Why is DONNIE DARKO so popular? (includes DIRECTOR's CUT disc.) (1 Viewer)

[Edwin Pereyra]

~Edwin

 

[Jason_H]

Excellent, excellent news...I am very excited about this.

 

[Tim_Stack]

h**p://hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000491910

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

Great news indeed!

 

[Rob Willey]

Having seen the movie so many times, I'm looking forward to the director's cut with an additional 21 minutes (not to mention the opportunity to see it on the big screen).

But I wonder if the people seeing the movie for the first time in the director's cut will wonder why we're all so effusive about it. I think a good part of the reason so many of us have glommed on to this film and rewatched it so many times is that so much is left unanswered and we had to seek answers to stuff that wasn't really apparent the first time through.

If it's all there on the screen in the director's cut, will it have the same impact on first-timers as the original did on us?

Rob

 

[JohnRice]

I mainly hope the re-release leads to a new DVD with both versions and a better transfer!!

 

[Seth Paxton]

I'm sort of with you Rob. I'm not celebrating that finally those lost 21 minutes are back because they were cut for a reason.

This is not Donnie Darko, it's Donnie Darko extended. That's cool, maybe it will be better, maybe not. But it doesn't change what the original film is. They probably figure that with its new status they can get a lot of people to the theater to make more money off it by adding footage rather than just a regular rerelease of a DVD everyone has (fans that is).

It will be fun to see most of the original film on the big screen, and the new stuff should keep us interested and perhaps surprised enough to be a little bit like a first viewing.

 

[dannyB]

The art-house theater close to me is showing this movie next weekend. Should I go see it on the "big screen?"

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

I am glad this is getting a Big Screen release again. Didnt it open around 911?
Great movie.

 

[todd stone]

only thing i disliked about the move was Drew Barrymoore.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Cut for a reason?

Wasn't this the DIRECTOR'S CUT, and therefore, in theory, presenting the scenes the way they WERE meant to be seen?

 

[Herschel]

Is this just going to be the deleted scenes that are on the DVD? Or do we not know yet?

This is one DVD I keep meaning to get around to listening to the commentary track for, but I'm a little worried. I've heard more than one person say that the director's interpretation of what was going on, as revealed in the commentary track, completely disagreed with that they thought about the film, so they just forgot about it.

 

[Nick C.]

oops

 

[Dave Mack]

From Sci-Fi Wire...

Kelly: New Darko Is Different

Richard Kelly, director of the cult SF movie Donnie Darko, told SCI FI Wire that his recently finished extended cut of the movie, which is due in theaters later this year, dramatically alters the movie. "[Newmarket Films] is re-releasing it, and they're letting me have a director's cut, which will come out this summer in theaters, that I just finished today," Kelly said in an interview at the Saturn Awards on May 5. "No one's seen it yet, but it will definitely be a completely new experience as a film. It will probably surprise and shock even the most hardcore fans."

Kelly said that completing this new version was an opportunity to fully develop all of his original ideas for the film and create what he considered a complete rendering of Donnie Darko. "Ultimately, for me, I'm just psyched I finally got to finish the film," he said. "While I'm proud of the theatrical cut, I feel like there were some elements that were never fully realized that I'm excited to be able to realize now. It's been a dream come true, and I'm really lucky to have gotten to do it."

Donnie Darko stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a disaffected teen who narrowly escapes death, then finds himself taking instructions for increasingly destructive behavior from a six-foot rabbit. Kelly said that the director's cut will premiere at the end of May, and the film's subsequent distribution will be based upon initial reactions from filmgoers at the upcoming Seattle Film Festival. "They're going to test it in Seattle May 29th, and they're going to determine, like, a week later what the audience is, if they can really sell it to the multiplexes and to the suburban crowd," Kelly said. "The anticipation would be that maybe it could cross over and become more than just a cult film. It might become more of a mainstream success."


Should be interesting... Will likely thrill and irk people in equal amounts. I am psyched, more Darkoverse is a good thing. And I'll always have the original DVD if I prefer the original version.

Thoughts....?

 

[CraigL]

I read the original script when I was working in DeNiro's office and LOVED it. At that point, they couldn't get anyone to sign off on the script. Unfortunately, whichever script I loved didn't materialize to screen because I really didn't like the version I saw in theaters. Maybe this will be more faithful to that script.
Can't remember the differences for the life of me and should have made a copy. My mistake.

 

[Magnus T]

I don't know. Seems pretty unnecessary to alter what is already a perfect movie.

 

[DannyS]

funny... One Of the main reasons I liked this movie was Drew Barrymore. ANd..If it wasn't for her, the movie wouldn't have got made.

It is a masterpiece. And I won't hear a word said against it. Mind you, No one I know wants to see it anyway..:-(

 

[KatieL]

I'm thoroughly excited about this

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

The film became a cult favorite when it hit DVD.

It also helps the film did well everywhere else but America.

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

Richard Kelly has said that there were scenes he deliberately chose to hold back from the DVD because he was hoping for a director's cut. So some scenes will definitely be new.