Movie Review: Southland Tales

Southland Tales
Directed by Richard Kelly
Starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seann William Scott
Rated R

Listen to me, as if I were Cerberus barking with all his heads at the gates of hell. I will tell you where to take it, but don't... don't open the box. -- Dr. G.E. Soberin from Kiss Me Deadly

“A lot o' people don't realize what's really going on. They view life as a bunch o' unconnected incidents 'n things. They don't realize that there's this, like, lattice o' coincidence that lays on top o' everything. -- Miller from Repo Man

I’m here to save you. The world is coming to an end, Donnie. -- Frank from Donnie Darko

Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales wants to be the ultimate Ragnarok And Roll film. Southland Tales wants to be the It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World of Apocalyptic cinema.

The film’s huge ensemble cast and the maddening climax scream out Charles K. Feldman’s 1967 Casino Royale at times. Richard Kelly’s ambition and enthusiasm cannot be denied. Southland Tales was initially going to be a nine-part interactive experience -- it was narrowed down to six parts. There is so much going on that there is the Southland Tales: The Prequel Saga graphic novel that has the first three chapters. The decision to use a graphic novel as a primer for his film was very Lucasian of Kelly. The last three parts make up the feature film, Temptation Waits, Memory Gospel, and Wave of Mutilation...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!

DVD Review: Ratatouille

Ratatouille
Directed by Brad Bird
Starring (voices) Patton Oswalt, Brad Garrett, Brian Dennehy, Ian Holm, Janeane Garofalo, Peter O' Toole
Walt Disney Video
Rated G

To watch Ratatouille is not merely to love it. To watch it is actually almost closer to getting high off of it. It buzzes along at a fast pace on such a level of giddy invention and superior craftsmanship that it rubs off on you. Meticulous skill and an almost slavish will to entertain without pandering are not mutually exclusive, but seeing this movie you wonder why they aren’t in the same place at the same time more often. And this has left me on the underside of hyperbole, so I’ll do my best to restrain myself. I’ll just let it slip that I’d want to call Ratatouille one of the best films of the year, except that I have a little voice in the back of my head asking “Just THIS year?”...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!