OK, so I watched Southland Tales.
It was definitely a weird movie and I can see the connection one would make between this and Donnie Darko.
I didn't like most of the movie; I found the last 20~ minutes to be the most entertaining. Whether this was due to the mildly grating ensemble cast, horrible CGI interludes, or the fact I was confused as all get out, I'm not sure. But the last 20~ minutes tied up the movie, so it's probably the last one.
As for the movie itself, I had to think a lot and I like that in a film. I was constantly making conjectures about the thread the story would follow, only to find that I was pretty much completely wrong five minutes later. At the end of the movie, I felt like I understood about 75-85% of what happened, but I still need to watch it a second time that way I know the story and know what to look for. So, the movie kept me interested and I want to watch it again which is what good movies should do.
In comparison to Donnie Darko, I liked Donnie Darko better. I feel that as sci-fi, time-travel, alternate future movies go, Donnie Darko was more relatable for me. I also feel that Donnie Darko's story was more convoluted than Southland Tales. At the end of my first viewing of Donnie Darko, I was still completely befuddled, but (as I said before) for Southland Tales, I felt 75-85% sure about what happened. Southland Tales just kept a lot up in the air about the story, waiting to reveal the back-story until the very end. Donnie Darko gave the audience all the pieces, you just didn't know what to do with them.
Two things that I especially liked about Southland Tales (one thoughtful, one petty):
-I liked that they gave you the very, very beginning and then after the title card went into 'Chapter IV.'
-I enjoyed Justin Timberlake lip-syncing "All These Things That I've Done" by the Killers.
Did I find Southland Tales an enjoyable movie? Yes.
Would I recommend it to a friend, especially one who enjoyed Donnie Darko? Yes.
Also, there is a amazingly large chance that I missed or overlooked something incredibly important, so I apologize for that.