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Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Good Movies  |  DONNIE DARKO (2001) « previous next »
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Author Topic: DONNIE DARKO (2001)  (Read 6775 times)
Rev. Powell
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« on: March 15, 2008, 12:12:29 PM »

I was surprised to find there's not already a topic on this 2001 movie about... say, what was this movie about?



I'd put it into the category of "loveable mess."  It can't seem to decide whether it wants to be a portrait of teen alienation, a sci-fi mindbender, or a John Hughes flick as directed by David Lynch.  It seems like the director had too many good ideas and was afraid he's never get the chance to direct again, so he threw everything he could think of at the screen. 

But it does have the scariest bunny rabbit I've ever seen on film.  (Disclaimer: I have not yet seen NIGHT OF THE LEPUS).

I'd give it 4/5 slimes.  It's far from a completely successful movie, but it's consistently interesting and stuck in my mind after the credits rolled.

 
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Mr_Vindictive
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« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2008, 04:29:18 PM »

Trust me my friend, there are numerous threads about this film here on the board.  It's one that pops up here every so often.

I'm a big fan of Donnie Darko.  It's appeal and mystery has worn off for me since first seeing it around '02 or so, but it's still a landmark film.  Stay far away from the Director's Cut version as Richard Kelly seemed to not even understand his own film.  It's a film that means something different to each viewer and trying to explain it just ruins it.
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« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2008, 06:20:22 PM »

You should check out Southland Tales http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405336/ by Richard Kelly.
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« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2008, 08:03:10 PM »


I'd put it into the category of "loveable mess."  It can't seem to decide whether it wants to be a portrait of teen alienation, a sci-fi mindbender, or a John Hughes flick as directed by David Lynch.

It can be all these things and more. [/joel]

Quote
It seems like the director had too many good ideas and was afraid he's never get the chance to direct again, so he threw everything he could think of at the screen. 

Have you see Doomsday yet?   Buggedout

Quote
(Disclaimer: I have not yet seen NIGHT OF THE LEPUS).

For shame...

I liked it.  It is kind of a mish-mash of a movie but I think, despite it's flaws, it works.  Like I said in the "BOO-HOO" thread, it's one of the few movies that's made me cry (the ending...that song always gets me.)
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« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2008, 09:18:01 AM »

This movie has it all. Mystery, Sci-Fi, Drama, and a slight element of Horror. I highly recommend this movie if you haven't seen it.
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Killer Bees
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« Reply #5 on: March 16, 2008, 08:08:47 PM »

I'd heard about this movie for ages before I saw it.  Then I saw it and wondered what all the fuss was about.  It was weird and atmospheric and Jake Gyllenhaal did a good job as the disaffected teenager but I didn't get it.  I enjoyed it, but I didn't understand it.

Can someone please explain this movie to me?  Question
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« Reply #6 on: March 16, 2008, 09:23:05 PM »

I enjoyed it, but I didn't understand it.

Can someone please explain this movie to me?  Question


Read this
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Rev. Powell
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« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2008, 09:37:36 PM »



Quote
It seems like the director had too many good ideas and was afraid he's never get the chance to direct again, so he threw everything he could think of at the screen. 

Have you see Doomsday yet?   Buggedout


There are a couple films with that title---I'm guessing you mean the 2008 film?  That hasn't made it out here yet, to my knowledge.  Is it good, or just mindboggling?  (Either one's fine with me).
 
« Last Edit: March 16, 2008, 09:39:39 PM by Rev. Powell » Logged

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Pilgermann
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« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2008, 10:48:30 PM »

Shortly after it was releaed on DVD I read some interesting things about the movie and decided to go ahead and buy it, and I really loved it.  I think I watched it 2 or 3 times within the first couple of days.

It's unfortunate that it recieved some backlash like most internet-hyped movies do, but I think it's a good film.

Speaking of Night of the Lepus, there are some crazy and wonderful German posters of it for sale on eBay:

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Killer Bees
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« Reply #9 on: March 17, 2008, 12:14:09 AM »

I enjoyed it, but I didn't understand it.

Can someone please explain this movie to me?  Question


Read this


Thanks for that Ash.  Clear as mud, but I think I kind of get it now.  Reminds me alittle of the movie Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher.

I'll file this one under the heading of "movies to really enjoy when you're tripping on acid".   TeddyR
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frank
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« Reply #10 on: March 17, 2008, 03:33:30 AM »


This has been the most thought-provoking movie I've seen in a long while. However, I haven't figured everything  out yet, that is, I have no idea if the movie probably doesn't make any sense at all…

SPOILER

My quarrel with this film is that I have no idea where the “second” jet engine comes from (as nobody else in the movie has the first time). I somehow understand that the first time the engine hits the roof, it sort of comes out of the future, and anything Donnie does is destined to create a possibility for this to happen in order to “save” the space time continuum (otherwise the end of the world will happen). He succeeds and some kind of time tunnel is build up to send the engine back 28 days to hit the roof. But then, time should continue to move on linearly from this point of time with Gretchen, Donnie's mum and sister dead. Instead, we all jump back in time 28 days and Donnie decides to die when the engine finally hits Donnie's roof (so Gretchen, Donnie's mum and sister will survive the next month or so). But then, he will not be able to initialize all the things necessary to build up the time tunnel needed to explain where the “second” engine comes from (the plane crash 28 days later – hey 28 days later, is this some kind of reference?) – thus the world will end 28 days from the final scene of the movie… And if he didn't die and time would jump back each time the time tunnel is built up, the time span of 28 days would have to repeat itself ad infinitum.

As soon as I figure this out, I’d give it 5 out of 5…

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« Reply #11 on: March 17, 2008, 06:49:35 AM »

There are a couple films with that title---I'm guessing you mean the 2008 film?  That hasn't made it out here yet, to my knowledge.  Is it good, or just mindboggling?  (Either one's fine with me).

That would be the Neil Marshall Doomsday that just came out.  I don't know if the movie was a straight homage to John Carpenter or what but it wasn't all that great.  It's like they took good ideas from 3 or 4 movies and stuck them in a blender and hit "Puree".  There's a right way to do an homage type movie (Shaun of the Dead) and there's the wrong way (Doomsday).

It's too bad because I like The Decent and Dog Soldiers...
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Rev. Powell
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« Reply #12 on: March 17, 2008, 07:29:16 PM »


This has been the most thought-provoking movie I've seen in a long while. However, I haven't figured everything  out yet, that is, I have no idea if the movie probably doesn't make any sense at all…

SPOILER

My quarrel with this film is that I have no idea where the “second” jet engine comes from (as nobody else in the movie has the first time). I somehow understand that the first time the engine hits the roof, it sort of comes out of the future, and anything Donnie does is destined to create a possibility for this to happen in order to “save” the space time continuum (otherwise the end of the world will happen). He succeeds and some kind of time tunnel is build up to send the engine back 28 days to hit the roof. But then, time should continue to move on linearly from this point of time with Gretchen, Donnie's mum and sister dead. Instead, we all jump back in time 28 days and Donnie decides to die when the engine finally hits Donnie's roof (so Gretchen, Donnie's mum and sister will survive the next month or so). But then, he will not be able to initialize all the things necessary to build up the time tunnel needed to explain where the “second” engine comes from (the plane crash 28 days later – hey 28 days later, is this some kind of reference?) – thus the world will end 28 days from the final scene of the movie… And if he didn't die and time would jump back each time the time tunnel is built up, the time span of 28 days would have to repeat itself ad infinitum.

As soon as I figure this out, I’d give it 5 out of 5…

Wait a second, I'm confused.  Which Universe is the Tangent Universe?  Anyway, I think whichever universe causes infinite regress time travel paradoxes collapses upon itself and can thereafter be ignored.  Pretty neat, huh?

Or maybe we should just ignore the director's suggestion to treat the story literally, and just assume the movie is Donnie's hallucination?   

Frank, why do you wear that stupid bunny suit?

   
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frank
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« Reply #13 on: March 18, 2008, 02:10:41 AM »

   

Frank, why do you wear that stupid bunny suit?

   

Because my girlfriend has a weak spot for bunnies. So either this costume or watching "Night of the Lepus" together on Saturday nights is the largest possible intersection of our otherwise somewhat diverging interests in the art of moving pictures.
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