Southland Tales poster 

Southland Tales
Due out in the latter half of this year, Richard Kelly’s follow-up to Donnie Darko, Southland Tales is no doubt highly anticipated for Darko fans. I remember in film class when the lecturer was discussing the line-up of films for the weekly screenings, 80% of the students requested Donnie Darko as a possible screening choice. It speaks volumes to the younger generation, something which our lecturer couldn’t grasp.

Southland Tales looks set to be another multi-layered visual exercise for Kelly. The website has been slightly updated although there’s really nothing substantial yet. But to quote the trivia section of the IMDB’s page:

In addition to the feature film, an expanded version of Southland Tales will be presented as a nine-part interactive experience with the prequel saga to be published as six separate 100 page graphic novels, each written by Kelly. The graphic novels will be released over a six month period early in 2006 leading up to the film’s release with the feature film comprised of the story’s final three chapters. In addition, the film’s official website will be one of the largest and most elaborate ever designed for a feature film. Richard Kelly describes the graphic novels as a “work in tandem with the website, creating a more epic multimedia experience for those interested in taking the plunge.”

If it’s anything like the Donnie Darko website, it should prove fascinating. What I love is how these emerging filmmakers are using the convergence of media formats to expand the film’s universe and doing it well. I’m not just talking about having a website or publishing content via mobile technology but giving viewers a real sense of story and myth. That’s where the power of film and new media lies.

 
 
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Thursday, March 23 2006
 
Film General
 

Most Anticipated films of 2006 


There’s promise for excellent cinema this year including new films from some of the best directors working today including Scorsese, Spielberg, Woody Allen, The Cohen Brothers, Sofia Coppolla, David Fincher, M. Night Shyamalan, David Lynch, Spike Lee, Darren Aronofsky, and Michael Mann just to name a few. These are what I consider to be my most anticipated films for 2006 but as always, there’s bound to be those gems that will creep out of nowhere, catch you by surprise and shake the very foundations of your cinematic soul. So get excited, grab your diaries and read on below (presented in no particular order, except the final one in the listing):

Read more

 
 
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Friday, January 6 2006
 
Film General