Rating: 
Summary: Hmm...
Review: Personally, I think you'll either love or hate this movie. There is no in between. When I watched this movie, I couldn't stand it, yet I keep telling people to watch it because I cant.. Even describe it.
And it freaked me out.
STILL freaks me out.
::Shiver::
Rating: 
Summary: Chance or Choice which makes up the outcome
Review: Donnie Darko is a young teen living in Middlesex who tries to keep his nightime sleepwalks private from his friends and family. Then after a jet engine from a plane crashes in his room and he realizes he should have been in his room a new light to life starts to take perspective and chance and choice come into play. Though after hearing what could be the turning events leading up to the end from his imaginary friend Frank, who is a giant bunny rabbit from the future he just thinks its the medicine thats making his head spin rather than reality. After hearing directions from Frank to wrong the right by exposing the truth about many of Middlesex's people Donnie follows with will. This leads to drastic measures which all ends up in him causing damage to many areas of the community. He then ends up falling in love and realizes he has to make everything of the last moments he could spend with her.
Rating:
Summary: Open Ended Review
Review: I usually review music here at Amazon and not movies but I do so now because this is one of the more interesting flicks to come out of the dream/reality murkiness genre that underlies a lot of cult classics both on celluloid and in print. What makes this flick work is the various meaningful levels it can be viewed from...its open endedness that some critics complain about is really a strength. That Frank is really not developed as a character leaves you wondering who really was in control of time, was time in control of Darko or vice versa, was Darko really mad, does Darko have an alter ego, is madness and time travel always synonymous, and are we bound up in fate or are meetings with fate established randomly (Frank again). There is that whole Borges question about whether the dreamer invents us or do we invent the dreamer (Liebnez's argument that no real interaction occurs within the universe...that everything is already internallly pre-determined and that reality merely reflects a mirrored image of what events have on one another can be argued here as one side of Borges dilemma). Also, there is the question of personal time travel and madness ( somebody must have been reading Doris Lessing). There is the MacClean thing and the triune brain that wars with us, especially in our dream states..that that strange reptillian bunny that Frank creates is what is really what Darko struggles against, sometimes losing, but in the end triumphing over it when he destroys Frank and saves his girlfriend's life rather than giving in to the cold survival of his own being (real meaning of love?). Then there is the whole literalist mentality (James Hillman) thing going on with Cunningham and the gross oversimplification of achieving love and happiness by merely dropping all the complexities of the human soul and mind and becoming part of the "animal realm." Then there is that whole Jungian thing of the shadow side of us, the experienced side (Blakes' Tyger Tyger in the night...)or what Lorca called "the duende"...(the prankster that will lead us through the land of the dead but would just as soon fool and kill us) which forces complexities ( and sometimes evil) on us no matter how much we grasp for simplistic answers to our problems. Then there are minor themes that deal with phychiatry and its role in regulating madness, fate and the truly tragic person ( though Darko's girlfriend's character could have been fleshed out more in her tragic persona), and the nature of education and what education really should and should not be. Finally, the soundtrack is pretty damn good too. But the movie has its flaws. There is a lack of clarity as to why Darko's shrink is trying to call him near the end...there is really no tie in I could find to her knowing what happened to his girlfriend; so the reasoning there is a bit stretched. And where did all those bikes suddenly come from? Also, there is a lack of sophistication in the the time traveling scenarios that I thought had a great opportunity to be addressed through Roberta's book. I would have liked to see a meeting between Darko and the nutty Roberta...or at least some kind of explanation come out of her book that would have tied into Einstein, Hiesenberg, Godel or Bohm (& Aspect's experiemnts of Bohm's theories). For these reasons, I almost dropped it a star, but I would like people to see this one because its "works" at so many levels...again destined to become a cult classic...like Liquid Sky...out of the New Wave era.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost really good; but as it stands, just pretty good
Review: Summary:
Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) appears to be a delusional schizophrenic with a number of other problems, including a potentially anti-social personality disorder. He is being visited, usually in daydreams or hallucinogenic states, by a disfigured rabbit named Frank (James Duval). Frank, who describes himself as a messenger from the future, tells Donnie to do certain things, including flooding and defacing his high school and burning down a local, motivational speaker's house (Patrick Swayze). While experiencing these visits, Donnie is seeing a therapist (Katharine Ross), has fallen in love with the new girl in school (Jenna Malone), is having trouble with his parents (Eddie Darko - Holmes Osborne; Rose Darko - Mary McDonnell), and is having trouble at school. What all of these people surrounding Donnie don't know is that Frank has informed Donnie when the world is going to end. Donnie, meanwhile, begins exploring conceptual understandings about God and time travel in hopes of understanding what is happening to him. The movie ends with Donnie realizing that he wasn't delusional, but that realization comes with a steep price. Comments:
Several friends highly recommended this movie, describing it as a dark 'mind trip' (though they used a slightly different word, if you get my drift). In some ways I would agree that this movie is, for the most part, a mind trip, but I think it would be more accurate to describe it as a film that has the potential to be a 'mind trip'. Though this movie is about as close as a movie can get to being a mind trip, I don't think it quite pulls it off. But the reason why is not because the story didn't have all the essential elements, but because the elements that would have given the story the necessary additional information to solidify the intrigue are cut from the final version of film. The result is a movie far more open to interpretation than I believe was originally intended. The movie is supposed to contrast divinity and insanity, but it doesn't quite get there without the deleted scenes and director's commentary. I don't understand why, in the DVD edition, a director's cut version is not an option. If it was offered, I don't think I could complain about this movie. As far as the acting goes, Jake Gyllenhall is tremendous. Most of the rest of the cast is okay, but I found myself not caring that the supporting cast wasn't outstanding because Gyllenhall was so good. Generally I also comment about the fluency and logic of the story, but my only concern with this film is that too much of the story was cut (see above). Overall, I enjoyed the film, but I have a tendency to be critical of films that require additional commentary in order to be understood. I understand that some films are designed to be interpreted, but I don't think the degree of openness to interpretation in this film was intended. Sure, the issues of God and time travel are left unresolved, but the I believe the writer/director had intentions to clarify the issues that were being raised but was forced to cut some of the scenes that would have done this. I think a good example of a movie that has enough substance to clearly raise an issue but not offer any answers is 'Eyes Wide Shut' (or pretty much any Kubrick film), though Kubrick was generally able to take as much time as was necessary to tell his story. Thus, my critique of the film is more of a disappointment; it had what was necessary to be a great film, but, sadly, elements that were necessary for achieving that end were cut when they shouldn't have been. Though those elements are offered as special features on the DVD, they should have been reincorporated into the movie on the DVD - then the writer/director wouldn't be able to complain.
Rating:
Summary: "The dreams in which I'm dying Are the best I've ever had"
Review: (Donnie Darko) Dir: Richard Kelly 2001 First of all I salute the director for his trend in thinking of our nature of reality and existence which really deserves the shedding of our thoughts. Although the Eighties were relatively near era with none very signifying features to be represented by, the atmosphere of the movie is amazingly indicative, you really feel that this movie was shot in the eighties.
This movie has a very original plot, especially amongst those pillars of remakes and sequels we are compelled to watch every year, here we have a unique case in demonstrating ideas, to cover the plot with a quilt of pseudoscience as a metaphor of our direct perceptions. Mr. Kelly is hiding his original overall concept about our reality, existence, death and after all the after life. But I forgive him for he was aware that the audience will reject that all the solutions will be resolved by a dream, which is becoming a relic plot device. At the first place let us not to forget it is the Eighties, so the world obviously did not come to an end. So the other interpretation for the rabbit's warning must have one of the following probabilities:
1) If Mr. Darko is still sane enough, so it is his own world which is going to end.
2) Or the whole dream is a part of his delusions.
I choose the first probability:
And now, Let us return to the opening scene when Darko is awaken and standing up from his sleep on the road (this place might be his after life residence), he awakes with a satisfactory smile filling his face that is due to his rewarding dream, the dream in which he was alternately showed what is the effect of his prolonged existence on his beloved ones would be if he had not died.
Yes you began to catch Mr.'s Kelly concept which says that "every dying individual is rewarded by a satisfactory dream before he die" a dream in which the deceased one know that his time on earth is up for considerable reasons.
If you do not consider my explanation, let's revise the following tips which may support my assertion:
1) Darko main terror is the fear of death
2) Watch carefully for center of the falling jet engine it has a mark of a painting of a swirl just like the type of paintings we can only see in amusement parks, it is a hint that what we are seeing is a dream sequence.
2) There elements of dream pseudo-reality:
1) Fear is not antonym to Love as it has been taught in the
Lessons of spirituality.
2) Graham Greene's graphic novel is impossible to be part of the curriculum in the USA high schools during the eighties.
3) All the pseudoscience of time travel and "The Philosophy of Time Travel" book are a dream resolutions (I personally had experienced those kind of dreams in which you can fix any problem with a very then convincing solutions and just after you wake up with the pride of victory you discover it was nonsense hokum, for example my testing days of I dreamt once while I was studying for math test of equations so naïve that I was awaken very convinced of my invention, and seconds later as they vanish, I recognize they were the daughters of my dreaming mind)
4) Watch out for Mrs.' sparrow whispering quote is a reminiscent of his personal terror (fear of death) "Every living creature on earth dies alone".
5) The song mad world reveals it all
6) All the declination of his mental state and its consequences (sabotaging the school, the death of his girl friend, killing (Frank) the rabbit and the death of his mother and sister) are better is interpreted as part of his dream.
I admit very much this movie for it is a character study about the titular young man who is losing it for a not very clarified although intricate reasons. If you like that movie I strongly recommend.
David lynch's Mulholland drive, Lost highway Adrian Lyne's Jacob's ladder and of course Soderbergh's Solaris.
Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: This movie is perfect. It obviously doesnt use traditional plots and such. Donnie goes throught october being guided by his hallucinations. He is 'coached' on what to do and is told the day when everything will end. He obeys his instructions which set up everything to go wrong (people die) but yet he can die for them. Its like everything happens just so he can make a choice. Very philosophical. Will definantly make you think.
Rating:
Summary: If you found the movie confusing, you need to see the DVD
Review: I can understand how someone who saw this movie in a theatre as a stand alone experience could find it confusing. Fortunately, the deleted scenes in the DVD kind of take you by the hand and clue you in to what actually happened to Donnie, and why. Having said that, though I'm truly glad I watched them, my overwhelming impression of every deleted scene was that there was a good reason it was deleted, that the movie was better without it. For instance, the scenes with Donnie carving pumpkins with his sister and her attempt to help him, and his heart-to-heart with his Dad, were very well-acted but lessened the sense of Donnie as being isolated, of having to deal with this hideous problem alone. The scene with Elizabeth on the phone gives us way too great a clue toward one of the big surprises later in the film. I'm very, very glad they cut the scene where the shrink tells Donnie his pills are just placebos. Again, that greatly lessens the sense of Donnie as being in a totally crappy situation, a big part of which was being forced to take anti-phychotic drugs. It also paints the doctor, a character we're supposed to like and respect, as being extremely deceitful and manipulative, to have lied about this, not only to Donnie but his very concerned parents. "I think we should increase his medication," indeed. Nuke that one. Watch this movie. Enjoy the very many good things it has to offer. Then watch the deleted scenes to understand what you've just watched.
Rating:
Summary: Slightly bizarre, yet you keep wanting to watch it....
Review: "Donnie Darko" is...interesting. And slightly bizarre at the same time (hello, the Demonic Bunny!). It's different. And it shows how good of an actor Jake Gyllenhaal is, going from "Bubble Boy"'s Jimmy to "Donnie Darko" is a big change. It's somewhat difficult to explain this movie, but if you want to see a different kind of movie, then rent it.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: I rented Donnie Darko in August, of last year, and I was totally blown away. Finally a year later I was able to buy the DVD. This film is truly one of the most original films ever with an incredible story by the director/writer Richard Kelly. My rating is 5 stars and I truly mean that. Donnie Darko is a flawless film which is rare to find in movies. The DVD is good too with special features, that can explain the story more for those who were confused the first time they saw it, (I know I was) like The Philosophy Of Time Travel book and the audio commentary with Richard Kelly and Jake Gyllenhaal. Also check out the official website for more extras on the movie.
Rating:
Summary: perfect.
Review: This film deserves all the accolades it has accumulated. I don't think I have ever given 5 stars to any movie...maybe to nothing I've reviewed on Amazon. But Donnie Darko is just stunning. It gives you so much. Few things approach perfection, especially in the world of hackneyed Hollywood crud, but this film makes it. Richard Kelly uncorked a masterpiece for the ages.
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