Donnie Darko (5 Stars)

Incredible! I've been given another chance to see "Donnie Darko" in the cinema. That's the way it ought to be seen. It was shown today as part of the "Best of Cinema" series. It really is one of the best films ever made. German cinemas are cultivated and show the very best. I was also impressed that the cinema was almost full. There were only a few empty seats in the front row.

Here's a question for my readers. When Donnie, Gretchen and Frank are sitting in the cinema, what film are they watching? Don't google it, that's cheating. If you don't know the answer, watch the film again.

Success Rate:  - 0.3

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Donnie Darko (5 Stars)

As my regular readers know, I don't consider my blog to be primarily a film review site. It's a film diary. The difference is important. I write about every film I watch, without exception, in the order I watch them. I also write about a film every time I watch it. Today is the eighth time I've watched "Donnie Darko" since I started my blog, so I can't think of anything to write that I haven't written already.

So this post won't get many hits. Tough luck. There are plenty of other posts that are popular with my readers. Check out my popular post list on the right of the screen, if you're reading this on a PC. Unfortunately, you won't see it if you're reading on a phone. According to my blog statistics (which only I can see) 44% of my readers use a Macintosh, 36% of my readers use Windows and 2% of my readers use Linux, so it's only a small percentage of my readers who use a phone.

Success Rate:  - 0.3

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Donnie Darko (5 Stars)

For me this was a dream come true: the chance to see "Donnie Darko" in the cinema. I missed it when it was the cinema 20 years ago. At the time I lived next to a large cinema on the edge of Birmingham. I walked past the cinema every day on the way to the bus stop. I even remember seeing the poster for "Donnie Darko" hanging outside. The blue shading made it look like a horror film, so I wasn't interested. In 2001 there was already Internet, but it wasn't as prolific then as it is today. What I mean is, it wasn't as easy to find summaries of new films as it is today. So I missed it.

I forgot all about it until three years later. I was chatting about films in an IRC chat room. One of the girls said, "Donnie Darko is the best film ever made". Another girl replied, "Yes, it is". That made me jump in my chair. Two people told me a film was the best film they'd ever seen, and it was a film I'd never seen. I couldn't let that rest. When we stopped chatting I ordered the film online before going to bed. That was 16th April 2004. (Amazon keeps perfect record of my orders). It arrived a few days later, and the rest is history. It immediately became one of my favourite films. In my recent top 100 film list I put it in second place. 

I always regretted never having seen the film on the big screen. Now I finally had a chance. There was a special screening today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release. It was shown in connection with a strange short film called "Nimic" starring Matt Dillon. I've never been a fan of short films. Either too little happens or too little is explained. In this case it was the latter.

The theatre was almost full, apart from the empty seats necessary for the Coronavirus social distancing. Before the film began, the host asked how many of us had already seen the film in the cinema. Very few hands went up. Evidently, the film was never shown in German cinemas, apart from film festivals. In 2001 "Donnie Darko" was shown at the Fantasy Film Festival in Stuttgart. Then the host asked how many had never seen "Donnie Darko" before. About a third of the audience put their hands up. That amazed me. I thought that almost everyone would be a fan of the film. However, I envy the first-timers. "Donnie Darko" is a film that deserves to be seen on the big screen. I tried to forget the film and enjoy it as one of them. The film is overwhelming. So much happens, and the intensity steadily increases as the film progresses. When the song "Mad World" began in the final scene, I had tears in my eyes.

"Donnie Darko" isn't an easy film to understand. It's a film that needs to be watched several times. If it's too complicated for you, watch the Director's Cut, in which there are additional scenes that explain things. Then go back and watch the theatrical version again, because it's better. Take my word for it.

Now I want to see the film in the cinema again. Maybe the 25th anniversary, if I live that long. I'll probably watch it on disc again in the next few weeks.

Success Rate:  - 0.3

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Donnie Darko (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #2

"I hope that when the world comes to an end I can breathe a sigh of relief, because there will be so much to look forward to".

Donnie Darko is a mentally disturbed teenager who lives in the sleepy little town of Middlesex, Virginia. He frequently sleepwalks and wakes up on the golf course or on the side of the road. On 2nd October 1988 a giant rabbit called Frank tells him to wake up and leave the house. While he's away an aircraft engine falls on his house, directly onto his room. Frank warns Donnie that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds.

Thankful that Frank has saved his life, he proceeds to do whatever Frank tells him to do. He smashes the water pipes and floods his school. He burns down the house of a local motivational speaker.

Donnie considers himself a superhero. He also believes he's doing God's will, although the God he believes in isn't necessarily the Christian God. He's willing to sacrifice himself to save the world.

When he's in the cinema watching "Evil Dead" with his girlfriend Gretchen, only he can see Frank. Is Donnie insane? Donnie doubts his own sanity, but if he doesn't try to save the world, who else will?

The film's plot is mind-bending. It has to be watched several times to be understood. Three years after the theatrical release, a Director's Cut was made with scenes inserted that make the film easier to understand. That's the version I watched today. It's good, but I prefer the theatrical release, which I'll be able to watch in the cinema a week from now.

Success Rate:  - 0.3

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Donnie Darko (5 Stars)

"If God controls time, then all time is pre-decided".

I'm continuing today with my mini-marathon of my three favourite films. "Donnie Darko" is in second place. It's a film I could watch every day and never get bored with it. The only problem is that I'd miss out on so many other wonderful films.

I watched it with my son, who's never seen it before. I wasn't sure if he would like it. Mostly he likes action films, whereas "Donnie Darko" is a twisted science-fiction mystery with a plot that's difficult (though not impossible) to understand. I needn't have worried. I looked sideways at him a few times and saw him sitting in awe. This is a film of such depth that it's impossible not to be overwhelmed.

The next time I watch the film I ought to write more about the minor characters. Every named character who has a speaking role, however brief, plays an important part in Donnie's story. They've all been set like perfectly formed stones in a mosaic. The film would be incomplete without any of them.

I also need to write about the religious aspect of the film. Donnie's messianic nature, sacrificing himself to save the world, is obvious, but there are many other subtle references. Donnie is struggling to find God throughout the film. He doesn't succeed in his search, but he feels compelled to do God's will. He's been selected by God to do something that nobody else can do, and God has endowed him with foresight and enhanced physical strength. God rewards him by giving him moments of physical intimacy with Gretchen Ross. It's Donnie's destiny to die alone, but at least he won't die a virgin.

My next review will be more detailed. I hope.

Success Rate:  - 0.3

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Donnie Darko (5 Stars)

"Every living creature on this Earth dies alone".

This is one of the best films ever made. If I were asked to name my favourite films of all time I would put this in second place, after "Lost Highway". The two films are similar as far as the underlying plot is concerned, even though there are big differences on the surface.

In my review in November last year I said I would give the Director's Cut another chance. I've watched the original version repeatedly over the last 12 years, but I only watched the director's cut once after buying it. It seemed weaker to me. Today I've finally returned to it after at least 10 years.

After watching it again today I no longer consider the director's cut inferior to the original version. It's different, but not inferior. I think that I disliked the director's cut when I first saw it because it took all the mystery away. When people saw the original version it wasn't 100% obvious what was happening. People argued about the interpretation, just as they still argue about the meaning of "Lost Highway" today. In the case of "Donnie Darko" help was offered. The DVD extra features included excerpts from Roberta Sparrow's book, "The Philosophy of Time Travel". This text explained a lot. It put a lot of arguments to rest. It could be argued that it's wrong to make a film that can only be understood after reading a book in the DVD extras, but it wasn't a problem to me.

The director's cut explains the film to the viewers within the film itself. At critical points excerpts from the book are shown on the screen. Now it's easier for everyone to understand the film. I must have found it too easy when I first saw the director's cut. That's why I disliked it.

Apart from the addition of text from Roberta Sparrow's book the changes are subtle. There are a few new scenes, but mostly the existing scenes are longer. There are frequently one or two lines of dialogue that are cut from the original theatrical version. It looks like the cuts were only made to shorten the overall running time, not to streamline the film. Adding the extra lines helps, with the sole exception of Dr. Thurman admitting that Donnie's medication is placebos. That doesn't make sense to me. Yes, I know he's not really ill when he says that he sees the giant rabbit, but he was diagnosed as mentally disturbed prior to Frank's appearance.

At some time in the near future I'll try to watch the two versions on the same day to make a better comparison.

Donnie Darko (5 Stars)

30 films to watch before you die, #24

This film was made in 2001, and it was the first film directed by Richard Kelly. When it was released it went unnoticed, despite making a small profit at the box office. I remember walking past the UGC cinema when it was showing and seeing the poster. It was a blue-ish picture with a giant rabbit. I don't think I recognised it as a rabbit at the time, I thought it was a horned demon. This put me off going to see it. I thought it was a low budget horror film.

Within the next two years the film gained popularity when it was released on video and DVD. I was chatting online with two friends from Norway, and they both told me that "Donnie Darko" was the best film ever made. If someone tells me a film is his favourite film I'm curious, but when two people say the same thing I have to check it out as soon as possible. I bought the film on DVD, and it knocked me off my feet as soon as I watched it. I didn't understand it at first, I needed to watch it a few times, but the imagery and the atmosphere gripped me from the beginning. My list of my favourite films fluctuates from year to year – I last listed my 10 favourite films in 2011 – but "Donnie Darko" has never left the top five.

I've described the plot in previous reviews, but I'll repeat the basics here. On October 2nd 1988 Donnie is woken up by a person wearing a rabbit costume and led to a golf course. This saves Donnie's life, because in his absence an aircraft engine falls on his house. The person, who calls himself Frank, tells Donnie the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds.The rest of the film shows Donnie working to save the world with guidance from Frank. Through a series of seemingly random actions carried out under Frank's instructions unstoppable events are set into motion, until Donnie learns how to create a time machine with the power of his mind. The world can't be saved without sacrifice. Frank has to die, Donnie's girlfriend Gretchen has to die, and finally Donnie himself has to sacrifice his life by going back into his house at the moment the aircraft engine fell on it.

In 2004 a Director's Cut of the film was released, containing 20 minutes of additional footage. By that time I'd watched the original version so often that I knew the events by heart, and the new changes disturbed me. It's been about 10 years since I last watched the Director's Cut. Maybe I should go back and give it another chance.

Riding the wave of the success of "Donnie Darko", Richard Kelly was given money to make new films with bigger budgets, "The Box" and "Southland Tales". "The Box" was moderately successful, but "Southland Tales" flopped abysmally, made with a $17 million budget but earning less than a million dollars at the box office. Since then he hasn't been allowed to direct any more films. He's a one-hit wonder. I can't recommend his other films, and no films have been made quite like this by other directors.

Ghost (4 Stars)

This was the fifth film at the 2014 Brindley Place Film Festival. For the first time, disaster struck. After 45 minutes the screen went blank, and we were informed that a cable had burnt through. We had to wait slightly longer than half an hour for repairs. That gave us a chance to buy extra food and drinks.

"Ghost" is a weepy film with doubtful theological content, but it's enjoyable to anyone wishing to suspend his disbelief. Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) and Molly Jensen (Demi Moore) share an apartment in New York. One night after a visit to the theatre they are mugged in an alleyway and Sam is fatally shot. As a ghost he looks down on his dead body and his grieving lover. For a while he follows Molly around, not knowing what else to do. Then he finds out that it wasn't a random mugging; the murderer had been hired by his work colleague to prevent him exposing illegal money transactions. Molly is also a target, so he wants to protect her, even though he has no way of communicating with her. Finally he finds a psychic, played by Whoopi Goldberg, who can act as a go-between... provided Molly can be convinced that she isn't a fake.

It's an enjoyable film, but nothing that I could watch frequently. The last time I saw it was about 10 years ago. I'll wait another 10 years before watching it again.

Dirty Dancing (4 Stars)

This was the fourth film at the 2014 Brindley Place Film Festival. It was a sunny Thursday evening, attracting the biggest crowd so far this week. Unlike last year, when all films were rated PG, this year they have decided to show films with higher ratings. For instance, yesterday "Top Gun" was shown, which has a 12A rating. However, the organisers of the film festival slipped up today. "Dirty Dancing" doesn't have a 12A rating, it has a 12 rating, which can be be verified on the BBFC website. There's a subtle but important distinction between the two ratings, which the organisers should pay attention to in future years.

The film is about a 17-year-old girl called Baby who goes on holiday with her family to a luxurious holiday resort in 1963. The activities are mind-numbingly boring to her, although her parents and her sister seem to enjoy them. She sneaks off to the place where the resort's staff, the common people, live, separate from the rich guests. She is amazed by the way they dance, and she begins to fall in love with the resort's dance instructor, Johnny Castle, played by Patrick Swayze. She's horrified when she finds out that he's slept with many of the hotel guests, but, as he says, "I don't use the rich women, the rich women use me". That's not much of an excuse, but Baby accepts it and forgives him. But it isn't just a love story, it's a film about dancing. It's a story about how Johnny teaches Baby how to dance.

To me the film seems very anachronistic. I don't believe that people danced that way in the 1960's. The dancing seems very much in the style of the 1980's, when the film was made (1987). Most of the songs are original 1960's hits, but there are new compositions that are in the style of 1980's disco music. This is the film's greatest weakness. It would have been better if the songs had all been 1960's hits, or at least if the new compositions had been in a 1960's style.

Nevertheless, it's a fun film. The poor-boy-rich-girl motif never gets boring.

In 1988 the film achieved the fame of being the first home video release to sell over a million copies. After being released on DVD in 1997 it was even more successful. Up until now over 10 million copies have been sold.

Half an hour before the film and everyone is waiting.

The film starts and everyone loves it.

Apart from "Dirty Dancing" I don't remember ever seeing Jennifer Grey, the actress who plays Baby, so I decided to check up on her. It's true, this is the only film in which she's ever played the leading role. It isn't for her lack of acting ability. If anything, she's even more talented than Patrick Swayze. I think the problem is that she doesn't fulfil the requirements for Hollywood beauty. She's a Plain Jane, which is what was required for "Dirty Dancing". Hollywood is so shallow when it comes to beauty. The best looking actresses -- or at least, the ones that the studio bosses consider most attractive -- get to play the biggest parts.

On the other hand, Jennifer Grey is the wife of Clark Gregg, the original Son of Cool. That's better than any number of film roles.

Donnie Darko (5 Stars)

It's been a few days since I watched this. I delayed my post because I wanted to think of something new to write about it. I couldn't think of anything to add to my detailed review that I wrote in 2012. But then I looked at the picture above with the question that Frank asks Donnie in the cinema while watching the Halloween double bill, "Evil Dead" and "The Last Temptation of Christ". It isn't a random question. Why was Donnie wearing a stupid man suit? Why was he living a normal life like all the others around him, as if he were one of them? He had a destiny to fulfil. Donnie was at the centre of the tangent universe and was the only one who could save the world, or rather save the universe. Donnie had killed Frank, but Frank bore him no ill will. Frank travelled back in time to assist Donnie in his mission.

"Wake up".

That was Frank's first call to Donnie. By the time he was in the cinema things had progressed. Donnie was awake, Gretchen was sleeping.

It's amazing how deep "Donnie Darko" is as a film. There are so many subtleties below the surface that only become apparent after repeated watching.

Donnie Darko (5 Stars)

When this film was first released in 2001 it was a box office flop. It was ignored by critics and moviegoers alike. At the time it was released I lived close to a large cinema and remember seeing it advertised. The photo of the large bunny rabbit in blue shading made me think it was a cheap horror film, so I ignored it. After its release on DVD people started noticing it, and soon it developed a cult following. I first took notice of it when talking to two friends of mine. One of them said that "Donnie Darko" was her favorite film, and the other replied "Yes, it's the best film ever made". That made me run out and buy it the next day, and wow! It's one of the best films I've ever seen.

I'll take a different path in this review. Usually I avoid spoilers, but I want to write an explanation of the film. If you've never seen the film, stop reading now. Go out and buy it. I recommend the original version. The director's cut has better music, but it's padded out by explaining things left vague in the original, making it less enjoyable. The spoilers follow the picture, so scroll down at your own risk.

I've read many interpretations of the film, and there are none I completely agree with. A guide to interpreting it is the excerpts from Roberta Sparrow's "Philosophy of Time Travel" that are included as DVD extras. Reading them isn't essential to understanding the film, but it helps.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF TIME TRAVEL

Chapter One: The Tangent Universe

The Primary Universe is fraught with great peril. War, plague, famine and natural disaster are common.

Death comes to us all. The Fourth Dimension of Time is a stable construct, though it is not impenetrable.

Incidents when the fabric of the fourth dimension becomes corrupted are incredibly rare.

If a Tangent Universe occurs, it will be highly unstable, sustaining itself for no longer than several weeks.

Eventually it will collapse upon itself, forming a black hole within the Primary Universe capable of destroying all existence.

Chapter Two: Water And Metal

Water and Metal are the key elements of Time Travel.

Water is the barrier element for the construction of Time Portals used as gateways between Universes as the Tangent Vortex.

Metal is the transitional element for the construction of Artifact Vessels.

Chapter Four: The Artifact And The Living

When a Tangent Universe occurs, those living nearest to the Vortex, will find themselves at the epicenter of a dangerous new world.

Artifacts provide the first sign that a Tangent Universe has occurred.

If an Artifact occurs, the Living will retrieve it with great interest and curiosity.

Artifacts are formed from metal, such as an Arrowhead from an ancient Mayan civilization, or a Metal Sword from Medieval Europe.

Artifacts returned to the Primary Universe are often linked to religious Iconography, as their appearance on Earth seems to defy logical explanation.

Divine intervention is deemed the only logical conclusion for the appearance of the Artifact.

Chapter Six: The Living Receiver

The Living Receiver is chosen to guide the Artifact into position for its journey back to the Primary Universe.

No one knows how or why a Receiver will be chosen.

The Living Receiver is often blessed with a Fourth Dimensional Powers.

These include increased strength, telekinesis, mind control, and the ability to conjure fire and water.

The Living Receiver is often tormented by terrifying dreams, visions and auditory hallucinations during his time within the Tangent Universe.

These surrounding the Living Receiver, known as the Manipulated, will fear him and try to destroy him.

Chapter Seven: The Manipulated Living

The Manipulated Living are often the close friends and neighbors of the Living Receiver.

They are prone to irrational, bizarre, and often violent behavior.

This is the unfortunate result of their task, which is to assist the Living Receiver in returning the Artifact to the Primary Universe.

The Manipulated Living will do anything to save themselves from Oblivion.

Chapter Ten: The Manipulated Dead

The Manipulated Dead are more powerful than the Living Receiver. If a person dies within the Tangent Dimension, they are able to contact the Living Receiver through the Fourth Dimensional Construct.

The Fourth Dimensional Construct is made of Water.

The Manipulated Dead will manipulate the Living Receiver using the Fourth Dimensional Construct (see Appendix A and B).

The Manipulated Dead will often set an Ensurance Trap for the Living Receiver to ensure that the Artifact is returned safely to the Primary Universe.

If the Ensurance Trap is successful, the Living Receiver is left with no choice but to use his Fourth Dimensional Power to send the Artifact back in time into the Primary Universe before the Black hole collapses upon itself.

Chapter Twelve: Dreams

When the Manipulated awaken from their Journey into the Tangent Universe, they are often haunted by the experience in their dreams.

Many of them will not remember.

Those who do remember the Journey are often overcome with profound remorse for the regretful actions buried within their Dreams, the only physical evidence buried within the Artifact itself, all that remains from the lost world.

Ancient myth tells us of the Mayan Warrior killed by an Arrowhead that had fallen from a cliff, where there was no Army, no enemy to be found.

We are told of the Medieval Knight mysteriously impaled by sword he had not yet built.

We are told that these things occur for a reason.

---

The plot, at its simplest, is this: an alternative parallel universe has occurred spontaneously, and due to its instability it threatens to create a black hole and destroy all of reality. Donnie Darko is chosen as the saviour to prevent this happening.

Is it God who appoints Donnie to this task? That's unclear, although the film does mention God briefly, and the religious symbolism is unmistakable. Donnie saves the universe by sacrificing himself. Like the Mayan warrior and the mediaeval knight mentioned in chapter 12 of "The Philosophy of Time Travel", Donnie died crushed to death by an airplane engine.

Now the full plot, with my interpretation:

On October 2nd 1988 Donnie is woken up by a person wearing a rabbit costume and led to a golf course. The person, who calls himself Frank, tells Donnie the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. When Donnie returns home he sees that an aircraft engine has fallen from the sky onto his house. Nobody knows where it came from. This is the metal artifact described in Roberta Sparrow's book.

From this point on Frank guides Donnie's actions. Donnie floods the school basement, he vandalises the school mascot, and he sets the house of a local motivational speaker on fire. These are not random acts. Frank is one of the "Manipulated Dead", and he guides Donnie to seemingly random acts of vandalism that will steer events towards the final solution. Flooding the basement leads to school being cancelled, which in turn leads to Donnie dating Gretchen, so that when Frank kills Gretchen Donnie takes revenge and kills Frank. This is Frank's death within the Tangent Universe, after which Frank gains powers and is able to travel back in time to guide Donnie. Setting the house on fire leads to the speaker's child pornography collection being discovered by firemen, so the sports teacher Kitty Farmer decides not to accompany the school singing team to Los Angeles, leading Donnie's mother to be in the plane when the lightning hits it and the engine falls off.

Donnie saves the universe by catching the airplane engine as it falls and projecting it into the real universe. His death was a necessity.

One thing that I've missed in other reviews is a comparison with "Lost Highway". If you scrape away the surface the two films are so similar that writer/director Robert Kelly must have been influenced by it. The main difference is that the time loop in "Lost Highway" is supernatural, whereas "Donnie Darko" is scientific. Maybe I'll go into this in more detail when I review "Lost Highway".

Click here to view the trailer.

Powder Blue (2 Stars)

A tale of loneliness in the big city.

A well-intentioned film with similarities to "Crash" that never really gets anywhere. Disappointing.