Southlander

 

Picture: C     Sound: B-     Extras: C     Program: C+

 

 

In a twist on Music Video directors making their feature film debuts, Lance Acord and Steven Hanft (not my favorites in that field) collaborate on a feature-length project shot on tape called Southlander (2001).  What is supposed to be some surreal look at a musician trying to find a coveted keyboard on his way to hoped-for success falls flat from the get go.

 

Rory Cochrane plays that musician, not so ironically named Chance, using the title publication to fix his dilemmas.  Though some of the actors are good, I never believed what I saw for a minute and having Beck play Beck did not give it any more credibility.  One of the only good videos Hanft ever made was for Beck, and that was for the song beck has been trying to run away from (for good reason as not to be written off), “Loser”.

 

Hanft directs while Acord does the Videography, and considering their previous history, it is a surprise that they do not offer more visual excitement by pushing the video to its limit.  Too many of the shots are flat and dull.  The script by Ross Harris, Robert J. Stephenson, and Hanft feels more like a hip high-five session than an actual story, even though I actually like some of the people on screen.  Harris also acts, along with Welcome Back Kotter’s Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, musician Beth Orton as the female lead, Hank Williams III (which feels very odd), Richard Edson, and a cameo from … say anything’s Ione Skye.  All her appearance did was make me want to watch Cameron Crowe’s film a few more times.  It is a curio and nothing else.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 16 X 9 (1.78 X 1) image was shot on videotape that was not High Definition and it shows.  Nothing bad was added in the process, but it is only going to improve it so much.  The Dolby Digital is available in 2.0 Surround and 5.1 AC-3, but the 5.1 stretches out the sound very noticeably, thinning it out on many levels.  This is not the way to remix a low-budget film, but despite being about the music industry, it is not as music filled as expected.  Extras include deleted scenes (that do not add anything), a trailer, bonus audio segments, music videos (of course), a lukewarm audio commentary, and some “uncut” performances if you could not get enough of this.

 

This is also one of those programs that says it is based on “real life” or “a true story”, but being based on something is worthless if it does not work.  The Sci-Fi classic Forbidden Planet (1956) was based on Shakespeare, and every one knows it is as far from The Bard as earth is from Jupiter.  When it comes to Southlander and the real record industry, the distance is not as far physically, so it is all the more disappointment that it does not click.  Better luck next time, guys.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo