstory that may help viewers with the material. There is also an animated short that serves as an extension to the ideas of the film. Some production shorts are also included.

Ultimately this was a disappointing sophomore effort for director Richard Kelly. The film was booed at its Cannes debut and audiences didn’t really take to the confusing and dense material. There is plenty of style on display but this was a hard one to enjoy. Sony has done a great job with the presentation though so fans of the film should definitely add it to the collection.