Donnie Darko...a very strange movie

Shawn Shultzaberger · 11-03-2001, 07:33 PM

I watched the trailer this evening and look forward to seeing the movie. But I don't really know what to think of it. It has a very dark look to it (hence the name) but is it sci/fi, fantasy, horror, drama, comedy or what? And is the lead character from the "Bubble Boy" movie?

The release date is October 26th but I haven't seen it playing at any of the theaters around here in Colorado. Has anyone watched it yet?

By the way, I thought I saw a thread for Donnie Darko on the HTF but my memory is fuzzy. I did a search on Donnie Darko and it only comes up with one thread about Apocolyptic movies.

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"My eyes...the goggles do nothing!"

Andy Sheets · 11-04-2001, 07:15 AM

I just watched this movie yesterday. I'm not going to say it was good and I'm not going to say it was bad because, frankly, I'm still processing it. But it is very interesting to watch. I think it was one of those neat little movies that has almost too many ideas all competing for screen time. I guess it's flawed but at the same time you can't really blame a young director for diving in headfirst with all this stuff

Dwayne · 11-04-2001, 07:43 PM

I am very interested in seeing this film, but unfortunately it isn't playing anywhere around here. I went to IMDB to check out the release dates and although is says the 26th, LA was in parentheses next to the date. So I have no idea when or if this movie will ever get a wide release. It's a shame the film is getting no press since I think alot of people would be interested by the trailer alone.

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-Dwayne

BrianB · 11-04-2001, 09:51 PM

Quote:

So I have no idea when or if this movie will ever get a wide release. It's a shame the film is getting no press since I think alot of people would be interested by the trailer alone.

I went to see it last night here in Dallas. Very interesting film - had very little info on it, just a couple of good reviews online & in the local newspaper. Very very good. I'll agree with the comments above, there are maybe too many ideas explored in the film, but it was definitely interesting to watch & I'm confident that the creative team behind it will go on to bigger & brighter things.

Well worth checking out. Funny, intelligent & thought provoking.

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Nothing In Particular

Darcy Hunter · 11-04-2001, 10:15 PM

I am also patiently waiting for this film to open in my area. I have no idea if or when it will play here. I've been interested in Donnie Darko ever since I saw that killer trailer, and read up a bit about the premise. What really sold me was the clip of the first 8 minutes that I-Film.com had up. Just that whole sequence of Donnie riding his bike around a late 80's suburban neighborhood while Echo and the Bunnymen's " The Killing Moon" plays on the soundtrack seemed to set the tone for a creepy and cool movie.

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Michael Reuben · 11-05-2001, 10:06 AM

Interesting sequences and performances, but the director hasn't learned how to construct a narrative that pulls an audience along and holds their attention (a number of people left the screening I attended). The film eventually comes around to making a kind of sense, but for long stretches you're sitting there wondering where the hell you're going. If you liked it enough to see it again, I suspect it will hold together much better the second time around.

David Lynch has explored some of the same territory (the creepy things that lie just below suburban "normalcy"), but Lynch has the gift of grabbing an audience's attention and holding it, even when they're not sure exactly what's holding them. Donnie Darko is an interesting effort in a similar vein, but it shows you just how difficult it really is to do what Lynch does.

M.

[Edited last by Michael Reuben on November 06, 2001 at 08:40 AM]

Mark Cappelletty · 11-06-2001, 02:09 AM

Saw it today and glad I did as I don't think it will be around next week in the LA area. I agree there are too many ideas floating around here, but I also believe that this is one of the best and most unsettling films I've seen all year. Really worth checking out.

Joseph Young · 12-26-2001, 06:46 PM

Kind of a cool movie.

This one got revived at our local art-house theater so I had a second chance to catch it.

I am really biased, however, because the music throughout the picture was some of my favorite. Joy Division, Echo, Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, etc... it all fits together well and sets a mood.

I absolutely agree with BrianB's statement about 'too many ideas competing for screen time.' As the mystery winds tighter and tighter, you expect some kind of revelational answer to the whole thing. But aside from a pretty nifty explanation of

Spoiler:

the fascinating concepts are left hanging, unresolved as the credits roll.

I would describe the film, to those who haven't seen it, as Harvey meets David Lynch meets Heathers. Aside from the fact that Donnie Darko is kind of a messy and clunky film, it's got some real originality, subtlety, depth and beauty under its surface.

Patrick Swayze (sp?) is great as the cult leader/self-help guru... casting him was a stroke of pure brilliance.

"I think you're the antichrist."

Does anyone know who has the rights to this DVD? I would recommend a rental when it is released.

Joseph

Shawn Shultzaberger · 12-27-2001, 04:09 PM

Since it doesn't seem to ever be playing in the Denver area I sure hope it does go to DVD. It will probably be the only way I will be able to see it.

Question: Could the kidlets (ages 11 & 9) watch or cope with this movie? Might be the difference between a purchase or rental if it goes to disk.