A black comedy about Dystopia, America, "Southland Tales" opens with a line from T. S. Eliot's poem "The Hollow Man" ("This is the way the world ends") and a nuclear bomb exploding above a Fourth of July gathering. What follows is a sprawling, periodically dazzling, often funny pop-and-politics mash-up that finds a porn star (Ms. Gellar's character) united with an action star (Mr. Johnson's) to save a country awash in celebrity culture and neo-conservatism.

Sarah Michelle Gellar as adult film star.

"Volver" stars Penélope Cruz in a performance that may silence those who have doubted her acting ability in the past

Manohla warms to Ms. Cruz, and to the new Almodóvar.