As always I'll start with my conditions leading into the viewing.

The date was Monday… February 25th at 9:30 in the pm.​

As I stated last week I think I was a tad too medicated for my first viewing of Southland Tales. It was actually the perfect level for a casual view, but I was definitely too high to be watching this as a responsible movie reviewer.

I also realized that between all the writing I’ve been doing and the downtime in my grip and electric work that I’ve been pretty lazy over the past couple of months.

I decided to start a walking regiment and ventured over to the Asian market to buy a bunch of strange energy drinks to make sure that I would be nice and alert during this week’s viewing.

​I found many strange drinks including a milk /yogurt energy drink in three different flavors, a chocolate nutritional energy drink, a Korean Ginseng drink complete with a root floating around in it, and a few more.

Just looking at all this energy was giving me an anxiety attack. I knew I was going to need some medicine to eventually take the edge off. I grabbed a bag of chicken and waffles flavored potato chips and a package a Gansito (a Hostess-like product with a duck in children’s clothing as a mascot) and continued my walk to the dispensary. ​

I got home, tidied up, made myself cozy, cracked open a Pocari Sweat ION Supply Drink… and settled in for this week’s viewing.

And I’m back.

Wow, those discount medicated Valentine candies from last week were stronger than I thought. I just got done watching an entirely different Southland Tales than I watched last week. This week the movie felt an hour shorter and made way more sense.   

Though I understand the movie a bit more, I feel that I am still too in my own head as to what I’m going to write to fully take in what's going on. I sat there over-analyzing everything trying to think of what to say about any given scene, too busy analyzing the prior scene to be able to follow what was currently going on. ​

Or maybe it was because my mind was racing from the eight energy drinks I had to help me focus.​

The Pocari Sweat wasn't that bad, it has a hint of lemon flavor to it that tastes more like the peel than the actual lemon.​

​Right out of the gate one thing was cleared up when Justin Timberlake (who I still prefer to think is the DJ from Zoolander) explains that the Rock was found in Nevada and had lost his memory. I’m still a little confused about how he seems to remember every fact about himself except that he’s married, but then, “You’re my wife?” line later in the movie made way more sense this time. I originally just thought he was cheating on her with the Vampire Slayer.

I also had a better grasp of the back story that's explained in all the news reports.

What I couldn’t grasp was why anyone thought Milkis, a refreshing Milk and Yogurt flavored, new feeling of soda beverage, was a good idea. I mean who drinks milk and thinks, “You know what this needs? That’s right. Carbonation!”  Though I didn’t drink them back to back I had a hard time getting through all three flavors without cringing; plain, strawberry, or melon.

​I also continued to cringe every time the Rock did that thing with his fingers.

Another thing that was cleared up was that though Seann William Scott plays multiple characters in a way, he was not the person I was referring to when I wrote that I thought actors were playing multiple characters. The first time I watched this I swore that Cheri Oteri and Nora Dunn each played two different characters. Nope, that was just the medicine.

​My next energy drink was an M-150 with a logo that reads Devotion, Courage, Sacrifice, probably the best tasting and most appropriate drink of the night.

I don't know if I was hyper-focused or hyperactive, but I continued to be amazed by my own misinterpretations during the first viewing. ​

For instance: ​

• Those were squibs and not portable CD players strapped to Amy Pohler and Wood Harris (who I thought was Mos Def.)

• The kid who shoots the bazooka at the zeppelin didn't get money for the drugs that he sold to Justin Timberlake, but the gun that he attempts to shoot himself with. ​

• That same kid wanted to kill himself because he was drafted. I was very confused the first time because I thought he got money for the drugs and wonder why someone would try to kill himself right after obtaining a bunch of money. I figure if you're going to take yourself out, you may as well go broke first.​

• Somehow I completely missed the whole storyline of how the second Seann William Scott arrived at the ice cream truck. I was apparently too distracted by the Seann William Scott in the mirror to notice the Seann William Scott that's tied to the chair.​

Time for another drink!

I forced down a Nestle Milo, Chocolate Nutritional Energy Drink. The energy drink with Vitamins, Minerals, and a dog treat after taste. Yes… I know what dog treats taste like.

Did I mention that I was cleansing my palate with the Chicken and Waffles flavored potato chips? The bag says that this flavor was created by Christina Abu-Judom of Phoenix, AZ, who deserves to be both punched in the gut for her creation and kissed on the mouth for her courage to make the effort.

I think I have the same feelings toward the makers of this movie.​ No, I don't want to punch anyone in the gut. In fact, I polished off the chips and washed them down with the Korean ginseng drink, complete with a floating ginseng root, which tasted like dirt, and enjoyed watching the Armageddon as it played out.

I think I'm still at the point where I look forward to next week’s viewing.​