Donnie Darko

Rating:
Summary: My favorite!
Review: In a world of chick flicks, plotless action movies, and comedies lacking depth, Donnie Darko is the savior. I've done everything I can to spread the word of this great movie... nearly everyone I meet I recommend this to.

The movie isn't a horror film in any way at all, nor is it creepy (or at least I didn't think so). It is simply brilliant Science Fiction. Don't get me wrong, though... it's not boring like many science fiction movies.

It is hard to describe the plot without making the movie sound moronic or giving away too much, so I will not try. All I can say about it is that if you love yourself, go see this movie.

Rating:
Summary: not for the lazy viewer
Review: This movie is a psychological thriller, a mind-bending science- fiction work, and a piece of social satire all rolled into one. Although I would not consider it a horror movie, it can be a tad creepy at times. When it's not being creepy, it is quite often hilarious. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a smart movie that deals with a number of different issues (sometimes at the same time) and delves into a number of different movie genres. I do not recommend this movie to someone who lacks the patience to watch movies more than once.

The acting in the movie is generally pretty good. The big names (Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle) will attract many of the movie's viewers, but after watching the movie, few will doubt that it's the teens of the cast that really make it special.

Rating:
Summary: Mind Mysterious
Review: I highly recommend this film to those who prefer something that is not what it seems, to those who do not judge a book by its cover.
This film takes you on a journey through troubled mind of Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) who to some "is Toby Mcguires Ungerdog" which I find to be so far from the truth. Jake goes beyond the borders of Mcguire and takes you inside the mind and through a parallel of time travel and theory, all as a highschool student. With the help of a bizzare accident, and a strangely mangled Rabbit Companion only reffered to as...now would I give that away...
With a classic soundtrack, lighting and vivid color, camera work (pay note to a particular scene as the camera lingers the highschool halls) and cast of Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle, and Patrick Swayze in the mix this film does justice to an eventual classic cult. See for yourself, through the eyes of Donnie Darko.

Rating:
Summary: Burn it to the ground
Review: This movie is my favorite movie. I haven't enjoyed anything more, and it is truly a wonderfully entertaining work of art. If you haven't at least rented it, please do, and as soon as you can. Great film. Great Great Film.

Rating:
Summary: 'Donnie Darko'? Sounds like some kind of superhero
Review: This brilliant film didn't make much of a splash in the U.S. when it appeared in theaters. On DVD, though, it's getting the attention it deserves.

Which makes sense, really; it's not the sort of film you grok fully after one viewing. There's a lot going on here, and some of it isn't actually explained within the movie itself. (For the SF time travel/alternate universe skeleton on which the story is hung, you'll probably need to look online for excerpts from _The Philosophy of Time Travel_, a fictional book that figures prominently in the movie.)

The time travel bit is pretty well worked out, and this film would be a success purely as an SF film even if that's all it were. In its time-travel logic, it's not quite as tight as the first Terminator film, but it beats the heck out of _Timecop_.

But it's lots of other things too: a charming late-80s period piece (with lots of music -- including a gorgeous remake of Tears for Fears' 'Mad World' -- to satisfy anybody out there who happens to be nostalgic for the 1980s); a scorching satire of public education; a dark comedy about puberty, teen angst, and psychological disorders; a comeback vehicle for Katharine Ross and Patrick Swayze; and an extended parable the moral of which is that kids had better save themselves because adults are too screwed up to do the job. (First-time director Richard Kelly wrote the script.)

That's a lot of balls to keep in the air -- but, amazingly, the film succeeds in _every one_ of these aspects. Its success is due in no small measure to the mesmerizing performance of Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role; he carries the entire film on his shoulders. His real-life sister Maggie is also delightful as Elizabeth Darko, and the adult Darkos (Holmes Osborne and Mary McDonnell) are a refreshing change of pace from the usual teen-film parents. Jena Malone, as Donnie's girlfriend Gretchen Ross, is well matched with Gyllenhaal (and this is the second time in five years that she's appeared in a movie with wormholes in it: she also played Jodie Foster's younger self in _Contact_).

The rest of the cast is good too -- especially Swayze, who camps it up as a smarmy self-help guru.

Oh, and there's the rabbit. If you're reading this page, you're surely aware that Donnie is visited by a human-sized bunny who persuades him to engage in odd behavior while he's sleepwalking. (You may be reminded of _Harvey_ at this point, but director Richard Kelly says he wasn't thinking of that film at all.)

If you haven't seen this movie yet, you may be thinking that a film in which a teenaged boy is visited by a giant rabbit cannot _possibly_ work. I guarantee you you'll be pleasantly surprised once you actually watch it; this one is every bit as good as you've heard it is. In its way it's every bit as mind-blowing as David Lynch's _Mulholland Dr._ -- but with a gentler, lighter touch, a fine sense of humor, and, in its way, a more hopeful message (though every bit as dark as Lynch).

It's being rereleased in theaters in an extended 'director's version', but the current DVD includes about twenty deleted scenes that will presumably constitute at least a lot of the additional footage. If you want to see what you've been missing, grab this one while it's still available; if a director's-cut CD is ever released, you can buy it too. And you'll probably want to.

Rating:
Summary: A Little-Known Gem
Review: This movie works on several levels at once: an SF time-travel/parallel universe story; a satire of high school; and a portrait of a disturbed teen. There were parts at which I laughed out loud, especially when he and his sister are sniping at one another, and how the parents react. Then there is when he's first under hypnosis and how he reacts to the questions. And of course there is the discussion of the Smurfs. It's a funny film, an accurate one, and, in some ways, a sad one.

Rating:
Summary: Its hard to summarize....
Review: I don't think ANYONE can really do this movie justice by describing it. No matter what you read, when you actually see this movie, it will be TOTALLY diferent then what you were expecting. When I saw this movie, I knew quite a good deal about it myself, but it was still far different and far better then I EVER thought it would or could be.

I'm NOT going to bother summarizing the plot, it just seems pointless. And I'm, certainly not going to ruin anything for you. The best thing is to come into this movie knowing as little as possible and with an open mind.

Its part science fiction, part drama, part comedy, part teen movie, part satire, its so many things in one, its hard to describe, and you can't just lump it into to one cateragory.

So, if you've read this review, my advice to you is this: DON'T read ANYMORE reviews, some contain a GOOD DEAL OF SPOILERS, and you DON'T want that. However, after you see this movie, its a great place to understand it better if you were as confused as I was after seeing it(its all cleared up now though). So I suggest watching the movie, then watching it again so you can understand it.

Hey, if seeing a equally unique and remarkable movie isn't enough, it has Jake Gyllenhaal, and well, he's just plain hot. ;P But you don't have to take my word for it.

God Bless ~Amy

Rating:
Summary: Take a waltz in the 4th dimension.
Review: Meet Donnie, a pessimistic 16-year-old schizophrenic (aptly played by Jake Gyllenhaal). One night Donnie hears a voice call to him, he gets out of bed and walks to a nearby golf course where he meets Frank, a six-foot-tall rabbit. "28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, 12 seconds. That is when the world will end," Frank tells Donnie. Donnie awakes on the golf course and walks home. It turns out a jet engine fell from the sky and smashed into his room. No one knows where it came from.

Donnie Darko has every movie genre rolled into one. It contains the sarcastic wit of a comedy, the thought-provoking elements of a psychological thriller, the scientific edge of a sci-fi film...

What made this film one of my favorites was the fact that I was pondering it weeks afterward. My friends and I would discuss several different possibilities for why the way it ended the way it ended. Though I never quite got it until I watched the commentary on the DVD with the director, Richard Kelly and Jake Gyllenhaal, which is very humorous as well as informative to the aspect of the 4th dimension in the movie.

As for DVD extras, they are not disappointing. There are several quite relevant deleted scenes that include a scene in which Donnie's psychiatrist tells him that his pills to treat his schizophrenia are placebos as well as an alternate (more gory) alternate ending.

Overall, this movie is one of the most inventive and groundbreaking films of the last ten years, if not more.

Rating:
Summary: One that stays with you, when its over.
Review: Not an oscar winner, but this one has cult potential. Just enough fantasy in the real world to keep you entertained, and light humor to round off the edges. Donnie darko is my pick for the next re-release of the year. If you haven't seen it, You have missed something you would glad to have experienced. Sci Fi fans: this will not disapoint.
Touchy feely fans: You win too.
Underdogs of the world: Donnie Darko gives you something to root for.
Teenagers still stuck in concrete thinking: Well, Donnie Darko cool, Wow! big scary wabbit and stuff.
Old Timers: You might find yourself napping, but then again you nap quite a bit anyways.

Rating:
Summary: Donnie Darko is GREAT
Review: This is one of the most creative movies that I've seen in a long time. It evoked many emotions, made a lasting impression on me, and was a complete mind trip. To get a taste, visit www.donniedarko.com and you will see what I mean. I haven't been able to get this movie out of my mind since I've seen it on HBO, and finally had to buy the DVD just so I could hear the commentary. The film did very poor when released, but has had a cult following since and did extremely well with DVD sales. It was re-released this year with additional scenes, and I will probably by the director's cut DVD as well when it comes out. Additionally, it has a great soundtrack.