donnie darko > you

Mishra · Feb 2005

oh my god, i got this on dvd yesterday and just watched it. it starts off innocent enough, plenty of laughs, "What's a fuckass?"

then it quickly turns to a mind FUCK and it is seriously the best movie ever.

it makes me want to take an adorable cute kitten, spoil it with candies, and squeeze it until it pops, then i want to eat the remains. that's how GOOD this damn movie is.

Daz · Feb 2005

Yeah its a damn good film.

KeyserSoze · Feb 2005

I've heard it's good, but I have yet to see it myself.

Eli_Heuer · Feb 2005

Patrick Swayze is hilarious in that film.

ElysiumGX · Feb 2005

saw it years ago after everyone said I was a loser for not seeing it yet.

years later it seems they've re-released it, and everyone's like "OMG this movie rules!!!".

yeah, it's good.

Kevin Johnstone · Feb 2005

I loved this one also. Always nice to get a pleasant surprise.

Cannon · Feb 2005

wow, ive had this movie sitting on my desk for at least 5 months and havent bothered watching it.

Once I get the time I certainly will. Its on VHS though :[

gauss · Feb 2005

personally i felt it was willfully obtuse direction as regards to the plot, but that might change upon a second viewing. overall i did like it but i think i need to give it another go to really appreciate it

MoP · Feb 2005

gauss: this is true.
personally i think it's an excellent movie, however it manages to essentially have no... "point" to it.
nobody saw it when it was released at the cinema, but then as soon as it came out on DVD it was a cult hit... weird.

oXYnary · Feb 2005

It really wasn't that deep. More like it wanted to "mimick" being deep.

Do like some of the original music from it though. And that new version of "Mad world" is awesome. Still want to find the single for that.

jzero · Feb 2005

It's even funnier if you were approximately Donnie's age at the time the movie takes place. Late 80s, oh boy.

I think it does have a point. It's a psychological exploration of Donnie's near-psychotic teenage angst state, as it draws out from his head into the real world, and at some point it makes contact with the fabric of space-time... in fact, that's a lot like what I was going through in college in 1987... without the spectral bunnies and sheared-off jet engines, obviously. It's not about what actually happens to Donnie (that's basically erased, after all), it's about his emotional state.

Whatever it does, it hits home. Wes-Anderson-class soundtrack. All-time best use of "Mad World". Ever.

/jzero

JKMakowka · Feb 2005

Sometimes I get the feeling that people think movies are great or 'cult' because they don't get the "point" or meaning of the movie... Like "oh that movie must be great because I don't understand it"

The only great thing about that movie is that it seems to play with this, by not really understanding what it is about either.

Anyways, ok to watch, but by no means a 'cult' movie.

KeyserSoze · Feb 2005

[ QUOTE ]
Anyways, ok to watch, but by no means a 'cult' movie.

[/ QUOTE ]

What would you qualify as a "cult" movie, then? I've always assumed it to mean a film that was initially a commercial failure, but that gained a following of dedicated, obsessive, cult-like fans. Most mainstream films that are considered successful are only popular for maybe a year, and then maybe for a couple more years on home video, and then they fade away. Cult films start with a small fanbase, and then gain popularity gradually overtime; at least that's my take on the term.

Frank · Feb 2005

[ QUOTE ]
It's not about what actually happens to Donnie (that's basically erased, after all), it's about his emotional state.

[/ QUOTE ]
I thought it was more about his choice (at the end) and the reason he makes it, personally, but that does tie in to his emotional state.

Great movie, anyway.

Frank the Avenger

MoP · Feb 2005

KeyserSoze: Yep, that's my take on it too, which is why I think it's a "cult" film... or if it's not yet, it will be.

oXYnary: I agree, I think it's not a "deep" film at all, but it mimics being "deep" so well that you have to wonder whether it ACTUALLY is or not

JKMakowka: Nah, all you need to do is understand that you don't NEED to understand it, just enjoy it...

Paolo · Feb 2005

Ok, I will swim against the current and say that I thought it was teh suk. I agree with OXY's assesment that it had a veneer of depth but no real substance. Why just shoot for trippy when a movie could be trippy and deep? Bah, maybe I should stop tyring to hold it up to better movies like Brazil, Jacob's Ladder, The Wall, The Game, Fight Club, Vanilla Sky, etc.

MoP · Feb 2005

Vanilla Sky, now THERE was a sucky movie

gauss · Feb 2005

no, i think there is some depth to it... but the keys to unraveling what actually occurs in the course of the film are withheld. i enjoy movies that need repeat viewings to appreciate the depth and richness of the material, but with donnie darko the whole space/time business has been made obscure to further the mysterious qualities of the film... something like that, anyway. i stand by 'willfully obtuse' as how i characterize the direction. the writer/director is an obviously talented guy, i just wish i wouldn't have to read the book, rummage through message boards on the net, or watch the film again to really figure out what happened.

Josh_Singh · Feb 2005

that rendition of "mad world" is by a guy named Gary Jules. You can find it on his album "Trading snakeoil for wolftickets" a great album.

Neo_God · Feb 2005

[ QUOTE ]
It really wasn't that deep. More like it wanted to "mimick" being deep.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, though all of those indie emo kids eat up. So many think this is the deepest mind-fuck movie ever (Memento, now that was a good mind-fuck flick). There's this one kid at my school who goes on how the movie has changed him emotionally, and how he thinks there should be a sequel, yeah he's pretty much an ass.

I will say it is a good movie though, has some really entertaining parts in it, and a good cast.

And personally, I prefer the original Tears for Fears version of Mad World, I liked how it was upbeat sounding despite the lyric content.

Mishra · Feb 2005

yes i have come to the conclusion it's not the best movie ever, but it's the best movie i've seen in the last month or so.

Nostradamus · Feb 2005

That girl is hot...

Mishra · Feb 2005

at first i thought she was like 12 so i had my brother go to imdb and look at their ages. she was 17, he was 21. i was about to call pedo.

sundance · Feb 2005

i didn't get it at all and thought it was seriously nuts.

MoP · Feb 2005

I didn't get it at all, thought it was seriously nuts, and loved it to bits

Mojo2k · Feb 2005

found the movie to be a boring piece of crap that was pretending to be deep and trendy cool.

danr · Feb 2005

Looks great, sounds fantastic, helped massively by seeing it on an enormous cinema screen with one of the best sound systems i've ever come across. Which is odd for such a calm, understated film.

I was always surprised when people described it as a mind-fuck, i never had a problem with it.

PaK · Feb 2005

the part where he's stabbing the mirror is probably one of the best eeriest moments in film I have have seen yet.

Great movie.

-R

SystemKrash · Feb 2005

[ QUOTE ]
found the movie to be a boring piece of crap that was pretending to be deep and trendy cool.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree completely.

ryan77 · Feb 2005

but it was deep, trendy, and cool

Malekyth · Feb 2005

My grad student friend who teaches undergraduate English showed that film to her classes one week, for discussion. I was completely impressed with some of the ideas and interpretations that the class came up with, mainly because a lot of them sounded spot on while going way over my head! It does seem to be a great discussion type movie though, watch it and then spend some time at the coffee shop arguing about it.

lkraan · Feb 2005

I really enjoyed it but missed the whole "buzz" that's around it.

Really liked this movie called "The Butterfly Effect" that I saw the other day. Also with time jumping and stuff. I thought that it would really suck since Ashton Kutcher plays the main role but against all my expectations he and he movie were good.

swampbug · Feb 2005

I was just introduced to Darko on an unrelatied note to this thread.. but it was a nice coincidence.

So I just watched it today.... yeah. The movie is definately tight. I got that same vibe from Requiem for a dream. I was always asking myself... is this real? or jsut in his head or what.

It had an excellent cast of characters and turn of events.
awesome!

donnie darko > you

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