Rating: 
Summary: Good Film
Review: This movie is disturbing on a variety of levels: as satire, horror, and sci-fi. While I can't say I was entirely pleased with the way things were to have tied together--it reeked of undue cleverness and might have been handled less dramatically--it still had what most movies don't: something that surprises. Much of the film plods along in a 'dark' cloud of suspense and impending doom, and as another reviewer said, there's hardly a scene that doesn't catch you off guard. A great flick, well worth the watch.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Una película fuera de serie, irreverente, excéntrica, inteligente y maravillosa. Con grandes actuaciones y una crítica fina a la educación equivocada y las "modas" de las nuevas "filosofias" para enfrentar la vida llenas de falsos valores innecesarios. Gran moraleja que nos recomienda no complicarnos demasiado porque al final nos llega la muerte a todos.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing!
Review: This strange, hypnotic film is one of the best and most original I have seen in awhile! The first time I watched it I was blown away and thought about it for several days afterward...I had to run out and buy it. When I watched it the second time I noticed so many more things that I hadn't seen the first time. It is so worth seeing and evening adding to your DVD collection. It has a great cast, and Jake Gyllenhaal is so amazing in this haunting performance. I am a huge fan!
Rating: 
Summary: Spielberg Gothic
Review: The air of creepy dread in "Donnie Darko" is pitched just right. The movie plays with the conventions of teen comedy and teen horror movie without falling into the traps of either. Jake Gyllenhaal generates real sympathy for a character that could have easily been just another Holden Caufield variant. The tricky plot keeps you guessing. The movie is also the first period piece whose period is the late 1980's, which has got to count for something. "Donnie Darko" is totally worth watching once. Unfortunately I made the mistake of watching it twice within the space of a few days, and the second viewing diminished the charm of the first. Suddenly the teen angst was too heavy, and the loose ends I had found teasingly enigmatic seemed merely sloppy. Then I made the even worse mistake of watching a few scenes with the commentary turned on. Director Richard Kelly is a young guy with a dopey voice who clearly identifies with the put upon Donnie. The gap between what he thought he was doing and what actually came across killed whatever mystery was left."Donnie Darko" is Richard Kelly's first movie, and I'm eager to see what he does next. He's got more visual panache and interesting ideas than most people out there. If "Donnie Darko" doesn't hold together, it's mostly because he tried to put too much of a good thing into one package. You can still get your money's worth out of this movie, but you have to know what to do with it: watch it once, and take it back to the video store.
Rating:
Summary: And the Oscar for best picture goes to...
Review: This is a great movie. That's the only description you can give to a movie like Donnie Darko. It was GREAT. I like watching it over and over again because it's so good. I think a movie like this should have gotten an Oscar. A movie I never even saw comercials for.
-End
Rating:
Summary: Don't watch this on a school night....
Review: because you'll stay up watching all the extra stuff included in the DVD edition and you'll wake up late for work the next morning. Well I did anyway. Why did I buy this movie? I was watching an episode of Smallville which used Michael Andrews' version of "Mad World" (that Tears for Fears song) from Donnie Darko. I hadn't heard about the movie so I did some digging on the web, listened to some tracks from the Donnie Darko score and I was hooked. Anyway I usually don't buy DVDs but this one is a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Great Movie
Review: I warn you that this movie is not for everyone. It's the type of movie where if you get it, you love it but if you don't get it, it will be extremely boring. I love the whole movie as it is witty and funny as well as deep and meaningful. My advice is to watch the DVD as the extra scenes create a fuller, more complete movie. I wish they had made an extended version DVD with the extra scenes in it. What I find the best in this movie is the ending. It isn't hollywood but its not right out of left field either. One of the smartest endings I've ever seen. The whole movie is excellent and suggest that everyone gives it a go. It takes a few viewings to get the whole thing but well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This movie is brilliantly suspenseful. You will find yourself questioning the movie from beginning to end. This is definitely the type of movie that you could watch over and over, and still want to see it again!
Rating:
Summary: Really Weird...But Utterly Mesmerizing
Review: First of all, Jake Gyllenhaal is an outstanding actor, and I believe this was the first film I ever saw him in. I was totally entranced with the film even before the opening credits finished popping up on the screen. Jake plays Donnie Darko, a young man with a sleeping disorder that has him waking up in strange places (far away from his house, even). Usually, he is drawn out of the house at night by a gigantic bunny - actually, a guy in a bunny costume. Yes, it's really weird. But one night, the vision of the bunny man saves his life, as he is lured out of his bedroom not too long before a big piece of a plane comes crashing down on his bed - where he would have been at the time, if it weren't for his darn strange sleeping habits. This scene sets the stage for what is, I think, one of the strangest movies ever - and the most original. The film also stars Jake's real-life sister Maggie, as Donnie's sister. Patrick Swayze turns in a humorous performance as one of those annoying motivational speakers. Drew Barrymore plays one of his teachers, and Jena Malone is good as Donnie's love interest. And while all of their performances are good, none of them are as good as Jake Gyllenhaal, who gives a haunting, mesmerizing performance that will stick in your mind. If you're going to watch this movie, I suggest doing it on DVD, because I found the audio commentary to be extremely helpful. The reason for this is that there is a lot in this movie I don't really get (the ending, if you ask me, is a weird one, and would love it if someone could please tell me their take on it), and especially the actor commentary was helpful; little things are actually pointed out that could be crucial to understanding the film, or at least it is cool to see how everything sort of all comes together in the end. I don't think this film is for everyone, and a lot of people are going to probably start watching and decide it's too eccentric for them, and not even finish it. But I urge anyone to at least give it a chance, even if it is just for Jake's performance. I can't guarantee you won't be disappointed, but I can guarantee the film will stay with you for a while.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have DVD
Review: I missed this film in its theatrical release (apparently it received limited distribution), but since it requires at least two viewings, it's well-suited for DVD. It's difficult to describe the story or even characterize it by genre, which shows how original the film is. Simply put, it's about time travel, but it's about a lot more than that, too. The acting is consistently outstanding, with a list of well-known names in the cast, along with less familiar ones. Jake Gyllenhaal gives an amazing performance that is so convincing, you forget that he is acting; he IS Donnie Darko. While the story is mainly told through his eyes, the other characters are surprisingly sympathetic as well. This is not an easy feat for a script to accomplish, especially when the viewer must focus so much attention on every event. It would have been easy to create a one-dimensional hero and a bunch of villains, but writer/director Richard Kelly doesn't take the easy way out. Instead, we get a highly intelligent and challenging film that engages us as much as it baffles us, that injects enough humor to keep us from stress-overload, and most importantly, makes us want to watch it again and again, even after we know what's going on. In this sense, "Donnie Darko" succeeds where other films have fallen short: for example, I enjoyed the complexities of "Memento", but I was not able to identify or even care very much about any of the characters. The same was true of "The Usual Suspects". Both are excellent films, but I viewed both from a distance, more analytically than emotionally. I did not view "Donnie Darko" from a distance. I was drawn into the world that it creates, and enjoyed it enough to return more than once. A brilliant first film from Richard Kelly, who has set a very high standard for himself. The DVD does full justice to this fine movie. The video and audio are excellent, and the extra features are quite thorough. I particularly enjoyed the commentary by Richard Kelly and Jake Gyllenhaal, which I listened to the second time I watched the film. They do a great job of helping the viewer to connect the dots. They also include just enough of the usual "behind the scenes" banter to keep the commentary from becoming too academic. This DVD would definitely be included in any "desert island" list that I would ever compile. Strongly recommended!
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