Rating: 
Summary: Donnie Darko! *Spoilers*
Review: Whoa, How do I describe this movie? Well for starters, Donnie Darko isn't like most movies, infact the closest one I know off the top of my head has to be 'Harvey'. Why do you ask its like 'Harvey'? Well, Donnie see's an imaginary bunny named Frank, but Frank isn't an average bunny. Infact he is Donnie's sister's boyfriend in a costume. Anyways, the story starts out showing Donnie Darko (Who is played by the wonderful actor Jake Gyllenhaal), laying on top of a hill (Which is called 'Carpathian Ridge'). Apparently Donnie, who is sixteen years old, sleep walks, and has gotten into trouble before, but really wants to be a good kid. He goes back home and that night, he is awoken by 'Frank', who tells him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. Donnie is skeptical about this warning, but believes it, cause when he comes home, he sees that a jet engine crashes in his room, which would have killed him if Frank hadn't come. He believes and does everything Frank tells him to do. Next Gretchen a new girl at school, is Donnie's love interest, soon they hook-up. Meanwhile, Donnie who goes to a therapist named Doctor Therma learns about Frank and hypnotises Donnie to tell him things about Frank. Dr. Therma starts to wonder whats wrong with Donnie and ups his medication. Then Donnie finds out that Roberta Sparrow who is an old lady who lives alone and checks the mail box obsessively, wrote a book called 'The Philosophy of Time Travel', Donnie studies it and understands what is happening to him. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE, STOP HERE.
An inspiration speaker named Jim Cunningham who believes that there are only two things in life, Fear and Love is called 'the anti-christ' by Donnie at an assembly at school. And Donnie burns down his house to reveal that Jim is a children's pornographer. Donnie's little sister, Samantha is in a dance squad called Sparkle Motion who make it to Los Angeles for a competition, but their leader Kitty cannot take them for she is fighting for Jim's right, so she asks Mrs. Darko to take them for her, Mrs. Darko says yes, and leaves Donnie and his sister Elizabeth home alone for a weekend. They have a party, and soon Donnie's days are up, Frank tells him to go to the Cellar Door by Roberta Sparrow's house which was mentioned to Donnie by his teacher, and Gretchen gets run over by Frank, and Donnie shoots him, and take Gretchen back home, that night Donnie goes to bed, thinking its all a dream, and is killed that night, by the recurring jet engine. On the DVD it reveals how Donnie's medication is really placebos, and much more. The DVD is wonderful, it has deleted scenes, the web site gallery, and TONS more! I love this movie and you should too! I hope this helps everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Through all the angst of the movie, all the confusion and just general darkness, I kept thinking it would probably have some ending that would blow me away. After all, look at the cast. Some fine acting talent there. Unfortunately, it is rife with huge logic leaps. For example, we have a teenager that is in therapy and under medication for hallucinations, imaginary friends, whatever. Does he start asking questions about hallucinations? Precognition? Drug side effects and expansion of the mind? Nope. He suddenly has an intense interest in wormholes and time travel. Not only is it not a logical deduction for the audience, we're never given any inclination as to why the character made the jump. Apparently they don't have Star Trek in his world, because he has to go get the answers from his science teacher. He could've gotten more detailed information from a single Star Trek: The Next Generation episode. So, when we get to the end of the film, we have a deus ex machina that comes in and fixes everything. Ta-da! As a viewer, I felt cheated of the climactic ending the rest of the film demanded. Unfortunately, that's gotten to be typical of horror flicks lately, though I wouldn't classify this as horror. It left me with the feeling that if they'd just made a few changes, they could've made this an outstanding movie. As it was, when the credits started rolling I was left with one overwhelming question: "huh?"
Rating:
Summary: original, refreshing, daring
Review: this director's first feature is incredible. i was floored by the plot, it is so unpredictable and daring. he uses a combination of sci-fi, horror, drama and comedy in a suburban environment, kinda like american beauty turned inside out, outside in. the film takes place in 1988 and everything that era was about, supported with an excellent selection of songs. the high school, his friends, the whole environment back then is dead on. early in the film, the director uses an unbroken, one take shot gliding through the high school, introducing us to all the main characters,like the opening scene from "a touch of evil", with a 'tears for fears' song playing in the background, masterful. the director also uses a creepy, sinister score for the film's darker and deeper moments, done wonderfully by michael andrews. donnie darko is the main character, a 16 year old high schooler who takes mediciation for being schizo. after a demented bunny saves him from death, donnie begins his journey into figuring out how to stop the world from ending, with burning down a house, flooding his school, getting a girlfriend and understanding time travel. along the way, we're introduced to unforgettable characters and incidents, with many laughs. this movie covers alot of ground and is hugely ambitious. it's not your typical film but has layers of meaning, depth and warmth like no other film i've seen in a while. people say the ending is confusing, but if you take the time to understand it, it's mindblowing; worth watching more then once and owning. the dvd has an awesome special features section that is definitely worth checking out and the deleted scenes explain alot. the web site is super cool (google donnie darko) , a virtual reality type game that helps tie together everything. it's too bad this got a limited theatrical release due to its small budget... ENJOY!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies you'll probably never see
Review: I've noticed that my film viewing habits include movies that deal with predeterminism, time, and the questions about what constitute reality. Donnie Darko takes on all three and does it admirably. Richard Kelly's first screenplay and directorial debut challenges everything you think you know about time travel and sets it in a wonderful 80's family setting. I loved his family and even though we never know why Donnie's seeing a psychiatrist, we see a slice of his life at home, at school, and in his dreams that alter his and our own ideas about realities. Get it for the Gary Jules version of Tears For Fears' Mad World tune alone.
Rating:
Summary: Mind Bending
Review: I rented this movie on a whim one night after winning a free rental. I didn't really expect much out of it, but it ended up being a phenominal watch. It might be a little confusing, but you can interpret it as you will - a reason why some people who like a no-strings-left-untied ending will balk at this film. The DVD was packed full of extras, and a commentary that will really put the whole film into the right perspective if you have a lot of questions left over. The same goes for the cut scenes - they help you if you're confused with the movies ending, also. Everyone in the movie gives a stunning performance, and the overall feel of the movie will stick with you.
Rating: 
Summary: Doonie Darko misses the marko
Review: Poor writing, self-conscious film making and a chaotic plot are just some of the highlights of this pile of stink. This is the story of a troubled teen who is tormented by hallucinations of a rabbit. The problem is that the antagonist is not clearly defined untill the very end of the film and even then it is questionable. Is the antagonist the rabbit? bullies? schizophrenia? parents? teachers? the motivational speaker? the world? the universe? etc. I still don't know. But it is all neatly explained and resolved by a nice tidy wormhole and grandma death's "Philosophy of Time Travel" book. It is a mistake in my opinion to have a protagonist faced with a multitude of problems, and have the problems resolved by a "miracle". Actually the film broke all the traditional rules of structure and I don't think this was intententional. It was because the writer/director doesn't know them. A lack of structure in film is easy to pass off as original and experimental if there are some well know actors and the themes are confusing. I love fantasy and horror movies but this DVD falls into the genre of drink coaster.
Rating: 
Summary: What Dreams May come
Review: One of the coolest films ever made, DOnnie Darko is different fro manything else I've seen. The story is confusing and comples and requires repeat viewings a visit to the website and the commentary track to understand. To some that may seem like overkill, "shouldn't the movie explain itself?". But personally I love the way it works out. You have to really explore and think about this film before you truly understand what has happeend by the time it ends. Visually the film is stunning. Filmed with very subtle camera moves and bright, yet wet looking colors it creates a perfect atmosphere. Everything looks normal, but it carries a slightly eerie feel to it. As far as acting goes, Gyllenhaal is fantastic as the lead. He shows little emotion when normal, however when he goes into his trances he gets this strange glazed look on his face. Great acting. The rest of the cast is very good as well, although I'll never be a big fan of Drew Barrymore. The movie seems very real. The family acts lie kany normal family would. It doesn't feel forced or faked. The teenagers seem like ttenagers, they arent exaggerations of teenage stereotypes. The film is very reminiscent of the real world. Overall this is a very intellectual film. THer is no straightout comedy or action, but the film is funny at times and is often exciting. It would be very hard to find a catagory to fit Donnie darko. Many people will find it confusing and dull, many others will think that it tries to hard to be an intellectual film. However if you enjoy having to think about your movies, or jsut strange movies in general, Donnie Darko is a great pick. Probobly not the best choice for the casual FilmGoer who is just in it for a good time. This movie has a very independent film feel to it, without getting too pretentuous or bogged down in drawn out dialogue. Darko is excellence in cinema.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: This has to be one of the best films I've seen in a long time. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a depressed, medicated teen who is visited by the future killer of his girlfriend. The death was an accident, and the guy who was driving the car has come from another dimension in the future to try to make Donnie see what will happen if he doesn't figure out how to go into the past and change it. Jake Gyllenhaal is absolutely fabulous, hysterically funny and touching in his more depressing moments. I'm still a little fuzzy on the Noah Wyle and Drew Barrymore characters. Did they know what was going on or were they just really overacting? I'd put money on the latter. All in all, I was impressed.
Rating:
Summary: Just When You Thought Originality Was Dead!
Review: I really enjoyed Donnie Darko. The movie intersects different people's lives and emotions in a very thought-provoking manner. It doesn't make in fun of paranoid schizophrenia, a disorder in which Donnie suffers from, but shows the depths of his degripping from reality and how it affects the people he loves, such as his family, his girlfriend, his friends, and his community/school. His intelligence also plays a key factor in how amazing and yet ironic Donnie is portrayed. The actors, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, etc, brilliantly showcased the anguish, pain, remote happiness that these characters dealt with. In most films,you never see the main character who has extraordinary intelligence, yet struggle with the same mind that gives them that same intelligence, plus the fact that he tries to find out more about what is making him have these visions of Frank, the demonic rabbit, is enduring. The concept of the end of the world/time travel is an amazing and original idea that I think, has never been captured so brilliantly in a film before. No one really talks about what would happen if we could go back in time and change what we did or said, or how we'd feel if the world suddenly ended. The fact that Donnie tried to find an explanation and then sacrifices his own life to give better ones to his girlfriend, family, etc. is touching. With the subject of the end of the world, it's wonderfuly projected how the people involved took time to give us Donnie's thoughts on what he thought about the world ending, how it made him feel, his conflictions w/ God, philosophy and simple everday life.Someone who isn't very interested in religion, philosophy, or science fiction,like myself, would have looked at this movie and been like, "This looks like crap", but I was fortunate enough to see the movie and see something different...original than what I have seen in movies today. A very warm, disturbing, yet original film that has inspired me not to take for granted the mental health I have, the family I have, the life I live. It is my best and all-time favorite movie in my life.
Rating:
Summary: The DVD enhances this great movie, making it PERFECT!!
Review: Donnie Darko was a great movie. I was stunned by the concept and execution when I first watched it on VHS. Then I got the DVD and had my brain blown. First off, let me just say that the DVD is packed with features: two commentary tracks, dozens of deleted scenes, the full website (which has crucial epilogue stories, and is only accessible online with difficult trivia paswords), full copy from the book that plays such a vital role in the story and so SO much more. The Donnie Darko DVD is how DVDs should be: filled with features, all of which enhance the film. So, first things first: the director's commentary is AMAZING. If you had any questions after watching the movie (which most everyone did), the Richard Kelly addresses most of them...with humor and charisma. Jake Glyndenhall is also part of the director's commentary, and he's very funny. I especially loved his joke about "FOUR MILLION DOLLARS! We only had FOUR MILLION DOLLARS!" His groundskeeper Willy impression was pretty spot-on, too. The other commentary isn't quite as good...mostly just cast and crew chatting over the film, and Producer Drew Barrymore rambling about whatever. The deleted scenes provide some incredibly important story components, addressing Donnie's medication, who Frank is, and so much more. I couldn't BELIEVE that some of these scenes were cut. Some of them are just such integral aspects of the storyline....and I think you can feel their absence in the film. Richard Kelly provides commentary for these, too, explaining why he had to cut each scene. Reading "The Philosophy of Time Travel" book that's referenced in the film is a great advantage towards understanding the story, as well. It's a little hard to read all the text on your screen...but well worth the squinting. It's clear that Richard Kelly put a LOT of work into this story, and it's nice to see all that work in one place. Perhaps my favorite part of the DVD were the "Cunning Visions" infomercials. You have to turn the commentary on to appreciate the sheer comedic genious of these things. So so funny. I also recommend reading the website stories before watching the infomercials. It'll all make sense that way. Regardless: "I'M NOT AFRAID ANYMORE!" HA! In sum, this DVD enhances and explains this wonderful movie, actually improving on the original film. Highly recommended, especially to those who just didn't quite understand what happened in the movie. If you liked the movie the first time around, you'll be as floored as I was with this DVD, and understand why I think this is probably the best DVD I've ever seen. So many features, such great commentary, and beautiful design. BRAVO!
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