Rating: 
Summary: fear the bunny-man!
Review: I gave this movie 5 stars just for the "giving me the willies" factor. I takes sitting throuhg it about 2/3 of the way to get what the frick is going on....or I am just slow. Or possibly I was preoccupied with the bunny-man. It's amazing to see how many movies were sent straight to video because of the sept 11th incident. That is the only possible reason I can find for not jumping on the creepy PR possibilities....think of the halloween costumes! Anyhow if you want something dark, creepy, witha slightly obscure begining, this is one of those.
Rating:
Summary: absolutely incredible
Review: i'll admit; i'm not a five star gal. at all. but this film really earns it. it's creepy, romantic, thrilling, and touching (as a family drama) all at once. i don't know how to put my thoughts coherently after seeing such an inventive, amazing movie as this. but let it be known that i had to rewatch this movie three times (yes three times!) to grasp all the little precarious details... yet i still can't get enough.! richard kelly is obviously a great talent. and i thank him and drew barrymore (who produced this) for making such a beautiful, beautiful film. to think this is his first movie amazes me. and he made it at 26! wow. congratulations to jake gylenhaal, and the rest of the wonderful cast (jena malone, patrick swayze, drew barrymore, noah whyle, and especially mary mcdonnel) for potraying their characters so convincingly and honestly. also kudos to the special effects and production values that wholly deceive this movie's indie budget. i've rarely seen a film this affecting, emotionally and otherwise. there's a tenderness and heart to this movie that makes the creepy moments all the more chilling because it's based in a form of reality... still, i'm in shock by the brilliance i have just witnessed. kelly and company have convincing argument for cinema as an artform.
Rating:
Summary: Original and fascinating
Review: When I first noticed this film, I thought it was a horror film--perhaps that was the emphasis placed in the advertising. Anyway, I wasn't interested in watching it as I NEVER watch horror films. Then the film was recommended to me, so I tried it--skeptical, I'll admit, but willing to give it a try. Donnie Darko, played excellently by Jake Gyllenhaal, is a schizophrenic teenager who experiences hallucinations of a giant bunny named Frank. He refers to Frank as his new friend during his sessions with his psychiatrist. Frank begins to warn Donnie about events and people, and his predictions become uncannily true. Donnie is driven to discover the truth about Frank and the nature of time travel--whether or not events from the past can be corrected. Is Frank an hallucination? This is just one of the intriguing questions this film asks. The film is part sci-fi, part pyschological drama, part teen movie. Wrapped up into this package, the film is unique, original and absolutely fascinating.
Rating: 
Summary: This bunny rabbit leaves no eggs.
Review: There's a nice little scene in "Donnie Darko" where his girlfriend reflects upon his full name. "Sounds like a superhero," she muses. Donnie gives her a sly glance and quips, "Who's to say I'm not?" Indeed. And by the movie's end, we're left to question whether or not Donnie really is such a savior. At least I did. In fact, I did a lot of questioning at the end of this picture. Not the good kind, either--born of wonder and amazement, but the bad kind: spawn of frustration and delirium. The year is 1988, and Donnie Darko is a dorky, reclusive, temperamental teenager growing up in a typical dorky, reclusive, temperamental teenager environment. He deals with bullies at school, falls for the pretty new girl, fights with his caring, concerned family at home, and desperately tries to understand the life he's been given. Oh, and as our story opens, he begins to receive regular visits from a nightmarish overgrown bunny rabbit from the future named Frank. Frank reveals that the world is about to end and the only person that can prevent it is Donnie. Thus begins his quest to unravel a mystery that includes a 100 year old woman named Grandma Death, a new age spiritual evangelist who preaches about love vs. fear, a mysterious book called "The Philosophy of Time Travel", and two young school teachers who seem perfunctory at first but then take particular interest in Donnie. I love movies that toy with my mind, confusing the hell out of me while promising understanding and sometimes, by the movie's end, delivering revelation. "Jacob's Ladder" ranks among my favorite films of all time. And even when "The Ninth Gate" failed to deliver a satisfactory ending, it worked for me nonetheless because I so enjoyed the journey. But "Donnie Darko" seems to think 1 out of 3 is enough. It's not. With every dark scene, every social satire, every equitable performance, this movie promises greatness. But that's all. The ending is simply another enigmatic scene. I wish I could say that the sum of its parts makes up for it, but it doesn't. There are moments where you brace yourself and smile and think: okay, here it comes, here's where it all falls into place! But, unfortunately, this bunny rabbit leaves no eggs.
Rating: 
Summary: Donnia Darko doesn't do cliche
Review: Where were the gimmicks? Where were the cliches? Where was the remake of a previous storyline? Donnie Darko doesn't do repetition. Richard Kelly brings to the big screen a film that is unique in a horror/sci-fi genre that's been burned out by Scream wanna-bes and "I Know What Movie You Copied Last Summer"s. Such an engrossing film, of a young boy who is either psychotically crazy or incredibly gifted. And the viewer won't be entirely certain until the end of the film. The giant rabbit with the face of a demon will be in your dreams for days afterwards. The last film to give me goosebumps like this was The Blair Witch Project. That film drew me in, but Donnie Darko doesn't let go. I'm still thinking about it as we speak. Believe me when I say this, but there is something about this film that gets under your skin. It haunts your mind, but in a way that is very entertaining. I think my pysche is still savoring the feel of horror gripping my mind. What makes this film complete is a cast that seems to excell under the excellent direction of Richard Kelly. Aside from Jake Gyllenhaal scaring the willies out of me as Donnie Darko when he goes into his trances, Patrick Swayze seems perfect as an inspirational speaker, Noah Wyle as a humanistic science teacher, and Mary McDonnell as real as they come playing Donnie's mother. The one actress who seems slightly out of place here is Executive Producer Drew Barrymore as an English teacher at Donnie's highschool. Set in the 1980's, the soundtrack to Donnie Darko is smart and entertaining, not a complete sell-out like most films are when they set them in an earlier decade (Austin Powers, The Wedding Singer, etc..). You want a dark, funny, intense, thrilling, and frightening story, well, then this film is for you. If you were looking for the jaded slasher-coming-of-age horror flick marketed to 16 - 24 yr old males, you need to get back in line with the sheep.
Rating:
Summary: The Most Original Movie I've Seen In A Long Time
Review: This movie could be classified in so many genres at the same time and get away with it. There's such a wide range of emotion blended together perfectly. Jake Gyllenhaal is one of those great actors that haven't been fully discovered yet and needs to be soon. His portrayal as Donnie Darko couldn't have been played accurately by anyone else. This part was made for him. I don't even want to go into the movies scenario because it makes it so much better to watch without knowing. When your done watching it, your shocked, then you try to understand it all. Watch it two or three times to pick up underlying plots. You must watch the DVD version to see the deleted scenes then the deleted scene's commentary. It helps putting it in perspective. It's one of those movies that you have to figure out it's true meaning on your own. It's a Dark Comedy, Sci-Fi, Rebellious, indie-ish, thought provoking, coming of age, sad, horror, movie. Just think of "Pi", Kevin Smith on a Bad Trip, "Dragon Fly", "Clockwork Orange", "Contact", "Final Destination", "Very Bad Things", and any Dean Koontz book put together. WATCH IT. Then ask your self, "what's your cellar door"?
Rating:
Summary: A Demonic "Harvey"
Review: This film tells the story of a teen named Donnie Darko. It takes place in 1988, and it shows. Donnie is living in a rich suburban town and goes to a private Christian school. He seems pretty normal at first, but then one day a rabbit appears to him. It's not any rabbit, though. It's a large rabbit who tells Donnie the world will end soon. It also makes Donnie do violent acts like flooding his school. Donnie is seeing a psychiatrist who tells him he is schizophrenic. He's disturbed, but he's still on the search for something else. Something bigger than him. This film is a complex science fiction flick, but also a dark comedy. The comedy part is where Patrick Swayze comes in. He plays Jim Cunningham, a simple minded self righteous motivational speaker who divides everything into the categories FEAR and LOVE. What I think is funny about this is that it's all so real!! There are thousands of Jim Cunninghams all around the world.
Anyway, Donnie Darko is really brilliant and worth the watch
Rating:
Summary: Everyone Dies Alone; "Donnie" Makes the Interim Bearable
Review: I've watched "Donnie Darko" three times now in the last five days, and still can't say definitively if I like it. I appreciate the heck out it, am impressed by the imagination and creativity of the filmmakers, and admire the fact that what they put on screen belies their $4 million budget. Most of all, I enjoy the heightened sense of awareness I get every time it finishes. It's a feeling that lets me know, without question, that I've been affected by what I just saw. But when I think about the film rationally, as opposed to emotionally, it crumbles under the weight of its own conceit. Set in October of 1988, the story follows young Donnie Darko, a seemingly unbalanced teenager who is prone to sleepwalking. On one such night journey he meets a new friend, a 6-foot tall bunny rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world is going to end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. Upon returning home the next morning, he finds that an unaccounted-for airplane engine has crash-landed on his house, crushing the room where he should have been asleep in bed. It's the kind of setup that keeps the audience on its toes for the rest of the film. Where did the engine come from? Who is Frank? What do the fates, which obviously want him alive, have in store for Donnie Darko? The problem is that writer/director Richard Kelly has some ideas for answers to these questions, but he either: 1) Didn't have the budget to realize them; 2) Didn't want to give them away too early; or 3) Didn't want to give them away at all, preferring for the audience to fill in the gaps on their own. I don't have a problem when most filmmakers choose path #3. The audience should act as a participant in determining the meaning of the film. But they can't do it alone, in a vacuum. Kelly provides clues all along, but they are so hidden and so obscure, that even the most discerning viewer probably wouldn't be able to find them on first (or second, or third pass). It becomes even more frustrating when the ending, supposedly constructed to tie up all loose ends (or at least all loose ends that the writer has bothered tying up), bends and breaks the audience's ability to suspend disbelief. There's one final thread that I still can't logically rationalize, even though I know what was supposed to happen. Donnie rails against ignore-the-grey-area thinking, claiming that life is more complex than that. I wish Kelly would have heeded his own advice, for he does a lousy job presenting complex characters. Most everyone here is either good or evil, black or white. He loves the beatific Darko family, the progressive young teachers at school, and Gretchen (Jena Malone), Donnie's new girlfriend. He hates, and is unsympathetic to, Kitty, the little girl dance troupe that she exploits for her own ego, and the infomercial pitchman whose theories she buys into wholeheartedly. No scene holds a more pointed example of Kelly's inability to hide his hand, than an emergency PTA meeting. Called because someone has flooded the school and put an axe in the head of its mascot, it is inevitably interrupted by Kitty, who has discovered that an English teacher (Drew Barrymore) is teaching Graham Greene's short story "The Destructors". "Do you even know who Graham Green is?" asks a concerned mother. "I think we've all seen 'Bonanza'," comes the arrogant yet ignorant reply. Kelly didn't even have enough confidence in his good guys -- and by association, their quest -- to give them credible bad guys to rail against. Instead he offers villains whose actions are one step above twirling their moustaches menacingly and tying damsels in distress to railroad tracks. In Kelly's defense, "Donnie Darko" was his first film. And to his credit, there is a lot here that is either very accomplished or shows potential. I did say that every time I watch the film it affects me in a poignant way, and now I'll tell you why. First of all, it looks great. Kelly and crew, low budget or no low budget, have made a film that you can stand alongside any big budget blockbuster of the day, and it wouldn't look out of place. They even manage a skillful recreation of the living water effect first seen in James Cameron's "The Abyss". His camera work is ambitious or simple when necessary. In a film called "Donnie Darko", one would expect that light (or the lack thereof) would be an important player. Kelly and cinematographer Stephen B. Poster use clean suburban sunshine in the daytime, and extreme darkness at night. The latter is often punctuated by blinding flashes of light, most notably the brilliant beam that presciently spews from Frank's left eye. Kelly does fine detailed work making sure the authenticity of the time period is maintained. From the clothes, to the conversations, to, most importantly, the music, everything fits the era to a T. He manages to get fine use out of not one but two Tears for Fears songs: "Head Over Heels" adds power to an effective tracking shot showing the treacherous ecosystem that is Donnie's school; a cover of "Mad World" adds melancholy, without adding melodrama, to the affective denouement (like I said, emotionally the film works, but it can't stand up to reason). Overall, I'll give Richard Kelly the benefit of the doubt, and deign to recommend his film. Like I said, it offered me enough of a visceral rush that I've seen it multiple times, and look forward to seeing many times more. For all potential audience members, remember this: "Donnie Darko" will not make much sense, at least until you've done some further research into the hidden meanings of the film. Appreciate it as an emotional experience first, and its pleasures will fulfill you. I guess I liked it after all.
Rating:
Summary: two things
Review: all you can really say about this movie is that it involves a giant bunny rabbit and patrick swayze...that's it
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating film
Review: "Donnie Darko" is a movie unlike any movie I have ever seen. It is Richard Kelly's first film, and with this being his first, we can expect great things from him in the future.
Donnie is a kid who has delusions of a large demonic bunny rabbit named Frank who tlaks to Donnie about time travel, the end of the world and soon Donnie realizes that what Frank is saying is all ture and something must be done by him to save the world. The movie is brilliant in that it displays this idea, but in a way that is very inventive.
Kelly uses great storytelling and symbolism to get the stroy across and then uses new camera techniques to add efect. The film is shockig and excitingly original and it shouldn't be missed.
Be warned, it is a movie that involves thinking, but it is worth it.
Jake Gyllenhaal makes a surprise turn as Donnie. He does a great job. Jena Malone is wonderful as his girlfriend and Patrick Swayze is very funny as a self help guru not mich unlike Tappy Tibbons from Darren Aronofsky's "Requiem for a Dream."
This film is wonderful and has to be seen beucase Kelly has made a film that is impossible to describe using words, is has to be seen to be understood. It is an awesome film.
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