Area 52 - Southland Tales Reviews: 19 of 52... Southland Tales Vs. Donnie Darko...

I don’t think I’ve had a week fly by this fast in a long time. I think it’s because it was a good week. Why can’t the sucky weeks be the ones that disappear with a blink?

Last week I mentioned that I ordered some supplemental materials for this week’s review of Southland Tales. I think the week went too fast for the shipping company as well because I still haven’t received my order.

Oh well, I have a plan B.

I read somewhere that Southland Tales had some connections with Donnie Darko and not just that it’s the same writer/director. I didn’t read too much as to how the two were linked because I’m continuing to avoid reading other people's take on the movie. I wouldn’t want other’s theories or opinions to taint my experience.

Ha, I said taint.

So this week I got my hands on a copy of the director’s cut of Donnie Darko and had myself a double feature.

At 1:00 in the pm one Tuesday the 25th I fired up the Director’s Cut of Donnie Darko then followed that up at 4:00 in the pm by firing up the theatrical release of Southland Tales for the 19th time!

I hadn’t seen Donnie Darko in years. It’s one of those movies that I liked so much I only watched it once. I was afraid that repeat viewings would ruin my appreciation of the film… Um… That’s not to say that watching a movie repeatedly has to ruin my appreciation, Donnie Darko was just a watch once type for me. The Usual Suspects, Inception, and The Sixth Sense also fall into this same watch once category.

Being that I've only seen this movie once, way back when it first came out, there was a lot that I forgot. I'm glad I had a reason to revisit this movie. Maybe I should give some of these other watched-once movies another chance as well.

Here are the things that I found in common between Donnie Darko and Southland Tales.

• The first thing that I noticed is that Donnie Darko starts with Donnie laid out in the middle of the road. He’s face down and very mysterious. This had tones of the visions of the Rock laid out on the road in the middle of the desert.

• There are a lot of music video-esque transitions from one scene to another in both movies.

• I found it interesting that the song at the very beginning of Donnie Darko was Never Tear Us Apart by INXS that features the line, “Two Worlds Colliding.” This reminds me of Kevin Smith explaining to the Rock why he does that thing with his hands.

• The Guy that plays Bobby Frost in Southland Tales is Donnie’s father in Donnie Darko, and the woman who plays Donnie’s mother looks a lot like the Nana Mae character. It made me wonder if Richard Kelly transferred the parents into these authority figures.

• In both movies… the Bobby Frost/Father character tends to laugh things off and both characters seem more approachable and friendly, all while coming from a place of authority. Meanwhile… the Mother/Nana Mae character is into keeping a tight watch on her son in Donnie Darko and the country Southland Tales.

• Both movies start by informing us that we are going to see the world end.

• In Donnie Darko… there is a transition scene following characters down the hallways of the school. A song by Tears for Fears is playing. Near the end of the song… there is a shot of Donnie’s sister and her friends practicing their dance moves. This reminded me of the girls dancing in the I’ve Got Soul but I’m Not a Soldier video in Southland Tales.

• Both movies feature a lot of political television programming going almost constantly in the background filling any dead air. Sometimes the camera focuses on the television but a lot of times it’s just there in the background adding to the noise.

• Both movies have to do with time travel.

• Donnie is obsessed with sex. I wonder if this is why the Rock dates a pornstar in Southland Tales and why he seems so nonchalant in doing so.

• Donnie’s interactions with Frank in the mirror are reminiscent of Seann William Scott messing with his reflection in the mirror.

• In Donnie Darko… there is a book called The Philosophy of Time that seems to have the same importance as The Power script that is featured in Southland Tales.

• In Southland Tales… there is a line from the Rock where he says, “He sees things.” That line kept coming to mind every time Donnie saw things.

• There are random shots of the ocean in Donnie Darko that lead me to see a connection with the Fluid Karma.

• Donnie stabs at Frank’s reflection until he messes up Frank’s bunny eye. Then later when Frank first removes his bunny mask to reveal that Frank has an eye injury, and then toward the end… Donnie shoots Frank in the eye. All of this is reminiscent of Seann William Scott getting shot in the eye.

• During the scene where Patrick Swayze gives a lecture he lists several things that are products of fear; violence, drug use, promiscuity, etc. The things that he list seem to be running the world created in Southland Tales.

• When Donnie is told to, “Burn it to the ground.” It reminded me of the kid being told to shoot the zeppelin with the rocket launcher.

• The talent show in Donnie Darko is reminiscent of the performances on the mega zeppelin in Southland Tales, including the cutting back and forth between the fire and the recital in Donnie Darko, and the performances and the riots in Southland Tales. 

• In Donnie Darko… there is a kid dressed up as Hulk Hogan who shows up to the Halloween party. I wonder if this anything to do with the Rock being chosen to star in Southland Tales.

• Both movies have fireworks going off while we are shown how it ends.

• And finally… both movies say that they are going to show us how the world ends yet we don’t see the world end in either movie. We just see how the star dies. Granted a bunch of people die with the Rock, but as far as we know the rest of the world goes on. This leads me to believe that he’s saying each individual has their own apocalypse coming to them.

Unfortunately… I didn’t get to sleep on my findings. I’ll probably think up a few more connections as I try to go to bed tonight.

I’ll probably revisit this at some point. I do have another 33 reviews to go after all.

Hopefully… I’ll have my supplemental materials for next week’s review.

I can’t wait.

See you then.