Rating: 
Summary: Simply amazing
Review: Kudos to Drew Barrymore for having the guts to produce (and star in) this bizarre, engrossing, and powerful tale when Hollywood obviously wouldn't. Jake Gyllenhaal gives a wonderful performance as the title character, who sees visions of a giant man in a bunny costume, and carries out acts of vandalism as a result. He is joined by an all-star cast, including Patrick Swayze, Jena Melone, Noah Wyle, and of course Barrymore, who all have little subplots within the film. Not really a horror film, but a reference to "The Evil Dead" was appreciated by the young males in the audience. This film is definitely weird, and definitely not for all tastes, but many will appreciate the pure artistry of the film, as well as praise the brilliance of first time writer/director Richard Kelly. Along with "Hedwig and the Angry Inch", and "Moulin Rouge", "Donnie Darko" is one of the most creative and poweful films of the year...definitelty Oscar Worthy...
Rating:
Summary: Not perfect, but still brilliant.
Review: I'm not going to say the film isn't without flaws. There are a few details on the website(which is also quite an amazing piece of work) that seem like they should have been in the film. That said this movie is brilliant and well worth seeing.The cast is phenomenal across the board. The actor who plays Donnie has a great range and he really delivers on a difficult role. No one disappoints. and I really hope we see a lot more of the younger stars, Jena Malone and Jake Gyllenhaal in future films. I want to see all the actors again but many of them have quite a slew of movies behind them already. Kudos to Patrick Swayze for taking on a character that is mocked by the film. The plot itself is well developed and quite interesting. It's a time travel story, it's a coming of age story, it's a black satire of suburban life, and it's a meditation on fate. Not a combo I was expecting anyone to put together. The writing really delivers on this challenging idea. The dialogue is true, the characters are well developed, and the abiguity of just what exactly is going on is maintained throughout the film. If you want to see a film that asks raises ideas about fate, growing up, and other topics in a way you've never seen before then go and see this film!
Rating: 
Summary: A Star Is Born: Introducing Jake Gyllenhaal
Review: I saw a preview screening of the film yesterday in Manhattan. I did not know what the movie was about until I got the tickets on Wednesday and quickly surfed the official web-site. Even after that I did not fully understand what the movie was about. That all changed yesterday when I actually saw the film. Donnie Darko is a very cool movie. It was creepy, weird and also unexpectedly intentionally funny. Jake Gyllenhaal turns in the performance of a seasoned actor. It's shocking to see him turning in such a performance because he was in the summer flop Bubble Boy. His performance is wonderful and I have nothing but praise for this young actor. The movie is about Donnie Darko, a young man with a troubled past. He wants to be a good kid, but he is clearly troubled. He sleep walks, sees a therapist for his problems, and also has an imaginary friend named Frank a six foot tall bunny. One night while sleep walking a plane engine crashes through his roof, luckily he is not in his room. I will not divulge much of the plot from here because I already said too much, and to say anymore would ruin the experience for everyone else. Drew Barrymore is not a major character in the film. She pretty much has an extended cameo as Donnie's teacher. Her scenes though are good. She lends the credible star name to the film much like she did in the movie Scream. The rest of the supporting cast is good. His parents are pretty funny. Donnie's gym teacher is a total wackadoo, the talent show routine to the song 'Notorious' was hilarious. His bickering with his sister is also quite funny. The film is filled with 80's references to the Dukakis -vs- Bush election, to 'Star Search', to 'Smurfs', to a hilarious reference to 'Married With Children.' The movie also stars Mr. Dirty Dancing himself as a cheeseball self help guru, much like the Tappy Tibbons character in Requiem For A Dream. What's right about the movie: The characters performances, mainly Jake Gyllenhaal The inventive storyline. The tight direction and innovative camera shots. What's bad: The ending may be a bit of a disappointment for viewers used to Hollywood sugar coated endings. It's not a romantic comedy staring Julia Roberts doing the same thing she does in every movie. Lets face it mainstream audiences love to spend their money on a movie that's either a sequel to an established hit, or another variation on a movie they have seen countless times already, or on a movie with a major star and no plot. I challenge you guys to actually go see this movie, it will make you laugh, and think.
Rating:
Summary: A Search For Meaning
Review: The movie is probably one of the most engrossing films since Mulholland Drive and American Beauty. The movie is visually stunning in a dark way, a dark mysterious beauty of a movie. There are a variety of themes running throughout the film and I'm not exactly sure that they come together but I don't think the film was meant to have any pat answers to the questions and thoughts that come forth after watching it. It makes references to things that are quite deep, either by dialog or by using symbols, but kind of leaves the watcher to ponder on which direction they want to go with it. I believe Donnie is searching for a meaning to life, more than alot of other kids his age who have become apathetic and uncaring about learning and furthering the mind. This is touched upon by Karen, the teacher, played by Ms. Barrymore. You can see how people can become like puppets following the majority and losing sight of the truth, as seen by Jim the guru, played by Patrick Swayze. There are some references as how the dark side can be just as necessary as the light side. There doesn't have to be a polarity between the two, maybe they work together to create a balance? This movie is very deep as you can see. So if you want something easy and mindless this is not for you! The movie talks about free will and the ability to make choices. How the choices you make affect every aspect of your life. And last but not least the movie builds all this around time travel, is it real, is it a dream, is it a hallucination. I think the looks the two women give each other at the end will give you the answer. The acting was extrodinary! Donnie's was by far the most brilliant, his body posture, his eyes reflecting his genuis or madness?? Another standout was Mary Mc Donnell, she is just a wonderful actress, her ability to smile and show joy in sadness was really heart-rending. Jena Malone is probably one of the best young actors out there, she is consistantly good in every thing she comes out in! One last comment, Drew Barrymore was put down in some reviews I read and I must say I'm a bit shocked! She acted very well in this film, aside from her little girl voice, she came across very different than her usual performances. Her acting was restrained but effective it got the points across without any overacting. I was impressed by her work in this film and give her my praise! Overall a pretty excellent film!
Rating:
Summary: Trippy a** movie!!
Review: I have to say that this movie is a trip from begining to end. I wasn't even ripped when I saw this, but it gave me the same effect. If you want to see a movie that is like no other movie you have ever seen before, go see this one! It is definetly going in my DVD collection. I can't even explain it. Go see it!!
Rating:
Summary: A truly refreshing indie for thinkers...
Review: This movie raises the bar for intellectual indie filmmakers out there. Got your pumas, got your vibe, got your indie film personae in the local cafe...but for all of the "would-be" filmmakers out there....take note of Donnie Darko..there haven't been many thoughtful pieces like this put out in a looooong time.
Bravo to Richard Kelly for putting some I.Q. back into entertainment.
<Fingernail to my tooth> to all of the studios that passed on the opportunity to put this movie out in a big way.
Rating: 
Summary: Far from brilliant
Review: As with "Magnolia", the most obvious inspiration for this movie, "Donnie Darko" sustains an almost unbearable tension for its entire length. Unlike the former film, which weaves its disparate threads together to deliver a catharsis, this film does precious little with the tension aside from offering a cop out of a "deus ex machine". The fine acting, fine directing, super-creepy score should have all gone to a better end. This one is self-defeating.
Rating:
Summary: Go see this..
Review: The trailer for this film makes most people think it's just another generic teen angst/horror flick but it's anything but! I only went to see it after several friends insisted and now it's one of my favorite films. Think early David Lynch or Aronofsky's first film, Pi: it's not perfect but it sticks with you. Donnie Darko is an ambitious little indie film that assumes it's audience is intelligent. It's not predictable and the performances, especially by Jake Gyllenhaal, are dead-on. Darko is worth your ($). My first reaction to it was "huh?" and it stayed in my head for days. It haunts you and makes you think. How many Hollywood films make you do that?!
Rating:
Summary: Layers and Layers of Interpretation
Review: The year 2001 will go down in film history as being the year that two major film makers were introduced: Brad Anderson ("Session 9" and "Happy Accidents") and Richard Kelly the director of "Donnie Darko." That "Donnie Darko" can be interpreted in at least two ways is the mark of a major talent. The first way is that "Donnie Darko" is a story of the disintegration of a mind into insanity. The other is the examination of a life (Donnie's) in which dreams and reality forge an uneasy and unsettling union in which one cannot be extricated from the other. Donnie Darko is a high school student who is having major psychological problems which may or may not involve the following: sleep-walking, fire-setting, a "Harvey" like huge rabbit, murder and time travel to name a few. It is to director Kelly's credit that all of the elements meld together into a coherent and intelligent world view that can be supported by elements presented on the screen. On top of this the film is shot in beautiful yet somewhat unnatural hyper and muted color that is visually and viscerally effective. Not all the performances are effective though, but Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie , Jena Malone as Gretchen (once again radiant and intelligent as she was in "My Life as a House"), Mary Mc Connell as Donnie's Mom and Katherine Ross as Dr. Lillian Thurman, Donnie's psychiatrist are first rate. Many will leave this movie scratching their head in disbelief. But when closely examined, this film has the guts and the conviction of it's beliefs: we are in the presence of a cohesive world view in which up is down and down is up... or vice versa. The director, Richard Kelly exhibits influences as far-ranging as Luis Bunuel, Alfred Hitchcock, Francois Truffaut and Wes Craven yet manages to put forth his own imprimatur. Not much is resolved by the end of this film but bear in mind that this movie has a very specific beginning, middle and end... always in adherence to Aristotle's "Poetics" in regards to form and execution. Whether we buy into any of it at all is up to us. Personally, I'm rooting for a second Richard Kelly film to see if he can sustain the very high level of professionalisn he has exhibited in "Donnie Darko." My bet is that he will.
Rating:
Summary: And then I said and then....
Review: The easy way to describe this movie is to say it's a mix of Fight Club meets Jacob's Ladder with a dash of Sam Kinison and Romeo & Juliet. What makes the film truly special is that it doesn't condescend by spoon-feeding the viewer what to think, and it is not predictable (even after visiting the website where they give things away). Humor without a laugh track is always the best and combining it with death, "fear and love", and nightmares makes it even better. If there is not a character in the film with which you can relate, then there are those who can cause you to feel something. In a day where big-budget bonanzas are a zloty a dozen, this gem shines proudly in comparison to the lackluster (...) Hollywood shovels down the masses' gullet under the guise of "entertainment". My only hope is they don't ever make a sequel, for this masterpiece stands on it's own. Is it a hallucination, or a vision? Is it real, or is it a dream? I find it kind of funny... I find it kind of sad... the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had...
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