Acting off the pretense that it’s smarter than we all think, for approximately two and a half hours, Richard Kelly’s “Southland Tales” is proof positive that “Donnie Darko” was a fluke and he is a one trick pony, and an insufferable one to boot. And alas, Kelly will always ride on the reputation that precedes this rancid pile of garbage and anything else on the way out of his mind. Here, Kelly taps the “Donnie Darko” well again. There are chapters, spirituality, a disjointed series of sub-plots, visual flourishes all with a touch of self-awareness that kicks us in the face every single second. And in the process, Kelly also manages to beat us over the head with political commentary that is warranted but so clumsily delivered he often seems to try too hard.
Monthly Archives: May 2008
The Walking Dead: Special Edition #1
Do you know that “The Walking Dead” was originally supposed to be titled “Night of the Living Dead”?
Kirkman was so desperate for interest in his idea, that he named the series after the Romero movie. And since Romero’s masterpiece is in the public domain, he could have done such a thing without suffering legal scorn, but he’d have sported plenty of fan scorn. But Kirkman admits it and seems pretty apologetic about it when he discusses the origins of the fantastic horror series from Image Comics. We can relate, can’t we? It’s tough being in any artistic medium, and some of us will do anything to become a success.