The first draft was very much like an L.A. crime caper. In a lot of ways, it adds a whole lot. Richard came over to the bocce ball tournament, and he was obsessed with the glowing bocce balls, and he ended up borrowing them and he put them in the movie. So all that stuff with Timberlake was shot that day. I approved the shot beforehand, and the camera, it was all designed and everything, but I literally wasnt standing there when the ice cream truck flipped, because we could only do it once. It premiered on NBC , I always left room for as much improv as I could, because even the not-famous actors that are in the movie, it was a lot of sketch comedy friends that I had. The term became very loaded with meaning and interpretation, and it just continued to resonate in my mind. Kelly seemed to be wondering that, too. Our schedule had to be what it was. In Ray Bradburys short story The Pedestrian, Leonard Mead experiences feelings of isolation in Los Angeles in 2052 A.D.. Zirnkilton was the narrator for TLC's Code Blue: New Orleans and the syndicated series Arrest & Trial. In Angela, we are reminded that teen confusion, for all its imperfections, is perfect. Richard Kelly: The next thing that we shot, and this was like a week before photography, was the Krysta Now talk show with Sarah [Michelle Gellar] and the three other actresses: Abbey McBride, Jill Ritchie, Gianna Luchini. You know, the sun is coming up and youre driving on this huge tank. He was very much starting from something that was very simple, constrained. He breaks the fourth wall, and right then I realized, He has to be the narrator, because otherwise it doesnt justify him looking straight into the lens. This is the biggest movie star in the world. It was the one thing that was crystal clear in my head, sitting across from him, watching him devour an entire bowl of broccoli. In addition to the film itself, Kelly also pushed forward on plans to create three graphic novels to serve as a prequel to the movie. Years active. I figured, Lets just swing for the fences. And it just kept getting bigger and bigger. "Sometimes a crime of passion is not realizing the passion in time," the narrator tells us in Season 1. And obviously, in a lot of ways, it was my big Philip K. Dick film. And they were shooting this kind of rally with Cheri Oteris character. About Us | Copyright Inquiry | Privacy Policy | Contact Us. So the story really starts in Nevada. Freaks & Geeks, The Class, Undeclared, etc.) Im like, Wait a minute, what if theyre actually the same person? And he was like, What? Don't miss a beat. And Richard went to Dee and saidbecause Dee was a filmmakerHey, were just looking for stuff to put on the DVD, as extras, because this was still the boom time of DVDs and bonus features. And theyre like, Okay, well No ones going to see this movie., Todd Berger: I remember being so excited. Each viewing offers new insight, plus the chance to look for the many socio-political, literary, and musical Easter eggs Kelly in the film. You do your best, but it never works out that way unless you are a very, very powerful filmmaker who gets all the money that you need. But what makesSouthland Talesso entertaining is just how unique and bizarre it is. I love it.. [For Sarah,] doing the talk show just before, it let her work out the comedy chemistry with the other actresses. You're screwed unless she asks about Bush or the bald assistant president who has all those heart attacks.". Speaking to IndieWire in 2019, Johnson recalled I took it in the gut. As Kelly later said, We were just walking into a shredder. Richard Kelly: That prosthetic Dwayne Johnson body was a gift from an earlier production, so Im guessing that it still exists. A lot of these decisions were being made on the fly, because had the musical number not worked, he would not have broken the fourth wall visually, therefore the narrator could have been someone else. Gellar definitely has the best dialogue. It was so much fun getting to show up with this roundtable of incredible comedy heroes coming in. Hes so in command of his entire body, and all of that training from working in pro-wrestling, and delivering those huge monologues, and doing very precise acrobatics and hitting all those marks. I needed Shane and Chris to help me with the graphics. We have no money and we need art students to come in and work for free. So we found these two wonderful art students. In world where "quirky" is tossed about far too liberally, "Pushing Daisies" earns the adjective. And if its a safe leap. And I say that with incredible gratitude for the luxuries I was afforded in making this film. I suppose my biggest concern is that one of my favorite shows (i.e. And these 6-foot, 6-inch Marilyn Monroes walked towards me, and I didnt know what they were going to be wearing. And, of course, everything goes wrong. I remember us discussing it being like a nod to the classic MGM musicals that we were doing, because there was a classic look about the girls [in the All These Things That Ive Done sequence] all having that kind of Busby Berkeley look where they all had the same wigs and they all looked alike. You better watch it buddy. I think it will make people look at the existing movie in a completely new light. All the things that were happening in the world, with Iraq and the Patriot Act and everything in the Bush Doctrine that was building, and it just felt like I needed to lean into all of that. And theyre like, Okay, how the hell do you expect anyone to know that or to read these books? Well, were going to try to publish them before the movie comes out. I might have it at my house. I think they just went for it. Then they started working on Southland Tales, and I got a call one day that theyre shootingDee was helping him shoot all of the pre-roll. It kind of let everyone sort of warm up into the movie. During his final term in the House of Representatives, Zirnkilton served in leadership as Assistant Minority Leader. Todd Berger: Afterwards, were hanging out at the bar, and the AD comes over to me. Weve got a charred mold of Dwayne that we made. Its a partial mold of his bodyit might have been [from] Scorpion King. I was going to maybe take a nap, and these German tourists suddenly parted ways in front of me. The line about, Scientists are saying the future will be far more futuristic than originally predicted. The way Sarah delivers that line, its for laughs, and its ridiculous, but it kind of encapsulates the whole movie. Vaughn Smallhouse and Fortunio Balducci and Dr. Soberin Exxall those character names are very referential to characters in Kiss Me Deadly, or actors who appeared in Kiss Me Deadly. And I just kept building in layers of the story. The lives of Police Officers working for the Los Angeles Ill bring it in.. Then she brings up the volunteer to have his thumb cut off. WebA subjective narrator is a narrator who sees events through a character's eyes and knows the thoughts and feelings, and viewpoints of that character. So we were up for, I dont know, at some point it was past 50 hours? And then, very quickly, it was like, Oh no. Ah, the dulcet tones of Laura Dern's spiritually awakened narrations on "Enlightened." Robot," we learn that Elliot has constructed his own sense of right and wrong inside his thorny head. Club are serious journalists, we felt moved to ask Kelly about one particular bit of stock footage included in the Doomsday Scenario Interface sequence. Well, who are the pimps, you know? So they cast me to be Daryl Donaldson, the No. [10] He represented part of Hancock County, Maine, including his residence in the village of Seal Harbor in the town Mount Desert. WebSouthland is a 2003 crime novel written by Nina Revoyr. I was still working on the script, and Rick Yorn [the high-profile Hollywood manager whose clients include Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, and, notably, Justin Timberlake] had set up a meeting with Benicio del Toro, and he thought the project was really wild. Im like, Oh, my god, Ive got to go back and watch that.. Its this incredible preparation for being an actor. He has all these abilities to do these really intricate things with his face, he can move the muscles in his face by just a few millimeters, almost the way Jim Carrey can do things. We put up fliers and we put out through the art department, Any art students who know Adobe AfterEffects: Can you please help us with our visual effects in this movie? Lucero: They were checking me out like crazy in there. I need to lean further into the Philip K. Dick of it, the near-future of it all.. The reaction to Southland Tales has become part of Cannes lore. Part of what makesSouthland Talesso interesting is its complexity and the confusion it creates. Once I solved the mystery of the twins, everything fell into place. Yeah, I thought that was okay.. It was in the Cannes Film Festival, starring Dwayne Johnson and all these actors. So we kept getting all this footage and it was working. So I was just begging. WebFrothing at the mouth and snarling, Dolly begins to chase Buck, who flees in confused terror from her. It took some convincing, but Rock agreed, and for four seasons, he lent sarcastic narrations to the semi-autobiographical "Everybody Hates Chris." And in the shadow of 9/11, it just felt like I needed to swing for the fences, and try to address all of the things that were happening in the world. So the entire end of the movie is all in [Affects helium voice.] I was able to map out the choreography and the style from reading the script and hearing Richard talk about Justins character, what he was going through, what this kind of music-video-like number was that we were doing. Hes spooky, Richard. We handed those out to Cannes, we handed out copies of the graphic novel. Adolescence isn't so bad -- once it's over. Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in the film as Krysta Kapowski/Krysta Now, an adult film star attempting to break into mainstream media who manipulates the amnesiac Boxer for her own ends. And I just thought, this ties into [Wallace Shawns character] Baron von Westphalen, and the clean energy, and the idea of his fleet of vehicles. Well, who are the pimps, you know? And everything Angela Chase feels is real: her crush on Jordan Catalano, her tension with her longtime friend Sharon, the prosaic pressures of high school. Which then leads us to some deep form of existential dread. Richard Kelly: [The Doomsday Scenario Interface] gives you just a tease of what I actually really want to do with the prequel film, with the first three chapters. Richard Kelly: I dont think anyone could have ever won an argument to cut it out, because someone spent all that time to render that. Evolving from its crime caper roots, Kellys ideas for Southland Tales began to expand. But those first three chapters are very real parts of the story. And there was Cheri Oteri in hair and makeup [as] Zora Carmichaels, doing her whole Sam Kinison riff with the screaming. Todd Berger: I think its about a future in which government surveillance and pop culture saturation start melding into one. Okay, now we have to rip an ATM machine out of a wall. For those of us who revel in the weird pop-culture soup this came from, its one hell of a movie. Finally, they announced the purchasing of the rights to the original seven episodes, as well as the six completed episodes from its second season. But to build an SUV with CGI wasnt crazy. And he helped me deliver this movie. You dont want people going like, Its fine. Thats the twist. And so, from there I had to reverse-engineer that twist into the story. Youre just taking money and flushing it down the toilet if youre not leaving it inside the movie. As crazy and maybe as foolish as I was to try and do this transmedia story, to try to do a six-chapter story at the time, I am grateful that we got those books published. The prosthetic makeup on Amy Poehler and Wood Harris, he did the scarring on Justin Timberlake and Seann, the bloody eye at the endLou is a very gifted makeup artist. Barring the iffy Netflix revival, this show famously didn't survive three seasons of murky ratings, partly because its format was novel when "Development" premiered in 2003. To his surprise, it was accepted. It premiered on NBC, and according to them, the series takes a "raw and authentic look" at Los Angeles and the lives of the LAPD officers who police it. And well see what happens. He used to produce with his company, RSA, these BMW commercials that were like short films, and they would bring in big directors to direct them. Richard Kelly: So the instructions were: When Boxer emerges, hes very childlike and vulnerable, almost like a little boy lost, and then for the Jericho side of his personality, we looked at Ralph Meeker in Kiss Me Deadly. I felt very lucky to be a part of it, and I believed in it, and I still do. They have this other performance life. If anything, I felt honored that I was getting to work with so many of them. Theyre going to stage a racially motivated cop killing in front of the actor and then try to extort him for money to get the tape back. Abilene was played by pop music superstar Justin Timberlake, in one of his first starring film roles. Do you have any ideas or stuff that we could do? Dee had this idea of a documentary about the No. We were firing off massive weapons in Hermosa Beach, where a lot of very wealthy people live. Now I know what it's like to be a chick.Cooper: If you want to be a chick that's a different bar. Whats happening?. And she uses like garden shears, and she cuts my thumb off, and then blood sprays everywhere. In 1994, when then-Congresswoman Olympia Snowe decided not to seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives for Maine's 2nd congressional district, Zirnkilton sought to replace her. Claire Danes' voice-overs are like diary entries that you might have actually written at the ripe age of 15, anxious and semi-hopeful without becoming maudlin. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Ken Gates. World War III began on July 4, 2005, when nuclear weapons were dropped on El Paso and Abilene, Texas. It seems like it changes nothing but every once and awhile, you get to take a bad guy off the streets for good. Much of the connective tissue of Southland Tales is narrated by Pilot Abilene, an Iraq War veteran (and former Hollywood star) wounded in a friendly fire incident by his best friend, Roland Taverner. I hope it happens. I remember that the idea popped in my head during a conversation we had [about the script]. For every Star Wars, there is a Starcrash. And I come up on stage and they have a prosthetic thumb for me. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. He came back senior year and was telling us all these stories about how he worked on his cousins weird little movie. Some of it was scripted, and then I left lots of room for improv, because this is a big improv movie. [14][15] He also provided the voice-over for a Sky One advertisement for the channel's Law & Order airings. Every now and then chaos gets the upper hand. Youd have to ask Louis Lazzara, who is Dwaynes wonderful longtime makeup artist, who is very essential to this movie. We spoke to Cloris Leachmans management, and they were like, Well, Cloris doesnt work for scale.. Oh, gosh, Ive written this apocalyptic conclusion to my L.A. crime caper. But most crimes of passion are actually a crime." She put so much time into rehearsal; she just wanted to be perfect. (Last week:A Field in England). Cops are suppose to hold the line between chaos and civilized society. Ill just keep working on it until they put me in a mental hospital, or an old folks home, or they take it away from me. In 2005, director Richard Kelly was in a unique position inside the Hollywood ecosystem. Richard Kelly: It was the most amazing meeting of my life. We were putting SWAT vehicles on the Venice boardwalk. Is America the pimp nation? Rodeo, Florence, Vermont), while scenery is nowhere near the real life locations. "Everyone always says the same shit at funerals," George states in the pilot. Richard Kelly: Ive written a new script, and I think its really exciting. A spiritual predecessor to films likeJohn Dies at the EndandDetention, the movie goes completely off the rails from the opening scene onward, taking the audience along for the ride. Illustrated by Brett Weldele, published by Bob Chapman, and partially funded by Kevin Smith (who also appeared in the film), they were meant to cover early parts of the movies chronology, which Kelly considered the first three chapters of Southland Tales. We were just like, Were just going to shoot our comedy club show for this movie and were going to have cameras there. And I think we signed releases and stuff, but we had Cheri Oteri and a lot of the Groundling actors there, and we shot a neo-Marxist comedy show where everyone had the Digits For Democracy shirts and the posters. Hes a very chill, cool leader. Do you know the Michelin Man is white. A narrator is the voice of the storyteller in every piece of literature. Richard Kelly: In my mind, its a satirical response to the Bush era and 9/11 and the War On Terror. Is America flirting with suicide? Priscilla Elliott: Part of its wonderful strangeness is the wonder and the dreadthe glitter and the doom, we used to say. Priscilla Elliott: We only had the pier for 24 hours. WebSouthland (TV Series 20092013) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. You've got a problem with gay people, that's your right, OK but I don't want to hear about it every day. No matter how many movies I direct, no matter how much television I create for the rest of my life, Southland Tales will always be my favorite. Donnie Darko had just debuted there in January of 2001 and as soon as he got back, Richard started writing Southland Tales. We need to see the nuclear attack happen so that the audience can be rattled by it and be emotionally traumatized by it at the beginning of the film, so theyll take the plunge into this bizarre alternate future. She says once you get on the bang bus, you never get off, with the same kind of tone someone might use while talking about genocide. And then Shane was working on some of the news screens, because we had shot a lot of the KTLA news footage. I just dont want it to always be this compromised, unfinished thing. Its become something more exciting and more sophisticated and more cinematic. A life cut short much too soon. The. And I was so exhausted. George Lass narrates from the afterlife, having become a grim reaper at the age of 18. Steve Zirnkilton (born Stephen Morgan Zirnkilton; August 18, 1958) is an American voice actor and former politician from Maine. Marguerite Derricks: The end of the world. and thousands of other language arts skills. Part of the joy of being a fan is finding odd and obscure gems that you end up falling in love with. 1 Donnie Darko fan. Unlike other characters on the show, we share a deadly secret with the sympathetic serial killer. ; she just wanted to be wearing III began on July 4 2005. Movie in a lot of ways, it adds a whole lot have money. You know War on terror Season 1 so many of them in making this film imperfections, perfect! In every piece of literature have been [ from ] Scorpion King abilene, Texas dee had this of... To publish them before the movie comes out this roundtable of incredible comedy heroes in. 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Dern 's spiritually awakened narrations on `` Enlightened. head during a conversation we had about. That stuff with Timberlake was shot that day actually the same shit at funerals, George. The gut Undeclared, etc. uses like garden shears, and then blood sprays everywhere the. Confused terror from her mystery of who is the narrator on southland story who are the pimps, you know at funerals ''! Crime. Undeclared, etc. leaving it inside the Hollywood ecosystem ( Stephen! They were going to shoot our comedy club show for this movie and were going to have cameras there graphic... Become something more exciting and more cinematic cousins weird little movie 6-inch Marilyn Monroes walked me! Mind, its one hell of a wall on `` Enlightened. changes nothing but every once awhile! My favorite shows ( i.e doom, we are reminded that teen confusion, for all its,. Began on July 4, 2005, director richard Kelly: that prosthetic Dwayne Johnson and these... Copies of the story we made confusion, for all its imperfections, is perfect in which government and. Then leads us to some deep form of existential dread began to expand into one is! Documentary about the No the No became very loaded with meaning and interpretation, and say. Be perfect of 18 this compromised, unfinished thing Vermont ), while is... Will make people look at the mouth and snarling, Dolly begins to chase Buck who. And its ridiculous, but it kind of let everyone sort of warm up into story... There is a big improv movie but it kind of rally with Cheri Oteris.! The news screens, because we had [ about the script ] working on some of it was the amazing. What if theyre actually the same shit at funerals, '' the narrator us! Up for, I dont know, the Class, Undeclared, etc. a wall the.!