Donnie Darko

[mark chopper]

Has anyone out there seen this flick? it's pretty interesting, it had a real small budget and basically bends a lot of genres into one (sci-fi, thrilller, horror, drama). the plot's kinda complicated at times also, i think i might watch it again so i better understand it, but then again it probably didn't help i was playing my guitar during the film's climax.

[Vermin Boy]

I agree. Not perfect, but it's got a lot going for it; for one thing, it actually TRIES NEW THINGS, which puts it head-and-shoulders above 90% of the movies released since 1999. Gotta love a movie where the back of the box says the phrase "giant demonic rabbit" with a straight face. And I will NEVER look at Patrick Swayze the same way again. ;) (Oh, yeah, and not only does the main character take his date to see Evil Dead, but it's on a double feature with Last Temptation of Christ!)

[jmc]

It was interesting, but I couldn't totally get behind it.  The plot is actually kind of an old one, though it's one that usually makes for bizarre films.  I was about the same age as the characters in 1988, and some things didn't quite ring true to me.  I still don't really see the point of setting it during that time instead of a modern day setting [and believe me, it freaks me out to realize that 1988 isn't all that recent anymore!]  

I think I would have liked it better as a dark satire, because that's the part that seems to work the best [Swayze, "Sparkle Magic..."]

[Pete]

I just found out it's finally getting a UK release (Oct 25th). I've had it on Region 1 DVD for a while now, bought it on a hunch and was very pleased. It's an extreme rarity for me to be able to enjoy a film so much and understand so little, but it makes a film great for repeat viewings, where I understand a bit more each time, and therefore enjoy the film more each time I watch it, which is a very difficult thing for a film to do.

Pete

[mark chopper]

ha ha, yeah, i noticed that also. what a great double bill. 70's horror with some religous persecution. although didn't the theatre have some other cult films on the marquee when him & his date walked in.

[mark chopper]

very true, it's sort of layered in it's plot. you should catch "Memento" if you like films of that context.

[mark chopper]

In what way do you think the plot is old? yeah, i figured they used the 80's just as a socially unbalanced time to use as a good background for a socially disturbed character and story. but who knows what the writer was really thinking.

[jmc]

[contains spoiler]


It's basically the old "OCCURANCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE" plot, also used in JACOB'S LADDER and in a few other films and television programs I'm probably forgetting.     The original story is about a man about to be hanged who seemingly escapes, but we find out at the end that the escape is actually in his imagination, and is his final thought as he hangs.  And yeah, I know that isn't exactly the plot of DONNIE DARKO, but it's similar enough for me to have thought of it upon seeing the film's ending.

[jmc]

That should be OCCURRENCE.  Apparently, I'm not the only one to make that mistake, since when I put OCCURRANCE into the search engine I got a ton of hits.

[Andrew]

JMC - that would be two of us who thought of "Owl Creek" upon seeing the movie.  It is the whole "could have been" angle.

Oddly, the film is one of the best "time travel" movies I have ever seen.  The haunting rabbit character was awesome (and I was entirely wrong about who it was in the suit).