SOUTHLAND TALES Q&A with Richard Kelly 7/2/2016

Interview between SOUTHLAND TALES director Richard Kelly and Dave Cowen, 7/2/2016 at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco. Shot by Tony Husari.

[@amcburger]

6 years ago and we’re still waiting for the next movie from him, hope it blows us away

[@malachdorell6026]

seriously

[@ennuied]

seriously

[@genetenz]

What? South land tales tucked. So did that bx movie.

[@ajnorthrop9121]

He’s gonna pull a Terrence Malick one of these days and blow us away with his next one

[@howtobleachyourhair]

southland tales is one of thje best things the 2000s had to offer

[@TheDas9582]

Awesome! Loved this. I hope finally SLT gets its respect.

[@SphericalChild]

Southland Tales: A really good movie, ahead of it's time. It's a film for socially and politically smart people. I loved it. :)

[@fuffoon]

Richard Kelly looks a bit apprehensive with a group of Southland Tales fans talking about a movie for which Canne ate him alive. I hope he knows that he has a very intellectual group of fans that want more of his unique and wierd style.

[@firetube2ndchannel]

Yeah “intellectual” is definitely the right word lmao

[@Gwinter452]

Kelly needs a Netflix series where he can really work out his themes more coherently!

[@tawdryhepburn4686]

Gwinter452 no. Kelly needs a strong producer to reel him in and focus his fetishes and fixations into something emotionally engaging. Netflix doesn’t do that *at all.*

[@justincrane8825]

Tawdry Hepburn the last thing an artist like Richard Kelly needs is to be reined in. If you don’t emotionally connect with his work then you can move on, but for me his films are among the most emotional experiences I’ve ever had with movies, and I wouldn’t change him for the world.

[@XxMATTxXist]

Think southland tales wouldve worked better today as a netflix series

[@tawdryhepburn4686]

@@justincrane8825 but that’s not how filmmaking (or serialized narrative) works. It’s an inherently collaborative medium and even the strongest of auteurs needs a strong producer to hone the narrative and characters. How often is a filmmaker’s best work the project where s/he was given carte blanche to do whatever s/he wanted without concern for budget or commercial appeal? That’s how you get _Jupiter Ascending._ meanwhile, a storyteller with a song in his/her heart working as hard as possible and pushing up against the limits of technology, budget and narrative traditions... that’s how you get _The Matrix._ just letting someone loose without any guidance, feedback or support is a terrible plan. It almost never works.

[@justincrane8825]

@@tawdryhepburn4686 what a load of horseshit. Yes filmmaking is a collaborative medium, but a director’s job is to provide a singular creative vision for everyone else to follow. You’re using one of the worst possible examples, while there are literally thousands of masterpieces out there with a distinct and singular auteuristic vision at their core. Just look at literally any of the filmmakers who are considered the greatest ever. They were executing their own creative visions, not turning to producers to “hone” their work. Yes any great filmmaker is capable of floundering in their own excess, and many of the greats have films of that nature, but so what? In many cases those failures are some of my favorite movies ever. If you don’t like the art a filmmaker creates then you don’t have to watch it, simple as that. There is no shortage of studio hacks out there willing to execute a corporate vision. Let the artists make their art.

[@DarthDimmadome]

Bro I love this movie.

[@trentledford8183]

AWESOME. I took an entire class on transmedia at my film school. I think all film, musician, writers, and students should learn about transmedia.

[@mister-monkeyman]

Imagine being a director and making a weird ass movie that completely makes sense in your head only to be interviewed years later in a rundown theatre smelling of old stale ham and wet beef due to all the fucking nerds sitting there

[@roccoz2231]

LOL poor Richard. These dorkathon screenings are pretty much all he has left.

[@MentalDeviant]

I wish you would have just made two or three films starting at the beginning but I actually really like the movie even though I can't understand I thought about getting rid of it because I can't understand it but for some reason there's just something about the movie maybe I'll watch it again now that I've look at all these explanations and get the damn thing but I'm a sucker for movies I can understand it's kind of like every time you watch it you get some new meaning

[@Daremo6969]

I'm the same way, depending on my mood I see things slightly different and come up with different interpretations. This works the same with with books (for me at least). Just enjoyable to watch and I don't mind the ambiguity in interpretation.

[@zenhaelcero8481]

Had to have at least one race baiter get a question in, lol. But overall great Q and A, very interesting to hear about his creative process and get a glimpse into his personal life for a minute.

[@tawdryhepburn4686]

Zenhael Cero nah dude. I live in LA and an all-white room in LA is utterly idiotic. It’s a willful decision to cast all white actors. And it *is* racist... though not intentionally.

[@justincrane8825]

Tawdry Hepburn he didn’t cast all white actors though. The main character of the movie isn’t even white.

[@roccoz2231]

Casting white actresses as Marilyn Monroe impersonators in a dance sequence is racist now......?

[@bigfan1041]

If you have a problem with the race of actors you're the racist one.

[@crlewis]

Revelation 21: And God wiped away the tears from his eyes, so the new Messiah could see out to the new Jerusalem.

[@rustyskunks]

the biggest mistake he ever made was premiering at cannes.

[@Astrochronic]

THe one question no one askes...."Mr. Kelly, In your opinion, why do you think Southland Tales essentially ended your movie making career?"

[@tawdryhepburn4686]

ASTROCHRONIC his follow up THE BOX had a real, current A-lister, was tied to a well-regarded Intellectual Property (Twilight Zone) and a $30 million budget. THAT one ended his career.

[@maximillian8607]

Because people hate what they don't understand

[@Astrochronic]

@@tawdryhepburn4686 I disagree. That one nailed the lid on the coffin for sure, though I mostly enjoyed it, even though it kind of fell apart at the end. I was hoping for a better ending even if she just dropped dead for no apparent reason as soon as the next person hit the button. I think he still had contract obligations left and had probably already signed contracts with actors before Southland Tales flopped. But yeah, maybe you have a point, maybe his career could have been resuscitated but instead was smothered beyond repair after the double whammy back to back.

[@Astrochronic]

I think Southland Tales was more damaging to his reputation in the industry because it kind of satirized the Left and modern liberals even though he tried to deny he was doing so...its kind of obvious.

[@Astrochronic]

The Box actually had a strong effect on me. Perhaps like no other movie I can remember. I actually quit smoking pot after watching it. Literally right after. Flushed the last of my bag down the toilet. Only lasted about two weeks though....so sorry humans...I brought the curve down just under pass/fail line. IT WAS ME!!!!

[@liveecarbme]

Shrödinger's Cat...

[@Crazea]

So is he saying their were no non white people walking the earth when Southland was released in 2007? All of his films are similarly cast. Honestly, I think he just wanted his films to be 99% white because those are the kinds of movies he and a lot of Hollywood like.

[@DarlingPhenylethylamine]

I really think if that's not what comes out naturally then that's not what comes out. No one should be forced to take a course of action that they aren't inherently inclined to take. Otherwise you're going to have a very superficial equality going on which won't take much before it peels away and the ugly truth is in glaring view again.

[@ElSultan98]

take this race bullshit and shove it up your ass

[@TranzparentMethods]

Hollywood "liked" "Southland Tales"? NO!

[@chipsnmydip]

Dwayne Johnson is white?

[@MentalDeviant]

Dwayne Johnson is the star pc faq

[@Landrew0]

A tragically bad movie by most accounts. I feel sorry for Richard Kelly most of all.

[@TranzparentMethods]

How was is "Tragically bad"? The film ends with quantum physics, the idea of a copy of a copy of a copy rips the time-space makeup and rips the universe apart. As far as the whole Porn star thing, we now have Kim Kardashian, the chick from Teen Mom, Paris Hilton and somehow, these people have become "heroes" of the children of today... They all either BECAME famous, or became MORE famous after their porn tape... Richard Kelly actually had a great film with "Southland Tales". I prefer that film over "Donnie Darko", which is equally confusing to the newbie...

[@ElSultan98]

you have no taste

[@skualpascal6684]

This movie is continuing the great mystic awaken, humanist & smart-Sci-Fi novels tradition on EARTH. Far beyond the last StarWars saga-maniac or super "blaireaux" movies wasting 2 or 3 hours of my children attention, this SUPER $ makers ought better to stay as superb still-drawings they were to be. Do you even know, did you even read ONE novel, or short story from "your" GREAT(est ?) USA Sci-Fi author ? I mean : Ph. K. Dick, the one that who had have to come to FRANCE (HUGO prized) to be revealed amongst the best "visionnaires" writers (Sci-Fi or not) ever ... too bad he got to die young ... very just before to be able to watch Ridley Scott adaptation. Sorry for my limping English ...

[@aptonymic3014]

@@TranzparentMethods what does that have to do with quantum physics?

[@MilkoOfficialChannel]

Your poor brain is tragic. Gtfoh.